Employee reactions are mixed as Comcast plans for more in-office time but pledges flexibility

When the news broke last month that Comcast plans to require its workforce to show up in the office four days a week, reactions from employees ranged from frustrated to celebratory.

Among those who expressed concern, the main worry was that they would eventually lose all hybrid-work flexibility gained in the pandemic — that four in-office days would eventually become five; that they would be expected to stay in the office for a full eight hours, complicating family obligations and child-care arrangements, or that in-office time would be closely monitored and deviations from the policy would be reprimanded.

A spokesperson for Comcast emphasized that the latest iteration of Comcast’s hybrid policy is meant to encourage collaboration and flexibility and noted that the company has made changes to thousands of roles over the last three years to allow fully remote work arrangements for positions for which that works best. For example, in May, a small group of recruiters was designated as virtual home-office employees based on the fact that most of their work involves meeting with candidates individually by video or phone.

With roughly 8,000 workers at its two Center City buildings, Comcast is one of the largest private-sector employers in the city. It’s the only Fortune 100 company headquartered in Center City, and it often sets the tone for other companies that call Philadelphia home. When leadership announced a partial return to the office last year, it was seen as a signal that in-office work would survive in the post-pandemic work environment. Downtown stakeholders have suggested that other employers with Center City offices are likely to follow Comcast’s lead.

The worries of some employees are perhaps fueled by reports of other U.S. companies taking a firm stance on in-office time post-pandemic, tracking employee attendance using security-badge scans, and threatening action against people who don’t show up on the required number of days.

Recent messaging from Comcast leadership seems to strike a different tone.

The policy, effective Sept. 12, was announced internally on June 27 in an email from president and CEO Dave Watson to U.S. office-based employees. Watson noted that “in-office” includes business travel, external meetings, sales calls, site visits “or other instances where you are interacting with colleagues, clients or prospects on-site and in-person.”

Watson told employees they should work with their managers to determine which four days to be in the office each week and noted that employees will be allowed to work from home without taking time off on days when they are sick or have sick family members.

“We value flexibility, and in return, we expect you to be responsive to the needs of the business and your team,” Watson added.

Comcast’s hybrid work policy since September has asked employees to be in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with the option to work remotely on Mondays and Fridays.

Several current employees, who spoke with The Inquirer on the condition of anonymity because they didn’t want to compromise their employment, said they had heard chatter before the news broke and before the internal communications were sent that Comcast would add another in-office day per week.

“This completely just made 8,000 Philadelphians feel devalued when they have been working tirelessly from a hybrid schedule to only be told ... that they’re essentially being punished,” said one Philadelphia-based business professional. “I thought three [in-office days per week] was really the right balance.”

Some current employees said the messaging around in-person collaboration seems hollow because many of their meetings, even when people are in the office, are held on Microsoft Teams to include people across multiple offices.

“The people who I would want to pick their brains [when I’m in the office], I can’t even get on their schedule because of all the Teams meetings,” the Philadelphia business professional said.

Another business professional, who is headquartered in Philadelphia and commutes more than an hour from the suburbs, accepted the job when the company was fully remote due to COVID-19 mitigation protocols. The commuter understood at the time that Comcast would likely adopt a hybrid model once COVID-19 concerns eased but was told that a requirement of more than three in-office days was unlikely to take shape.

“It took a long time for me to get used to three days a week in the office,” the commuter said. “My productivity definitely goes down when I have to go to the office.”

Still, flexibility from management in the last nine months has been helpful, said the commuter, who has a young family. Being able to work the end of the day remotely on in-office days allows this employee to be home for dinner and kids’ bedtimes.

“I really, really don’t want to leave” Comcast, the commuter said. “Everything has been so great so far, but four days a week if it’s so rigid, especially if it’s with eight hours a day … it would make me at least start looking.”

Some employees who spoke with The Inquirer welcome the increased face time with colleagues. They also noted that the office is easily accessible by public transit and offers such amenities as a gym and an assortment of food nearby.

“We have a great office in Philly for increased collaboration,” said a Philadelphia-based senior software engineer. “I take SEPTA to work and I love the train ride and exploring the vibrant Philadelphia eateries.”

The software engineer expressed little concern that the change will require sacrificing family time because “Comcast believes in work-life balance.”

“I actually do see benefit from coming in. I do interact with people more, being in the office,” one longtime sales employee said. “I meet with people I normally wouldn’t talk with when I’m in the office.”

Still, the sales employee said, messaging from leadership hasn’t been clear about why more office time is needed, when many meetings continue to take place over video between people in different offices.

“If it’s for economic reasons, just say so,” the sales employee said. “Just own that message: ‘We like the collaboration, but we’re also a pillar of the economic community in Philadelphia. We have two giant buildings and we need people here.’”

Stimulating the local economy was not mentioned in Watson’s email to employees. Still, downtown stakeholders were happy about the change when news broke, expecting the added in-office day will boost revenue for local businesses and SEPTA. Center City District president and CEO Paul Levy said last month that Comcast’s move might motivate other employers to encourage more in-office time for their workers.

“When a major firm like Comcast says they’re coming back, it gives a signal to other firms, even if they don’t do business with Comcast,” Levy said.

An April survey by the Center City District, a group representing downtown business interests, which garnered responses from 64 Center City and University City businesses, found that nearly a third of respondents see the average worker come in four or five days per week.

Still, the majority said workers tend to come in less often than that. The most popular answer among the 64 businesses, none of whom had a fully remote workforce: three in-office days a week.