The Case For Commuting To An Office
Apple’s recent announcement that they will be returning to the office on a hybrid model has both their employees and the general work-from-home contingent in an uproar. Google, Amazon and Apple — more than half of the world’s FAANG companies — are all returning to a hybrid model for the most part, and the information that has been released has been that in-person innovations have been lacking during the 16 months of enforced remote work. I am not writing to debate the decision — plenty of that is being done on LinkedIn and in the news.
On the other side of the debate are the alarming statistics of what negative consequences we have seen from the pandemic, and reasons why many people are ready and eager to return to work in the office— an increase in domestic violence, depression/substance abuse brought about by the isolation of living alone and being unable to congregate with anyone for over a year; health issues from a sedentary lifestyle with gyms and fitness facilities closed during the winter months; increased STRESS from no separation of work and home/family; and the brunt of women having to either leave the workforce or seriously cut their hours to care for their children that were unable to go to school or daycare.
Last Friday afternoon, I got a call from a friend and former coworker “hey when was the last time you spoke to RC?” He was still at the company we had all worked for together. He and I were more than just colleagues — for two years we carpooled together and he was my recruiting partner. We became friends, and I know that I spent more 1:1 time with him than anyone else in his life during that time. Like me, he had moved to Seattle over a decade ago from elsewhere. He wanted to take advantage of the professional opportunities in the hot Seattle job market. He had a few friends, he had romantic partners during that time, but he lived alone with the company of a feisty little feline he adored (I took care of her when he was out of town for a family wedding a couple of years ago.)
I hadn’t spoken to him in a couple of weeks and when I did he was not sounding very well. I invited him out for coffee, to come over to my place, just for both of us to get out of the house, but he said he wasn’t up to it. Apparently he had not logged into work all of last week, and was not answering his phone. I managed to get hold of his brother via LinkedIn, and his brother called the police for a welfare check. Half an hour later, he called me back to let me know our friend and colleague was deceased. We went over to his place — me to get his cat, our friend to get his work laptop, pick up his keys, phone, wallet and other personal items to hold in trust for the family.
The scene in his home was obviously one of someone that was alone and lonely. The cause of death has not been determined yet, but I firmly believe that the isolation of the covid-19 pandemic played a major part in his demise. (His cat has been rehomed with her original owner).
For anyone that is at all extroverted, or even an ambivert and living alone, work is often their greatest social contact in a given week, and home becomes a sanctuary and refuge, the place to unplug and unwind. During the last 16+ months, for many it has become a prison at worst or a place lacking any boundaries between work and “life” at best.
So for those who believe working from home 100% is heaven on earth — you are lucky. Most companies seem to be compromising and taking a hybrid approach, with a combination of days in the office and working remotely. Your employer has to take into account what works best for their profits; that is what business is about. Only you can make the decision whether or not the value of working 100% remotely is necessary for your happiness and quality of life — and if your employer is not going to provide that option to you, you should probably look for another job. Be glad that you have that opportunity, that you are still alive, and that you have been able to make it through this horrible pandemic.
