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satans_toast t1_j7as4rn wrote

I have been very curious about the long-term effects of work-from-home. Will it lead to further isolation and loneliness? Will that then give rise to even more radical agenda groups? Or will it lead to more happiness because of less stress and more home life? On the business side, will it stifle innovation and creativity, or will it lead to more breakthroughs?

It feels like we’re still experimenting with it. The grumpy old man in me thinks it will end up being a bad development, but I have enough self-awareness to see that’s a prejudice. Nevertheless, it is a radical change in how workplaces are organized, and it has a high likelihood of causing significant change.

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DanDreib t1_j7b3hh9 wrote

I think that's a great question with lots of facets and nuance. I think it will be interesting to see how it might change how families are organised. Maybe instead of a stay at home parent, both parents will work from home 3 days a week. It could lead to a better work life balance if it eliminates long commutes and people are more productive at home.

However, I am weary of a future where you need to invest into a home office with a decent computer and internet connection to be employable. Companies could save a lot of by not having big offices in central London or NY.

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satans_toast t1_j7b470o wrote

Then there’s the downstream ramifications on those cities. Will they live or die? Will they morph into residential cities instead of business centers?

It’s kinda like we’re entering the true Information Age, with as much of a sea change in demographics & culture as the Industrial Revolution did to agrarian societies.

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D2G23 t1_j7b9eql wrote

My job has always been very flexible. We travel some and are used to pulling out the laptop in airports and hotels. COVID pivot to at home changed nothing in our productivity. When I had a sick kid, I could use PTO, or pull up my laptop and do what I could while tending to my children - my job didn’t care at all, and still doesn’t. I think if more employers were that flexible, we wouldn’t be in this eternal battle of at home vs in office.

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[deleted] t1_j7bn9fm wrote

I can tell you that not commuting is a positive for mental health. I can also tell you that it does get weird staying home all the time. There is probably a balance here in between that will work best functionally.

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satans_toast t1_j7bqhpt wrote

I am curious about the separation of work from non-work. It was already a struggle for some with the advent of VPN and cell phones, but now there's not even that geographic separation. Is it a problem? Is it no big deal? Time will tell.

For me, I have to put on shoes when I'm working, and take them off when I don't. It's a stupid thing, but it acts as that mental separation. (They're only Vans, not dress shoes, so they're not killing my feet or the carpet).

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[deleted] t1_j7brr46 wrote

Eh, that’s not the issue. The issue is actual lack of human face to face contact. It just makes us weird over time.

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