Working from home is the new norm, especially for women

[midian182]

In brief: The number of people in the US working from home has dropped since the pandemic but remains significantly higher than before the days of Covid-19. A recent survey shows that more than one-third of American workers are still doing their jobs from home, and many more men are returning to the office compared to women.

The American Time Use Survey (ATUS) report shows that in 2018 and 2019, just 24% of Americans worked from home on an average day. The start of the pandemic in 2020 saw that number almost double to 42%, and while it has fallen slightly since then, home workers still made up 34% of employees last year. With some people working at home and in the office on the same day, it was found that employees spent an average of 5.4 hours per day working at home in 2022.

Those who were college-educated, especially those with a bachelor's degree, were much more likely to find themselves working from home last year. More than half of this group (54%) avoided full-time office work in 2022.

One surprising element in the report is the discrepancy between the number of men and women working from home. Nearly half of all women were home workers in 2020, up from just over a quarter a year earlier, making them more likely to be away from the office than men. In 2022, 41% of women were working from home compared to 27% of men, marking a much smaller decline for the former.

Image courtesy of The Washington Post

The survey shows that women are more likely to prefer working from home, though the gender difference is also due to the type of positions more women occupy.

The survey also looked at roles men and women take on at home. Women were found to spend around twice the amount of time men did caring for children, and more time doing household activities like washing and cleaning. The only exception was yardwork, which was much more male-dominated.

Most employees do prefer to work from home, but it does mean that people, apart from those aged 20 to 24, are spending more time alone and socializing and communicating with others less. Moreover, they often devote leisure time to TV and electronic devices rather than engaging in physical exercise or other behaviors beneficial to their health, such as preparing healthy meals.

Many companies, even those who once promised that remote work was the new norm, are calling employees back into the office, and in most cases, people aren't happy about it.

Masthead credit: Creative Lab

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https://www.techspot.com/news/99212-working-home-new-norm-especially-women.html

 

[winjer]

OnlyFans?

 

[return]

OnlyFans?

Haha, I was thinking the same thing!

 

[BakaRed77]

I got moved to work from home during covid. I hated it! I missed being around people. Though I must admit I'm not a fan of people. Roy from The IT Crowd sums it up quite nice. But overtime I found I loved it. I have more freedom, my time is not wasted driving, I save loads of money on gas and car maintenance now. I now spend time with friends more often. So I don't think it is making me any less social anymore.

 

[Neatfeatguy]

Work from home, it has implications all around that most people probably don't think of.

When folks went to the office pre-forced lock down days, you had buildings and businesses that were made use of. People going to offices to work helped drive the economy, they'd stop by the local coffee place or breakfast venue or gas station to get something. Then they'd stop by local shops during their lunch breaks or on their way home.

The unnecessary forced lockdowns put a lot of small (and even some larger) businesses out of business because they removed this aspect - foot traffic. Once people were allowed to go back out many of these businesses did not re-open and nothing has come to replace them, either. As time went on only a few people have returned to office life like it was before and businesses and the economy around them have suffered.

Many businesses have been decimated and many lives ruined because of the government. Then when these large corporations asked for people to come back to the office it seems like the majority of the employees cried foul. The selfish people (which I don't condemn these people for being, people are naturally selfish) wanted to do what they want with their time, still get paid the same (or more) by doing less work (work here implies less time commuting and dealing with other people, not just work for your job) and staying at home.

All in all, it's an odd balancing act for society because it wasn't a gradual shift, it was executed on a mass scale at the drop of a pin and prolonged over a 2+ year span.

 

[return]

Work from home, it has implications all around that most people probably don't think of.

When folks went to the office pre-forced lock down days, you had buildings and businesses that were made use of. People going to offices to work helped drive the economy, they'd stop by the local coffee place or breakfast venue or gas station to get something. Then they'd stop by local shops during their lunch breaks or on their way home.

The unnecessary forced lockdowns put a lot of small (and even some larger) businesses out of business because they removed this aspect - foot traffic. Once people were allowed to go back out many of these businesses did not re-open and nothing has come to replace them, either. As time went on only a few people have returned to office life like it was before and businesses and the economy around them have suffered.

