Our company of 5000+ US employees just ended a hybrid model and now requires full return to work. I sit near HR. Here are some things I’ve heard:

• Asked in a public forum what metrics were involved in revoking work from home, VP said “Metrics? None. Next question.” All other questions received some kind of diplomatic answer but not that one.
• A couple of HR employees vocally shit on the complaint emails they’ve been tasked with responding to. They’re the bootlickin-est people I’ve ever heard in a professional setting. 3+ times I’ve heard "If it bothers you that much then quit, simple. The company’s not for you then."
• A global company, our intranet shows the head honcho taking pride in work life flexibility and touts the same fukkin hybrid model. US workers were told it’s a “participating locations only” situation.
• VP said they didn’t anticipate how beloved working from home was, and said (despite no communication otherwise) it was their plan all along to end it, and that they made a mistake by not doing it sooner because it gave us the false impression it was permanent.

In contrast, we employ some union and some non union workers all over the country. As much HR shit talk as I’ve heard over 5 years, I and they still have to abide by WRITTEN PROCEDURES whose express intent is not running astray of the Collective Bargaining Agreements. I hear these HR people on phone calls about something union related and I get to hear “Jump? How high?” and other cowtowing phrases, knowing they’re fuming inside but can’t do anything about it because we’re beholden to those CBAs.

Regularly, I witness stark evidence that union workers are treated better than their counterparts. The CBAs have teeth and the company knows it.