People who don't have the same negotiating leverage with their companies but have made significant lifestyle adjustments may not be so pliant. People who have had an easier time getting through covid may have more financial leverage; they are more likely to comply. From what I can see, there are slackers in both populations.
Well hmm ... I'm a CEO of a mid-sized firm (70ish folks). We went to WFH in March last year, fearing the worst. We got nearly the best. We're not hurrying back - we need a small fraction of people in the office daily for various incoming/outgoing secure paper (checks, claims). Other than that, not so much. We gave up two offices when leases expired. No expectation of re-opening those branches. Our HQ is 10% used. We have 2+ years left, so it's not really worth subletting a portion - though we're thinking about it. So for us it costs less, makes people happy overall and has net positive impact. We're a service organization, tech savvy and have clever virtual call center capabilities that we've integrated with our own software but are otherwise "off the shelf" from AWS/Twilio.
David, Sounds to me like you have an extraordinary team working together. Admire you for shrinking your real estate expense and improving productivity at the same time. We have had an experience not too different from yours with people working together remotely to great effect.
My whining was largely about our tendency to conduct a poll and pretend that people get to do whatever they want without considering the needs of the business. Truth is I believe that this experience will have important effects on the way we work, including more flexible work locations and more use of technology. I do believe, though, that it is important that people spend time together to strengthen their commitment to each other and to the overall mission. That, and our short memories, will get us back in the office at some point. I have written a paper looking at the historical experience after the many plagues people have lived through and examining the scientific literature on urbanization. I will post it soon and would be happy to send it to you if you would be interested.
John - I'd be honored to read your paper. I spend a very serious percentage of my time working with nonprofit leaders (particularly in the community health center movement) and this issue absolutely hits the mark. Thank you in advance for your sharing.
People who don't have the same negotiating leverage with their companies but have made significant lifestyle adjustments may not be so pliant. People who have had an easier time getting through covid may have more financial leverage; they are more likely to comply. From what I can see, there are slackers in both populations.
Well hmm ... I'm a CEO of a mid-sized firm (70ish folks). We went to WFH in March last year, fearing the worst. We got nearly the best. We're not hurrying back - we need a small fraction of people in the office daily for various incoming/outgoing secure paper (checks, claims). Other than that, not so much. We gave up two offices when leases expired. No expectation of re-opening those branches. Our HQ is 10% used. We have 2+ years left, so it's not really worth subletting a portion - though we're thinking about it. So for us it costs less, makes people happy overall and has net positive impact. We're a service organization, tech savvy and have clever virtual call center capabilities that we've integrated with our own software but are otherwise "off the shelf" from AWS/Twilio.
David, Sounds to me like you have an extraordinary team working together. Admire you for shrinking your real estate expense and improving productivity at the same time. We have had an experience not too different from yours with people working together remotely to great effect.
My whining was largely about our tendency to conduct a poll and pretend that people get to do whatever they want without considering the needs of the business. Truth is I believe that this experience will have important effects on the way we work, including more flexible work locations and more use of technology. I do believe, though, that it is important that people spend time together to strengthen their commitment to each other and to the overall mission. That, and our short memories, will get us back in the office at some point. I have written a paper looking at the historical experience after the many plagues people have lived through and examining the scientific literature on urbanization. I will post it soon and would be happy to send it to you if you would be interested.
And thank you for writing.
John
John - I'd be honored to read your paper. I spend a very serious percentage of my time working with nonprofit leaders (particularly in the community health center movement) and this issue absolutely hits the mark. Thank you in advance for your sharing.