Dear yogesh,

I love my job, and I know I’m good at it. When COVID first hit and everyone had to work from home, my partner and I took the opportunity to rent out our condo in the city and move to our dream location. Life was perfect.

Now, however, the CEO is insisting that everyone return to the office at least three days a week. It’s only a short flight to headquarters, and we still have the condo, so technically, I could stay with our renter (a relative) when needed. I’m negotiating with my manager to fly in once a month for a week, and he’s fighting for me, but I’m not sure if he can make it happen. Even if he does, I’d have to bear the costs of travel and deal with the disruption to my home life (multiple dogs involved). On the plus side, I’m feeling a bit lonely working from home all the time, so seeing my colleagues again might be nice.

My issue is that the CEO had previously said he “would never force people back to the office.” I even have the recording of that all-hands meeting. His change of stance has me feeling incredibly frustrated. It’s affecting my motivation to comply with the new policy. My work hasn’t suffered, but I can feel my resentment creeping in. Part of me feels like I have a case if I wanted to sue.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Rashmi

Dear Rashmi,

It sounds to me like you’re caught between feeling betrayed by your CEO and the desire to comply with the new office mandate. At the core, your frustration seems rooted in the broken promise—your CEO told you one thing and now, through his actions, has undermined that assurance.

Naming the emotion you’re feeling is a big part of working through this. If “betrayal” or “frustration” resonates with you, start there. Dr. Susan David’s work on Emotional Agility might be helpful in giving you a clearer understanding of what’s behind your emotions. Her book might also help you process this situation.

Once you identify and acknowledge your feelings, you can decide how to move forward. Do you want to:

1. Release your resentment and comply with the mandate (or the agreement your manager can secure)?

2. Hold onto your resentment but still comply because you don’t want to rock the boat?

3. Let go of your respect for your CEO and explore a new job where you can work for someone whose word you trust more?

It’s important to note that most CEOs didn’t have a roadmap for the pandemic and were doing their best in an unprecedented situation. While that doesn’t excuse breaking a promise, it may provide some context. It’s possible your CEO simply didn’t anticipate the fallout from his earlier words.

Regarding the possibility of a lawsuit, I’d suggest you consult with an attorney to assess its feasibility. However, be aware that even if you’re in the right, lawsuits can be costly, both financially and emotionally. If you go down that path, it could consume a lot of time and energy that might be better spent elsewhere.

Ultimately, the decision is yours. Do you think you can forgive your CEO for this? Maybe his previous good actions and leadership outweigh this mistake. Or perhaps the breach of trust is something you can’t move past. Only you can decide what’s best for you.

Best regards,

Yogesh