Question (I'm not being facetious; I actually wonder this) - Why do companies (and some workers) seem to believe that to have a great office culture people must be trapped there?
This is one of the sticking points in this discussion, I think.
(Leaving aside the issue of long commutes.) Why do people's actual hours sitting at the desk need to policed?
Few people (some, but few) are asking for companies to eliminate the office for people who want to be there. From what I've read, there are even more people who prefer 2-3 days in the office to a fully remote lifestyle.
The real sticking point seems to be attendance requirements.
Having to go somewhere every day even if it takes 3 hours to get there and back, whether you're more productive there or not.
Having to be there certain hours, even if a slight shift in hours would save you thousands of dollars a year in childcare expenses.
Having to sit at the desk until 5 pm (or longer) for show, even if you're a salaried employee, are fried from numerous meetings or an intense thinking job, and spent other time -- not at the desk -- thinking about work problems.
Having to work all of your 8-10 hours in a row, even if you would be more productive if you broke it up into 1-4 hour bursts spread throughout the day.
Hmm ... I hear what you're saying. At the same time, I recognize some of the new-kid-on-the-block problems you describe here.
I was a new grad in the analog world. The same kind of uncertainty existed for me. Sometimes a coworker who was supposed to help me just didn't talk to me. Many managers were just as poor then as they are now, in person or online, at setting and communicating expectations.
And there were additional problems in person that don't exist in the same way online. Particularly for women ... bullying and inappropriate attention from the men; envy and criticism from the women.
Also, early on in this pandemic, people and companies were scrambling in general. So, the chaos of onboarding may not have been a problem with onboarding per se, or even with companies not handling it "well" but just a shared difficulty.
This is one of the sticking points in this discussion, I think.
(Leaving aside the issue of long commutes.) Why do people's actual hours sitting at the desk need to policed?