YouTube’s Office Blues – A Tale of Return-to-Office Policies Used to Thwart Union Organizers

We’re all familiar with YouTube’s wild success, but lately it seems the video-sharing giant has “botched the jukebox”, to quote the renowned 1984 romantic comedy STREETS OF FIRE. The streaming giant’s latest blues comes from its current abuse of return-to-office policies, making union organizing a lot harder.

What the Deuce Is a Return-to-Office Policy?

Basically, it’s a policy that requires employees to physically return to their workplace and cease working from home. YouTube claims this is so they can “better collaborate and innovate with co-workers”, which really makes you wonder: are they afraid of us meeting up at the invisible watercooler or something?

What Makes This Problematic?

This policy has obvious implications when it comes to unionizing efforts. After all, one of the advantages of remote work is that we can secretively plan, organize, and discuss without Big Brother breathing down our necks.

But now that we’re stuck back in the office, it’s a lot harder to pass around petitions and plan protests. We can’t even talk openly about unionizing, as there’s bound to be a manager hovering nearby, just waiting to report us to YouTube’s HR department.

YouTube’s Antiquated Return-to-Office Policy Is Illegal

The law is pretty clear on this issue. Employers are not allowed to make returning to physical workplaces a condition of employment for the purpose of disrupting union organizing. This means YouTube is clearly in violation of the law.

And it’s not only illegal – it’s unwise too, as the enforced return-to-office policy has caused a lot of resentment amongst its employees. Rumors of unionizing have been circulating like crazy since the whole fiasco started, and the pandemic has only made things worse.

Conclusion

Not only is YouTube’s treatment of its employees unethical – it’s illegal too. The return-to-office policy is clearly an attempt to suppress union organizing, which is why many of us are worried about the future of remote work.

Even if we don’t unionize, we should still be able to work from home if we want to. So the next time you see any YouTube-related news, remember this: don’t settle for less than what you deserve!