{"id":194704,"date":"2026-06-22T09:28:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T17:28:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=194704"},"modified":"2026-06-22T10:02:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T18:02:28","slug":"nyt-the-secret-reason-bosses-want-everyone-back-in-the-office-every-day-of-the-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=194704","title":{"rendered":"NYT: The Secret Reason Bosses Want Everyone Back in the Office, Every Day of the Week"},"content":{"rendered":"

Three psychologists write in The New York Times<\/a>: <\/p>\n

\nAs a general rule, though, it turns out that ordering people back to the office full time is a power and status move. It\u2019s a signature strategy of leaders who exhibit narcissistic qualities. They see any kind of remote work as a threat to their authority and admiration. They want to be worshiped at the office altar…
\nWhen people aren\u2019t in the office, it\u2019s harder to command and control. Leaders can\u2019t intimidate by hovering over cubicle desks and slamming doors. They can\u2019t establish their dominance by summoning people to a conference room and pounding their fists on the table. They can\u2019t even make direct eye contact to stare people down.
\nRemote work also prevents leaders from basking in the glow of employee reverence. Instead of standing out in the corner office, leaders are lost in a sea of equal squares on a screen. Instead of rapt attention, they\u2019re met online with boredom, fatigue and interruptions from partners, children and pets. Instead of being showered with immediate gratification, they get glitchy facial expressions and delayed replies. Sycophantic reassurances from employees just don\u2019t have the same effect if they\u2019re on Slack.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three psychologists write in The New York Times: As a general rule, though, it turns out that ordering people back to the office full time is a power and status move. It\u2019s a signature strategy of leaders who exhibit narcissistic … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17382],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-194704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-psychology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t