Should This New Trend Concern Remote Workers in Minnesota?

It’s hard to believe it’s been four years since the start of the pandemic. When we look back at that time in our lives, there is extreme sadness for some due to the loss of someone they loved.  

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For others, that was a very awkward time, experiencing things we never had before. Some people had good jobs before Covid and then lost them after a short period of time in the beginning of the pandemic. 

A lot of companies shifted their focus to remote work environments, allowing people to keep their jobs, just not having them come into the office. But, over the last year or so, we’re seeing these letters used a lot more, “R T O”, which stands for Return to Office.  

For companies who didn’t downsize their workspaces, some are asking or telling employees they need to return to the in person work environment. In some cases, the message is; return to the office or else! 

Dell Computers is one of the latest to take this stand. The report I read in “The Morning Brew” said Dell had remote workers long before Covid hit, but now they are looking to have people back in the office spaces they own.  

To the point that Dell is offering promotions to people, but only if they will work on an in-person basis. Those who are more familiar with the Computer/Tech industry say this is going to be hard to do due to the geographic location of most of the workers in the industry. They've always had the advantage of working remotely as a team. 

Another issue that Dell is going to face is that most of their remote work force is female which means if the women continue to work from home or remotely, they’ll not be in line for promotions.  

Everyone’s situation is different, but should you not be able to get a promotion you’ve earned even if you’re not there in person. The Morning Brew quotes an article from Live Data Technologies that says fully remote employees are promoted 31% less than those who are on-site and in the office.  

I’m torn on this, because I worked on-site the entire time during covid and have been in management for 25 years, so I understand the importance of having your leadership be readily available.  

But if someone is deserving of a promotion, should they not get it regardless of where they work from, especially in an industry that leans into the technology that is available?