[Mick]

My wife's company (about half the size of Mick's) did a survey and found that single-digits number of people want to return the office. About twice that many would if needed. Vast majority wanted to continue to WFH.

Lord knows, I don't want to go into the office.  I used to love taking the DC Metro.  Clean, fast, efficient.  And now it's a potential death factory.

Here's the funny part to the story:

1) Prior to the pandemic, a large portion of our staff wanted to WFH as much as possible, chiefly because our major offices are in cities with impacted transportation (NYC, Chi, Hou, LA, Phil, WashDC).  Everyone's one way commute was an hour.

2) Management wanted people in the office because, magically they thought they could keep a better eye on people to ensure that they were working.  Which is funny because billable people bill their time, so you know that they are working.  Staff work is typically either project or process based - which means that they can't get away from deadlines or the work necessary to pursue it.

3) The joke on both is that -- if the firm so desired -- the capability of technological surveillance is so pervasive that it's very easy to see what people are doing and when.

4) Pandemic happens, offices close.  And the firm lays off nearly 100 staff.  Everyone's workload increases.

5) So now management has the Grand Experiment forced upon them.  And presto -- they finally understand what staff has been promising for many moons...that people are more efficient when working from home, and more 24/7 availability, to be candid.  They have to be.

6) So now, management is looking at their leases and wondering "how much do we really need to spend on rent, utilities, supplies, etc.?"  The paperless office will some become the officeless, paperless, office with all the attendant savings.

7) American businesses have not suffered an economic dislocation like this in -- well, ever.  This is considerably worse than the Great Depression in terms of jobs lost and lives ruined.  So American business hasn't had the need to plumb the depths of efficiency like they are right now.  And when or whether we get the vaccine is immaterial at this point.  America will become a failed nation, and the failure will be rooted in our collective responses to the pandemic.

https://eand.co/the-implosion-of-the-ame...198e4c6c70

Stanford economists (hopefully unlike Dr. Jay B) estimate that fully half of the lost 40 million jobs won't return.  And for some reason, the Medical/Media/Political Elites haven't tumbled onto this fact yet.

[Mick]

My wife's company (about half the size of Mick's) did a survey and found that single-digits number of people want to return the office. About twice that many would if needed. Vast majority wanted to continue to WFH.

Lord knows, I don't want to go into the office.  I used to love taking the DC Metro.  Clean, fast, efficient.  And now it's a potential death factory.

Here's the funny part to the story:

1) Prior to the pandemic, a large portion of our staff wanted to WFH as much as possible, chiefly because our major offices are in cities with impacted transportation (NYC, Chi, Hou, LA, Phil, WashDC).  Everyone's one way commute was an hour.

2) Management wanted people in the office because, magically they thought they could keep a better eye on people to ensure that they were working.  Which is funny because billable people bill their time, so you know that they are working.  Staff work is typically either project or process based - which means that they can't get away from deadlines or the work necessary to pursue it.

3) The joke on both is that -- if the firm so desired -- the capability of technological surveillance is so pervasive that it's very easy to see what people are doing and when.

4) Pandemic happens, offices close.  And the firm lays off nearly 100 staff.  Everyone's workload increases.

5) So now management has the Grand Experiment forced upon them.  And presto -- they finally understand what staff has been promising for many moons...that people are more efficient when working from home, and more 24/7 availability, to be candid.  They have to be.

6) So now, management is looking at their leases and wondering "how much do we really need to spend on rent, utilities, supplies, etc.?"  The paperless office will some become the officeless, paperless, office with all the attendant savings.

7) American businesses have not suffered an economic dislocation like this in -- well, ever.  This is considerably worse than the Great Depression in terms of jobs lost and lives ruined.  So American business hasn't had the need to plumb the depths of efficiency like they are right now.  And when or whether we get the vaccine is immaterial at this point.  America will become a failed nation, and the failure will be rooted in our collective responses to the pandemic.

https://eand.co/the-implosion-of-the-ame...198e4c6c70

Stanford economists (hopefully unlike Dr. Jay B) estimate that fully half of the lost 40 million jobs won't return.  And for some reason, the Medical/Media/Political Elites haven't tumbled onto this fact yet.