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Remote work has been around quite a while. Used to be called 'offshoring'. The main driver is raw economics: the price of tech labor is too high. 'Social distan

Remote work has been around quite a while. Used to be called 'offshoring'. The main driver is raw economics: the price of tech labor is too high. 'Social distancing' is simply an excuse to push it into overdrive.

tharkun__ 5y ago
This is my problem with it. I love my new life. Don't ever want to go back to the office. Actually I would. If I can stay out here in the burbs and work is just a 10 minute drive or bus ride from the school/home. But I hate city life so I have to live so far that the commute sucks. I totally get the offshoring thing tho. The only thing remotely (no pun intended) 'preventing' that is timezones. But once you offshore _all_ the jobs, timezone are much less of a problem. I hope they still would be enough of a problem that we can have the cake and eat it too.
- thisarticle 5y ago
  At that point why not just ship the whole company off overseas?
wpietri 5y ago
To me they're very distinct. I'm part of an all-remote team, but we're all employees and we keep common core work hours so we can have lots of interactive time. I'm sure my employer saves some money on office space, but we also spend more on travel so we can get together in person regularly. Offshoring in my experience is a very different set of relationships. It tends to have a significant power differential and to be much more distant, both physically and emotionally.
- toadi 5y ago
  I moved to a country where I need less money. My life style is actually much better while making a little bit less money then I did in my own country. That works for me and not for everyone that want to stay close to family or/and have kids. But remote working does. I spend more time with friends and my significant other then I did before. Because now I have more time to engage in social interactions I prefer. Work social interactions for me are just to a level of professional courtesy. It is more fun to interact with people outside of my field....

tharkun__ 5y ago

This is my problem with it. I love my new life. Don't ever want to go back to the office. Actually I would. If I can stay out here in the burbs and work is just a 10 minute drive or bus ride from the school/home. But I hate city life so I have to live so far that the commute sucks. I totally get the offshoring thing tho. The only thing remotely (no pun intended) 'preventing' that is timezones. But once you offshore _all_ the jobs, timezone are much less of a problem. I hope they still would be enough of a problem that we can have the cake and eat it too.

thisarticle 5y ago
At that point why not just ship the whole company off overseas?

wpietri 5y ago

To me they're very distinct. I'm part of an all-remote team, but we're all employees and we keep common core work hours so we can have lots of interactive time. I'm sure my employer saves some money on office space, but we also spend more on travel so we can get together in person regularly. Offshoring in my experience is a very different set of relationships. It tends to have a significant power differential and to be much more distant, both physically and emotionally.

toadi 5y ago
I moved to a country where I need less money. My life style is actually much better while making a little bit less money then I did in my own country. That works for me and not for everyone that want to stay close to family or/and have kids. But remote working does. I spend more time with friends and my significant other then I did before. Because now I have more time to engage in social interactions I prefer. Work social interactions for me are just to a level of professional courtesy. It is more fun to interact with people outside of my field....