2020 ushered in a new revolution in work: the ability to work from home and do it on a large scale. People have been working from home for decades, but it always seemed like a niche thing to do and a thing that was only available to people in certain fields or people who held certain jobs. However, the pandemic changed all that. Due to the pandemic, people had to pack up their cubicles and offices, take all of their stuff to their houses and small apartments, and figure out a way to get their work done from the place that they slept, ate, and rested.
For some people, this was a godsend. This meant that individuals could finally say good-bye to the dreaded commutes. It meant that people finally had time to spend with their families, friends, and loved ones. It meant that they did not have to be involved in awkward interactions at work or draining in-person meetings that seemed to go on for hours. Many individuals took advantage of their ability to work remotely and decided they weren’t going to just work from home but work from anywhere. That led to some people buying homes or renting apartments in cheaper states. It also meant for some folks that they were finally going to get a chance to travel abroad with their laptop in tow.
But working remotely or from home was not always sunshine and rainbows for everyone. There were younger individuals who talked about not being able to properly socialize with their co-workers due to working remotely. Zoom fatigue became a real and present thing. Some people felt so disconnected from their place of work that they quit or worked two jobs covertly. Others hated how much time they were spending at home or staring at a monitor. People talked about not being able to get out enough, even when they had time to do so. But still, remote work seemed like a net positive, and most expressed a general good sentiment about the ability to work remotely, at least for the most part.
However, the tides changed a bit in 2022. There were more articles calling for the return of workers to the office. Many articles cited the lack of true connectivity. Others talked about decaying downtowns and the fact that cities were losing their vibrancy. Some said it was not fair that older workers put in the time in an office while younger workers got off scot-free and could work in their pajamas. The divide started to grow in earnest in 2022. In late 2022, the layoffs in the tech industry began, and more and more people blamed work-from-home policies for people being laid off. They blamed the fact that people were less productive at home (though several studies proved that to be untrue). They blamed miscommunication and delays due to working from home, and many employers went as far as to say that if employees did not want to be back in the office, they would fire or suspend them all.
Some employers did settle for a hybrid experience. A hybrid experience meant that people were able to spend one to two days working from home and the rest of the time in the office. For some people, that was the perfect balance. Some could use those days to run errands like laundry, grocery shopping, kid pickup, and more. Hybrid work still gave people the ability to connect and socialize with co-workers and be visible for networking or meetings. For some, it was the perfect answer that they were looking for. More flexibility and less confinement.
Still, for others, that was not enough. They wanted to break free of the cage of the office. They wanted the ultimate freedom and flexibility to work when they wanted, how they wanted, and where they wanted. A hybrid schedule wasn’t enough because it meant you had to be confined to one place and couldn’t travel domestically or abroad. It meant that you had to be at the mercy of the rising rents in your area and could not move somewhere cheaper. It meant that you had to be on the clock and answer to one employee. And the holdouts for not coming back to the office were subtly punished. They were the ones who were passed up for potential promotions. They were the ones that got less training or quality meeting times with the boss. They were the ones left out of social events or happy hours as the world pulled back from virtual events. They were the ones that were fired first during the tech layoffs.
Nowadays, working remotely has become harder. Job listings that say 100% remote are becoming increasingly rare and have dwindled overall. Many recruiters have used the possibility of ‘remote work’ as a bait and switch to attract more candidates, but when someone interviews for the job, they are told that the job is actually hybrid or ‘work from home’ on select days. Working remotely is more of a perk if you are trying to climb the corporate ladder, and if you ask about it directly, more often than not you will be bristled at or jostled for asking in the first place.
Now, that isn’t to say that work-from-home or remote work jobs have ceased to exist. On the contrary, they are still out there if you really dig and search. Most work-from-home jobs tend to be in sales, customer service, web development, marketing, and the like. They also tend to be roles relegated to freelancers and contractors. These are jobs that might have hourly pay with fewer hours given or not have the benefits that come from working a full-time job. If you are someone who values stability in their day-to-day job or needs specific health benefits for an illness or potential illness, it might be hard to go the freelance route, especially in the States.
Why have ‘remote work’ and the ability to work from home remained such a contentious and controversial topic for some people?
Remote work brings up a lot of charged emotions because many employers still prefer the traditional way of doing things. There are a lot of theatrics involved in going into the office. There is a clear and delineated system and a clear and delineated way of measuring success, output, and general way of life. Bosses have more control in the office. They can visually see if a person is doing work or slacking off. They can dole out punishment and consequences accordingly. They can be rewarded accordingly.
For some, there is also less guesswork involved in the office than there is in remote work. If you are a manager, you might not know who is really listening in or goofing off if an employee is working remotely. It can be a guessing game if what you are saying goes into the void or is actually heard and understood. People don’t like to guess. Plus, people who tend to be extroverts love the office and everything it represents. It represents teamwork, team building, and camaraderie for some. It keeps some engaged with their work and with their purpose. And when you suggest doing something in an alternative way, it can bring up so many emotions and feelings about what is the correct way of doing things, even though there isn’t really a right or wrong here, just a preference.
Some will say that it is all about control at the end of the day. Bosses and managers want to control your output and your time. If they can’t do that, then whether you are really working or being productive is called into question. We, collectively, still don’t know what to do or how to grapple with totally divergent working styles or the fact that some people do not do best in a standard working environment that we have upheld as a version of ‘success’ for so long. We are still navigating the new rules and ways of working and are trying to break down the notion that one size does not fit all.
For now, many workers are heeding the call to return to the office. Office rents need to get paid, and people do want to return to downtown and the life they used to know. But just because people are returning to work doesn’t mean that work is going to look like it used to. Hybrids are trending. Most people will gravitate toward hybrid work or flex work with fewer rules and deadlines than before. There is also extra emphasis and inquiry into four-day work weeks, which are giving people extra time and energy back for themselves. Others are looking at non-traditional jobs or forming their own ways of working. This might include bi-lateral working or having some who work very early in the morning take a break and then get back to work in the afternoon. Others are utilizing the new tech tools to work even more or at least give more attention to passion projects, side hustles, or other streams of income. And of course, entrepreneurship is once again on the rise as people forgo the traditional workforce entirely.
So in short, the work-from-home revolution might look different than initially anticipated, and it might not be a full remote work revolution like we had thought at the start of the pandemic, but work as we know it has changed and will continue to change as we stare into this brave new wild world of work.