News channel producer quits after RTO mandate: 'Never want to work in an office again'

The single mother of two is now an entrepreneur with a thriving business. (Representational picture: Unsplash)

A news channel producer spent nearly 25 years working in New York City and Washington, DC. She loved her job and when in 2020 she, along with other employees of the television channel, was directed to work from home, she loved her job even more because it offered her a better work-life balance. Jennifer Oliva, 50, used the extra hours that were otherwise spent commuting to and fro from work, to improve her health and spend time with her children. All of that changed once her company announced a return-to-office policy in 2021. Olivia tried to adapt to resuming work in the office, but when she realised it was not working out for her, she quit.

Now, Oliva -- a single mother of two -- is an entrepreneur with a thriving business.

"I spent almost 25 years working as a network television producer in New York City and Washington, DC. I loved my job, and even though it often involved long hours, it was thrilling," she told Business Insider. Oliva added that she used to spend 2.5 hours commuting daily but had accepted it as a normal part of her routine because she had done it for many years.

"I used to walk to the train station, take a 50-minute train ride, and then a 15-minute subway ride uptown. I'd start my day at 7.30 am and get home around 7.30 pm," she said. "In the mornings, I'd do work on the train, but on the way home, I'd just decompress and watch TV shows on my phone. I always felt like I could've used that hour and a half to be with my kids or take care of important household tasks."

But during the pandemic, when work from home was enforced, Oliva would spend her extra hours with her kids, family, and friends. "I started to feel so much healthier and happier. Without my commute, I could spend more time with my kids, make them dinner and lunch, and take midday walks. Spending that extra time with them opened my eyes to a different type of work-life balance I desperately wanted to keep," she told Business Insider.

In 2021, when her company called everyone back to the office, Oliva asked her boss if she could have a hybrid schedule, but the company didn't allow any exceptions. She argued that she could accomplish my job better from home as she had proved over the last year. The news channel executive tried to return to the old ways for a while but eventually realised that it was not working out for her. And in December 2021, she quit.

Oliva then started her own publicity company so that could control her schedule and her life. "Part of what keeps me motivated and doing the best job possible for my clients is making my company so successful that I never have to work in an office or for someone else ever again. It pushed me toward a new career path that fits the type of work-life balance I want and turned me into an entrepreneur with a thriving business."

She did admit that she missed that steady paycheck, but she was "more than covering my expenses and am making more now than I ever did working for someone else."