It's interesting to see companies like Apple and Tesla forcing employees back to the office as a post-pandemic measure.

Many employees are fighting back, as they want to continue to work from home part of the week. It saves them time and money and is better for their lifestyle.

I can't help thinking that these companies are doing something wrong.

Do they still want to own people's time from 9-to-5? It feels we should be further at this point. Work should be about output instead of having a monopoly over people's bodies during the day.

I understand people are needed on factory floors and in the hardware labs — but a big part of the workforce does office jobs.

At innovative knowledge companies, talented people create value.

The great resignation has kept companies on their toes in the past years, putting people first and ensuring their employees are happy. It feels like the way it should be.

The pendulum might be swinging. The looming recession creates fear, and managers use their leverage to force people back into the workplace.

Another reason might be a struggle to work remotely.

These are big companies with a long history of working on-premise. Maybe they never got the hang of working remotely. Or, the managers feel they don't have the hang of it.

The key to remote work is organizing work and communication time. Having frequent meetings ensures remote people are not left out and can make progress without any blockers.

It also means putting things in writing on communication tools like Slack, meeting notes, etc — so everyone is kept up to date. It creates a better way to work overall.

Companies have to create an environment where remote workers are treated equally to on-premise workers, which is a big challenge but not unsolvable with will-power.

Whatever the reason, we should not force people back to their office chairs.

There must be a better way.