Working from home

[pietillidie]

Musk is just another horrid dysfunctional personality in a long line of the same. Countries like Ireland are already drafting Right to Remote Work bills, so shortly it will become an international advantage, not simply an advantage of companies with superior technology and management.

Meanwhile, the data is already showing that in areas of intellectual innovation, distributed work is outstripping the productivity of face-to-face work. The interesting thing is that when you look at the data, it starts to turn about a decade ago when remote work tools improved sufficiently to make it viable.

Obviously authoritarians like Musk are beside themselves because they are driven by a need to 'feel' in control, and this is best satisfied literally, physically. Put that together with his obvious communication deficiencies and delusion of omniscience, and he's forever projecting his own weirdo thoughts on others.

What'sinaname is banking on economic tightening to put the balance of power back in the hands of employers, but I think it's gone way beyond that. Not only is remote/hybrid work preferred by two-thirds of people, including the most competent who hate being micromanaged, commercial real estate and commuting are extremely expensive. Inflation is hardly an incentive to expand capital expenditure on commercial real estate; that's precisely the opposite of what you'd expect to happen.

Meanwhile, businesses which fail to get the new technology right, and perhaps more importantly fail to help managers to adjust to remote management, will be at a massive disadvantage.

These things always start with the low-hanging fruit such as tech workers, but technology is already trying to reduce frontline/face-to-face workers where possible, so even arguments propped up by face-to-face roles are weakening by the minute. Meanwhile, automation of roles and growth of augmented technology means that, to some extent, before too long we will all be 'tech workers', or remote physical workers empowered by tech which precludes the need for a traditional work site.

Remember, the office has had decades to attain dominance; remote work as we now understand it is just getting started, and as I say the productivity data for distributed work is skyrocketing bearing that very short timeframe in mind. So, even if there's somewhat of a retreat back to the office while people master the new way of things, you can't see it lasting.

Of course, stranger things have happened, and I wouldn't want to bet the house on regression not taking place. Brexit and Trump have sent that warning loud and clear. But I can't currently see what are strong trends reversing, even if it will take time for people to adjust and some to develop better self-management skills.

I should also point out that I'm not against face-to-face work, especially until the technology and indeed housing evolves such that it satisfies the needs of extroverts, tactile workers, those lacking in social support, etc. But that's quite a different set of concerns to the ones driving Musk's reflex to 'own' and micromanage people physically so he can satisfy his every impulse immediately. Good management can implement ways of making it work, and is indeed doing so.

A good interim step, as we've discussed, is hybrid work, followed by distributed work spaces in the suburbs were people in different areas can meet face-to-face as needed.

[stui magpie]

^

Pretty much agree with all of that.

If you're a knowledge worker, working remotely is just if not more productive than being in a central office.

Some roles can be done remotely but are better F2F and I can't see that changing anytime soon and some just can't be done remotely. But for those that can, smart employers will adapt.

As you said, there's a lot of financial savings in not having to provide, fit out and maintain an office space with a workstation for everyone