Coronavirus has lifted the work-from-home stigma. How will that shape the future?
Category: News & Politics
Via: perrie-halpern • 4 years ago • 75 commentsBy: Daniella Silva (NBC News)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The fast-moving coronavirus pandemic has forced millions of Americans to work from home, with no immediate end in sight. Dates for when employees will return to office buildings move later and later or remain uncertain for many companies.
On Tuesday, Twitter told its employees that many of them will be allowed to work from home in perpetuity, even after the pandemic ends. The move signaled a growing shift in attitudes in certain industries toward remote working — a change that could have lasting implications.
Gallup data from the end of April showed that 63 percent of U.S. employees said they had worked from home in the past seven days because of coronavirus concerns, a number that had doubled from 31 percent three weeks before.
Even as dozens of states have begun to partly reopen months after the initial shutdowns, experts said that past stigma around working from home has largely been lifted and that they expected much more remote work to be incorporated into office life for the foreseeable future.
"The views around work from home have completely changed," said Stanford University economist Nicholas Bloom, co-director of the productivity, innovation and entrepreneurship program at the nonprofit National Bureau of Economic Research. "There is no stigma around working from home now."
Bloom said that beyond the next year or two, he believes there could be "an explosion of working from home" in industries in which it was possible, "in part because we've all now tried it, we've got it up and running and invested our time and effort into it."
But future work-from-home scenarios would be very different from current conditions, Bloom said — not only would children be back at school, but it's likely that employees would still have the option of going into the office a few times a week.
"That, I think, will end up being the new norm, and that's a big step up, two to three times as much home working as we previously did," he said.
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Barbara Larson, a management professor at Northeastern University, also said she expected a trend toward less density in the office for at least the next year or two in industries in which remote work was feasible.
"But who knows how that could play out over a longer period of time?" she said.
An employee works from her home in Shanghai on March 9.Qilai Shen / Bloomberg via Getty Images
A study Bloom published in 2015 found that Chinese call-center employees took fewer breaks and were 13 percent more productive when working from home. He said that in the long run, the move toward increased remote working would benefit employers and employees.
Bloom said that usually working remotely was done on occasion and by choice. It provides a quiet, stable environment for employees — a situation at contrast with the current reality, which is fraught with public health concerns and extreme isolation.
Larson also said it was important not to "make sweeping generalizations" about remote working from the extreme conditions you're seeing during the pandemic.
"What you do want to be doing is looking for the bright spots in your workforce, what types of jobs are actually working out pretty well remotely," she said. "Where are there opportunities in deciding who comes back to the office first?"
Larson said it would be critical for companies and managers to be "very thoughtful and mindful of the way in which they are bringing people back into the office, not just from a public health standpoint.
"They need to be considering the nature of the jobs they have people doing and the individuals," she said.
Laurel Farrer, founder of Distribute Consulting and the Remote Work Association, said there was a very big difference between allowing remote working and adopting effective remote working strategies.
In the long run, companies will have to go a lot further to update their policies and communication to optimize their remote work settings and enhance their business operations, she said.
"They're not going to see that by just sending somebody home with a laptop. They really need to invest some intention and time into updating all their business operations to match this new way of working," she said.
Bloom said he believed the pandemic could also affect how we view sick leave.
"The stigma of taking sick leave, I think, will evaporate in part in the short run," he said, with companies terrified to have potentially contagious employees in the office. "How permanent that will be is hard to tell, but I think all of this is going to be a somewhat more permanent change. It will be more acceptable to take sick leave and more acceptable to work from home."
Bloom said that in the aftermath of the financial crisis, there were major pushes for regulation, which could happen in the years after the pandemic.
"There will be much more recognition that this is unlikely to be the last pandemic, so we want to make sure we're in better shape," Bloom said.
There could be "a massive regulatory push" to force companies to provide sick leave or health care, as the virus illustrates how low-wage, front-line workers without benefits have been forced to work, putting themselves and others at risk.
"It's the very group that you don't want coming in to work that tend to be those that don't get sick leave," he said. "A lot of the lowest-paid service-sector jobs that have the most contact with other people are the ones without sick leave."