Many businesses have been decimated and many lives ruined because of the government. Then when these large corporations asked for people to come back to the office it seems like the majority of the employees cried foul. The selfish people (which I don't condemn these people for being, people are naturally selfish) wanted to do what they want with their time, still get paid the same (or more) by doing less work (work here implies less time commuting and dealing with other people, not just work for your job) and staying at home.

All in all, it's an odd balancing act for society because it wasn't a gradual shift, it was executed on a mass scale at the drop of a pin and prolonged over a 2+ year span.

What % of people bring their own lunch to work though? I always bring my own or nothing because I don't want to spend an insane amount for some crappy snack/drink. People who usually do probably order home delivery or go to some local place anyway.

 

[J95qRP7]

Work from home, it has implications all around that most people probably don't think of.

When folks went to the office pre-forced lock down days, you had buildings and businesses that were made use of. People going to offices to work helped drive the economy, they'd stop by the local coffee place or breakfast venue or gas station to get something. Then they'd stop by local shops during their lunch breaks or on their way home.

The unnecessary forced lockdowns put a lot of small (and even some larger) businesses out of business because they removed this aspect - foot traffic. Once people were allowed to go back out many of these businesses did not re-open and nothing has come to replace them, either. As time went on only a few people have returned to office life like it was before and businesses and the economy around them have suffered.

Many businesses have been decimated and many lives ruined because of the government. Then when these large corporations asked for people to come back to the office it seems like the majority of the employees cried foul. The selfish people (which I don't condemn these people for being, people are naturally selfish) wanted to do what they want with their time, still get paid the same (or more) by doing less work (work here implies less time commuting and dealing with other people, not just work for your job) and staying at home.

All in all, it's an odd balancing act for society because it wasn't a gradual shift, it was executed on a mass scale at the drop of a pin and prolonged over a 2+ year span.

Lockdowns saved lives by slowing the transmission of a deadly virus. This slowing of transmission allowed health professionals to not become overwhelmed. If working from home is better for some and they can do the work load thier boss assigns them, why not allow it? It isn't the responsibility of people to keep a business operating if there is a change in societal processes or needs.

I love that I can now work from home. I save hours a week, I save money on transport, I improved my own mental health by no longer dealing with ***** road users. My quality of life has improved out of sight and my work quality has also improved because I'm happier. Instead of taking 90min to commute, I'm now on discord, talking and play games sooner. I'm less social with people I don't care about at the office and more social with my friends and family.

 

[captaincranky]

It all seems rather ironic to me. I've spent generations listening to women whining about the "glass ceiling", and how they "slaved at home for no money".

Now that they've been sent to work from home, you practically have to call in a bomb threat to get them back onto the office.

Am I serious here? Not sure..

 

[toooooot]

Nothing can beat causes for isolation more than internet and social platforms. Devices with long lasting batteries and widely available wifi and g345 coverage made it even worse.
It worries me because people are not meant to live alone.
There is not one or negative outcomes but a range of problems for such individuals
and society in general.
Internet is killing our mental health.

 

[Julnor]

Prior to about a half century ago most people worked at home or had very short commutes. Urban population only overtook rural around that time. It was always unnatural and could only exist for so long. I can not imagine the majority of these office jobs even existing in another half century. I won't be alive that long and certainly would not be in the workforce if I was at that age.

People need to be free and have time to socialize, human beings are social creatures but work has mostly taken that away from people. Claiming work is socialization is insane, every job I've been at employers wanted you to work, not hang out and socialize. Maybe upper management it was just pure social calls, but not for anyone else.

If anything remote work freed people up again, to at least spend time with family. And without the commute, if the work day could just get lowered to maybe 6 hours max that would free up time to socialize at town events and the like, which is how life was always meant to be. Work is not for friends, most people don't talk to co-workers after changing jobs, but your neighbors and local community tend to be for life.

