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Do you think remote work is a 1 to 1 substitution for working in a good office (You have your own office, limited pointless meetings, etc.) Seems that companies

by tudelo 8y ago

Do you think remote work is a 1 to 1 substitution for working in a good office (You have your own office, limited pointless meetings, etc.) Seems that companies might just want to move out to cheaper areas instead of going primarily remote... which seems to be happening already. I suppose I am focused on tech here, as there are plenty of customer support workers for Apple, etc that WFH >99 percent of the time.

optimuspaul 8y ago
Having had a private office, cubicle, desk in an open office, shared office, and remote from home, coffee shop, car, etc, I feel like I can answer that. Remote work is not a 1:1 for a private office, but it's pretty close. Pointless meetings are a cultural thing and going remote at the same org will not reduce them significantly. I also don't think that there is any good replacement for face to face communication. 1:1 video calls are close, but not the same. But, I think depending on your role within an organization really dictates whether a remote "office" will work. (and personality, work ethic, etc.) Anyway, I think that companies, especially large orgs that will need to embrace remote more. Customer support is a great example where mostly remote can work well, could even become a "gig economy" thing (I hate that term). I don't think that many orgs will move to cheaper locations, at least not fully. I do think larger orgs will have remote offices in smaller markets, which many do. I'd like to see large orgs be open to investing in co-working spaces in small towns so that all the rural technology workers that are now commuting hours a day can save time and money. Exciting time, decentralized workforces seem like a useful thing in many areas.
- StavrosK 8y ago
  I agree with you. The tradeoff for me hasn't been "private office" vs "remote work", it's been "face time with colleagues/friends" vs "remote work". But, as you say, remote offices and the various other positions in that gradient are very exciting.

by tudelo 8y ago

optimuspaul 8y ago

Having had a private office, cubicle, desk in an open office, shared office, and remote from home, coffee shop, car, etc, I feel like I can answer that. Remote work is not a 1:1 for a private office, but it's pretty close. Pointless meetings are a cultural thing and going remote at the same org will not reduce them significantly. I also don't think that there is any good replacement for face to face communication. 1:1 video calls are close, but not the same. But, I think depending on your role within an organization really dictates whether a remote "office" will work. (and personality, work ethic, etc.) Anyway, I think that companies, especially large orgs that will need to embrace remote more. Customer support is a great example where mostly remote can work well, could even become a "gig economy" thing (I hate that term). I don't think that many orgs will move to cheaper locations, at least not fully. I do think larger orgs will have remote offices in smaller markets, which many do. I'd like to see large orgs be open to investing in co-working spaces in small towns so that all the rural technology workers that are now commuting hours a day can save time and money. Exciting time, decentralized workforces seem like a useful thing in many areas.

StavrosK 8y ago
I agree with you. The tradeoff for me hasn't been "private office" vs "remote work", it's been "face time with colleagues/friends" vs "remote work". But, as you say, remote offices and the various other positions in that gradient are very exciting.