Daniella Silva
Daniella Silva is a reporter for NBC News, specializing in immigration and inclusion issues, as well as coverage of Latin America.
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I can actually see a bit of a reversal happening - employees pushing back against working from home. My work-from-home mom friends are struggling. If their kids are young enough to need daycare, many of those aren't open right now. So parents are often trying to work from home while parenting kids who haven't been off their family property for months and are bored brainless. They're also trying to homeschool those kids while getting their own work done. I can't see this as sustainable for the long term.
I can see your point with children at home. On the other hand, it might be fine for those without children or single people.
Good point-- not everyone has the same situation! (Just because everyone you know feels a certain way about an issue doesn't mean that everyone feels the same way!!!)
I think we're on the precipice of a cultural change with an unimaginable ripple effect on everything that will last at least a decade. the question is whether the economy can transition without bottoming out, being complicated by the pandemic. I see this as a golden opportunity to change the social, educational, and commercial infrastructure of america. necessity is the mother of invention and I'm confidant that innovation will lead the way forward. all of the hardware is installed, it's time to flip the switches. I'm not worried about American moms, the greatest multitaskers on the face of the planet, it's up to them to determine how the educational system should work for them and how to customize their child rearing needs to adapt to their own individual circumstances.
After we get past this mess, if people work from home, they could still send their kids off to daycare, if need be.
Also-- another solution which would probably work for some couples with children-- and not work for others.
If only one person is working, and there's enough rooms, that person could spend most of the day locked in the room. And the parents teach that kids that you have to leave the one who's working (Mommy or Daddy) alone when they're working-- but can see them later in the day. (Or also at mealtimes-- after which they go back to their work-room). And after 5 they spend time with the family.
That's the same thing i'm seeing only with a different result. Remember the most vulnerable segment of society in all of this? The ones who are supposed to be quarantined? Those are the ones taking care of those kids - THE GRAND PARENTS!
Yeah, my parents kept my nephew for a few weeks around the time of a family funeral where they knew nobody would be keeping their distance. He's a pretty easy kid to get along with, but he eats like 3 horses. Mom did nothing but cook and wash dishes those two weeks. But they didn't want him to be exposed. And at least they're retired, and don't have to be productive for an employer with kids in the house.
Not going to have to worry about it in any case as we slide into a full blown depression in the fall as infection ramps back up.
meh, the next go round will take out more of the ignorant instead of the vulnerable.
Wisconsin for instance....?
Our fucking State Legislature and dumb ass SC has wasted all the sacrifices we've done the last 2 months. They just flushed it all down the toilet for partisan politics. It really pisses me off.
It is all about getting reelected.
Yes, and they are taking a gamble that this won't bite them in the ass before November. If cases spike anywhere in the state high enough to be significant Trump is toast here.
The governor and legislature could come together to create new rules they jointly agree to. That’s all the Supreme Court said. That the governor can’t impose unilaterally. The legislature will work with the governor to create a mutually agreed upon plan. Right now the governor is pouting about his loss of dictator control freak god complex powers and hoping something bad happens so he can blame them rather than lower himself to actually have to deal with them as his equals.
Yes-- that's the problem when you have a system where the people choose who runs the country ("Democracy")>
Ofcourse there is a way to avoid that problem-- you can have a system where one person ahs absolute control (or one self-appointed committee. (that's called a dictatorship-- which of course avoids the problem of having to have elections).
There is no certainty that there will be another outbreak in the fall or winter. We all hope not. It could mutate itself out of dangerous existence like SARS, another corona virus did over the next 4-6 months as well.
Indeed. As you mention, there's no certainty.
Which also raises the possibility that it could mutate itself into a more virulent form...for example, one that also attacks young healthy people in much larger numbers.
Or-- one where the death rate of those infected is much, much higher than that of the current strain of Covad-19.
Decades ago, when I had a second home situated on a northern lake, I wished that I could have worked from it instead of in a city office. Phones, computers and the internet make it possible - but then I'm the guy who wants to be beamed back to the early 50s. LOL
My job is too much paper in paper out for me to work at home. I do quite a bit of stuff on line such as data entry and letter writing but the letters have to be signed, copied, then filed.
