People toss around "remote work" like it's nothing at all. Like it's easier than face to face work.
It's not easier. It's not easy.
Social interaction via remote is hard. Very hard. I can't emphasize the difference in the level of skill, and change in personal style demanded to make it work.
True. There are some negatives that go away. Physical harassment all but disappears. But not the psychological barbs. Those still cut.
Is there an "efficiency" bonus? Yes. No commute. Lower carbon footprint. Less space wasted on offices, supplies, personnel specific to offices. Sure.
All at the cost of sanity. There are so many more interpersonal blind spots. The more remote you are, the more expendable you feel. Suddenly, it's all the more volatile that your paycheck and lifeline seems, because even without sentimentality, face to face, you sense a firmer bond. Even if you don't like your colleagues, there used to be a gut sense of mood and morale.
Now? Total mystery. Less predictability than a five day weather forecast.
Most people aren't solvent enough, financially, to feel okay about braving the high seas like that.
Sorry. Remote work isn't the panacea some claim it to be.
I think there's a lot of big talk coming from people who have never done it, and wouldn't even think to try it themselves. And if they did it experimentally, they'd likely forget to model authentic risks will real and punishing consequences for failure to perform. Try it that way, and you'll sing a different tune.
It's not easier. It's not easy.
Social interaction via remote is hard. Very hard. I can't emphasize the difference in the level of skill, and change in personal style demanded to make it work.
True. There are some negatives that go away. Physical harassment all but disappears. But not the psychological barbs. Those still cut.
Is there an "efficiency" bonus? Yes. No commute. Lower carbon footprint. Less space wasted on offices, supplies, personnel specific to offices. Sure.
All at the cost of sanity. There are so many more interpersonal blind spots. The more remote you are, the more expendable you feel. Suddenly, it's all the more volatile that your paycheck and lifeline seems, because even without sentimentality, face to face, you sense a firmer bond. Even if you don't like your colleagues, there used to be a gut sense of mood and morale.
Now? Total mystery. Less predictability than a five day weather forecast.
Most people aren't solvent enough, financially, to feel okay about braving the high seas like that.
Sorry. Remote work isn't the panacea some claim it to be.
I think there's a lot of big talk coming from people who have never done it, and wouldn't even think to try it themselves. And if they did it experimentally, they'd likely forget to model authentic risks will real and punishing consequences for failure to perform. Try it that way, and you'll sing a different tune.
It's not at all fun.