I've worked remote for 3+ years now, similar to many. Initially I'd keep Discord up but I kept falling behind because of that, so I still mostly have to just focus and get work done during the workday. It's impossible to be productive and on schedule at a high pace, rigorous job while socializing. But being at home is an all around health improvement hence people do it. I'm sorry for people that don't have social lives and need forced social settings to have any interaction, but that's not my problem. After school and outside of work being an adult means we get to pick our social circles and cut out a-holes, people that are socially inept should improve their social skills rather than trying to force us to interact with them.

 

[Underdog]

I'm having trouble getting my head around all this "working from home" issue. In my entire working life "working from home" or "remote" was never even possible. Never been a paper pusher or a desk jockey. Guess I haven't lived at all.

 

[CrisisDog]

I have no reason to go into the office. Even though upper management is "requiring" it, my immediate manager is not. And the few times I do try to get in the office, absolutely nobody from my team was there to collaborate with. It's a lost cause. On the flip side, I no longer have a work / life balance, with 10 to 12 hours a day being spent towards the company. Management also has no desire to backfill positions, but that's beyond the scope of this article...

 

[waclark]

What % of people bring their own lunch to work though? I always bring my own or nothing because I don't want to spend an insane amount for some crappy snack/drink. People who usually do probably order home delivery or go to some local place anyway.

Doesn't matter what the percentage is, what matters is how many businesses survived off that customer base. Alot did. If you have a few million people coming to work in the city every day, you don't need 100% participation in eating out for lunch.

When working from home, some people may order in or go out, but some people (like me) don't have all the choices I had when I went to work in an office building. Because I live in a rural area ordering in isn't an option (except for pizza). Also, as I was outside sales, I usually got free lunch by taking a customer with me.

As the workforce disperses away from the typical city centers, we need to think about how we can service those customers closer to home.

 

[waclark]

Prior to about a half century ago most people worked at home or had very short commutes. Urban population only overtook rural around that time. It was always unnatural and could only exist for so long. I can not imagine the majority of these office jobs even existing in another half century. I won't be alive that long and certainly would not be in the workforce if I was at that age.

Very short commutes, possibly, but no one was working from home in the 60s and early 70s. The good jobs were typically factory jobs in the big cities. Or sales jobs where you were out seeing your customers. Working from home ended when the wars took farmers away from the farm and when they came back, they went to work for the big manufacturing companies. People moved to suburbia which tended to take them away from the factories.

People need to be free and have time to socialize, human beings are social creatures but work has mostly taken that away from people. Claiming work is socialization is insane, every job I've been at employers wanted you to work, not hang out and socialize. Maybe upper management it was just pure social calls, but not for anyone else.

If anything remote work freed people up again, to at least spend time with family. And without the commute, if the work day could just get lowered to maybe 6 hours max that would free up time to socialize at town events and the like, which is how life was always meant to be. Work is not for friends, most people don't talk to co-workers after changing jobs, but your neighbors and local community tend to be for life.

I don't agree with this at all. When I worked in an office back in the 80s, I made a lot of friends I worked with. We socialized after work at happy hour, parties on the weekend, barhopping when the company took us to Vegas for Sales Kickoff and more. I played softball on the company team, bowled in the company league. When a sales guy would book a big deal, we would have a kegger at the office. We socialized a lot and I have friendships that go back 3 and 4 decades now.

I've worked remote for 3+ years now, similar to many. Initially I'd keep Discord up but I kept falling behind because of that, so I still mostly have to just focus and get work done during the workday. It's impossible to be productive and on schedule at a high pace, rigorous job while socializing. But being at home is an all around health improvement hence people do it. I'm sorry for people that don't have social lives and need forced social settings to have any interaction, but that's not my problem. After school and outside of work being an adult means we get to pick our social circles and cut out a-holes, people that are socially inept should improve their social skills rather than trying to force us to interact with them.

For some, being at home is a health improvement. But for others, as we saw with the Covid lockdowns, it isn't. Suicide rates were up during Covid especially for younger Americans. We also saw the impact on learning while our kids were forced to school at home. Being at home isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. It has some advantages, but it also has disadvantages.