Fact Checked by 
TikTok is turning the screw on its workers, with stringent office conditions being monitored.
Some staff have been caught off-guard and left unimpressed by the policies being implemented by the ByteDance-owned company.
As reported by Business Insider, the Chinese entity will be tracking how long its U.S. e-commerce workers spend in the office, with an expectation of eight hours per day, five days per week.
Staff sources also indicated those behind the TikTok Shop enterprise would be required to work between 4 pm and 7 pm PT, but this has thrown up a logistical logjam.
The return to office (RTO) directive is focused on e-commerce operations, rather than the wider TikTok company.
The internal communication on the change seems to have been geared toward employees in the Seattle office, which houses the bulk of the e-commerce organization, but it will also impact others on the East Coast meaning they could be required to be in the office as late as 10 pm.
The parent company is unlikely to shift on its requirements, with US employees previously expected to join calls late at night with the China headquarters of ByteDance.
US President Donald Trump said he is in discussions with China regarding the sale of TikTok's US unit pic.twitter.com/WnGhQfoDGX
— The National (@TheNationalNews) February 20, 2025
Surprise at sudden enforcement
Staff indicated that they expect to be tracked using the tech embedded in their staff ID badge when they enter or leave the office.
The e-commerce division was previously required to be present in the office five days a week, but the proliferation of working-from-home and hybrid work has been popular with workers since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some have reacted with surprise at the sudden enforcement of the new rules, while others wondered if the Seattle office was too sparsely populated when senior management visited last week, according to the Insider’s sources.
The update comes at a perilous time for TikTok as it still wrestles with a divest-or-ban order in the United States.
The new regime of Donald Trump has opened up more time for the Chinese company to find a solution, as the leading video-hosting platform returns to app stores while the President deliberates on its future.
Image credit: Via Grok/X
