I’ll also add in wayyyy less productive if I work from home.
Based on my experience of teaching personality types the numbers basically say is 50/50. About half of our population is better off in an office and half have the self discipline and personality type to to work from home.
I do think this the demand to work from home is a bigger factor in the difficulties related to hiring. Most of the focus is on the lower end of the pay spectrum, but I can tell you first hand as something trying to hire a project manager that the supply is limited and the salary expectations are 30-50% higher than pre-pandemic without significant give backs such as flexibility on work location. Lots of people saved money being stuck inside for a year and can take their time deciding how they want to proceed with their careers.
The amount of money the average office worker saves on not commuting, dry cleaning, parking fees, and arranging meals for the office (not to mention the reduced quality of life), is not an inconsequential number. I turned down a 5 figure raise several years ago for a new job because the extra cost in those areas effectively offset the raise (especially when you factored in my lost time).
Another hidden savings of WFH - not having to take PTO days when your kids are sick. Or maybe when you have a repair guy or contractor that would have caused you to have to call out. Do not discount this one. My office had just setup WFH a few months before Covid, and this was one of the reasons. I saved 5 PTO days in 2019 by being able to WFH in these situations. Basically saved me a whole week of vacation I was able to take later.
I guess that I am luckier than some in that I have had the ability and flexibility to work from home for 18+ years. As bandwidth at home has increased, and laptops have become more powerful, the experience has gotten better. There is literally nothing that I can’t do at home work-wise. I just enjoy the buzz in an office, and even if I am spending 8 hours on the phone during a day, I like the atmosphere of people around me. I am also mindful that I will retire in 2.5-4.5 years, and the office will be gone. I want to enjoy it while I can.
Reportedly heading back to the office in September; however, will probably be only a couple days each week. Still will be able to work from home when needed. At least, that’s the current plan.
My company seems to be heading in the work from home direction. It reduces overhead. We already had a whole office close in Massachusetts where everyone just worked from home, and that was pre-Covid.
It is raising property values in those towns, but its a net positive for businesses, schools and more. Plus it hopefully will make places like NYC and SF more affordable for teachers, police etc. People relocating to parts of the country that people have abandoned over the last 25-50 years would be a great thing.
Being able to live wherever you want and still hold a good paying job has to be one of the best case scenarios for all of America. Well, except coastal towns. The prices are gonna soar there. Why wait to retire to the beach? Move there now.
Mountains too.
Reliable internet still an issue for the mountain areas at the moment but it is improving there.
Doesn’t necessarily go here but I was over that way today and I drove past the Centene HQ. It’s biiiiiig. Gonna be a while still before it opens. If I had to guess, I’d say about 12 months still.
That’s gonna be a lot of pretty high paying jobs, and a lot more traffic in the University area. Local businesses have to be stoked.
But people who have the means to work remotely aren’t moving to areas that have been abandoned. They are making affordable metro areas less affordable and facing a significant backlash in some locations.
People who can work remotely aren’t heading for Binghamton, New York or Youngstown, Ohio, or smaller versions of locations that have had little to no employment or modern amenities.
The beach will be under water in what, 9 more years, right? I agree with you.
The industry that monitors employees activity remotely will continue to evolve. If you are not measured by to revenue you bring in, you will probably be tracked relentlessly with your computer activity. It is already here for many
I know folks that have left Charlotte for Shelby, forest city, Rutherfordton - still can get to Charlotte if they need to but moving to areas that people were leaving and very affordable. Yea they are getting some push back from locals but it’s gonna be a net positive for those communities.