I work at one of these big tech firms and I’m getting worried about what’s going to happen with our work setup. It’s been a few years since the pandemic started and I still don’t know if they’ll make us come back to the office or let us keep working from home permanently.
My job involves working closely with team members in different time zones, especially the US. If they make us return to the office, it would actually hurt my performance because I won’t be able to adjust my schedule as easily. Right now I can hop on calls at 9pm when needed since I start later in the day.
I really want to move out of the city and maybe even buy property in a smaller town, but I can’t make that commitment while there’s still uncertainty about remote work policies. It seems like a missed opportunity for companies not to embrace flexible work arrangements permanently.
yea, totally get that! hybrid seems to be the way forward for most. like, microsoft’s flexible work is cool but not really full remote. hubspot’s the same too - some days in the office are still needed. maybe hold off on that house for a bit!
Honestly, it’s all still undecided but your cross-timezone setup is actually a huge win. Companies are figuring out that forcing people back to the office just pushes good talent to competitors who offer flexibility. My buddy at a similar company locked in remote work by proving he collaborated better with global teams from home. Push for it now while they’re still working things out.
Most big tech companies I’ve seen are sticking with hybrid setups - not going fully remote or back to the office completely. They’ve got tons of money tied up in office space and still want face-to-face collaboration for some projects. But they’ve also seen remote work boost productivity and know they need flexibility to keep good people. Since you’re already working across timezones, that’s actually a strong argument for staying remote - you’re not working normal office hours anyway. I’d talk directly with your manager about what your role actually needs and how location affects your work. A lot of companies are deciding this stuff team by team instead of making blanket rules.
From what I’ve seen, companies aren’t just picking one approach anymore. They’re getting smarter about matching work styles to actual job needs. For customer-facing roles or global teams like yours, flexibility just makes sense business-wise. The problem? Executives still have this gut reaction that in-person automatically means better work, even when the numbers prove otherwise. Right now there’s this quiet negotiation happening where strong performers who can prove remote work benefits are getting more freedom. If you’re hitting your targets and your timezone flexibility actually helps the company, you’ve got more leverage than you realize. Document how your setup boosts your performance and have that conversation soon. Companies that nail the flexibility thing will crush their competition for talent.