Biden Moves to Make Remote Work Permanent for Many

[babylonsister]

https://politicalwire.com/2021/05/24/biden-moves-to-make-remote-work-permanent-for-many/

Biden Moves to Make Remote Work Permanent for Many
May 24, 2021 at 7:26 am EDT By Taegan Goddard

“As the Biden administration contemplates how to return the massive federal workforce to the office, government officials are moving to make a pandemic experiment permanent by allowing more employees than ever to work from home — a sweeping cultural change that would have been unthinkable a year ago,” the Washington Post reports.

“The shift across the government, whose details are still being finalized, comes after the risk-averse federal bureaucracy had fallen behind private companies when it came to embracing telework — a posture driven by a perception that employees would slack off unless they were tethered to their office cubicles.”

[Lovie777]

1. For those with young children ...

that is a blessing. Working from home is, usually tech - computer - customer service, etc., many that I speak with love it.

My father-in-law dropped his cell phone in water and rice could not restore it. Therefore I called and spoke with a pleasant man in Ohio who was able to order the same type of phone for me. In the interim he had to put me on hold. Several minutes later he came back out of breath and quite upset. Apparently his toddler was chocking and he basically saved her. The concern level went sky high and I helped him calm down. I don't no, but it sorta helped me also.

[msfiddlestix]

2. My neighbor just killed her phone by dropping it in a glass of beer

She tried the rice thing, didn't work.

I tried to imagine something like that happening. The image was not pretty, She had to have knocked down a number of beers to try and hold cell phone and a glass of anything at the same time. I don't know how that could happen otherwise.

[lagomorph777]

5. Especially awkward if she was in the middle of a customer meeting.

[genxlib]

3. I think this is a big mistake across most industries

We are social animals and when we spend 1/3 of our life working, it helps to make outside of the home connections with people. I think 5 years from now, we are going to look back on this time and realize we traded a little autonomy for severe isolation.

I worry especially about young people. If I graduated from college and entered a work force where I never interacted with others, I don't believe I would ever really fit in. It sounds depressing to me.

Ironically, it is the young people that seem to want this the most. All the twenty-somethings in my office seem to desire it a great deal more than the older workers. But I think it is misguided based on the history of everyone I know. College is an unprecedented time in everyone's life because they are surrounded by thousands of their peers on a daily basis. That first decade post-college is socially cushioned with an active social life since people tend to be young single and childless. I think this tends to mask any lack of social connections to work. But the trap is that friendships start to evolve as people get married, move away and have kids. I think a lot of people are going to be extraordinarily socially isolated in their thirties and up.

There is also the problem of off-shoring. Surely that does not apply to these government jobs. But I continue cautioning people to be careful what you wish for. If you convince management that your physical presence is not required, it is not a huge leap for them to figure out that the worker doesn't even need to be in the Country.

Just my thoughts.

[JT45242]

8. I agree

Switching from being a school teacher to working in a cube farm was a big shock. Then working at home even more so.

Naturally an introvert, I thought it would be good. But I have come to realize that I NEED small group 1-2 people interactions and discussions. It fuels both me personally and my work.

I had worked remotely on flex time when my mom got cancer a few years ago. I was grateful for the flexibility. Being able to take care of her and her needs and work remotely gave me a little sense of normalcy in chaotic times.


As soon as my son is fully vaccinated, I plan to go back to the office for 3-4 days a week. Being able to WFH occasionally to make doctor and dentist appointments, the occasional repair person is great. But I found that I miss the casual conversation and picking someone's brain next to the coffee and ice machine.

Of course, my 10 minute commute means that the shift is not a big deal. Was talking to my SIL who has 45-55 minutes on the way in and usually 65-90 minutes on the way home and she is in a totally different boat. She wants to go in 2 days a week because there have been parts of her job that she could not do remotely, but found that not "wasting" 2 hours a day fighting traffic has made her more productive.

"The nature of people is to live in a polis" -- the isolation of covid, especially for those of us who have been hypervigilant to try to be safe and keep the disease in check, has taken a toll. Before Covid our handful of remote employees always felt like they were left out -- it will be interesting to see what happens as people explore totally WFH to a few days per week or more, how the dynamic will change.

[kcr]

12. It's personal preference

Sounds like it doesn't work for you, but that doesn't mean it isn't good for anyone.

[Marrah_Goodman]

13. For many people not having a commute would be a blessing

Also a parent could be in the home after school, relieving extra childcare worries and costs. With video calling and the internet, most people I know socialize through computers and get together occasionally outside of it.

I know people are social animals, but for a lot of people office culture is a source of stress and not of happiness.

Also, less cars on the road and the costs associated with that. Less money spent on gas and repairs.

[tinrobot]

14. I've worked from home for over a decade. My social life is fine.

Instead of sitting in traffic every morning, I go to the gym or a do a yoga class. Plenty of social opportunities there (except for last year).

I have time to see friends/neighbors for lunch during the week.

And I still socialize with people from work. We've built some good friendships over the years.

I would never go back to an office.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. Which means, that extra bedroom gets turned into a home office

Another plus element for the larger home.

[underpants]

7. Not me. I'm kicked back in my recliner

It’s called a laptop for a reason 😆

I’m actually only teleworking one morning a week. Such is my job. My wife is at home everyday and yes one of our spare bedrooms has become her office.

[Johnny2X2X]

6. I love it

Been working from home since March 2020. We're going to a blended model going forward, looking like Tuesdays and Thursdays will be going into the office days, WFH the other 3 for me.

We had a skeptical leadership team, but the last 14 years have proved to them that it works for our business (aerospace engineering). People got more done, they didn't need as much time off, and they had a better work life balance.

