Most workers don't want to be back in the office, could quit over lack of flexibility

[Raytrace3D]

I guess you live close to your office then... cause transportation costs, on average, are FAR costlier than energy costs...

Same, I use to work over an hour away.. waste of time and money. It was cheaper for me to quit and start my own business. haha Now I work from home full time!

 

[wiyosaya]

My experience over 40years shows that remote work is less productive for most people. You may be an exception; however as a manager I cannot make rules for exceptions like you; since the work involved in finding people like you out ways the benefit.

I get why you say this. I do consider myself somewhat of an exception, at least where I work. I expect to work for my pay whereas some, including at least one person who is in a very high-level position in our company, spend what I think is inordinate amounts of time screwing around and socializing. Sometimes, I think its a wonder that the company does as well as it does. IMO, this particular person sets a poor example for many, and I bet many figure that since he screws around, its OK for them to screw around, too. Rather rarely, I go along with this, but I am respected for the work that I do (and that reputation has followed me from job to job), so I don't feel as if I have to be part of the clique to be successful. And, in fact, I consider myself a loner and have what I like to think are "elevated" standards. The socialization does not really attract me - most people are people with whom I would rather not socialize.

 

[Darth Shiv]

Sponsored by Slack, who markets their software for teleworking.

True that makes the study less credible but the finding, as WFHer is not surprising. Commuting to the office was just dead time. Parking was expensive. Collaboration was excellent in the office of course. I do lament that but WFH is soooo much more convenient for families.

 

[arrowflash]

I work from home and have since before Covid. That said, there are benefits to going to the office on occasions. I actually miss seeing my customers face-to-face every day. I miss sharing info and ideas with my co-workers. This is how I learned technology like setting up Unix machines, doing assembly language coding and much more.

Working at home is nice if you can manage your time, but many people are distracted by kids, pets, neighbors, laundry and other non-work tasks. In some cases you can be more productive at home, but also consider that WFH employees tend to work more, as much as 10% more when working from home. So, yeah, they're more productive because they work more hours. I don't know that this is such a great thing for everyone.

Yeah these are valid points. Working from home can be great if you live in a cheap, comfortable and quiet place. However that's not the reality for many (maybe most) people.

If you live in a place where energy is expensive, working from home can become very costly, especially in summer and winter. If you live with family who keeps distracting you, or have noisy neighbors, or live on a busy street with lots of traffic, working from home can become hell.

The worst thing about going to work every day is the commute. I guess it's not so bad for most people who live in America or Western Europe, but in many other parts of the world it can be terrible. It's not uncommon (outside of NATO countries) for people to lose up to 3 or 4 hours commuting every day.

The best companies are ones that have flexibility and allow you to choose.

 

[RudyBob]

Let them quit.

 

[RudyBob]

The best companies are ones that have flexibility and allow you to choose.

Companies are the ones that say yes you can work for us here are the terms of your employment. Which may change over time and since we pay you we tell you the changing terms. Is that agreeable to you?

Oh Thank You Company for the job that I need so I can have a life. Then a short time later...This place sucks they don't know nothing. I have seen it every where I have ever worked.

Even if the company recruits you they still have terms that were agreed to.

 

[Usukosej]

I worked from home since 2020, it's awesome. I can do all kinds of stuff in my house while working, meaning that when I am off, zero needs to be done besides hitting the gym. Maybe thats why I went from 200 lbs to 225 lbs at 10-12% bodyfat during COVID. Strength and size went up. My wife told me to stop getting bigger. I then bought a white wifebeater.

 

[Hysc84]

But still, now almost all back to normal

Only certain small industry remain WFH

 

[waclark]

Yeah these are valid points. Working from home can be great if you live in a cheap, comfortable and quiet place. However that's not the reality for many (maybe most) people.

If you live in a place where energy is expensive, working from home can become very costly, especially in summer and winter. If you live with family who keeps distracting you, or have noisy neighbors, or live on a busy street with lots of traffic, working from home can become hell.

The worst thing about going to work every day is the commute. I guess it's not so bad for most people who live in America or Western Europe, but in many other parts of the world it can be terrible. It's not uncommon (outside of NATO countries) for people to lose up to 3 or 4 hours commuting every day.

