Dell Enforces 5-Day Work From Office- Is Forcing People To ‘Work From Office’ Actually Enhancing Work Culture And Developing Skills, Or Are They Just The Result Of The Employer’s Lack Of Trust In Its Employees? If The Latter Is The Case, Forcing “Work From Office” Is A Step Backwards!

Dell Technologies has made a significant modification to its global sales policy. An internal memo says that, beginning September 30, folks who can work from corporate offices would be required to do so five days each week. The change is purportedly aimed to “create a more collaborative work atmosphere and promote the professional growth of its sales staff.” According to the memo, in-person work was emphasised as essential, with remote work framed as the exception rather than the standard, the report said.

Sales staff, particularly field representatives, are expected to balance their time between customer and partner engagements and office duties, with a five-day work week. The former protocol required them to be in the office for three days. This act is consistent with a broader trend among tech companies reevaluating remote work practices set during the Covid-19 pandemic. While many organisations have implemented hybrid work structures, some advocate for a greater return to the office.

Similarly, earlier this month, another tech titan Amazon stated that it want employees to be in the office 5 days a week (effective January 2, 2025). This is a change from its earlier policy that allowed for 3 days of in-office work. CEO asserted that this change is essential for fostering innovation, collaboration, and stronger internal connections.

Some folks have voiced dissatisfaction with this new mandate, highlighting the merits of remote work, like saving time and money on commuting. In May last year, Amazon workers at its Seattle headquarters protested the return-to-office policy, alongside layoffs and climate policies concerns.

Not only Dell and Amazon but also Indian companies have been asking their staff to return to their offices daily. Earlier, this month, Wipro has enforced a new work-from-office policy requiring employees to be present in the office for at least three days each week or lose their leave. This rule, effective from September 2, applies to certain projects. The email, which was sent to employees on September 2, the management also asked the human resources team to disallow employee requests to work from home.

Recently, LTIMindtree linked leaves to employee attendance. As per the Mumbai- based software services company’s work-from-office policy called Rhythm, employees who do not turn up in the office for four days when they are supposed to, they would lose a day’s leave.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has linked variable pay of its employees to office attendance. The company now requires employees to work from the office all five days of the week. Similarly, Infosys has asked its employees to work from office for at least three-days-week.

So, is this attitude of companies wanting their employees to work from office really productive and good for company culture? If so, then why are employees, domestically and globally, showing dissent to these ‘5 day/week work from office’ policies?

Unlike baby boomers or Generation X, we (the Millenial/Gen Y and Gen Z) are in an era where the ‘work’ or ‘job’ is not the only great thing in life, for which one can sacrifice anything and everything, from personal life to family life. Rather, work is a part of life, and none of us take the word ‘workaholics’ as a matter of pride anymore. The existing and upcoming workforce advocates work-life balance more than anything, as they believe if they can survive, then only they grow.

Hence, there is a need for a hybrid model that gives employees room to breathe, think, and be productive. The future of work requires balance. That balance isn’t found by forcing people back into cubicles five days a week under the guise of “strengthening culture”, and hence, this led to dissent among employees about this’ work from office policies’.

What if the company is very rigid- will this really strengthen the company culture?

Companies clinging to pre-pandemic office norms are missing the point entirely. We’ve learned that people don’t need to be tethered to a desk 5 days/week to deliver results. Productivity happens when employees are given autonomy. And this is not just a hypothesis- we have research backing up. According to ‘the 2023 State of Remote Work. report, which highlights the experiences of 3,000 remote workers from around the world (the respondents include those who work fully remotely or some of the time, and the employees, independent consultants, and business owners), 91% of remote workers feel more productive at home, and 98% want to keep remote work as part of their lives. 

Flexibility- The key to keeping employees with the organisation.

There are even many more studies. The 13th edition of Deloitte’s Gen Z and Millennial Survey connected with approx 23,000 respondents across 44 nations to track their experiences and expectations at work globally more broadly. The young cohort demands purpose- Most of Gen Zs and millennials want purpose-driven work, and they are not scared to turn down work that doesn’t align with their values. Work remains key to these people- sense of identity, with their jobs coming second only to friends and family. Moreover, they are very focused on maintaining a positive work/life balance. And their preference for flexible work is driving greater demand. 

An article published on January 2024, titled ‘Forget remote work, India wants 5 days in the office, but with a twist‘, mentions the details of a new research by happyness.me, which paints a surprising scene of employee preferences in India’s 5 major cities. While most employees still crave the brick and mortar schedule and social interaction of an office environment, they also desire for a level of control and autonomy that traditional working models simply don’t offer. This desire for “flexible work” is reshaping the employee landscape, demanding a new approach that prioritises both productivity and employee well-being.

The output of the study reveal a fascinating paradox displaying that the majority of Indian employees prefer coming into the office five days a week, but with a significant twist – they want the freedom to choose when and how they work within that framework. This inclination for “flexible work” is not simply about the convenience of working from home occasionally, rather it represents a deeper desire for trust and empowerment in the workplace.

