Can/should workers work from home?

Question

Less gas cars on the road, more eating at home. But employers/CEOs want to keep us on the road, keep the production going right? So they being against it is two-faced, yes?

monorprise · Accepted Answer

Its a negotiation, if an employee wants an employee to actually commute to their office they have to pay for it.

As that involves everything from paying the cost of living where they are, to the time and cost of the commute.

Previously employers just assumed this was part of the salary, but now with soo many work from home jobs on the market offering similar Salaries without such costs.

The Employer needs to offer a competitive wage if they want to retain the employee, this is particularly true in a time of inflation.
Half of Americans are on the Job Market because soo many employees are not doing that, while others are. Mean while Start up and training costs are going thou the roof with every new hire.

Not every profession can deal with turn over, many professions require a great deal of experience and knowledge of the subject material which takes a very long time to acquire and build before you can be efficient with it.

Those long time employees you simply can't afford to lose, yet many idiot managers don't understand that, and cripple their company by losing said key people.

msc545 · Accepted Answer

CEO's have to have people to manage ot their uselessness becomes apparent.

Alli39 · Accepted Answer

Working from home is realistic in some positions and not in others. I know someone who has to manage several employees and I remember her being very frustrated by the communication barriers that popped up in her workplace when everyone was quarantined. It took way longer to do simple tasks, was much harder to reach people that were supposed to be available, and meant a lot of information simply never got communicated at all. At the same time, I know plenty of people who work remotely and are perfectly comfortable doing so. I think it depends on what sort of work you're doing and what working environment the company is trying to develop. If it's a space that requires a lot of customer/client interaction or group work, going remote simply won't be as effective.

comekitty · Accepted Answer

I guess it depends on the position - I teach kindergarten and it wasn't very productive to try and teach 22 five year olds via zoom calls. The mute ALL button was a saving grace 🙃

nolabels · Answer

I think that there's a blend of what works well, and what doesn't.

I see quite a few people who "work" from home that treat it as a permanent vacation, occasionally interrupted by a bit of work.

There are others who are handcuffed to their computers, struggling to meet unreasonable quotas.

COVID initiated a mass "work from home" situation that upset the entire working world.

I think that the concept will eventually settle out into what makes the most sense in all, or at least most, situations, simply by the application of logic and common sense. It won't be smooth, but it'll happen.

I doubt that the freeloaders will like it.

richardcory · Answer

From what I've seen, some people work efficiently from home, some don't. Some of that depends on the person, but depends on the situation at "home". Its one thing to WFH if you have a home office - a quiet room with a desk, computer, fast internet etc. Its different if your "office" is the kitchen table, with a toddler in the house and a flakey network.

I also think it much easier to interact with people in person. As a manager I'd wander buy people's desks / offices to chat. I was NOT checking up on them, I was getting a feel for how they were spending their time, what was giving them trouble etc, so I knew what to to do help them.

With WFH, I can't casually visit someone - meetings feel formal, not like casual chats

nolookingbackx · Answer

It's a cool option, but not everything can be done from home.

Juxtapose · Answer

"You want me to waste gas and time when I could just do this job at home? Then fucking pay me more." - Average American. Rightfully so.

RavVid · Answer

I have worked from home for a long time. My work is compatible with that but not all work is. It does depend on a persons work ethics and not everybody's is suitable.

I have always put more effort in so mine isn't questioned.

ProbablyClueless · Answer

I have mixed feelings about this. My gut tells me "no" because I feel like working from home saves a lot of time and resources. It seems to make people happier to not have to worry about some bullshit daily commute. Honestly, if my employees are still just as productive when working from home, I don't care how they get things done, as long as my deadlines are being met.

I would probably feel a bit differently if I had owned a physical office space before the pandemic.

exitseven · Answer

It depends on what kind of jobs people have. I managed a group of engineers and technicians. There was a guy the company hired that lived in florida which is far away. There is a lot you can do to manage a network remotely but eventually you have to be on site. This guy was the least productive out of about 30 other guys.

Astarlessnightsky · Answer

Yes, besides the jobs where you need to be present, like nurses.

If you drive half an hour and at your workstation log into a system on server which is located on the other end of the world, you can also do it from your home.

Stoner710 · Answer

Depends on the job tech work sure you can work from home. But restaurants construction delivery drivers. Basically all blue color work they have no choice but to drive to work

BlackJeep · Answer

As an employer I would never hire someone who wants to work from home. That's a huge red flag. I say that as someone who worked from home for 20 years. Work and home should be separate.

Anonymous · Answer

Eventually it'll move to some kinda cull to bring numbers down in the workforce or unemployed quota

Can/should workers work from home?

Most Helpful Opinions

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said