'I MUST be there in person for 9 hours': Boss compels employee to go into the office despite 95% of meetings being online

What is the point of coming into an empty office only to spend the vast majority of your work day attending virtual meetings?

It's a fair and just question that few employers have been able to answer compellingly. As far as the standard responses are concerned, they usually range from some bogus about inspiring a strong company culture or establishing a false sense of professionalism and accountability. The truth often has to do with justifying a lease or catering to the preferences of a few senior members within the company who still subscribe to outdated views on what it takes to succeed in a workplace

In this instance, an employee who had been working on a remote basis was suddenly told he needed to return to work in person, despite the fact that his cubicle is sectioned off from everyone else and his entire team is not based in that location. Naturally, this meant that he would be commuting to the office to then spend the entire day alone and attending virtual meetings with largely remote employees. 

The reason for this change? Well, the author's boss argued that part of his work required him to be in person, but we all know it was likely about this mysterious fun workplace culture everyone keeps talking about. The amusing thing about establishing a robust workplace culture is that you actually have to do more than simply compel everyone to come into the office. Fostering an authentic sense of community requires a lot more than a simple mandate over email.