In an era of ever-increasing connectivity, employees are no longer okay with being micromanaged (this is one of the reasons that Meta asked managers not be managers). They want to be trusted to tackle their own time and responsibilities, and they believe that flexibility is the key to unlocking their full potential. This shift in attitude reflects a growing awareness of the importance of work-life balance and the detrimental effects of stress and burnout, as seen in the recent case of EY. So if these employees are forced to work in cubicles 5 days a week, then employee engagement, retention, productivity, efficiency and everything required for ‘strengthening work culture’ will come to a halt.

Now, if you think it is only millennials and Gen Z, then wait, McKinsey’s 2022 report showed that 87% of employees across generations would choose to work flexibly if given the chance. Flexibility isn’t just a perk for the young cohort, but it keeps people productive and engaged, regardless of age. 

But, if companies know this that they will loose their employees if they force them to come office regularly then you would the companies do so? What is prompting companies to rely on this conventional, rigid, non flexible approach of work from office?

Trust Breeds Productivity, Not Surveillance– Companies’s five-day mandate might actually be about trust—or rather, the lack of it. There is a thought among employers that the employee will not be productive if they work remotely- as if because home gives you the opportunity to wear pyjamas!! 

Another problem with this thought is that “productivity” is obviously not a straightforward metric. 

• What does high productivity mean for a developer- n lines of code? 
• What does high productivity mean for a writer- completing n thousand words daily? 
• What does high productivity mean for a banker- opening n number of bank accounts? 
• What does high productivity mean for a sales personnel- converting n number of leads into success? 

• But what if ‘those n lines of code have n+1 of error’?
• What if ‘those n number of words of the article have the least number of readers’?
• What if ‘those n number of bank accounts opened cannot sustain the minimum balance’?
• What if ‘those n number of successful conversion of leads are just a one-time investment and no further progress’?

So, calling the personnel to the desk on the pretext of ‘strengthening work culture’ or ‘developing the skills’ is merely a statement by the company without any strategy?

The war is not between “work full-time from the office” and “work full-time from home.” Many want hybrid schedules, where they work from the office on some days and remotely on others, but that ratio should not be 5:1, where the earlier mentions the work from office days, with Sunday off. 

Given these inconsistencies in meaning and approach, it’s no wonder that many research on remote and hybrid work produce confused or seemingly conflicting results. For example, a Stanford research discovered that entirely remote work was related with a 10% decrease in output, but hybrid work “appears to have no influence on productivity.” However, the authors point out that their analysis does not account for the financial savings that organisations might get by adopting a remote-first strategy, like reduced real estate expenditures or global recruiting. The study’s authors also point out that hybrid schedules increase recruitment and retention—because people value flexibility.

My Work-Life Assessment research found that trust boosts engagement by 36%. Additionally, 57% of employees already believe their organisations aren’t very trustworthy. And throwing a mandate like five days of work from office will only make that worse. In LinkedIn’s 2023 Global Talent Trends report, 76% of employees said they were just as productive, if not more, working remotely. 

The Indian folks.

Coming to the context of Indian employees living in Tier 1 cities, daily commuting to their workplaces can leave the employees frustrated and less productive. Take the example of Bengaluru traffic- it is not hidden from anyone, and that is how city traffic sulks all the blood. Even the train is not spared from Bengaluru traffic- recall the viral video just a few days ago where this incident occurred at Munnekolala railway gate, near the Outer Ring Road, where a train was brought to a halt, waiting alongside other vehicles that were unable to move.

Later, the railway officials refuted the claims made in a video circulating online, saying that the act was a precautionary measure initiated by a loco pilot when the official heard the striking sound; and to manage the situation and avoid causing a traffic build-up on the road, the gateman opened the LC gate while the inspection was underway. However, the viral video serves as a reminder of the growing challenges in urban mobility faced by one of India’s busiest tech hubs, where even trains aren’t immune to the notorious traffic jams. Some netizens said that this is a regular occurrence at the Munnekolala railway gate.

At the end.

There are many jobs and work profiles where work from home may not be a feasible option, for example, the work of police personnel, doctors and many more. However, as we are heading towards the path of technical advancements and digitisation, many job profiles, such as developers, techies, writers and many more, are there that can be operated in a remote or hybrid work culture. Even in sales profiles, clear communication, realistic targets, and tools such as KPIs and sales tracking software can help build a hybrid work culture.

Moreover, companies need to trust their employees’ efficiency and productivity in remote work culture. The bottom line is that trust isn’t earned by watching people at their desks—it’s built by giving them autonomy to do their work. So, we’re not recommending that we abandon the ‘work from office’ culture completely. Person-to-person interaction is critical for making connections, solving difficulties, developing professionally, mentoring others, and starting impromptu hallway conversations. But are tech professionals expected to come to work five days a week? 

 It is superfluous, out of date, and out of sync with modern work practices, particularly for millions of digital workers. Companies that trust their employees embrace flexibility, and support innovation—whether at work or at home—will be successful in the future. Anything else is simply looking backwards. Even our esteemed PM argues for a hybrid work culture.