Boss manipulates workers into returning to office by fixing their bonuses

Despite clear research indicating higher levels of employee satisfaction, fulfillment and productivity, work-from-home models continue to decline in the wake of the pandemic, leaving many workers feeling unsupported and taken advantage of by their management.

One particular worker took to Reddit to make a similar point, admitting that his boss is taking the return-to-office mentality one step further by eliminating bonuses and company cars for employees who choose to work from home – even a couple of days a week. .

“Company policy is a minimum of 2 days in the office per week, but if we do this, we will only receive 40% of the benefit and will not be entitled to a car,” he wrote in his post. “To get a real car or full benefits, we have to spend five days a week in the office.”

An employee said that his boss withheld company bonuses by 20% for each day he worked remotely.

“This is a first world problem and I don’t expect sympathy; I just want to grumble,” the Redditor wrote at the beginning of his post. “Now we have to choose how many days we are contracted to be in the office, and our benefit will be based on that.”

Valeria Boyko | Canva Pro

Instead of requiring all employees to return to work full time, management appears to be punishing people working from home by cutting their pay and promised benefits.

“They just emailed that those at my level now have to wait four years to get a car,” he adds.

CONNECTED: Worker criticized for not fighting back after boss forced him to cancel birthday leave: ‘You’re a dream worker’

The company is withholding cars and bonuses from workers who choose to remain remote.

“For every remote work day we add to our contract, we lose 20% of our car allowance,” the employee ended, adding, “It sucks, but there is no part of it that I could say is unfair or unreasonable.” .

Shironosov | CanvaPro

While it makes sense that a company wouldn’t want to provide a company car to employees who don’t commute to work, denying remote workers merit bonuses may not be fair.

Many commentators reluctantly agreed that a company has the right to set such a policy, even if it is unfair. “It’s manipulative at best.”

Whether this additional compensation was in writing or not, they use it as bait to control employees, which is the hallmark of a toxic workplace.

“This is completely unfair,” one said. “They take away compensation that they would otherwise give you and tell you that you can’t get it back unless you change your current behavior at work.”

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Many employers use loopholes to underpay remote workers out of fear that they are “abusing” their time.

Ironically, many companies are more concerned about their employees “abusing” the flexibility of work-from-home options than they are about advocating for sick days or ensuring fair and equitable time off policies.

In a false authoritarianism in the workplace, they believe they have the right to control their adult employees’ time—and, apparently, their livelihoods and wages as well. That’s why alarming studies like the Alliance Virtual Offices report aren’t surprising: Remote workers are nearly 40% less likely to receive bonuses than their office-based counterparts.

It’s no surprise that these initiatives only lead to resentment and frustration, especially when management uses “culture” as an excuse to force people back to the office while threatening their compensation and financial benefits.

Good bosses prioritize the job satisfaction and financial stability of their employees. If they needed employees to return to the office (which, frankly, is rarely necessary for the productivity and well-being of the company), they would work with employees on a plan that would help everyone feel supported.

Getting them back won’t be easy, especially after they’ve experienced the joys of the flexibility of working from home. Even if you do this, they will be preparing their resumes for departure.

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Zaida Slabbekorn is a news and entertainment columnist at YourTango, specializing in health and wellness, social policy and human interest stories.