Local managed services company can’t find or keep IT talent but refuses hybrid work..

A local company reached out to me directly to recruit for an IT leadership role, but the company itself spans IT telecommunications, cybersecurity, and networking. After two separate interviews with different hiring managers, it was clear they’re small but growing and could genuinely use my experience. The conversations were solid and felt promising.

At the end of the second interview, I asked about benefits and what the work schedule looked like. That’s when I was completely caught off guard. Five days in the office. Zero flexibility for hybrid work.

This came after they explicitly told me they’re struggling to find and retain talent.

What makes this even more confusing is the nature of the work. While telecom still has some on-prem components, the industry is aggressively moving toward cloud carriers and UCaaS platforms, and traditional PBX solutions are being retired or no longer offered by carriers at all (traditional analog lines). The same is true across cybersecurity and networking. Much of the day-to-day work now lives in cloud portals, remote tooling, automation, vendor management, and virtual collaboration. For many of these roles, physical presence in an office is becoming less and less necessary.

I also want to be clear that I’m not anti-office. For the right fit, I would absolutely consider a 3/2 schedule or even a 4/1 model with one remote day. But five days in the office with zero flexibility feels especially harsh given the role, the skill level required, and the direction of the industry.

I explained that I’m currently interviewing with multiple companies for similar roles that are either fully remote or at least hybrid, which is quickly becoming the standard for senior IT positions. The hiring manager admitted the rigid in-office requirement is coming from the owner. They added that you can sometimes work remotely for things like a doctor’s appointment or picking up kids, but it’s basically “on the down low.”

That alone was a red flag.

I thanked them for their time and let them know that unless their stance on hybrid work changes, it’s a roadblock for me moving forward. I even offered to help refer someone else if I knew a fit, though realistically it would be a hard sell. Their office is in a part of town far from where most people actually live, and that area is becoming less and less affordable, so we’re talking about an hour-plus commute for a lot of people.

My bigger concern is that even if I took this role, I’d be walking into a situation where engineering talent continues to rotate out the door. For highly skilled roles in telecom, cybersecurity, and networking, especially ones that require deep expertise and certifications, engineers have options. Many can find remote or hybrid work relatively easily.

Are companies like this seriously expecting to grow and retain senior IT talent while clinging to an outdated view of how this work gets done?

Because from where I’m sitting, this feels like a self-inflicted problem.