The best companies are ones that have flexibility and allow you to choose.

Energy cost may be high for some. I have to wonder what transportation costs look like for a 1-2 hour commute one way? Does the reduced energy expense of going to the office outweigh the increased cost of needing transport, parking, insurance, fuel etc? I do know some companies will subsidize some of the stay at home costs, like Internet expense.

WFH can be great in the right context but it's not a one-size-fits-all solution.

 

[gamerk2]

Worth noting the most productive people per hour are the French; you know, the one's with the 35 hour work week, generous benefits, and the like. Maybe we should be following their example.

 

[BigRedPDX]

I have opted to work in the office everyday. My place is too small, and way too many distractions to work in peace. Physically getting up and walking into the office is engrained in my schedule. I do have an option to work from home if need be, that is nice to have. Being a system admin has it's perks.

 

[Fox God Records]

I wonder how many don't want to go back, because they don't like being around certain people.

I wonder how many don't want to go back, because they don't like being around people.

[I fixed it.]

 

[waclark]

Worth noting the most productive people per hour are the French; you know, the one's with the 35 hour work week, generous benefits, and the like. Maybe we should be following their example.

No, they are not. In 2020, the US was ranked 11th in the world, France 14th. US per person, per hour, productivity was $36.94, France $35.22. In 2021 France was the 6th least productive country in the world and in 2022 the US ranked 6th with France in 8th place. The links are below.


https://www.expertmarket.co.uk/crm-systems/the-ultimate-guide-to-work-place-productivity
https://desktime.com/blog/most-productive-countries
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-productive-countries

 

[arrowflash]

Energy cost may be high for some. I have to wonder what transportation costs look like for a 1-2 hour commute one way? Does the reduced energy expense of going to the office outweigh the increased cost of needing transport, parking, insurance, fuel etc? I do know some companies will subsidize some of the stay at home costs, like Internet expense.

WFH can be great in the right context but it's not a one-size-fits-all solution.

Most people (around the world) commute in public transportation. The long commute times are usually more due to terrible traffic, badly crowded trains, long walks to train stations and bus stops, etc. than distance.

 

[p51d007]

If workers have the same or better productivity at home, as they do "in office", then it sounds like a no brainer to work from home. Less traffic, less pollution, less money spent traveling back and forth, less money (if you have to have kids in daycare etc).

 

[Avro Arrow]

And with transportation prices going up, it's even less desirable to waste time commuting to work if you can effectively work remotely.

I couldn't agree more. Then there's also the immediate impact of reduced emissions as a result of people not going through the stress of commuting. There's also savings on dry cleaning for suits, women's cosmetics, etc. I'm willing to bet that working from home is also good for mental health. Of course, corporate executives tend to be unfeeling psychopaths, much like the corporations that they serve so they only care about money. They lie so often that they make the clergy look honest!

Luckily, my employer saw that we were better off with me working remotely before the pandemic, so nothing changed (or is changing) for me.

That's the best kind of job. Working from home greatly reduces stress levels.

I can totally understand not wanting to be back in the office... even if you believe Covid is "over", the convenience of working from home, the savings in transportation costs (not to mention time) and the ability to still provide care for family members more than makes up for the inability to see colleagues in person... depending upon your colleagues, that might also be a plus!

Yeah, there can be no office politics if there is no office.

Working remote really ends up being about money and how poorly compensated most positions are relative to the economy.

Yup. This is where capitalism is really starting to fall apart. The greed at the top is a cancer that grows like a tumour and is malignant in its ideology.

If you paid enough I am sure a lot of office workers would sacrifice 2 to 3 hours of their day just to commute to work and a not insignificant amount on top to have some meals, spending money while out, etc.Capitalists where the ones that worked hard to establish that "Time is money" when it comes to employment and now that virtually all office workers showed that remote work was not only possible, but made them *thrive* and increase productivity and satisfaction level they're not ok with letting people come to small realizations about the power they hold over them once they don't feel like they're constantly watched and harassed by petty tyrants.

Yup, it's all about money, power and control. It just goes to show you how similar to big business religion has always been.

