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Google, Amazon, and lots of other companies are in the same stance as Apple. Deep down, I think the issue goes past working flexibility down to a multi-billion

Google, Amazon, and lots of other companies are in the same stance as Apple. Deep down, I think the issue goes past working flexibility down to a multi-billion dollar financial question of what do these companies do with their real estate assets? They've already built or bought gigantic office buildings and campuses across the US, so what do they do with them? Turn them into warehouses? Just let them sit at <50% capacity? Idk what the answer is, but I'm sure lots of CFOs are probably busy with this, since it seems like it would be "paddling against the current" to counteract remote preferences.

citizenpaul 5y ago
I'm sure real estate is part of the equation, though I doubt it really has much to do with the overall push to office. The real reason at the end of the day is sociopath managers/execs. They see work from home as freedom and office as control. I've had C levels tell me straight up they don't care if it is more efficient to work at home. They would rather be able to scream at someone if something is wrong, they would rather have 10 people sitting around getting paid for nothing so they can storm in and round them up for some random project. They simply are not interested in putting together a well though out plan and sending it to everyone. In most of the world the people in charge are not in place because of competence or successful harmony of efficient work. They simply are looking out for themselves more viciously than other people did and now they are in charge.
- VLM 5y ago
  I think we'll evolve 'better' sociopaths. Dozens of emergency text messages at 2am, conference calls with 30 people on them only 5 involved in the problem, weird demands for screen sharing, strangely scheduled video conferences for the sake of proving you can force people to attend video conferences... Bad management will always find a way to be bad.
RandallBrown 5y ago
The answer is pretty simple. They won't renew the leases on the offices they're renting and they'll consolidate into the buildings they own. If it's still too much office space they'll sell or just let the workers that are coming in have more space. Years ago I heard stories of Amazon forcing employees to work from home because their offices didn't have enough bathrooms. Amazon is, as far as I know, allowing people to work from home full time now. That's what their recruiters have been telling me and that's what my friends that work there are saying.
caskstrength 5y ago
> They've already built or bought gigantic office buildings and campuses across the US, so what do they do with them? Turn them into warehouses? Just let them sit at <50% capacity? Convert them back from open spaces to proper offices? This would make them close to 100% capacity and also reward people who are willing to work in person.

citizenpaul 5y ago

I'm sure real estate is part of the equation, though I doubt it really has much to do with the overall push to office. The real reason at the end of the day is sociopath managers/execs. They see work from home as freedom and office as control. I've had C levels tell me straight up they don't care if it is more efficient to work at home. They would rather be able to scream at someone if something is wrong, they would rather have 10 people sitting around getting paid for nothing so they can storm in and round them up for some random project. They simply are not interested in putting together a well though out plan and sending it to everyone. In most of the world the people in charge are not in place because of competence or successful harmony of efficient work. They simply are looking out for themselves more viciously than other people did and now they are in charge.

VLM 5y ago
I think we'll evolve 'better' sociopaths. Dozens of emergency text messages at 2am, conference calls with 30 people on them only 5 involved in the problem, weird demands for screen sharing, strangely scheduled video conferences for the sake of proving you can force people to attend video conferences... Bad management will always find a way to be bad.

RandallBrown 5y ago

The answer is pretty simple. They won't renew the leases on the offices they're renting and they'll consolidate into the buildings they own. If it's still too much office space they'll sell or just let the workers that are coming in have more space. Years ago I heard stories of Amazon forcing employees to work from home because their offices didn't have enough bathrooms. Amazon is, as far as I know, allowing people to work from home full time now. That's what their recruiters have been telling me and that's what my friends that work there are saying.

caskstrength 5y ago

> They've already built or bought gigantic office buildings and campuses across the US, so what do they do with them? Turn them into warehouses? Just let them sit at <50% capacity? Convert them back from open spaces to proper offices? This would make them close to 100% capacity and also reward people who are willing to work in person.