This weekend’s new character, if not the main character, was Kristen Anderson, CEO of a startup that claims to “[rebuild] the safety net to serve everyone.” She went on a protracted rant about the “righteous entitlement” of those who don’t want to work in the office anymore, and indeed that you “don’t understand the value of collaboration.”
Our company went from having everyone in the office to fully remote 10 years ago and guess what happened? Production actually increased by almost 50 percent!! Why? No distractions from someone "stopping by your desk" or phones ringing or listening to copy and fax machines or annoying "mandatory meetings." Our company owners and managers were open minded enough to trust their hiring practices and the people they hired to do their jobs and didn't have an inferiority complex that they need to be standing over people and watching them with eagle eyes to see that they are productive and working. Not to mention saving all that money in rent and utility bills for the company and gas and unpaid commute time for the workers. Commuting leaves workers frustrated and exhausted before they even get to your stupid office so you can play "boss." Unless you're a cop or a construction worker, remote work is a win win situation. It makes sense for the company, the workers and cuts down on traffic and pollution, thereby helping the environment. Don't pull your power play to drag your workers back to the office. We dont want to be in your stupid office because we are more comfortable and productive at home which means more money for the company. It's not rocket science.
Ed - companies adopted "Open Plan Offices" to increase collaboration and casual interaction. Perhaps it's another example of middle managers' need to see and control the physical bodies working for them.
Workers hate it. Hell, if I had an office with a door that closed, I'd be glad to come to work. Somehow it's vital that management have peace and quiet, and verboten for knowledge workers.
On a rare day I had to go into the office during the COVID-triggered full WFH, I overheard the big boss complaining to somebody: "This is why I want people back in the office—so I can yell at them!"
I am not a manager nor do I desire to ever be one and that's not to disparage them but it's just not my jam. My job is to review clinical trial data specifically in oncology and it can be at times sad and at times exhilarating and most of the time mundane. All I require is a stable internet connection and laptop to perform my day-to-day tasks. I am a consultant and worked partially remote prior to the pandemic. The productivity increase from going fully remote during the pandemic surprised even myself. My commute was two hours rt and the elimination of the commute as well as social distraction has allowed the company and myself to benefit. This is the ultimate win-win situation as I get what I want, the ability to perform my job uninterrupted, and the company achieves greater efficiency by paying the same wage but getting increased productivity in return. I really have a hard time understanding why management at various companies are fighting remote work for employees that can perform their tasks remotely and within a reasonable time zone and this article has made a lot of spot-on observations. What is even more perplexing is that these companies have actual data from this pandemic experiment and they know it works for a lot of different roles. It boggles my mind that some managers/executives do not get that the world has definitively changed. I love this guy from JP Morgan who makes $75 million/yr or whatever and he wants to enforce people back into the office. This is the old way of thinking and any talented employee that values remote work will leave for Citigroup or other banks that offer what may be a mandatory employee request someday soon. It will be interesting to see if the JP Morgan guy budges or sticks to his antiquated guns. Bottom line, any company that doesn't believe in remote work (where the job function could be performed remotely) is not a company I would be personally interested in applying to in the future because it is backward thinking and senseless.
I worked with Kristen for over a year as a peer and I can confirm she is actually just this horrible, unempathetic, and power hungry in person as her tweets would make one believe. Ie - spot on take that she is someone who would “love control, and a lot of people build companies in stupid ways that make them feel better rather than the company better.”
There were roughly 15 of us in the same level at she was and we ended up routinely scheduling social time to exclude her (secret invites!) because she made all of us feel horrible all the time. Not surprising that she hasn’t grown.
Ed, you speak in archetypes, perhaps you've been away from a real office environment too long? We aren't all like you sum up. It certainly takes away from some of your finer points that I agree with. As a manager it is my job to consider, not just the singular individual, but the team as a whole. It's simply more nuanced (yes, I see you made some of that clear). WFH is a mix of good and bad and without some care it can be an awful experience. For example, meeting times are very congested at home (hey why not, not like you are going anywhere, right?!?) Or how about everything being on zoom all day every day. Or maybe not knowing how to properly disconnect the mind when work and home are perceived as the same thing. A lot of people didn't already have the skill to do so when they were forced into this change. I have staff that are hurting and quite honestly don't even know it. That's a negative for uncontrolled WFH. It goes both ways, just sayin!
It really shouldn't be reduced to "bosses love control" or because people start businesses to control the wills of others. What drivel for the backbone of your message. What I love is cohesion, proper ownership, supporting the growth and well being of my staff and that we can execute our roles to the best of our ability. I enjoy their successes and positive developments and that's why I like managing people. I feel very connected to my company through these actions.
