Will Working From Home Be the New Normal?
One-size-fits-all solutions don’t fit everyone
There’s been much hullabaloo in the news lately about how workers like working from home so much; they’re resigning rather than returning to the office. As a result, pundits are saying all tech companies will be forced to switch to full-time remote working.
That won’t work. One-size-fits-all solutions don’t fit everyone.
What about people in small apartments or with multiple roommates? Or, as the cover photo illustrates, people who live on houseboats? There’s simply no space for everyone to work from home.
What about people who have toddlers who don’t understand “I’m working”? The toddler sees Mommy or Daddy at home, and always before, that meant Mommy or Daddy had time to play. The same is true for exceptionally demanding pets, except instead of screaming and crying, they bark or bite.
Then there are the people who are on the phone for a large part of their business day. Most houses do not have sound-deadening wall panels and other features that keep that from being an issue in office buildings. When my husband is on a teleconference, even with both of our office doors closed, I have to wear a headset to concentrate.
An example from history
My employer tried a mandatory work-from-home policy back in the early 2000s. Their pilot programs significantly increased employee happiness and productivity. So they rolled it out unilaterally. At least 20% of the employees at each site would work from home.
The test programs were in high-density urban environments, with long, stressful commutes in heavy traffic. Of course, the employees enjoyed not having to deal with that!
Our site was in a town of 10,000 people. I had a 15-minute walk from my front door to my desk. Many of our employees lived in the surrounding farmland, where they might be the only house for a couple of miles.
One of the guys I worked with couldn’t even get internet service since the only road to his house crossed state lines. It thus fell into the purview of two competing cable providers.
We tried to protest to the people making the ruling, but they insisted it would be good for us. It was not. Our productivity and employee happiness dropped.
The current reality
Many people do enjoy working from home.
They have spacious homes where they can dedicate a separate office to each adult. They don’t have to deal with commuting, can wear whatever they want, and are only steps away from a fully stocked kitchen. And they save money on gas, child care, and pet care expenses.
Others do not enjoy working from home.
They share space with others, and can not get quiet, dedicated work areas. They need the stimulation and interaction of casually mingling with people outside of their immediate household. Or they like a sharp divide between work time and home time.
Final thoughts
Rather than saying the “new normal” will be entirely work-from-home or entirely office-based, it will likely contain more choice. Businesses will most likely downsize their office space but not get rid of it entirely.
They will not demand that people work in the office since that’s proven unnecessary. However, smart businesses will continue to offer that option, making their jobs more appealing to a wider range of employees.
Who knows? In the future, businesses may advertise for workers by saying they have flexible hours and flexible locations.
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