Q. My employer just announced they will not be reopening their offices in 2021. I told my boss, once our office is open I will be happy to go to the office for meetings, but I won’t go there every day. This pandemic has shown us there’s no need to. He said, let’s play it by ear

He told me to keep my “threat” on the down low because the higher-ups would not like it if they heard that employees were setting boundaries. I’m not looking to stir up trouble but isn’t it interesting how easily company leaders are threatened by people stating the obvious?

A. Yes. This crisis is bringing so many unaddressed, toxic aspects of the workplace to the surface. How dare you, lowly employee, decide whether you will commute to work or not! The very idea of you controlling your own life!

It is extremely hard for many leaders to shake the notion that they are in charge, employees have to bend to their will, and despite all their statements about employees being their greatest assets, in their minds employees are interchangeable cogs in the machine

The emperor has been naked for decades but now we are starting to talk about it