2 ms·

I don't believe this is true at all. I tend to prefer the office, but if I have the option of remote work, this is a good thing. I may never use it, but it's th

I don't believe this is true at all. I tend to prefer the office, but if I have the option of remote work, this is a good thing. I may never use it, but it's there if my situation changes (temporarily or permanently). It's a benefit to everyone, whether or not they use it.

vanviegen 3y ago
It is not a benefit to everyone. I enjoy face-to-face interaction with colleagues, while I dislike any form of online communication, as it drains my energy.
jmcphers 3y ago
I don't think this is true because of network effects. I tend to prefer the office, but my company has a remote work option. The result is that most people work remotely and eventually I had to close down the office -- no one besides me was coming in. I don't support "return to the office" mandates, but the reasoning is sound: the value of an office is not realized unless most people attend.
- NoMoreNicksLeft 3y ago
  But that explains very poorly what we're seeing... If it was an expense they'd be able to ditch (soon or eventually), you'd think they'd be forcing people to do remote. Not doubling down on RTO. You don't say "if you don't return, I have no justification for this huge waste of cash"...
  - danaris 3y ago
    This assumes that RTO is a rational and economic decision. From everything I've seen, at least 80% of the time it's almost entirely about emotion, and mostly control. Managers who never learned how to actually manage in any way besides "if your butt's in the seat, I guess you're working, otherwise, you're slacking off and stealing from the company!" are desperate to get people back where they can act like they manage them. Managers who (overlapping with the first) have bought fully into the narrative that the manager/subordinate relationship is an adversarial one, and believe that every employee is constantly going to be trying to find every way they can to avoid working, cannot imagine employees being more productive at home without draconian surveillance. People at all levels who worked in offices all their lives, sacrificing so much that they could have had if remote work was an option, see others enjoying remote work now (even some just starting their careers!), and are resentful. "If I had to do it, you have to do it!" Or they just see it and genuinely don't believe it's possible to work properly anywhere but an office. People are not fully rational creatures. If you look at the decisions managers and execs make and say, "But it's so clear that this is worse for the company; why would they do that?", or, worse, "They must know something I don't know, and this is actually better" (and I've seen many people express both sentiments about the RTO push), you're making the mistake of believing that everything they do is motivated by cold hard logic and numbers.
MrScruff 3y ago
I disagree. I massively preferred working 100% in the office with colleagues and would return to that in a heartbeat if it was an option. I know many others who feel the same.

vanviegen 3y ago

It is not a benefit to everyone. I enjoy face-to-face interaction with colleagues, while I dislike any form of online communication, as it drains my energy.

jmcphers 3y ago

I don't think this is true because of network effects. I tend to prefer the office, but my company has a remote work option. The result is that most people work remotely and eventually I had to close down the office -- no one besides me was coming in. I don't support "return to the office" mandates, but the reasoning is sound: the value of an office is not realized unless most people attend.

NoMoreNicksLeft 3y ago
But that explains very poorly what we're seeing... If it was an expense they'd be able to ditch (soon or eventually), you'd think they'd be forcing people to do remote. Not doubling down on RTO. You don't say "if you don't return, I have no justification for this huge waste of cash"...
- danaris 3y ago
  This assumes that RTO is a rational and economic decision. From everything I've seen, at least 80% of the time it's almost entirely about emotion, and mostly control. Managers who never learned how to actually manage in any way besides "if your butt's in the seat, I guess you're working, otherwise, you're slacking off and stealing from the company!" are desperate to get people back where they can act like they manage them. Managers who (overlapping with the first) have bought fully into the narrative that the manager/subordinate relationship is an adversarial one, and believe that every employee is constantly going to be trying to find every way they can to avoid working, cannot imagine employees being more productive at home without draconian surveillance. People at all levels who worked in offices all their lives, sacrificing so much that they could have had if remote work was an option, see others enjoying remote work now (even some just starting their careers!), and are resentful. "If I had to do it, you have to do it!" Or they just see it and genuinely don't believe it's possible to work properly anywhere but an office. People are not fully rational creatures. If you look at the decisions managers and execs make and say, "But it's so clear that this is worse for the company; why would they do that?", or, worse, "They must know something I don't know, and this is actually better" (and I've seen many people express both sentiments about the RTO push), you're making the mistake of believing that everything they do is motivated by cold hard logic and numbers.

MrScruff 3y ago

I disagree. I massively preferred working 100% in the office with colleagues and would return to that in a heartbeat if it was an option. I know many others who feel the same.