The next Silicon Valley
Remote work.
For some of us, working outside of the big facilities was a blessing in disguise. We traded the nosy eyes of our coworkers and managers for the peace and happiness of a new location and paradigm. So paying an exorbitant rent just to be within commuting distance of a company headquarters will not be a norm? No. Big high-tech hubs are questioning their future. The global switch to remote work caused a big disruption. Created the possibility of telecommuting to work from a cheaper, greener, better location. Like maybe from home or from a more pleasing environment.
Big technology companies started to believe that this arrangement from home might be made permanent. Companies are swayed to extend the voluntary remote option after considering employees whose families must plan for an uncertain academic year that may involve home-schooling, as well as renters needing to determine their next 12-month lease agreements. Google was one of the first large companies to recommend employees work from home and aggressively open up remote hiring for all. And like it was in the previous years some other industries will copy the new ways. But why Silicon Valley has its days numbered? Two overriding reasons came up. Talents are leaving the area because of the high costs of living (going to Lake Tahoe) and of course the rise of remote working. This pushed other cities around the world into becoming leading technology hubs. Outside of Silicon Valley, I say Singapore is a top technology hub in the making, followed by New York, Tel Aviv, Beijing, London, and Bucharest; but also Bengaluru, Hong Kong, Austin, and Seattle. Don’t ask me how I choose those cities. It’s a real secret.
Ok, but that doesn’t mean employees are totally ready to leave the office for a definitive farewell. Nope. This change will not come without resistance. Off course! Putting on a suit, sitting in a cubicle from 9 to 5, Monday — Friday, and having lunch for an hour are all kinds of social codes. There are still many people out there, in many cases, in positions of power who are reluctant to change anything.
Of course, when they will realize the benefits they will require a solid strategy to map out opportunities as well as access to a well-crafted management tool. To use an increased shift to a multi-cloud environment and cloud-based services. All of these are not easy to implement and will not change that back in the day. The separation between work and home created a difference between what’s public and what’s private. A clear line between what happens at work (productivity) versus the family. (Recreation) Hence, in time this lifestyle and codes have ended up producing a place of alienation in big open spaces. Made people search for what is really valuable. They began to miss families and friends. Stress raised, the commute to work became tedious and many lost their own identity. Free time transformed into a big necessity. The only answer to that is remote work.
Believe it or not, the uncomfortable truth behind the refusal to send employees home or to accept remote work is still the tradition and the codes, not the security or employees who might be more productive in offices. Digital natives and millennials who populate now entry-level jobs and some middle ones are not like baby boomers accustomed to the standard office model. They value more free time and personal growth. This forced change threw all levels into a decisive social moment where the balance should be 80% remote. The prediction of Arthur C. Clarke in 1964 with the internet, 3D printing, robotic surgery, no commute to work daily, and travel only for pleasure will be in danger and not fully accurate. My belief is that he was a visionary and predicted right. What is your belief?
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