Jennifer LeBow

Who will keep working from home?

Once the immediate COVID threat is contained, lots of people will transition back to working in offices, stores and other workplaces. Clearly, there are occupations which simply require being in person, like medical professions, restaurant jobs, delivery services and building and repair work. There are, though, many jobs which were historically not being done remotely which now are. Which of those employees will continue to work remotely? Let’s examine the characteristics of the job and the individual that are conducive to working from home.

Job tasks

Do the job responsibilities require being on site or physically with other people? If so, people with these jobs are unlikely to be able to work from home in the future. Certain jobs can be done remotely but are much more efficiently done in person. There are also people who work in teams on projects that may have physical parts to them (like engineers who are designing prototypes). They will be much more effective back at the workplace. Certain jobs benefit from access to physical items that don’t translate to any kind of computer file or on-line substitute. Conversely, people who work independently or are able to share ideas, conversations, and documents through available technology may work remotely permanently. Some people may take a hybrid approach and work partly from home.

Work mode

While some people have surprised themselves by working more efficiently from home, others find themselves distracted. For some, it’s just a personality trait difference. Others have kids around or live in places where it’s difficult to concentrate. Some people crave the social interaction from an office environment and other feel they get more work done without constant interruptions from co-workers. Either way, the likelihood is that employers will want their employees to work in whatever setting maximizes their productivity.

Employer costs

The employer’s goal is always the financial health of the business or company. If less money needs to be spent on office space and furniture, the bottom line starts to look better. If employees working from home save an hour or more a day commuting and don’t have the costs related to that commute, they might be willing to take a slightly lower salary. Many people strongly prefer working from home. If an employee is as productive from home as from an office but prefers working from home, that employee will be more satisfied if permitted to do so. Happy employees stay at their jobs longer and minimize business’s costs of hiring and training their replacements. On the flip side, company cultures could suffer from lack of regular, in-person interaction. If that happens, some businesses may require everyone to be at the office. There are pros and cons and employers are sure to be giving the “Can I keep working from home?” request careful consideration.

What are the long term effects of continued remote work?

Working from home has become the new normal for millions of people nationwide. How many of them will continue to do so after it is safe to return to traditional work environments? The answer to that question affects not just the employers and employees, but the real estate market as well. From a residential perspective, it speaks to people moving out of cities and other areas where commutability to a job was previously important. If they don’t need to return to the workplace, they are not as tied-in to living in a certain place.

Additionally, many remote workers have discovered that they need more space as phone calls and work happening at home calls for more room as well as auditory privacy. Similarly, currently, most entertainment for both adults and kids is (currently) happening within the home. All of those factors combine to make many residences suddenly feel too small. The result is that many people are moving. Furthermore, the commercial real estate market will be hit hard. With companies no longer needing to provide so much office space, prices will plummet. Many businesses may need to reimagine some of their most basic assumptions.

Six months into the COVID epidemic and predicting what will happen as far as long-term remote working is unclear. Without a doubt, several factors affect the feasibility of remote work. The ripple effect, though, of a significant shift toward working from home, is much larger. Major changes will affect the housing market and demographics across the country. Companies may scramble to adjust to the changes resulting from this potential new reality. Regardless, we are living with plenty of uncertainty and the likelihood of some substantial changes in the way we live and work.

You don’t have to look far to compile a list of the negative effects of COVID. There’s no accurate measure of the toll taken by illness, death and the loss of income. Even less quanitfiable is the fear of what the future holds, both immediately and long term. When will people be able to fully return to their jobs? What about socializing with their friends? How many businesses and jobs will not be recovered, but be casualties of COVID? How long until we are gripped by the next insidious virus? This global disaster has created problems whose ripple effects are astounding and intimidating.

There have been some positive by-products, though, of this pandemic. They, in no way, come close to making up for their negative counterparts, but they do have value. With so much omnipresent grief and fear, choosing to see what is good can be vital to maintaining our mental health.

Individual

We have all had to work from home and/or simply remain at home more often. Whether consciously or unconsciously, that lifestyle change has led to a recalibration of what is essential. Each individual will define “essential” differently, but I am confident there is new awareness of what matters and what is extraneous. That is a good thing. Furthermore, with more time spent at home, people have more time for hobbies, exercise–whatever they may not have had time for before.

Family

Note: I recognize that for people who live alone, the COVID-forced isolation is much more difficult to manage than for others. However, for those who live with other people, the increased time spent together at home has had some positive effects. Relationships flourish when they are nurtured. With family members spending more time under one roof, there is bound to be more interaction. That increased togetherness coupled with the restriction on outside entertainment have caused many families have begun to do activities together. Lots of families have been taking walks, doing jigsaw puzzles and playing games. Gardening is another great way to build family connections.

Neighborhood

While many who have lost jobs or have been hit very hard economically, we’ve seen evidence that neighbors have stepped up to help each other. Food banks and clothing donation organizations have experienced an uptick in support. Facebook ads on community pages have offered or sought local help with deliveries or driving people to appointments. Neighbors have been grocery shopping for others who may be medically compromised. Many people who sew have donated masks. There’s also been a focus on buying local to support the businesses in the community as their owners and employees are our neighbors.

Global community

Simply due to necessity, nations around the world are collaborating. Medical responses, including efforts to create a vaccine, and ideas about how to manage the economic impacts are being shared across borders. While certain countries have obviously sustained worse COVID-related damage than others, this pandemic is absolutely a global problem. The cooperation and resulting reminder that “we are all in this together” is like what we see happening in neighborhoods, just on a larger scale. With so much recent nationlistic behavior- grabbing headlines, this cross-participation is a positive.

Another benefit has been reduced pollution, since people are staying at home. The response of the business community has also been a bright spot. One example is the computer internet providers that have offered free service to students. Similarly, the tech sector has responded very quickly. Previously available, but little-used platforms like Zoom have become staples in most homes. These programs have enabled people to stay better connected with friends and family (as well as being used for work purposes). It’s easy now to find free ways to enjoy on-line group games with sets of friends which has been a wonderful way to connect.

Effects of long-term remote work

The employer

Finally, one subject which didn’t seem to fall under any of the previous categories is the effects of people working from home indefinitely. Remote work can benefit employers as they will spend less on office space and furniture. Furthermore, their employees may be content with slightly lower salaries as they won’t be paying for transportation/parking and they will not have to designate time toward a commute. For many individuals, these benefits are worth a minor reduction in pay.

The employee

For certain employees, the flexibility to work from home is enormously helpful. Consider not having to pay the dog walker or taking time off of work to let the cable guy in (who usually gives you an 8-hour window) or even get some laundry done or put the roast in the oven. Child care costs (like after-school babysitting) are also reduced or eliminated. The majority of people prefer remote work to a traditional office environment.

There will probably be some hybrid situations, and, of course, there will be some companies that will demand that people work solely on-site. However, for the people who are able to work totally remotely into the foreseeable future, there is an enormous benefit: not having to live within commuting distance to work. We are already seeing the effects of this new opportunity with droves of city dwellers moving out of the cities (where their workplaces are located) to less expensive suburbs with larger homes and properties. People could relocate to be near elderly parents or to regions that better suit their lifestyles.

While none of these benefits outweigh the disaster we call COVID, it is a good mental exercise to look for the silver lining. Our current situation is so awful and fraught with such uncertainty. It is easy to feel hopeless and desperate. If taking a step back and searching for some good in what is happening can provide any solace, it is an exercise worth doing.