09-20-2023
In early August, LGBTQ dating app Grindr announced that it was ending its remote work policies. The return-to-office mandate gave workers two weeks to choose between leaving the company or relocating to their team’s newly assigned “hub” cities - New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Washington D.C. - to work in-person twice a week.
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) has indicated that roughly 80 of Grindr’s 178 employees, many of whom were hired to work remotely, were forced to leave the company. The CWA has filed an unfair labor practice charge against Grindr with the National Labor Relations Board alleging that Grindr management unlawfully silenced workers attempting to speak about their working conditions. Grindr announced their mandate via Zoom and the charge alleges that employee questions submitted through the chat function during the call were ignored. During a subsequent meeting, the CWA alleges that management muted attendees on the call. The charge also states that unlawful severance agreements have been presented to workers forced out of their jobs by Grindr’s return-to-office policy.
The CWA also said the return-to-office policy was retaliatory and was implemented in response to a union drive at the company. Just two weeks prior to Grindr’s policy change, employees filed to organize a union. “Rather than recognize the union, the company issued a new return-to-office policy requiring staff to relocate or quit,” the CWA said in a statement.