r/remotework

My company recently started requiring two in-office days a week.

What shocked me wasn't even the office itself. It was how exhausting the entire process around it is.

Wake up earlier. Figure out clothes. Sit in traffic. Spend money on gas or transport. Be surrounded by constant noise. Pretend to be productive while people interrupt you every twenty minutes. Then sit in traffic again on the way home already mentally drained.

When I work remotely, I log off and instantly have time for myself. I can cook, exercise, clean, or just decompress. Office days feel like work consumes the entire day even if the actual workload is identical.

The craziest part is I genuinely used to think this lifestyle was normal.

I’m ADHD/autism combo and call me dramatic all you want, but I can’t imagine a worse form of torture. The cubicles, hearing everyone around me talking on the desk phones, people having side conversations, coughing, the bright obnoxious lights, the constant buzzing of the printer, people’s space heaters, the smell of cheap coffee, people’s microwaved lunches, the morning breath, the clacking of everyone’s keyboard, stinky bathrooms and the awful smelling soap.

Not to mention people constantly coming up to ask questions or just to talk, completely interrupting my work flow. My last job was full time remote for 5 years, and although EXTREMELY high pressure and stress, I didn’t appreciate how good I had it being at home full time.

This shit just sucks. The only thing that gets me through the day is wearing noise cancelling headphones and listening to jazz. But now I’m getting snide comments from other people saying I’m unapproachable, unavailable, or anti-social. When all I’m trying to do is FOCUS ON MY WORK AND GET IT COMPLETED, ya know, the thing I was hired to do?!

Sorry for the rant but I’m at a breaking point and am starting a job search for literally any remote position, even if it’s a massive pay cut.

Every "thought post" in slack. Every fkin email. Every google doc. They don't even try to hide it anymore.

Am I the only one that thinks that their copy/pasted ai bullshit is cringe? Imo, it makes the actuall message lose its value. Is leadership really that inept/lazy that they can't communicate using their own words or are they all just suffering from imposter syndrome atp?

When I signed the contract for this role the recruiter spent half the time talking about how they were a pioneer in async culture. They said they did not care when I worked as long as the tickets got closed. It sounded like a dream because I am a night owl and I usually do my best work after eight pm when the rest of the world is asleep. Fast forward three months and it has turned into a total digital leash situation. My managerr acts like a sixty second delay in a Slack response is a personal insult or a sign that I am out at the beach or something. I have a red block on my calendar specifically for deep work where I am supposed to be head down in the codebase but he completely ignores it. If I do not reply to a low priority question about a Jira ticket within two minutes he starts a huddle and then he calls my actual cell phone.

It happened again this morning while I was just making a second pot of coffee. I left my desk for exactly five minutes. I come back to three missed pings and a missed call on my personal number. When I finally get back to him he says oh I just wanted to make sure you were around because I saw your status was away. It is like he is staring at the green dot on his screen all day instead of actually doing his own job. This kind of micromanagement is actually worse than being in an office because at least in an office he can see that I am at my desk. Now I feel like I have to keep a mouse jiggler running or just constantly tap the space bar while I am trying to think about a complex logic problem. It is destroying my focus and making me hate the sound of the Slack notification. Every time that little knock brush sound goes off my blood pressure just spikes.

I tried to bring it up during our last one-on-one and he just laughed it off and said he just likes to keep the momentum going. Momentum is not the same as harassment. I find myself checking Slack while I am eating lunch or even when I am in the shower because I am terrified of seeing another missed call on my phone. The whole promise of flexibility was a complete lie. It is just a different kind of panopticon where the walls are made of status icons and read receipts. I am spending more energy managing my visibility than I am writing actual code. I have started leaving my phone on the charger in the kitchen just so I do not have to look at it but then I just feel this weird phantom vibration in my pocket anyway.

The worst part is that the rest of the team has just accepted it as the new normal. They all respond instantly with those stupid thumbs up emojis like they are robots. I feel like I am the only one who remembers what actual deep work feels like. Last week I tried to set my status to on vacation just to see if he would stop but he just messaged me on LinkedIn to ask about a merge request. There is literally no escape from this guy. I am seriously considering getting a burner phone just for work and then losing it in a lake or something. Remote work was supposed to be about results but for this guy it is just about control. I am currently sitting here with a cold cup of coffee and three unread pings that I am staring at because I just do not want to give him the satisfaction of a fast respnse.

My cat is staring at me like he knows I am losing it. I am probaly just going to go for a walk and leave the laptop open with a video on loop so the screen does not lock. If he calls again I am just going to tell him the power went out or my router exploded. I did not sign up for a digital shock collar and I am definitely not getting paid enough to be on call every second of the day. I wonder if there is a way to set up an auto reply that just says I am thinking leave me alone. Anyway my toast is cold and the Slack icon is bouncing again.

I have experience in administrative and legal support work, including legal research, document handling, email management, and general office tasks.