Ed, you seem jilted when I read between the lines. Sorry you feel that way.
those who see remote work as the future forget that capitalism prioritizes the bottom line - if your work can be done remotely, why can’t it also be outsourced globally to countries where companies do not have to pay their employees as much as they do in the u.s.?
Our company went from having everyone in the office to fully remote 10 years ago and guess what happened? Production actually increased by almost 50 percent!! Why? No distractions from someone "stopping by your desk" or phones ringing or listening to copy and fax machines or annoying "mandatory meetings." Our company owners and managers were open minded enough to trust their hiring practices and the people they hired to do their jobs and didn't have an inferiority complex that they need to be standing over people and watching them with eagle eyes to see that they are productive and working. Not to mention saving all that money in rent and utility bills for the company and gas and unpaid commute time for the workers. Commuting leaves workers frustrated and exhausted before they even get to your stupid office so you can play "boss." Unless you're a cop or a construction worker, remote work is a win win situation. It makes sense for the company, the workers and cuts down on traffic and pollution, thereby helping the environment. Don't pull your power play to drag your workers back to the office. We dont want to be in your stupid office because we are more comfortable and productive at home which means more money for the company. It's not rocket science.
Ed - companies adopted "Open Plan Offices" to increase collaboration and casual interaction. Perhaps it's another example of middle managers' need to see and control the physical bodies working for them.
Workers hate it. Hell, if I had an office with a door that closed, I'd be glad to come to work. Somehow it's vital that management have peace and quiet, and verboten for knowledge workers.
On a rare day I had to go into the office during the COVID-triggered full WFH, I overheard the big boss complaining to somebody: "This is why I want people back in the office—so I can yell at them!"
I am not a manager nor do I desire to ever be one and that's not to disparage them but it's just not my jam. My job is to review clinical trial data specifically in oncology and it can be at times sad and at times exhilarating and most of the time mundane. All I require is a stable internet connection and laptop to perform my day-to-day tasks. I am a consultant and worked partially remote prior to the pandemic. The productivity increase from going fully remote during the pandemic surprised even myself. My commute was two hours rt and the elimination of the commute as well as social distraction has allowed the company and myself to benefit. This is the ultimate win-win situation as I get what I want, the ability to perform my job uninterrupted, and the company achieves greater efficiency by paying the same wage but getting increased productivity in return. I really have a hard time understanding why management at various companies are fighting remote work for employees that can perform their tasks remotely and within a reasonable time zone and this article has made a lot of spot-on observations. What is even more perplexing is that these companies have actual data from this pandemic experiment and they know it works for a lot of different roles. It boggles my mind that some managers/executives do not get that the world has definitively changed. I love this guy from JP Morgan who makes $75 million/yr or whatever and he wants to enforce people back into the office. This is the old way of thinking and any talented employee that values remote work will leave for Citigroup or other banks that offer what may be a mandatory employee request someday soon. It will be interesting to see if the JP Morgan guy budges or sticks to his antiquated guns. Bottom line, any company that doesn't believe in remote work (where the job function could be performed remotely) is not a company I would be personally interested in applying to in the future because it is backward thinking and senseless.
I worked with Kristen for over a year as a peer and I can confirm she is actually just this horrible, unempathetic, and power hungry in person as her tweets would make one believe. Ie - spot on take that she is someone who would “love control, and a lot of people build companies in stupid ways that make them feel better rather than the company better.”
There were roughly 15 of us in the same level at she was and we ended up routinely scheduling social time to exclude her (secret invites!) because she made all of us feel horrible all the time. Not surprising that she hasn’t grown.
Ed, you speak in archetypes, perhaps you've been away from a real office environment too long? We aren't all like you sum up. It certainly takes away from some of your finer points that I agree with. As a manager it is my job to consider, not just the singular individual, but the team as a whole. It's simply more nuanced (yes, I see you made some of that clear). WFH is a mix of good and bad and without some care it can be an awful experience. For example, meeting times are very congested at home (hey why not, not like you are going anywhere, right?!?) Or how about everything being on zoom all day every day. Or maybe not knowing how to properly disconnect the mind when work and home are perceived as the same thing. A lot of people didn't already have the skill to do so when they were forced into this change. I have staff that are hurting and quite honestly don't even know it. That's a negative for uncontrolled WFH. It goes both ways, just sayin!
It really shouldn't be reduced to "bosses love control" or because people start businesses to control the wills of others. What drivel for the backbone of your message. What I love is cohesion, proper ownership, supporting the growth and well being of my staff and that we can execute our roles to the best of our ability. I enjoy their successes and positive developments and that's why I like managing people. I feel very connected to my company through these actions.
Ed, you seem jilted when I read between the lines. Sorry you feel that way.
those who see remote work as the future forget that capitalism prioritizes the bottom line - if your work can be done remotely, why can’t it also be outsourced globally to countries where companies do not have to pay their employees as much as they do in the u.s.?
You seem angry