Welcome back to Ask a Tech Worker! It’s been a few weeks since I hit the streets of San Francisco to talk with tech workers about issues they’re facing in the workplace. As always, send over any questions you’d like to see covered in a future edition.
It’s finally happening: COVID-19 cases have declined enough that major companies are calling workers back to the office. Apple, Meta and Google all now expect most of their employees to return to the office for part of the week, even as many other tech employers offer far more flexibility.
In December, I asked tech workers in downtown San Francisco about how often they were using their offices. Four months later, and with the omicron surge behind us, I headed back out to see what had changed. I found that the sheer range of approaches to return-to-office makes this a complicated premise.
“You’ve got very different profiles depending on the person,” said Elias Bizannes, the only U.S.-based member of the Australian startup Darwinium.