Any productivity lost be doubling on child care, etc., is probably gained by reduced time wasted with office politics, gossiping and drama.
Pretty sure TOM-ya has no childcare expenses unless he’s counting himself.
Certainly for many in the private sector, but bureaucrats?
Again, in many cases we may be better off without them getting work done.
Agreed.
Covid forced the workplace to shift. Rather than going back to a “time honored model” with many flaws, the workplace should evolve.
The real issue is productivity and worker retention. Commuting time is a loss, workplace schmoozing is a loss. Frivolous meetings rather than zoom is a loss.
The savings in costs of workspace, desks, workplace amenities is substantial. Flexibility for workers to set hours decreases need for time off since work day hours can shift to accommodate appointments, wait for deliveries, etc. Workers will be less likely to leave the firm and lose the flexibility of working from home.
Working from home is best for employees with excellent work ethics, commitment and a skill set that is amenable to online tasks or projects that can be uploaded. Some jobs will always be “in person” jobs but these will decrease as automation evolves.
Companies need to find ways to assess productivity and to alert workers to the results such that the workers who are goofing of are warned, disciplined and severed. Forcing people to commute to work when the results are equal or better from home is pigheaded & counter productive.