--- title: "Almost Half of Grindr’s Employees Quit When They Were Forced Back to the Office" description: "Grindr played itself by giving its employees a return-to-office ultimatum — and nearly half of those employees responded by quitting. " date: "2023-09-08" modified: "2023-09-08" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/grindr-remote-work" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "grindr" - "remote work" - "the digest" - "unions" --- # Almost Half of Grindr’s Employees Quit When They Were Forced Back to the Office ![Grindr played itself by giving its employees a return-to-office ultimatum — and nearly half of those employees responded by quitting. ]() *POLAND - 2020/03/13: In this photo illustration a Grindr gay dating logo seen displayed on a smartphone. Stock market prices in the background as stock markets tumble all over the world. (Photo by Filip Radwanski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) \Image: Getty Images\* ## No Return Grindr seems to have played itself by giving its employees a return-to-office ultimatum — and nearly half of those employees responded by quitting. As [*Wired* reports](), management at the popular queer and trans hookup app issued a stark turnaround from its previous commitment to remote work when they gave workers an abrupt notice: pledge within two weeks to return to work in person at the company's offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, or San Francisco at least two days out of the week, or be laid off. A bunch of those employees weren't having it, and as representatives from the Grindr union told *Wired*, 82 out of the company's 178 employees — or a staggering 46 percent of its total staff — decided to quit in response to the policy that would have required relocation for many. Many more who did not sign the pledge will face termination next year during the second phase of the policy's rollout, employees said. In other words, the fracas is a perfect illustration of post-pandemic workplace dynamics in tech and beyond, as bosses are lobbing increasingly draconian return to office demands at workers who've been accustomed to a more flexible arrangement. ## Bust Up Strikingly, the announcement of the hard-lined policy came just two weeks after staff announced that they were unionizing with the Communication Workers of America. As one of the remaining employees pointed out, nine out of the 11 union organizing committee members were forced out by the policy announcement. Unsurprisingly, the Grindr union is peeved. The CWA is filing multiple unfair labor practice charges against Grindr on their behalf, including one that alleges the return to office policy — which was a dramatic departure from the company ownership's previous commitment to remote work, which was reinforced as recently as June — was a union-busting tactic. Grindr employees told *Wired* that in spite of relocation stipends, the company requiring employees not based in Chicago, LA or SF to move is hypocritical in the current anti-LGBTQ political climate. Robin, a trans Grindr employee who asked *Wired* to use a pseudonym and for their location to be withheld for fear of retribution from the company for speaking out, said the in-person work mandate put them in an impossible position: to either leave a queer workplace that "felt like a breath of fresh air" or to leave their support network, which includes doctors who provide them with gender-affirming care. Ultimately, they decided to walk — and their other trans coworkers who would have had to move chose not to stay with the company either, which "shows a disparate impact on a marginalized class of workers," Robin said. "Demanding that LGBTQ+ people move for their jobs in this political environment conflicts so much with Grindr’s mission," they told *Wired*, "that it’s close to its users, that it’s a part of the community." **More on remote work:** [*Forcing Workers Back to the Office Might Not Have Been a Good Idea After All*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()