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The CEOs of my last two companies ditched all offices and went 100% distributed during the pandemic. For software it made more sense to recruit workers from any

The CEOs of my last two companies ditched all offices and went 100% distributed during the pandemic. For software it made more sense to recruit workers from anywhere than a drivable radius from a city office. Companies eager to return to offices have most likely invested money in fancy offices and they want to see that investment put to use. Remote workers are more productive, take fewer sick days [1], and can work from cheaper areas, a win-win. To give up that value proposition companies would need something more valuable in return, and water cooler talk and cubicle to cubicle chatter doesn't seem worth it 1. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/technology/pages/teleworkers-more-productive-even-when-sick.aspx https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/technology/...

jstx1 5y ago
The study you cite is from 2015 when remote work was for people who chose it themselves. I don't think that the results will necessarily be the same if you scale it to everyone being remote. Personally I can say that I'm far less productive when I'm remote and I can't wait to get back to the office - it seems like a better deal for me and for my employer. I would definitely look for another job if they said that we'll be always remote.
- byoung2 5y ago
  The results are better after covid: https://www.apollotechnical.com/working-from-home-productivity-statistics/ https://www.apollotechnical.com/working-from-home-productivi...
  - jstx1 5y ago
    That doesn't look better at all. Most of the post-Covid results in that article are surveys. The one that isn't a survey measures app use and claims that because employees accessed document and calendar apps less that must mean that they are more productive (!?). Remote or in-office, my impression is that people like what they like and won't just change their preferences because of an online comment. So if remote works for you, that's great - but I can't agree that what you're sharing is good evidence.
- shahbaby 5y ago
  Just drive to a starbucks and treat that as your office. Why would you want to be herded like cattle?
  - jstx1 5y ago
    > Why would you want to be herded like cattle? I don't and I'm not. If you were herded like cattle before then I don't blame you for liking remote much better.
    - decafninja 5y ago
      Probably anyone that commutes into Manhattan (NYC) experiences the cattle-car experience of the regional mass transit system, which is supposedly the best in the US, but leaves a lot to be desired compared to comparable systems in cities like Tokyo or Seoul. Not having to commute into Manhattan is reason enough for me to vastly prefer WFH. An enormous amount of collective time is wasted by the millions of workers who a make that commute every day.

jstx1 5y ago

The study you cite is from 2015 when remote work was for people who chose it themselves. I don't think that the results will necessarily be the same if you scale it to everyone being remote. Personally I can say that I'm far less productive when I'm remote and I can't wait to get back to the office - it seems like a better deal for me and for my employer. I would definitely look for another job if they said that we'll be always remote.

byoung2 5y ago
The results are better after covid: https://www.apollotechnical.com/working-from-home-productivity-statistics/ https://www.apollotechnical.com/working-from-home-productivi...
- jstx1 5y ago
  That doesn't look better at all. Most of the post-Covid results in that article are surveys. The one that isn't a survey measures app use and claims that because employees accessed document and calendar apps less that must mean that they are more productive (!?). Remote or in-office, my impression is that people like what they like and won't just change their preferences because of an online comment. So if remote works for you, that's great - but I can't agree that what you're sharing is good evidence.
shahbaby 5y ago
Just drive to a starbucks and treat that as your office. Why would you want to be herded like cattle?
- jstx1 5y ago
  > Why would you want to be herded like cattle? I don't and I'm not. If you were herded like cattle before then I don't blame you for liking remote much better.
  - decafninja 5y ago
    Probably anyone that commutes into Manhattan (NYC) experiences the cattle-car experience of the regional mass transit system, which is supposedly the best in the US, but leaves a lot to be desired compared to comparable systems in cities like Tokyo or Seoul. Not having to commute into Manhattan is reason enough for me to vastly prefer WFH. An enormous amount of collective time is wasted by the millions of workers who a make that commute every day.