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>And so, for all the threat faced by the office, there is also cause for optimism about its future. These days the “hyper-physical…is so cherished,” notes Heath
by jasode 7y ago
>And so, for all the threat faced by the office, there is also cause for optimism about its future. These days the “hyper-physical…is so cherished,” notes Heatherwick. [...], all those desks and all those people, all that bustle and time-wasting, have their benefits.
Humans need offices. Online encounters may be keeping us alive as social beings right now, but work-related video meetings are too often transactional, awkward and unappealing. After the initial joy of peering into each other’s houses on Zoom, we are confronted with people’s heads looming even closer than we see them across the desk at work, and we gaze in horror – half of it self-awareness that we, too, must look awful – at thinning hair and double chins. We become freakish specimens rather than people. No Skype chat can replicate what Heatherwick calls the “chemistry of the unexpected” that you get in person. [...] Because what moves us is not sitting at our computer, it’s the relationship that we have with people.”
Although I've been 100% remote for more than a decade and love the freedom and flexibility, I still don't think this COVID-19 crisis will kill offices and commuting as much as some workers hope for.
Today's telecommuting technologies like videoconferencing, screen sharing, virtual whiteboards, etc are still not seamless and fluid enough.
Therefore, some companies (especially young startups) that have high degree of collaboration will continue to work in offices to outcompete the companies that are 100% remote.
Yes, onsite collaboration in offices is overstated but maybe productivity of working at home is overstated as well. As a random observation, I find it interesting that TV show writers' rooms (including weekly dramas and comedy skits) will all get into the same office to hash out a show. Why do they do that if remote tech like videoconferencing can replace in-person interaction?
- mikestew 7y agoWhy do they do that if remote tech like videoconferencing can replace in-person interaction? Because the screenwriter's boss is no different than yours: "butts in chairs, people. It's how collaboration happens!" Or inertia. Or enough other things that I'm not going to immediately leap to, "because it's the best way".
- RcouF1uZ4gsC 7y ago> As a random observation, I find it interesting that TV show writers' rooms (including weekly dramas and comedy skits) will all get into the same office to hash out a show. I believe some TV shows (SNL IIRC) are still being made with people working remotely.
- jasode 7y ago>I believe some TV shows (SNL IIRC) are still being made with people working remotely. I think you're saying the current COVID is making producers and writers adapt to the lockdown situation because they have to, and therefore they have to work remotely. Yes, I understand that. I think once the coronavirus scare is behind us, those writers will willingly go back to being in the same physical room to hash out the dialogue for a show. If you look at the "writers room" from the SNL documentary[0], you wonder why all those writers and stars are in the same room when they could just use videoconferencing for the "table read". They're all younger generation with money so using technology such as laptops with webcams probably isn't the barrier. I think it's because most writers want to be in the writers room and videoconferencing is still not a good enough substitute for a physical presence. That's why they suffer the miserable Los Angeles traffic to show up in that room. [0] deep link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu3LyygiSJM&feature=youtu.be&t=26m15s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu3LyygiSJM&feature=youtu.be...