Yep, this is real. Our office is struggling with this very issue. We have an older Executive Director that is set in her ways and is reluctant to continue to let employees work from home. The entire staff is pushing back. There are already folks that are preparing to leave.
Our company is going through the same issues, but we feel like we are losing culture, guidance, mentorships, and collaboration within our team with so many at home while some are in the office. I think it will be a slow return that will take the rest of the year before it becomes official. If someone quits now and they are working remotely, it is impossible to train a new hire on some of our company jobs effectively.
I think we will relax the working from home over time that some jobs can work from home a day or two per week at some point next year to satisfy people. If the economy slows then it is easier to get everyone in the office since people will want everyone to see what they are doing everyday.
I am anxious to go back to the office. I like the people I work with, and am sick of hanging around with me all of the time.
A lot of economic activity depends n the commercial real estate market. It’s better for the economy lng term to have our business districts full with people
Yup it does but it’s also overheated markets in Terms of real estate. If we have a shift where a portion of those never return but are allowed to relocate to other areas of the country it could have pretty positive impact. Helping some areas affordable again and bring business and people to areas of the country that are beautiful and inexpensive.
Everyone I work with has been back in the office for 9 months. I do miss working from home bigly.
My division of my employer has gone 100% work from home for good. We will have some hoteling space and offices and conference rooms we can check out if needed.
I like working from home because I’m saving a bundle not commuting. And I’m more productive because of less needless chit chat. In general my team is way more productive because people are working longer with fewer distractions. They are not worried about getting out the door to beat traffic. Also a lot less time lost for people having to commute back home and back for kid activities, dr appts etc.
A big part of this is what kind of person you are. I work from home and while I enjoy the lack of commuting I absolutely can’t stand not seeing other folks. I work at the coffee shop or bar or park or somewhere just so I can see people.
Same. I do my best work at a bottle shop near me
I am finding it both curious and sometimes a little funny to hear or see people (especially managers) learn that roughly half their workforce in fact does not enjoy anything about having to come into the office daily. Yes, believe it or not, many of us have considered the entire experience to be hellish. All these years.
Commuting (wasting 2 hours a day in car)
Traffic jams
Having to play dress up
Office politics
Suckups
Expensive and often unhealthy lunches
Lack of personal autonomy (vs make your own schedule, guilt free)
Prison warden micro managers
“My job is my entire (social) life, why isn’t it yours?” type micro managers
Etc etc
All of that goes away or is heavily reduced WFH.
Yeah, if I wanna see people I’ll call a friend or go somewhere for lunch.
I realized offices were wasteful overhead, obsolete dinosaurs and efficiency subtracters many years ago. It was one of the main reasons I started my own company. There are exceptions, but they are becoming more rare. Be useful, timely and productive, remotely, or be fired. I found too many doing just enough to keep their jobs, even when just enough was useless, while too few were being rewarded for their productivity. Busy is not productive in most cases, for any youngins out there. If you bust your ass all week and make a company lots of money, you should not be locked into a cubicle on the best days where one could get outside and live.
I think I’m someone who likes being around people, I enjoy socializing in person and all that. That being said all the advantages of working from home, no commute (wear and tear on car, cost, time sink), ability to exercise at lunch, I have time to cook after work instead of doing something quick, and last but certainly not least, the stress relief of my dogs far outweigh the social aspect and collaboration of the office.
If I’m honest my productivity increases slightly in the office but I’m more willing to do extra work off the clock when I’m WFH so think that offsets any productivity gains.
Also realize most people on this forum are self starters which is actually probably 30% of the workforce while the rest of the people need someone to manage them daily.
72-mile round trip commute for me so 11k miles per year. At $2.80 per gallon that’s $2,200 a year just in gas not counting wear and tear. It’s 11 days a year spent in a car commuting to work.
All unnecessary. 2-3 days a week is reasonable but full time? No thanks.
Except the existing residents in the towns people are relocating to are upset, because now their hometowns are unaffordable.
The people that have the luxury to work wherever they want are typically more affluent than the people that don’t have that luxury.
Aren’t these the same people that say they cannot afford to pay back their student loans?
I don’t mind going into work occasionally. There is some value in certain team oriented stuff, but my idea of how often that is the case is probably the inverse of my managers and most of the more extroverted people chiming in. 1-2 days per week. Max.
I personally like going to the office. I work in the Fintech industry, we have a modern office + all the cliché amenities you’d find at a software company. I’m only 5 minutes away so it makes sense for me. Plus my job get us free lunch everyday. I typically lift 3-5 days a week and there’s a good gym at work + locker rooms and showers. I totally understand where most people are coming from though. If I had to work at a cookie cutter office with micro management, I would have probably jumped off of a ledge by now. I actually like my job and being around my co-workers.