I am comfortable using Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and legal research tools. I can work independently, manage tasks efficiently, and am willing to learn new systems as needed.

If anyone is hiring or knows any openings, I would really appreciate your recommendations or referrals. Thank you!

A few days ago my friend asked if I wanted to grab coffee and my first reaction was actual stress because I realized I hadn't left my apartment in almost 4 days except to take out trash. I work remote, order groceries half the time, talk to coworkers on Slack and Discord all day and somehow convinced myself that counted as enough social interaction.

The weird part is i don't even feel miserable most days. That's what scares me a little. The routine became so normal that I stopped noticing how small my world got. Wake up, same desk, same walls, same tabs open, same hoodie, sleep, repeat. I used to casually go outside without thinking about it. Now it feels like an "event" I need to mentally prepare for.

Remote work improved my life in a lot of ways, but i think i underestimated how easy it is to accidentally isolate yourself when your entire existence fits inside one room.

I started a remote senior proposal specialist role at a large civil engineering firm 8 weeks ago after years in industrial construction where I had complete autonomy. I managed my own deadlines, deliverables, and sanity. I intentionally took a pay cut because remote work was sold as flexibility.

My manager was on medical leave when I started, so I trained with a colleague in another region. It was great. Short purposeful calls, clear direction, actual time to work. I genuinely thought I hit the jackpot.

Then my manager returned.

Since then I’ve averaged 3 to 5 hours of calls with her daily between Teams and phone calls. Some days have pushed nearly 7 hours. I started tracking it because I honestly thought I might be exaggerating. Over the last two weeks alone I’ve spent about 27 hours on calls with her. Not meetings. Not proposal reviews. Just calls.

Most of these involve me sharing my screen while she watches me work and provides a running commentary on her life. A lot of it revolves around her carpal tunnel release surgery from 2.5 months ago, which she maintains has left her completely unable to use her hand. She talks constantly about how badly she wants to work while simultaneously refusing to actually do work because of her hand. At this point coworkers have started gently suggesting pain management options, which feels less like concern and more like collective exhaustion with the conversation.

Ironically, she also complains nonstop that she “can’t get anything done because of all the calls,” apparently unaware she initiates every single one while actively destroying my productivity and will to live.

The truly surreal part is that I spend half these calls teaching my own manager basic technical skills. This week alone I walked her through the snipping tool, keyboard shortcuts, embedding hyperlinks in emails, searching in our project management software, and the general concept of OneDrive. She also struggles with our primary design software. And before anyone assumes she’s 78 years old fighting for her life against modern technology, she’s in her early 40s.

At this point I genuinely do not know if I’m experiencing spectacularly poor management or if remote work is just secretly an elaborate psychological experiment conducted through Teams. Or maybe it’s all normal and I’m the problem. Maybe I’m not cut out for remote work. Idk anymore.

Remote workers: is this normal? Did your onboarding involve this level of constant access and supervision? Did it taper off? Someone me some hope because I am hanging on by a thread trying not to buy out the rest of my contract and/or walk into traffic.

TLDR: I took a pay cut for the “flexibility” of remote work and accidentally enrolled in a full time surveillance internship.

Anybody else watching people defend State Farm’s return-to-office push by saying “it’s only 6 days a month” like that’s where this ends?
That’s phase 1. Corporate America has been running the same playbook everywhere:
“Just a few days for collaboration”
“We’ll stay flexible”
“Culture matters”
“More in-person opportunities”

Suddenly badge tracking, mandatory anchor days, and management breathing down your neck because your Teams dot went yellow for 4 minutes.
State Farm literally already signaled the direction this is heading. Multiple reports this year quoted leadership saying hybrid employees will “be together more in the future” while consolidating employees into office campuses because they have “too much office space.”

Translation:
“We spent money on buildings and now we need bodies in chairs.”
Meanwhile employees proved for YEARS they could do the job remotely. Claims. Medical. IT. Underwriting. Customer support. People hit metrics from home while:

saving thousands in commuting costs
being more available for family
avoiding burnout
avoiding 2 hours a day evaporating on highways
actually having work-life balance

Even industry reporting during and after COVID acknowledged remote work improved productivity, flexibility, employee engagement, and reduced overhead costs.
But suddenly we’re supposed to believe innovation only happens under fluorescent lighting while hearing Chad loudly microwave fish at 11:14 AM and Sheryl clipping her toenails at her desk.

And let’s stop pretending this is about “collaboration.” Half the time people come into the office just to sit on Teams calls with coworkers in different states anyway. The office becomes a very expensive Zoom background.

The funniest part? Companies spent years bragging about hybrid flexibility in recruiting. State Farm literally promoted hybrid work as a benefit, talking about employees working from home “approximately 75% of the time.”