So now we *should* demand that part time in-office is the bare minimum and if the job is high demand then full remote should be the standard and I would personally shop around if I'm told "You *have* to come back to office full time"

Yup. It's the companies that don't require people to come to the office as long as they get their job done that will get the best people and benefit the most. Those companies who can't (or won't) adapt will falter in the short-term and be dead by 2030.

I guess you live close to your office then... cause transportation costs, on average, are FAR costlier than energy costs...

I would point out that the biggest part of transportation costs are energy costs.

This may be true but Energy prices in the UK are doubling (or have) meaning that working from home for me now costs me even more than going to the office.

Are you suggesting that the cost of electricity will exceed the cost of petrol? There's not a chance in hell that anyone with a brain is going to believe you. unless you live within a 5 minute radius from your place of employment.

Even then, the savings accrued from the lack of wear and tear on your vehicle and clothing combined with the gigantic savings of being able to eat at home whenever you want to tips the scales FAR in your favour.

I honestly don't know what crap you've been reading but rest assured, your fears have no basis in reality whatsoever. I just looked at the average kWh price in the UK and, while it is higher than we pay in Canada (we are a hydroelectric superpower after all), it's not tremendously so.

If you voted for Johnson, then you reap what you sow because he is clearly not interested in less expensive sources of electricity. I'm willing to bet that the Humber river has enough hydroelectric potential to completely erase the need for fossil fuel-based electricity. For those concerned about the environmental impact of a hydro dam (when they SHOULD be more concerned with the rest of the planet instead), just build it near the mouth where it drains into the North Sea.

That would supply you with tremendous clean, cheap and on-demand electricity. Honestly, it makes me wonder why hydropower is so overlooked when the technology is mature, reliable and cheap. All you need is moving water and you can find that anywhere outside of deserts (where solar power would reign supreme anyway).

 

[rub900]

Sponsored by Slack, who markets their software for teleworking.

Slack looks like the green screen on a mainframe. Garbage software.

 

[George Keech]

I honestly don't know what crap you've been reading but rest assured, your fears have no basis in reality whatsoever. I just looked at the average kWh price in the UK and, while it is higher than we pay in Canada (we are a hydroelectric superpower after all), it's not tremendously so.

If you voted for Johnson, then you reap what you sow because he is clearly not interested in less expensive sources of electricity. I'm willing to bet that the Humber river has enough hydroelectric potential to completely erase the need for fossil fuel-based electricity. For those concerned about the environmental impact of a hydro dam (when they SHOULD be more concerned with the rest of the planet instead), just build it near the mouth where it drains into the North Sea.

That would supply you with tremendous clean, cheap and on-demand electricity. Honestly, it makes me wonder why hydropower is so overlooked when the technology is mature, reliable and cheap. All you need is moving water and you can find that anywhere outside of deserts (where solar power would reign supreme anyway).

Wow, okay so my bills are just wrong then. I will contact my energy company clearly. All I'm saying depending on your situation, some people will end up paying more. Your clearly do not understanding the situation. When you worked out electricity charge in the UK did you take into account the daily standing charge? And did you take into account the gas increase? And the fact it is going to go up by another 50% in October it is predicted.

Petrol in the UK has gone up about 20-30% in the last few months. Gas and electric 60% roughly. And no I didn't vote for Johnson he is a bigotted clown.

But if you have ever seen the river Humber you will know it is not suitable for hydroelectric (you can Wade through it at low tide), I don't have to be an expert to know that doing anything to it would cause considerable flooding upstream (it's currently not and causes flooding all the time).

Honestly I struggle to see what your point is but don't try to state hydroelectric power is a golden bullet when it certainly isn't. Big River does not just mean instant power.

 

[DAOWAce]

Wish this work-from-home stuff existed back when I was getting into the working age and setting down a career path.. (especially since it was IT; the ideal candidate)

Instead of struggling to keep a home for the last 2 decades we could've been living comfortably. Now it's too late for any of this for us.

Anyway, glad people are changing their view like this. Hopefully it leads to better working environments/employment options across the world instead of companies raging they can't figuratively use slave labor anymore.