CEO applauds employee for selling dog amid return-to-office mandate

During a town hall meeting, an employee was praised by the CEO for selling their family pet in compliance with the company’s new policy. As per the new policy, employees had to work from the office for most of the week.

As reported by Vice, James Clarke, CEO, Clearlink, a technology and media company, require employees to work in the office came as a surprise to many of its workers. The policy stated that those who live within 50 miles of the company’s headquarters in Draper, Utah, would be required to work in the office for four days per week, starting from April 17.

This was in contrast to an email reportedly sent by Clarke in October, in which he stated that he had no intention of mandating in-office work. It was also noted that some employees were initially hired with the understanding that the company had a ‘remote-first’ policy.

Furthermore, during the town hall meeting, Clarke expressed his belief that around 30 employees had not used their laptops in a month, and questioned whether some workers were holding multiple jobs. He also urged the company to increase productivity to a level that was ‘30 to 50 times our normal production’.

But, reportedly, Clarke was seen highlighting an employee during the meeting who sold their dog as an illustration of the “sacrifices” being made by employees in response to the new policy. His efforts were appreciated by the CEO among the whole team.