I wouldn't mind working from him a few days of week, but I would have to come in to the office the other days
I have been working from home since March 19th. I went into the office for the first time yesterday. Had my mask and gloves on until I reached my office. Had a meeting with my supervisor and co-worker in the office separated by at least 6 feet to discuss what needs to be done on my furlough weeks. I am going on one week on, one week off starting Monday. My supervisor thought I would be more upset, but I have realized through the years there are some things you cannot change & no use stressing on them. When I left my office to go home I put on my mask and gloves and walked out. Outside I took them off and breathed the fresh air which was actually warmer than it has been.
I think that in some occupations people can work entirely at home-- and in fact for some its better in every way.
For others, it really only works out if they go into the workplace every day.
However while we're debating whether or not working from home will happen in the future (after the virus) we are over-looking a third possibility: in some professions the best approach may be to work at home some days-- and go into the workplace on others.
That's what I would like. Go into the office, pick up my papers, and come back in maybe a few days later
Lol no impact here as I can't imagine the military ever being a work from home organization
For most that's true.
But I would imagine that there arer many in the military who could. (Some who currently have routine "office jobs" and are never out in the field. Perhaps those who have supervisory position in Intelligence for example. And/or other sorts of "paper-pushers"?)
Not all that many people can work at home. I suppose it's fine for professionals in some fields, but most people have to "go to work",
which is why the highways are always filled up at rush hour.
I'm sure most people here have noticed that.
Its probably because of the Virus. (More peole are driving to work because of it. And of course more have been going nout more-- driving to restaurants, sporting events, bars, etc).
I've been working from home for over 15 years !
It's Great ….until the Grandkids need "Sitting" for awhile. Don't get much work done then.
But that's Okay …… NOW !
If it was "In the Before Time".....it wouldn't have been so great.
One question I have had about all of this work at home and homeschooling is WHO pays for the internet access? I saw an article from South Bend, IN about school buses, parked in strategic areas, are providing WiFi, allowing low income kids to keep up with their school work. That has to get harder the more rural the community.
There will be more home schooling and more working at home after this is all over and that likely means more people living in exurban, small town, and rural areas.
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Matt worked from home for about 10 years and loved it. Believe it or not, I am the one who has to go out and see my clients (although it looks like I never leave here, I work in the mornings...). Still, now I have been working at home mostly. If I need to get some paperwork, they leave it outside for me.
As it's been talked about not every job can be done remotely. But for those that can be, like most things in business I believe this will follow a cyclical pattern. A few years back Google, PayPal and a bunch of other companies all were heavily into work-from-home as a benefit. That was offered as a hiring inducement. Then a few years back Google ran into quality and performance issues and determined it was due to people not being able to meet to work thru coding problems and they mandated people come into the office. Many other companies followed suit to have a larger presence in the office. So IMO this will be cyclical like most everything else in the business world. WFH will be a feature for a few years and then some new management style will take over where they want people to meet face to face, until that also is replaced by something else.
I'm fortunate that I'm in an industry where I can work remotely, all I need is a good internet connection and I can work anywhere. As I'm high risk for this damn virus I enjoy working from home as much as I enjoy not having to get dressed for a day in the office. And I have my work laptop camera blocked so they cannot see what I am not wearing (so nobody better tell on me or I will hunt you down!!!!)
Have you heard of ZOOM? I think it might be that technical thingy that could be used for multi-person meetings. One might also be able to use it to collaborate on a project.
You're not wearing pants, are you?
I work for a very large company and we have had remote meetings for many years using various tools including WebEx. From what I've heard of Zoom, it's not as secure as it needs to be and as I'm working in the health insurance industry and we must be careful with personal information all of our networks are hardened and encrypted. But we've had multi-person meetings for years now as we have offices all around the world. My team runs from East Coast to West Coast to India.
and who told you? I wanna know who's leaking... is it my dog? oh wait, don't have a dog... come on, who's spilling the beans?????
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your cat?