I can't tell you how much more energy I have working from home, how the week is so much easier without a 20 minute commute each way and having to get ready each morning. The week is so much more easy. And what ends up happening is the days that end up being long because of late meetings don't ruin your whole day as you can take a couple hours break if you know you'll be in a meeting that's going to go until 7.

And the financial benefits cannot be overstated too. Zero wear and tear on my vehicle for 14 months, no oil change, filled my gas tank maybe 4 times total. The monetary benefit of that is huge, I get to keep my current car much longer and it won't need repairs for quite a while yet. Eating a sandwich at home rather that eating at the cafeteria at work or going out for lunch saves me about $40 a week in food costs. Haven't bought new work clothes or shoes in 14 months. I've saved thousands working from home.

And we get permissive time off at my work place, we can take as much time off as we need. No need to take as much time off as the work week just doesn't wear me down like it used to. Taking a long weekend for Memorial Day, but I'd only taken off 2 days all year before this coming weekend. If I need to take more time off I will, not a burden at all, I like working.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. I remember all those years when I worked for the federal government

how long it took to just get a day to "work at home" (dubbed "WAH" ). Lots of union contract negotiations and stipulations and whatnot, that included the complicated scenarios of "flex time" and "flexiplace". There was even a period of pilot-testing what they called "hotelling" with telework locations set up (at least for the D.C. metro folks), where employees would commute there and work (vs a possible longer commute to their usual workspace).

However you had (and still have) a culture of managers who are "touchy feely" and what to see faces. And you do have some (as in any circumstance) who "game" the system. But by far the vast majority end up actually spending more time "on work", because it ended up happening outside of the standard "8:00 am - 4:30 pm" (white collar) federal work schedule. If anything, they would have had to face an often arduous commute to an office and then deal with the "non-working" and gossipy water cooler/coffee pot employees or those who wandered from office to office, and person to person, whining about their work.

If anything, once they started liberalizing it more, it pretty much sounded the end of the "administrative leave" option for weather-related days off.

[Etherealoc1]

10. Luv working from home

The commute was a killer.
Very little family time.

Pros, more family time and flexibility.
Cons, increased workload and higher
utility bills.

[arlyellowdog]

11. My kids worked from home

The teachers realize that it will be good for the students to get back in the classroom full time, but valued being able to take lunch with their own kids. However, my son, an accountant, likes having no commute. He likes that he can keep the room temperature where he likes it. He like being home to let in repair men or to get deliveries. He’s still working ridiculous hours, but in balance, some hassles are gone.

[intheflow]

15. I have loved the flexibility of working from home.

9-5 is not a good fit for my body/brain. It wants to start thinking at 10am, it wants to nap around 2pm, it’s most productive between 4-7pm. I also work in a cube farm, but my department is interspersed with other departments among the cubes. My boss wants us all to move across from her office so she can watch us like a hawk when we return to the office full time in August. The pandemic has been killing her, limiting her control freak tendencies. But it’s an open, high traffic area, so between that and the surveillance, just, no. Luckily, my union contract basically says she can only request we move, not demand it.

[RobinA]

16. So Who Pays

for all the office supplies and technology? I have never worked from home because I have always been person-facing, but if I did suddenly get a work-at-home job I'd have to buy a whole home office. I have an old desktop that is good for what I use it for and a laptop that is the same. I see this as a nice windfall for companies.

Also, am I allowed to go play when my work is done? I don't want to sit home all day at home trying to look busy. The people I know who work from home get monitored to make sure they are on their computers. I'm glad I am nearing retirement.

[Hortensis]

17. I worked at home, as a genuinely independent contractor and as an employee,

for the last nearly 20 years of my work life. Loved it and wouldn't change it, but the common way I did it had costs that weren't the best over time for me as an older woman who'd already spent decades working in groups, and I suspect they'd probably be very bad for most younger people.

From my experience they basically relate to, over time, drifting out of the energy and impetus of being in the center of what's happening, maintaining adequate relations with people who make decisions, and maintaining professional standards of appearance. Work wardrobes and cars that "say the right thing" about you cost money, and when you seldom need them but have 3 kids enrolled in team sports?

Then there are the emotional costs. A lot of people are really not suited to "remote." Friends and family don't fulfill the needs of work life. Even I felt it a bit sometimes and I do "alone" very well. For all but those most talented at maintaining social relations, remote inevitably equates to some degree of isolation. Even if you're on the phone much of the day.

Of course for those who can only work from home or not at all, more of these jobs are going to be a revolution, costs already built into most lives and the benefits a great blessing.

But studies show a mixture of home and office tends to create the best synergy overall, and I don't doubt it. If our grandkids do home at all when they're young, a mix is absolutely what I'd want for them. The oldest will be headed off to work before the decade's out

[BobTheSubgenius]

18. The telecommuting community has grown by leaps and bounds here, as it has almost everwhere.

There is a growing panic....let's say sense of urgency....about commercial lease/rental space. As in WAY more supply than demand.

Some of the old "heritage-ish" buildings may be converted into strata, but that can be costlier than building from scratch, in some cases. There is incentive, though - a nice 2 + 2 in a building like that in a desirable location would be anywhere from a little to a fair amount over $1,000,000.

What they would do with those modernist monstrosities is anybody's guess at this point.

[MoonlitKnight]

19. One of the key steps in addressing climate change

Less commuting is good for the environment.
Saves money on roads and bridges.
For the business you have reduced costs since you need less office space. And productivity is increased.

If you crave socializing then use the time you would have wasted commuting and join clubs, take a class, etc.

[BlueNProud]

20. I get more done working at home and don't waste 3 hours in the morning

getting ready for work and commuting