The downsides of remote work

Author: Lair77

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Lair77
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1) It will make people more isolated.  Work is where many people meet mutual friends, and in even some cases, their dating partners.  We've already seen what this looks like during the 2020 lockdowns where social media has replaced real human interaction.  But even now, I notice there are far less people in Meetup groups in 2022 than in 2019, despite covid being mitigated; people have just adapted to the new lifestyle.  In short-term, people will find remote work more liberating, but in the long run, will it increase depression and social anxiety?  Will this cause people to be more sedentary?

You could argue that people can just work at home, but then still go to the gym and go out to a social event at night, and with no commute time, they'd have more free time to do that.  But realistically, will this actually pan out that way?  Or will people just choose the path of least resistance?  

^ This point is relatively subjective.  And some people may prefer to be homebodies.  But the 2nd point is more concrete.

2) Foreign competition.  If work is all remote, why would IT, cybersecurity and data analysts pay an American or European $30 an hour, when they could pay someone in India $10-15 an hour?   Granted, competition would help developing countries but would hurt developed countries.
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I wonder if I could stock shelves from home using a remote controlled robot. . .
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WFH pretty much halves my work week. Close enough anyway. I got sports and beer to be social about.

As to outsourcing, that's already been happening. IT guys were sat down at desks on Microsoft Teams to Indians before there was ever a lockdown. WFH makes literally no difference. Even in office, a teammate right next to me, I'm talking to him on Teams. 
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It's a very white collar problem, many many people; yet at the same time not enough people, have to be physically present because their production is mechanical in nature.

If possible its advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
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@Lemming
I wonder if I could stock shelves from home using a remote controlled robot. . .
You can get real people to stock shelves in your home if you can afford to pay them.

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@Lair77
1) It will make people more isolated.  Work is where many people meet mutual friends, and in even some cases, their dating partners. 
I actually don't see this as a "downside" especially considering the risks of sexual harassment suits; hence, some companies having policies against fraternization. And as one who does remote work (since long before the pandemic) my social circle consists of close friends and members of my family. My father in fact who works as a Physician has only ever introduced work colleagues to our family on a need-to-know basis. It's my personal opinion that one's primary goal in the workplace shouldn't be to "make friends." Sometimes it can't be helped but the goal should be engaging and fostering a professional environment.

2) Foreign competition.  If work is all remote, why would IT, cybersecurity and data analysts pay an American or European $30 an hour, when they could pay someone in India $10-15 an hour?   Granted, competition would help developing countries but would hurt developed countries.
Why can't one pay Americans or Europeans $10-$15 an hour, instead? Should our focus be "remote work" or "price-bidding"?

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@Lair77
A lot of fresh graduates don’t like work from home and I can see why, it’s almost impossible to build a reputation or connections that are useful in a career if you never actually meet anyone. Then there are other groups, like parents with young kids, who will have WFH pried from their cold, dead hands lol 
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I’m not too worried about outsourcing. The demand for 100+ IQ labor grows by the year and has for a long time, and at the same time the countries outsourced to are rapidly developing and rapidly aging.

Current uproars and black swan events have obscured things somewhat but the old paradigm is quickly coming to an end. The hordes of people willing to work in factories overseas or look for bugs in code 12 hours a day for peanuts is dwindling. I actually think 20-30 years from now will be an excellent time to be a young person, the demand for labor will be insane 
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@Athias
I actually don't see this as a "downside" especially considering the risks of sexual harassment suits; hence, some companies having policies against fraternization. And as one who does remote work (since long before the pandemic) my social circle consists of close friends and members of my family. My father in fact who works as a Physician has only ever introduced work colleagues to our family on a need-to-know basis. It's my personal opinion that one's primary goal in the workplace shouldn't be to "make friends." Sometimes it can't be helped but the goal should be engaging and fostering a professional environment.
I don't mean on a professional level.  I mean on a human level.  People's quality of life in general. 


Should our focus be "remote work" or "price-bidding"?
I'm not making any value judgment on that.  I just know that the Americans/Europeans that are cheering for remote work because it makes their financial life better will later see it differently once it makes their financial life worse.

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@Lair77
I don't mean on a professional level.  I mean on a human level.  People's quality of life in general. 
But this presumes that the most important social interactions occur in work environments. Case in point: most of my most significant relationships are those with whom I've never worked. There are other venues in which people can meet and interact.

I'm not making any value judgment on that.  I just know that the Americans/Europeans that are cheering for remote work because it makes their financial life better will later see it differently once it makes their financial life worse.
How would it make their lives "financial worse"? Is a decrease in nominal wages necessarily a financial disaster?


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whether work from home is better for you as an employee or your business depends on a lot of things. There's many jobs ive seen where i would hate to go to the office which I've been too (in interviews). Other times I've loved to go to the office. Its all about the distance and people there. Sometimes the change of scenery is important for ones mental health. In my most recent job i really enjoyed my office, i would sometimes ride there on a bike it was so close (within 5 miles), so i got some nice exercise and sunlight. 
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@Lair77
If you loath your homelife you will want to go to work.

If you love your homelife you will want to stay at home.

As far as I am concerned work is the nuisance bit of the day.

Though not much good staying at home if you drive a van for a living.

OK if you poke computers.

Slave to the technological system as it were.
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@Athias
--> @Lair77
I don't mean on a professional level.  I mean on a human level.  People's quality of life in general. 
But this presumes that the most important social interactions occur in work environments. Case in point: most of my most significant relationships are those with whom I've never worked. There are other venues in which people can meet and interact.

I'm not making any value judgment on that.  I just know that the Americans/Europeans that are cheering for remote work because it makes their financial life better will later see it differently once it makes their financial life worse.
How would it make their lives "financial worse"? Is a decrease in nominal wages necessarily a financial disaster? 
It can be if you add inflation, higher interest rates and cost of living going up drastically.

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@Shila
It can be if you add inflation, higher interest rates and cost of living going up drastically.
It can? Who knew? It isn't as if I referred to "nominal wage" as opposed to "real wage" for a reason.
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@zedvictor4
If you loath your homelife you will want to go to work.

If you love your homelife you will want to stay at home.
So much truth to this, LMAO...

Legitimately, this is what it comes down to.

It is spelled loathe, not loath, when it is a verb.
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@RationalMadman
I stand corrected.