I've been thinking about the work from home setup and how much it changed how people approached work. It's not for everybody and every business but I can see how much this setup is a fantasy for introverts who just want to be productive while at the comforts of their own home.
After studying remote work for four years, they’ve concluded: working from home makes us happier
So which businesses do come out as the losers from the work from home setup? the ones owning the buildings offering the rental spaces, and the businesses surrounding those buildings. It turns out when you put people working at home, there's less reasons to rent out large office spaces that costs money and less foot traffic to local businesses.
It doesn't help that people can now shop at the convenience of their own homes or do business transactions from their mobile app. The transportation sector also gets fewer paying passengers so while work from home does increase the productivity and reduce health care cost per employee since they have less excuses for calling in sick to work, the mass adoption may mean sacrificing income for other sectors in the economy.
I still think about the patient that came in for consult a few days ago. They developed panic attacks that made them non-functional at work while having none of those symptoms ever while during the work from home setup since the pandemic. Who knew putting people at the comforts of their own home working at their own pace makes them even more productive right?
In my personal opinion, if employees are compensated based on the outputs and value they generate for their time, the attendance and presence factor in the office doesn't really matter. We're still going to get paid based on the reports made and not because we happen to be in office. Commute to work and trying to get adjustment in an environment that reminds you how much you're a wage slave doesn't seem like a good place for your mental health but somehow that's been the norm people got used to. So when the work from home setup became a thing, people got a taste of a better alternative and there are technologies adapted to further make people productive for their time and this made them happier.
I recall that one Japanese character in Gary Stevenson's book "The Trading Game" where he creates an excel sheet with the formulas and reports faster than the expected turn around time then deletes it again because the sooner you finish, the more work gets passed on to you. I get the sentiment, it doesn't matter if you get more outputs than other employees, most of the time you just get paid with the same incentive for your time and it's not worth it. But with work from home, you are incentivized to finish work sooner so you get plenty of time to do other fun stuff while at home without HR knowing.
While I do get that WFH setup may loosen some company culture and weaken bonds but I disagree on the idea that your co-workers are family. It's the same idiotic buzz as believing HR department is on your side, it isn't, it's on the company side and most of your co-workers don't really give a fuck unless you're within their click. I firmly believe that as long as someone is making money for the company, the company has less incentives to remove that person from payroll.
I wish my job can be done through work from home. Well, some parts of it can like teleconsult but most Filipinos don't have ready access to the internet that's affordable or devices that can handle it.
Thanks for your time.
