You might have missed reports this week about a surging US economy, fueled by vaccination rates that have enabled many businesses to reopen, Americans eager to get back outside, and relief checks and other government-led financial support that have helped drive increases in consumer spending. Predictions of GDP growth of 7.5% in 2021 would be, as the AP reported, “the best annual performance since 1951.”
That got me thinking about the wonders of science (thanks Dr. Fauci and vaccine researchers) and the razor-thin victory of President Biden in a number of key states (thanks Stacey Abrams and other get-out-the-vote workers). But a visit to an Irish pub to watch a basketball game with my daughter made it possible to overhear a conversation of thirty-something workers bemoaning the fact that soon they’ll be expected to stop working remotely and come back to the office.
That got me reflecting on the question of whether the pandemic has shown those of us who’ve been lucky enough to have jobs and work from home that we can be productive—indeed more productive—if we aren’t shackled by the obligation to show up by 9 and stay to 5 Monday through Friday. I’ve been hearing that some employers have already reconsidered the equation and proposed making Monday or Friday (or both) optional days to work from home.
What do you think? Should the five-day-a-week office become a thing of the past? Can a different combination increase productivity, improve work/life balance and, in many cases, cut down on long commutes? Or is there a risk that continuing a version of pandemic Zoom life will undermine the benefits only gained when people are compelled to come together every day and share their trials, tribulations—and insights? What has been your experience?
As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts and learning from you.
Some people--like myself--can no longer work in an office. And I'm much more productive at home, anyway. Make cubicle farms a thing of the past and use the overhead to increase salaries.
In one way, the pandemic helped me a lot - when we were sent home to work, I was ready to quit my job because of another employee who left under odd circumstances but they brought him back later because the two other people in my department left for a big project and he was familiar with the job... anyway, just as I was considering leaving, and also checking out when I could actually retire, we were sent home... I didn't have to deal with him on an every day basis and most our communication was by IM - so that saved me... I lasted out the rest of the year and retired at the end of it when I became eligible- so not having to deal with problem employees on a daily basis is another good reason to keep working remotely in place...
My son tells me that a lot of big companies - at least in Europe - have realized how much more productive folks are working at home. Some are completely redesigning their workplace interiors to be more like home (desks are switched out for sofas) while others are allowing employees to continue to work from home if they want to, only coming into the office if necessary and also regularly for the social aspect, to keep employees from feeling too isolated. He works on the design team at Crédit Suisse and they voted on how they wanted to continue working. It’s a balance between productivity (and using what would normally be time spent traveling back and forth to/from work actually working) and the social/team advantages of the workspace.
I'll go as far as to say the office itself should become a thing of the past. Team collaboration is better when everyone is in the same condition. By that, I mean if everyone is in the office or everyone is remote, you will get better collaboration than if say half the people were remote or half in the office.
Being remote gives you more flexibility while also requiring better tracking of activities across teams. This forced discipline is exactly why you can be more productive remote than at the office. (Beyond just being a happier worker.) But when the teams are 50/50 split, everyone will suffer; more so the remote worker since the folks physically near each other will likely favor themselves. When we are at this 50/50 split, remote work options will end up dropping away. It's why the best way forward is 100% remote. Else within a year you'll be back to 100% in office work and reduced productivity.
Telecommuting has been around for 3 decades. Employers hated it because they felt a loss of power.
Allowing work from home, eliminating the UNPAID commute & childcare costs & having the flexibility to still complete your work on your own, more spread out schedule. Horrible!
The work gets done, the employee gets to keep a significant amount of the money they earn in their pocket instead of work costs.
The elimination of the 5-day a week work week probably means 4 longer days for those same workers, which - for some - might be an improvement! But for others, present significant challenges, especially when it comes to childcare and family traditions like eating together and doing homework together. Honestly, there are so many other options to consider, as well. Flexibility should be the goal - not JUST an arbitrary cut in a rigid established work week. Companies now know that this works - we can do our jobs at home if we have to. For some personalities, it has been a dream come true. For others, not so much as they crave interaction and need a change of scenery. Let's try just offering the work-force OPTIONS. We can do this. And imagine the change in our happiness quotient, as a country!
I’m a software developer and have worked remotely for 8 or so years now. At one point I was making 90 minute commutes twice a day, five days a week. In that case, I could work remote 2 extra hours a day and STILL have an extra hour for myself in comparison to the commute. More productive for my employer and more beneficial to my mental health. At least in my field, working remotely is the only thing that makes sense to me. The benefits of in-person meetings is nowhere close in value. (Meetings being frequent time-wastes anyway.) The benefit of being near-to and present-to my family as my son grew up was worth everything to me. Our engineering team has been as, or more, productive fully-remote as we were pre-pandemic. Company saves on office rent. No brainer.
My sister works for Amgen in Moorpark CA. They decided that most of the workforce will continue working from home, save for the odd meeting here and there. Everyone liked it that much! There are jobs that must be done onsite of course.
I work in a legal office in a state agency. We are still working remotely up to 50 percent of the time and the governor has announced that will continue. Personally, I got tired of working at home. Our wifi is occasionally unstable, which would interfere with my work, since I remotely access my office computer. I also don't have a high speed copier/scanner at home. About a month ago, I had had enough. I am now in every day, but I am the only member of the unit that is. I am retiring at the end of the year, so the impact of the decision is not that great.
