When will companies learn that despite some people wanting to be in an office, many people who have been given a taste of remote work during the pandemic don’t want to return to the office?
One of Australia’s largest banks, Commonwealth Bank, conjured a storm of epic proportions last month when it announced it wanted all 49,000 employees back in the office at least 50% of the time by July 17, 2023.
There is a growing divide in a world filled with out-of-touch billionaires and misguided wannabes who follow their words as if they were holy scripture. On one side, we have the tech titans like Elon Musk, who believes that people are more productive in person and criticises those who advocate for work-from-home as being on a “goddamn moral high horse”. On the other side, we have the workers, many of whom have experienced the benefits of remote work and yearn for a more balanced life.
Hold the phone, everyone. Martha Stewart, yes, that Martha Stewart has decided to grace us with her hot take on remote work. Spoiler alert: she’s not a fan. Apparently, she believes you can’t possibly get everything done working part-time in the office and part-time from home. Martha, I hate to break it to you, but the rest of us aren’t trying to juggle a cooking show, a magazine, and a bedding line — we’re just trying to pay our mortgages and buy the occasional carton of eggs (thanks, inflation).
The Metaverse, a term coined from Neal Stephenson’s 1992 techno-dystopian novel “Snow Crash,” has been a topic of discussion in the tech industry for years. It was envisioned as a new frontier, a virtual reality space where users could interact in a simulated universe. Meta, formerly known as Facebook, aimed to lead this virtual revolution by building a future where work and social interactions could be conducted from anywhere in an immersive 3D world.
It’s 2023, and a war rages on. On one side are businesses and mega-corporations, and on the other are the workers. While everyone argues about the future of work and the benefits of having employees back in the office (even in a hybrid capacity), the world around us is figuratively burning.
Despite inflation peaking in most countries, it remains quite high. In Australia, the CPI rose to 6.8 per cent in March. While this is not as high as the 30-year record set at the end of 2022, when it hit 8.4 per cent, it is still stubbornly high. To put this into context, the Reserve Bank of Australia has a target of 2 to 3 per cent, which we are far from achieving. The current cash rate is 3.8%, combined with a rental crisis and inflated house prices.
Remote work, or working from home, has become increasingly popular. With the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has become the new norm for many employees. However, remote work had gained traction even before the pandemic due to its numerous benefits.
While remote work has many benefits, it’s important to note that it may not be suitable for every job or company. Some jobs require in-person collaboration or access to specialised equipment only available in a traditional office setting.
Welcome to 2023, where a handful of wealthy, middle-aged men and their corporate buddies are waging an all-out war on remote work, even though their businesses raked in record profits during the pandemic. Meanwhile, countless small to medium-sized companies are embracing the benefits of remote work and continuing to evolve with the times. It’s like watching a twisted game of tug-of-war, and the future of work hangs in the balance.
Just when you thought the return to office movement was gaining momentum, driven by high-profile companies and out-of-touch boomer CEOs that struggle to adapt to the new paradigm of flexible working, it appears there might be a few bumps in the road.
Some data has come out on productivity from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics since some workers have been forced back into the office, most notably showing that productivity has decreased.
Well, it’s 2023, and many experts are predicting a recession on the horizon. And while no one knows how bad it will be or if many countries will avoid recession, one thing is sure: companies that can weather the storm will be the ones that can adapt quickly and efficiently.
Despite this pending threat of economic meltdown, many companies persist with anti-WFH policies, offering ultimatums to employees: return to the office or quit.
In a hilarious read in the Australian Financial Review, a propaganda piece disguised as an article on remote work and office perks has been published titled WFH raises the bar for offices.
I meant to post this last year, so this has been sitting in my drafts. But I found it so comical and biased that I felt compelled to write about it.
Mirvac, a large Australian property developer with a vested interest in getting people back into the office (because it also owns commercial real estate), has set up a trial space for clients and architectural firms. But, showing just how out of touch they are, a paragraph in the linked story reads.