Citing concern for its 'uniquely rich culture,' Charles Schwab Corp. is curbing remote work, according to an internal memo, causing some to grouse about returning to the office, despite COVID's official end

So they hired a bunch of people remotely, nowhere near offices and are now saying everyone has to be in office? Seems like a pretty obvious ploy to get people to quit. Are they going to pay relocation packages to the ones who live hours or states away from an office to work out of? This is why people don’t want to “hustle”, because at the end of the day businesses are going to business.

I am 2.5 hours from any office and will not be going back. If the real goal is to reduce the workforce then they are going to get it

The Schwab policy is actually quite rigid and it's disappointing that increased flexibility that leads to greater diversity at leadership levels is being removed by a group of white men over the age of 50 for the sake of "culture." This is happening at all financial institutions who ALL have the same leadership demographic (note the Dimon "response" - his "disdain" for flexibility). The folks who do not want to change (they all state employees need to be adaptable) is management of that certain demographic who have most benefitted from the rigid in-office requirements. Many women's careers had to take a back seat during years when they were having children, at a time that is crucial for career advancement. Without greater diversity at the top, decisions will continue to be made that only benefits that demographic. Ironically, the council states that "you cannot advance" as a remote or hybrid employee while the CEO mentioned in an all-hands a year ago that he would not be where he is today if the company didn't afford him WFH when his children were school-aged. Not to mention the expense in an economy where housing prices and inflation will now require employees to budget several hundreds of dollars per month just to be physically in the office. A 30 minute unpaid/unproductive commute one-way equates to 1.5 weeks over the course of a year. If you have a 60 minute commute, it exceeds the vacation time offered employees (this is considering only a 3 day in-office and accounting for vacation and holidays). It is 2023 - there are a myriad of technological advances, why do we act like it's 1975? If training and advancement are issues, then management needs to find a way to innovate/change its methods and policies. I will always prefer a "culture" that is diverse and innovative and allows workers more time with family/community over one that is rigid and uninspired.

Rethinking about applying for Schawb, it is disappointing. I'm certainly more productive working from home, 2 days at the office is more than enough.

Lots of us are quitting. Terrible time to announce this new policy, when they need all hands on deck for the TDA integration. Power move and just want to micromanage. Managers miss being able to flex their corporate muscles

Trust a pillar of Schwab’s culture. To just spontaneously change their mind from their previous work from home policy after people make life altering decisions destroys that trust. When asking for an exception because during the pandemic I began taking care of my elderly parents and my father is still suffering from Long COVID symptoms. When my car was totaled in a hit and run I didn’t buy another car, I put a new roof on my parents house instead and used their car because I didn’t have to commute to the office. Yeah I might not have moved more than 50 miles away from an office which apparently is the requirement to get an exception but 13 miles to the office when my father has to drive himself to multiple doctors appointments throughout the week might as well be a million miles because I can’t do both. There’s no exceptions for employees like me who now have to find a new job in October, so much for trust.