COVID-19, in comparison to previous pandemic diseases (Swine Flu, Bird Flu etc), sounds more like a computer virus than a mammalian one. It sounds like a virus Richard Morgan might write about in one of his cyberpunk novels, that is, a software virus that infects the ‘wetware’ of the inevitable man-machine hybrid we will become, with all the new horror that entails.
Which is why I find it apt that it has forced a culture of remote working for those it’s possible for, bringing us one step closer to a cyberpunk uto/dystopia. If there are to be silver clouds from this pandemic, I hope a persistent change in working practise is one of them.
Many people will have embraced the change willingly, and many will have already worked a day or two per week remotely, but there also will have been many managers anxious at losing physical visibility and face-to-fact contact. “If I can’t see them, they aren’t going to do any work!!” I hear them cry. I suspect that even for roles that don’t have easily measurable KPIs like tickets closed, backlog items/cases completed etc, there must be some deliverables that can be measured – if there exists a job that someone could completely slack off on without anyone ever finding out in any way, I would say the requirement for such a job to exist should be looked at closely. The future is here, and the concept of work as a location as opposed to an activity must change.
There are drawbacks of 100% remote working, for sure. It’s absolutely not ideal for new staff who benefit greatly from intense contact with coworkers as they form their future working relationships (though with improvements in VR this will eventually cease to be relevant). It’s not good for humans – social beings that we are – to be completely physically isolated, particularly if one happens to live alone or have few friends. And depending on available remote tooling – multiple screens, limitations of backend VPNs or RDP, phonelines – some may struggle to be as productive as in the office.
And oh yeah, office romances? Good luck with that over Teams, though that’s probably for the best in many cases…
But for established, well-equipped workers who don’t have a need for the social aspect of work, full-time or mostly-full-time remote working makes sense. The benefits to people and the environment are myriad, here are some that spring to mind.
- Saving time. No more travel to work – and some people commute for multiple hours per day. Time is truly precious – the only resource than can never be gained, only lost.
- Better health. With more free time and no commute, stress levels drop, potentially leading to better mental health and more time to improve physical health – either by exercise or using some of that sweet free time to cook healthier food.
- Saving the environment. No need to burn that litre of petrol/diesel just to do something you could have done in your underwear. And you can keep that trusty old car for years longer. This effect could be enormous.
- Saving money. Either no public transport cost, or less car maintenance/fuel cost. Hey, maybe you can even get rid of the car? Or swap it for a motorbike. They’re fun, trust me.
- Cutting traffic. Ever wanted to go somewhere on a day off and had to remember not to be anywhere near a road by 5 PM? Yeah, we have terrible traffic, traffic that has got worse over time as more cars join the roads but the roads stay the same size, but no longer. This would also make the commute for people who can’t work remotely much more bearable.
- Less risk of burglary. You’re in the house all day, which would put off all but the most reckless good-fer-nothin’s from stealing your stuff. And if someone does have a go, that’s OK because you spent some of that saved travel money on medieval weaponry. “Yes your honour, I have always kept a claymore next to my PC”
- Company saves money. No need to rent, electrify, heat, clean, secure and insure that huge, fancy office building for six or seven figures per year. Portacabins are cheap.
- Cheaper car insurance. If you’re keeping the car but don’t need to commute anymore, car insurance will be cheaper. …Haha, just kidding. Car insurance will never be cheaper.
- Location independence. This is a big one. Stuck renting an attic cupboard for a grand a month in London because the office is a mere 3 train journeys away? Imagine if you could keep your job, but live cheaply, hundreds of miles away? Or what if you’ve always wanted to live in France but can’t speak the language beyond ‘deux crossiants, s’il vous plait’? Remote working could make that dream a reality.
- Better equipment. Hey, work? The 90s called and wants its screen size back. We all know that a typical company probably spends more on design consultancy for a new font on their website than quality computer hardware. I personally enjoy a spacious 144hz monitor and delightful mechanical keyboard at home, which is a much better experience than squinting at a 22″ screen and being the third owner of a Dell OfficeDronePro keyboard in the office. With all the money they’ve saved on downsizing the office, they can afford to buy you some decent kit.
At some point in the future, the closest thing to ‘going to work’ will be putting on a sleek VR headset – or plugging a cable into the base of your neck if Elon Musk has anything to do with it – and being in a life-like virtual office. It could be locationless, or the company could change the ‘theme’ at will – ‘This month we’re in Tokyo – if you look out of the window from the fourth floor next to the Network team you can see the Imperial Palace’.
For now, not having to put pants on will have to do.