Zoom is not all that secure? Sure wish somebody would tell my doctor that. We had an on-line consult with Zoom a couple of weeks ago.
yeah, it's called ZOOM BOMBING. I guess there are ways to lock it down but if it's a public meeting there will be other issues....
I had been on Zoom for occasional meeting long before the virus.(It was for some courses I was taking-- I found the Zoom meetings were just as successful as the in-person meetings).
However since the virus, I now find I go to Zoom meetings 2 or 3 times/week.
I received a sales pitch to open a Zoom account. I signed up for a free trial account. It has some limitations of course-- IIRC there's a limit to the # of people in the sessions, the sessions are limited to 45 minutes, and it doesn't have many other grea features. I"ve been meaning to use it-- instead of phone calls to friends I've been meaning to have one on one Zooms sessions, but haven't done it yet.
Sounds like working from home might be the new thing. Of course, companies can see the immediate benefit of reducing office space (investment) and while working from home is not exactly off-shoring... it can be, and the testing is starting now.
Seems like a good place to drop this article.
Companies hiring private investigators to check on employees 'working' from home
Seems to me this is a reasonable course of action for companies to take when there is cause or suspicions
I saw an article where they can see what you are doing, clicking on, looking at if you are using their computers or tablets or import their work programs into yours.
Generally speaking, businesses provide smart phones, laptops, etc., so they have the right to install whatever software they wish, although I would imagine the software is cloud based for licensing purposes.
It is. Although to some degree its not that new.
There's little doubt in my mind that it will really take off in the future.
It seems people are extolling the positives, without considering the negatives, imo. That will come in time, as social distancing becomes social disconnect in the workplace.
There is no doubt in my mind that working from home will increase. It is not appropriate for everyone (of course) and even some who could do their jobs at home might not have the discipline to be successful at it. Also, I expect a marked reduction in physical business meetings. The idea that not 'pressing the flesh' is a sign of a lack of commitment has been lessened. Businesses will benefit greatly by reducing travel expenses and the utterly insane loss of productivity that goes with them.
Airlines, hotels, cruise lines, etc. will struggle for the foreseeable future. In particular, I would not want to be an airline CEO right now. They have a near impossible challenge to address.
I'd divest from any REIT's and multifamily housing corps asap.
I wouldn’t now if one hasn’t already. Why sell a bloodbath loss at a low? Simon Property Group is down between 67and 75% and they have a lot of mall properties which are about to re open. As to owning apartment buildings, many are urban and their tenants are the ones who are least likely to be able to work at home and move to the country. REIT’s are a stable dividend bearing tool to provide income for seniors and those nearing retirement and offer a way to own property for those of us who can’t afford to directly own more real estate than our home and our burial plot.
A stable dividend bearing tool-- until they're not. As profits tank, they will cut dividends (some already have).
Why sell a bloodbath loss at a low?
Because they could go even lower....(?)
True enough.
Unless, of course, the Trump administration decides to bail them out. (perhaps they have already said they would..IDK as I've never really followed airline stocks).
I work in litigation support/legal technology. And while we have always had the ability to work from home (everything is web based) it wasn't always easy. The company allowed a period of two days for people to go the the office and grab all of their equipment when the lockdowns started. Personally, I enjoy working from home more now. We've been working from home for 8 weeks now.
If we were to go back to the office, it would have to be drastically altered, or they would have to stagger schedules, if they were to accommodate the 6 foot rule.
Below is an article from the The HIll by Joe Andrew, the global chairman of the largest law firm you've probably never heard of, Dentons.
Let's stop asking 'When are we going back to the office?'
I would think more than half of all office jobs or most tech jobs should be able to work from home. Just think of the lower insurance rates from not having to drive, less pollution, less wear and tear on the roads saving local and state expenditures. Companies also need to consider the cost savings of being able to use much small buildings, the savings in energy costs by allowing employees to work from home. They could even aid employees by offering a monthly stipend for their utilities and internet costs since the employees remain under the company as regular employees as opposed to outside contractors.
Welcome to the pre-1900's, albeit a little more technologically advanced.