I really only see two issues with remote work: the difficulty of training and onboarding new employees, and the lack of social interaction with coworkers.
That second one is probably more controversial because some people just don’t care about that. And that’s fine. But for me, I’m spending a significant portion of my time at work. I liked being able to chat with coworkers while we worked. It’s not the same on Zoom.
Training is a significant issue that will vary depending on the job and the industry, but so far I haven’t seen a good substitute for in-person training. The actual onboarding can be done remotely—you don’t need to be face-to-face to review the employee manual. But in my job, being able to turn to the person next to you and ask a question is huge.
After that, though, the arguments against productivity are bogus and there’s no good reason to force people into the office.
I really only see two issues with remote work: the difficulty of training and onboarding new employees, and the lack of social interaction with coworkers.
That second one is probably more controversial because some people just don’t care about that. And that’s fine. But for me, I’m spending a significant portion of my time at work. I liked being able to chat with coworkers while we worked. It’s not the same on Zoom.
Training is a significant issue that will vary depending on the job and the industry, but so far I haven’t seen a good substitute for in-person training. The actual onboarding can be done remotely—you don’t need to be face-to-face to review the employee manual. But in my job, being able to turn to the person next to you and ask a question is huge.
After that, though, the arguments against productivity are bogus and there’s no good reason to force people into the office.