Long before pandemic times, my industry (consulting) allowed work from home - or on the road - with flexible hours for most professionals and many of the more senior support staff. I often noticed very few people at their desks - especially on Fridays - although they were nearly all reachable when you could find that little green dot on the IM system. Personally I found it difficult to work from home - too many distractions and I don't compartmentalize well. I found myself answering emails at 6 am in my jammies. I prefer the separation that a commute allows (although I was lucky that it was a one mile walk and not sitting on a bus or train thru traffic). I also missed the ad hoc conversations that often led to good info, when you run into someone and stop to catch up. I'm retired now but I see my 27 year old niece suffering from isolation as she works from her home office, as much of her social life revolved around colleagues....Maybe giving people the choice and /or splitting the week ,as you suggest, is the right answer to meet all needs.
Some people--like myself--can no longer work in an office. And I'm much more productive at home, anyway. Make cubicle farms a thing of the past and use the overhead to increase salaries.
In one way, the pandemic helped me a lot - when we were sent home to work, I was ready to quit my job because of another employee who left under odd circumstances but they brought him back later because the two other people in my department left for a big project and he was familiar with the job... anyway, just as I was considering leaving, and also checking out when I could actually retire, we were sent home... I didn't have to deal with him on an every day basis and most our communication was by IM - so that saved me... I lasted out the rest of the year and retired at the end of it when I became eligible- so not having to deal with problem employees on a daily basis is another good reason to keep working remotely in place...
My son tells me that a lot of big companies - at least in Europe - have realized how much more productive folks are working at home. Some are completely redesigning their workplace interiors to be more like home (desks are switched out for sofas) while others are allowing employees to continue to work from home if they want to, only coming into the office if necessary and also regularly for the social aspect, to keep employees from feeling too isolated. He works on the design team at Crédit Suisse and they voted on how they wanted to continue working. It’s a balance between productivity (and using what would normally be time spent traveling back and forth to/from work actually working) and the social/team advantages of the workspace.
I'll go as far as to say the office itself should become a thing of the past. Team collaboration is better when everyone is in the same condition. By that, I mean if everyone is in the office or everyone is remote, you will get better collaboration than if say half the people were remote or half in the office.
Being remote gives you more flexibility while also requiring better tracking of activities across teams. This forced discipline is exactly why you can be more productive remote than at the office. (Beyond just being a happier worker.) But when the teams are 50/50 split, everyone will suffer; more so the remote worker since the folks physically near each other will likely favor themselves. When we are at this 50/50 split, remote work options will end up dropping away. It's why the best way forward is 100% remote. Else within a year you'll be back to 100% in office work and reduced productivity.
Telecommuting has been around for 3 decades. Employers hated it because they felt a loss of power.
Allowing work from home, eliminating the UNPAID commute & childcare costs & having the flexibility to still complete your work on your own, more spread out schedule. Horrible!
The work gets done, the employee gets to keep a significant amount of the money they earn in their pocket instead of work costs.
It is employer hell!
The elimination of the 5-day a week work week probably means 4 longer days for those same workers, which - for some - might be an improvement! But for others, present significant challenges, especially when it comes to childcare and family traditions like eating together and doing homework together. Honestly, there are so many other options to consider, as well. Flexibility should be the goal - not JUST an arbitrary cut in a rigid established work week. Companies now know that this works - we can do our jobs at home if we have to. For some personalities, it has been a dream come true. For others, not so much as they crave interaction and need a change of scenery. Let's try just offering the work-force OPTIONS. We can do this. And imagine the change in our happiness quotient, as a country!
I’m a software developer and have worked remotely for 8 or so years now. At one point I was making 90 minute commutes twice a day, five days a week. In that case, I could work remote 2 extra hours a day and STILL have an extra hour for myself in comparison to the commute. More productive for my employer and more beneficial to my mental health. At least in my field, working remotely is the only thing that makes sense to me. The benefits of in-person meetings is nowhere close in value. (Meetings being frequent time-wastes anyway.) The benefit of being near-to and present-to my family as my son grew up was worth everything to me. Our engineering team has been as, or more, productive fully-remote as we were pre-pandemic. Company saves on office rent. No brainer.
My sister works for Amgen in Moorpark CA. They decided that most of the workforce will continue working from home, save for the odd meeting here and there. Everyone liked it that much! There are jobs that must be done onsite of course.
I work in a legal office in a state agency. We are still working remotely up to 50 percent of the time and the governor has announced that will continue. Personally, I got tired of working at home. Our wifi is occasionally unstable, which would interfere with my work, since I remotely access my office computer. I also don't have a high speed copier/scanner at home. About a month ago, I had had enough. I am now in every day, but I am the only member of the unit that is. I am retiring at the end of the year, so the impact of the decision is not that great.
Long before pandemic times, my industry (consulting) allowed work from home - or on the road - with flexible hours for most professionals and many of the more senior support staff. I often noticed very few people at their desks - especially on Fridays - although they were nearly all reachable when you could find that little green dot on the IM system. Personally I found it difficult to work from home - too many distractions and I don't compartmentalize well. I found myself answering emails at 6 am in my jammies. I prefer the separation that a commute allows (although I was lucky that it was a one mile walk and not sitting on a bus or train thru traffic). I also missed the ad hoc conversations that often led to good info, when you run into someone and stop to catch up. I'm retired now but I see my 27 year old niece suffering from isolation as she works from her home office, as much of her social life revolved around colleagues....Maybe giving people the choice and /or splitting the week ,as you suggest, is the right answer to meet all needs.