Bosses 'have to see b**ts in seats to think people are working': Manager refuses to return to office, quits

The full-time remote work has been a boon for many like Danielle who has been able to give more time to her family and take better care of her well-being. (Representational image: Pixabay)

A millennial marketing manager in the Midwest quit her job after her company told its employees to return to office. The woman, identified only as Danielle, said that although her team had been productive, it was the senior management that needed to see people work in the office for them to believe in their productivity.

"The people who are in any type of manager or leadership role, if they have to see people, if they have to see butts in seats to think people are working, they don't know how people work," Danielle told Business Insider.

Interestingly, after she quit, her job was listed for a remote role online.

Danielle, who had worked remotely a day or two a week at her digital marketing job even before the pandemic, took up an all-remote job at a hybrid-first company. At this firm, the push isn't to get workers into the office but to figure out how to stay in communication and be productive in a remote and hybrid environment.

"The tools are there. The ability is there. It is just whether or not people are willing to move into the new way of working," she said. "And I think with any big shift, in any social shift, you've got the people who just really want to hang onto the old way."

The full-time remote work has been a boon for many like Danielle who has been able to give more time to her family and take better care of her well-being. She felt healthier -- she was sleeping more, and walking more -- and, all in all, it was a great transition for her. Even as a manager, she wasn't worried about not seeing her direct reports in front of her every day. Business Insider reported.

Danielle found her own ways to manage a virtual team by keeping lines of communication open with weekly one-on-ones and team chats to collaborative documents.

"If you're going to be a good manager, it's your job to understand how do people work best -- and it's also your job to stay in strong communication with your team," she told the publication, adding: "I actually think remote work makes open communication easier if you use the tools well."

Read more: Women want remote working roles, even if it means turning down a dream job: Survey