Boeing’s top executives are resisting returning to the office – as CEO David Calhoun’s private jet rarely stops at its Virginia headquarters – even as lower-level employees are forced to come back

Boeing senior executives have decided not to move closer to headquarters, despite the company’s insistence that lower-level employees return to offices after the pandemic ends.

The executives, including David Calhoun, who became Boeing’s CEO in January 2020, are rarely seen at the company’s headquarters in Virginia, and when they are, they choose to commute by private jet.

During the pandemic, Calhoun regularly worked from his two mansion-like homes, consisting of a waterfront property on Lake Sunapee in New Hampshire and a gated resort in Buffalo, South Carolina.

Flight records viewed by the Wall Street Journal show that Calhoun has taken more than 400 flights on Boeing’s private jets in recent years, but only a few to Virginia.

His trips are taking place even though the aircraft manufacturer has asked many employees to return to face-to-face work.

Boeing is trying to lure employees back to the office with happy hours and even visits from alpacas, but lower-level employees think executives should follow suit

CEO David Calhoun has taken over 400 private jet trips from home and is rarely found at headquarters in Virginia because he prefers to work remotely

Some of the flights were operated by Calhoun stands still California, Texasand various locations along the Florida Coastal.

For safety reasons, Calhoun is required to use Boeing-provided private jets for all of his business and personal travel, as determined by Boeing’s board of directors.

It is not clear from the logs which trips were business and which were personal.

Boeing Chief Financial Officer Brian West is also an executive who has decided not to leave his home in New Canaan, Connecticut.

Boeing has an office that opened this spring in New Canaan, just five minutes from West’s home, not for West but for the company’s new treasurer, David Whitehouse.

Boeing recently moved its headquarters to Arlington, Virginia, after previously being based in Chicago

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun stays at his lakefront home in New Hampshire, while CFO Brian West doesn’t venture to the nearest Boeing office in Connecticut, even though he lives just five minutes away

Whitehouse started working at Boeing in February and lives a half-hour from the Connecticut office.

Calhoun and West have rarely been seen at Boeing’s Arlington offices since it opened two years ago, even as the company pushes for lower-ranking employees to return to work on site.

Managers pushing for a return have tried a variety of tactics to lure employees back to their desks, including after-work happy hours, inviting guest speakers and even bringing alpacas in the hopes that some employees will come back would be tempted to return.

The results were of limited success.

It’s a familiar story for workers across the country who are being asked to return to the office, with particular frustration among those who feel their tasks can easily be completed at home.

Managers pushing for a return have tried a variety of tactics to lure workers back to their desks, even bringing in alpacas in the hope that some employees would be enticed to return

At the headquarters in Arlington, some workers have souvenir mugs that say “Love Lake Life” — a clear nod to Calhoun’s laid-back lakefront life

A few signs have popped up at Arlington headquarters expressing employees’ feelings about rarely seeing the CEO. Some Have souvenir mugs that say “Love Lake Life” – a clear nod to Calhoun’s laid-back lakefront life.

A Boeing spokesman highlighted the company’s efforts to change its leadership culture by allowing senior executives to spend more time outside the office.

“We have changed our leadership culture to encourage our management team to engage more frequently with employees, customers and other stakeholders.” That’s why three years ago, we brought senior leaders from our Chicago office close to their teams “We continue to allow them to spend less time at headquarters and more time with employees and stakeholders,” it said in a statement.

A company spokesperson also highlighted the benefits of increased flexibility, which they said supports the company’s global business and helps attract top talent.

But only about 30 percent of Boeing’s current job postings are for hybrid or fully remote positions.

Of 129 vacancies In Arlington, Virginia, an in-person appearance at the office is required in most cases.