• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

2

Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing

3

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead

1

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

2

Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing

3

He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
Successreturn to office

Good riddance to work from home, Google’s former CEO says

By
Colin Lodewick
Colin Lodewick
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Colin Lodewick
Colin Lodewick
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 5, 2022, 2:35 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Google’s voluntary work-from-home policy ended on Monday, April 4. Now employees who didn’t apply for an extension or permission to work from home permanently have to come into the office three times a week. 

One person is really happy about that: former Google CEO Eric Scmidt.

Schmidt, who served as the tech giant’s CEO and chairman from 2001 to 2011, says the change is essential.

Schmidt called himself “a traditionalist” in a new interview with CNBC, noting the often-repeated purported pros of in-person work: collaboration, networking, and young employees’ ability to gain exposure to professional work environments. 

Being in a physical office, said Schmidt, is especially important for workers between the ages of 25 and 35 for developing their management styles.

“In terms of their age, that’s when they learn,” Schmidt told CNBC. “If you miss out [on that] because you are sitting at home on the sofa while you’re working, I don’t know how you build great management. I honestly don’t.”

Schmidt does not see the technologies developed over the last two years as appropriate replacements for in-person work: “I think there is a lot of evidence that humans are social,” he said, “and that the current virtual tools are not the same as the informal networks that occur within a corporation.”

The possible end of the work-from-home era might be fueling the Great Resignation as workers seek out more flexible companies, says psychologist Anthony Klotz, the expert who coined the term. He recently predicted that the Great Resignation could last several more years as workers continue to “sort out” their lives. At Apple, workers have expressed interest in quitting rather than returning to the office.

It’s possible, too, that Google’s current hybrid approach is part of a long-term strategy to achieve Schmidt’s wish of getting workers back full-time.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Google’s former chief of human resources Laszlo Bock called the company’s three-day schedule a “boil the frog method,” because he believes Google executives hope to slowly reacclimate workers to fully in-person work, just like the proverbial frog slowly being boiled alive.

Bock said he thinks employers should be more direct with their workers about eventual plans. “That’s not only bad for trust and morale, it’s also not the best thing for employees or for the company,” Bock told Fortune.

Schmidt declined to comment when contacted by Fortune.

Never miss a story: Follow your favorite topics and authors to get a personalized email with the journalism that matters most to you.

About the Author
By Colin Lodewick
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Success

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Success

Mark Cuban’s cofounder once told him: ‘We don’t get as much done because people are afraid of you’
C-SuiteMark Cuban
Mark Cuban’s cofounder once told him: ‘We don’t get as much done because people are afraid of you’
By Sarah GlodekJuly 31, 2026
5 hours ago
laptop
North AmericaEducation
The post-pandemic classroom is quietly ditching the laptop-for-every-kid model
By Janice Mak and The ConversationJuly 31, 2026
7 hours ago
‘Retiring backwards’: How cold economic reality forced Gen X into something like the reverse of baby boomers’ golden years
SuccessRetirement
‘Retiring backwards’: How cold economic reality forced Gen X into something like the reverse of baby boomers’ golden years
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 31, 2026
7 hours ago
Young Gen Z content creator films videos
Successinfluencers
More than half of Gen Zers want to become influencers—so now Arizona State University is offering a content creation degree for $142K
By Emma BurleighJuly 31, 2026
7 hours ago
Jensen Huang speaks into a microphone
SuccessCareers
Jensen Huang says this is the greatest time in history to start a business—and his advice is to stop overthinking it: ‘How hard can it be?’
By Preston ForeJuly 31, 2026
7 hours ago
national guard
LawCrime
National Guard major rented hotel rooms on the government’s dime just to hide a second wife, prosecutors say
By Jonathan J. Cooper and The Associated PressJuly 31, 2026
10 hours ago

Most Popular

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line
Retail
The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line
By Tatiana SatauaJuly 31, 2026
16 hours ago
Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing
Big Tech
Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing
By Alexei OreskovicJuly 30, 2026
22 hours ago
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
Success
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
By Preston ForeJuly 29, 2026
2 days ago
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
Retail
Costco's $14 million email settlement: Who qualifies for an up-to $500 payment and how to claim before the Aug. 24 deadline
By Sydney LakeJuly 29, 2026
2 days ago
Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar
Personal Finance
Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 31, 2026
16 hours ago
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
6 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.