Now the tone everywhere is:
“Business needs may change.” 🤡🤡🤡

People see the writing on the wall. Employees aren’t naive. Six days becomes TEN. TEN becomes 75%-100% for “core collaboration weeks.” Then suddenly promotions favor office visibility. Then remote workers quietly disappear through attrition.

There are already employee discussions openly calling this “quiet layoffs” and forced attrition without severance.
The wildest part is leadership acts shocked when morale tanks afterward. 😃🤡
Remote work was NEVER the issue
Middle management just got addicted to seeing humans in chairs again so they can feel powerful and corporate needed butts in chairs for these ugly buildings they are paying a lot of money for☕️

To clarify: I’m not asking if remote is realistic. I know it’s hard. I’m asking which career path best uses my degree’s transferable skills, and what steps to take e.g., a specific master’s or online courses.

If you’re autistic and work fully remote with a similar background, what do you do, and how did you get there?”

I accepted this job 3 weeks ago specifically because the listing said "Remote" and in both interviews they confirmed "yes, this is a remote position."

I show up for day one orientation and the HR person goes "Okay so just to clarify the remote policy, you'll be in office Monday through Thursday, and Fridays you can work from home."

I'm like "Wait, what? The job posting said remote and everyone told me this was a remote role."

She looks confused and pulls up something on her computer. "Oh, all our positions are hybrid now. We updated the policy last month. Four days in office, one day remote."

I literally got rid of my car because I wouldn't need to commute. I have a dog at home that I can't leave alone 9 hours a day.

I told her this is not what was discussed and she just shrugged and said "Well you can talk to your manager but this is company policy now."

So I'm sitting here on day one realizing this is essentially an office job with one work from home day.

I feel completely deceived. How is this legal? The offer letter I signed says "remote position" doesn't that mean something?

I don't even know what to do. Do I quit on day one? Do I try to stick it out? I can't afford to be unemployed again but I also can't do this commute every day.

Has anyone had a job completely change the terms after you already accepted? I feel so trapped right now.

I work remotely, and one thing I’ve noticed lately is how AI verification tools are slowly becoming part of normal workflows in some online jobs.

In our case, they recently became part of our moderation/review process, mostly as an extra layer when checking uploaded images or unusual claims. With AI-generated and heavily edited images becoming more common, I can understand why companies are starting to experiment with these systems more.

At the same time, I still think human review matters more than detector results alone. False positives can happen, and the last thing we want is for legitimate users or customers to feel falsely accused because a tool flagged something incorrectly.

That’s why, at least from what I’ve seen, these tools work better as a second layer of verification rather than final proof. We also encourage users to send original and unfiltered images when possible since edits, filters, or compression can sometimes affect results.

We tested several systems internally before narrowing down a few that seemed more practical for image verification workflows, including tools like Truth Scan and similar platforms. Even then, the final decision still depends heavily on context and human judgment.

Curious if anyone else working remotely has started seeing AI verification tools slowly becoming part of their workflow too?

Hi folks,

I have been using the Jabra 7 for years and my only complaint is the microphone picking up noise. I kid you not I have resorted to using plugged in headphones but enough is enough. I have the Shokz swim which I use for, well, swimming and occasionally walking. I've also tried the shocks one dot and LOVED them, except the ANC/call quality was bad. The bone conduction really helps with comfort & sound quality imo, but again comes with other issues (ANC, bad mics) so I'm hoping you all can give me a higher end recommendation with an amazing microphone because this is currently my biggest challenge.

I've also tried Seinheiser and Bose Quiet comfort (older models from ~2 years ago) and had complaints that it was picking up noise and audio from around me, so gave up and just stuck with what I had (please help me change this 🙏🏻)

No budget - truly, I just want to have 1 amazing set of earbuds that will last.

Note: Android user

My priorities:

1. Comfort - travel frequently for work so I have to be able to wear them for long periods of time
2. ANC - needs to drown out crying children on planes
3. Great for meetings - I have to work in airports and coffee shops, so need headphones that are good at distinguishing my voice vs others and drown out background audio
4. Versatile - I'd like just 1 set of earbuds to also use while walking and going to the gym, so hear through capabilities are a great to have

Thank you for your help, really hope I can get a pair that works well!

2.4 YoE in CRM/Lifecycle Marketing. Previously worked on MoEngage, Ab initio (SMS, Email, Push, In-App, WhatsApp) for a leading telecom client.

Left job in December for govt exam prep, but exams got cancelled twice. Now got an offer from a marketing agency, but policies are very strict:

- No leave in first month

- Only 1 leave/month after that

- Immediate joining

- Salary is average and commute cost will be high

I don’t really like the vibe, but I also don’t have any other offer right now and already have a career gap.

Should I join for stability and continue searching later, or wait for a better opportunity?

Also open to CRM/Martech/Lifecycle Marketing opportunities (remote/hybrid preferred).

Do you ever see friends or other men in general working trades like plumbers, electricians etc and have the urge to do that even though you work from home and don’t have anything to really complain about? I get it constantly lol