> We all make fun of "One weird trick to lose belly fat" but how many articles have you read about pomodoroing, closed offices, meeting refusal, and the like?

I've been reading them for years. I'm sure there are vets who have been reading them for longer.

I'm also sure a good portion of management - at all levels - have read it, or heard about it, or attended a conference etc.

So then why does it persist? I'm sure it's not down to just one reason. There are three that instantly spring to mind -

One slightly cynical one could be that management simply views the eroded productivity as an acceptable cost of getting things their way in regards to meetings, agendas, stopping by to bother you and so on.

Another, more self-critical one, is that we as developers just aren't assertive enough in demanding change in the workplace. Maybe we do need unions. I don't know.

A third is that for every one company that "gets it" there are hundreds (if not more) of companies that don't. Most of them not even in your field/industry, but if you want them as clients then external pressure to conform to their way overrides the ability to operate how we want.

I'm sure there's lots of other good reasons it happens and probably plenty of bad ones. I haven't _completely_ given up hope things could change throughout the industry but it's not something I'd cling to.