After Being Told They Could Work From Home Forever, Employees Made Major Life Changes. Then, a New CEO Ordered Them Back to the Office.Farmers Group CEO Raul Vargas is facing backlash for the change, but he says being in the office brings more "collaboration" and "innovation."

Last year, California-based insurer Farmers Group informed employees they couldwork remotelyon a permanent basis, and many planned accordingly, selling their cars ormoving to other states.

But the company's new CEO has other plans: Raul Vargas told employees last month that he'd require the majority of Farmers staff towork in the officethree days a week to further "collaboration, creativity and innovation" — and outrage ensued,The Wall Street Journalreported.

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The shift from in-office models amid the pandemic revealed that many Americans value the ability to work from home: In fact, nearly half of 1,700 employees surveyed bySHRM Researchlast year said they'd "definitely" look for a remote position in their next role.

Farmers Group's shift will impact roughly 60% of the company's 22,000 U.S. workers, who took to the company's internal social-media platform to express their discontent with more than 2,000 comments featuring abundant crying and angry emojis, per theWSJ.

"I was hired as a remote worker and was promised that was the company culture moving forward," a worker who specializes in medical claims posted. "This is seemingly apower movethat is frankly disgusting."

Another employee in the claims division said they'd sold their home and relocated closer to their grandchildren — a "huge financial decision based on a lie."

A spokesperson for Farmers told theWSJthat employees will have until September to make necessary arrangements.

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So far, Vargas' response to the fury has been blunt. Employees told the outlet they received an email that said: "We read all your comments. We understand and we appreciate them. But we're still moving forward."