Biden Moves to Make Remote Work Permanent for Many

[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.