I was a work from home worker before it was a thing. As a freelance writer, training consultant, I've worked both in and out of the office. Here's what I note: Productivity is a thing not easily measured. I've seen workers at their desks doing everything but work during work hours. There's a real agony associated with having to stay at your desk till 5, even though there may be no actually work to do. Efficient use of time is better served when you can work from home--not spending up to an hour or more commuting. For those with kids or who serve as the caregiver for a parent or others, the stress level associated with being an hour or more away when problems crop up is eliminated. When a good portion of the workforce is not clogging up the highways in the am and pm rush, everyone benefits. . Yes there are "cons" to it, and for some jobs (public in person facing jobs) it just won't work. But employees who have been able to experience the real benefits associated with work from home are, in my humble opinion, right to question what may seem like an employer's arbitrary demand to return the entire workforce to an X days a week, X hours a day schedule for no other reason than that's the way it used to be. The workforce is changing. Technology is making that transition better. Workers can be productive, and employers can reap benefits as well. We now have downtowns that are alive during the day and (in the business districts) mostly dead at night. We have suburban areas that are dead during the day and alive at night. it would be nice to have a better mix of use for these areas. Compromise between employers and employees seems to be the way to go.
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