Biden urges return to office

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

WASHINGTON — For the second time in a week, President Biden on Friday urged for an end to remote work, framing the much-delayed return to the office for millions of white-collar workers as necessary for the United States to move beyond the pandemic.

“Because of the progress we’ve made fighting COVID, Americans can not only get back to work, but they can go to the office and safely fill our great downtown cities again,” Biden said during remarks from the White House that touched on February’s encouraging job numbers, which saw the unemployment rate fall to 3.8 percent.

“Most Americans can remove their masks, return to work and move forward safely,” the president said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention loosened its guidance for face coverings last week; before that, many Democratic states had already dropped mask mandates.

Biden's remarks came on the same day that New York City Mayor Eric Adams ended a vaccine mandate in the city’s public schools, as well as a proof-of-vaccination mandate for businesses like restaurants. Coming in the nation’s largest city, those moves had the effect of compounding Biden’s message.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/biden-urges-return-to-office-214733870.html

[BGBD]

1. I have no intention to ever return to an office

And it has nothing to do with covid.

[48656c6c6f20]

44. My company sold their office.

So no thanks.

[634-5789]

58. AMEN! Well I've been retired since 2002, so there's that....

[tritsofme]

2. Our company instead, removed the offices.

We are allowing leases to expire left and right, and massively consolidating.

For lots of jobs, there is no going back and nowhere to go back to.

[paleotn]

17. Same here. My area is now value add sq. footage.

We were bursting at the seams as it was. It's now ops. space and we have shared offices when we need to go on site.

[tritsofme]

20. We don't even have office space in the Chicago area at this point.

If I need to do an in-person meeting, I’m flying to Salt Lake.

[Wounded Bear]

3. Somehow I think this is gonna be a hard sell in many cases...

At the very least, many people will do a hybrid thing where they go in once a week, or a couple of times a month for status meetings and such, but do most work from home. For white collar, it's probably the wave of the future.

[smb]

14. Even Staff Meetings Work Better Online More Often Than Not nt

[Wounded Bear]

18. Perhaps, but there is some value in occasional FTF contact...nt

[BGBD]

28. Not really

Been working remotely for two years and haven't found a single time I thought it would be better to be F2F

[AngryOldDem]

101. Not where I work.

[smirkymonkey]

29. Exactly. I don't see it ever going back to the way it was.

People are pretty much dead set against it since they now know that they can accomplish what needs to be done without sitting in traffic for a few hours a day, not to mention the numerous other benefits of wfh and the measured increased productivity. I don't have much of a commute since I live in the city, so I don't mind going in few days per week, but most people I know who drive in from the burbs are really against it.

The only people who seem to be pushing this "back to the office" thing are middle aged (and usually white) men who need to feel like they have some "fiefdom" to lord over in order to feel powerful and important.

They can't stand their perceived lack of usefulness in a world that is increasingly seeing their uselessness. They are just another layer of the hierarchy that does very little actual work. Their fear and insecurity is almost palpable when you see them in person. You can almost see them sweating it out as they push for changes to make "in office" work a requirement.

[Mariana]

99. Employers who try to make workers commute when it's not necessary

are going to lose a lot of good employees to other employers who are more accommodating.

[LonePirate]

4. Many of these downtown office buildings need to be converted to residential units.

Many people can work as easily from home as from an office. Allowing workers to work from home makes most workers happy and it potentially can save businesses money as they can downsize their office footprints. The excess office space and be converted to housing, something most cities need more of, usually in significant amounts. It's a winning scenario for almost everyone.

[VarryOn]

5. I agree with him. Everyone needs to return...

90% of my office (approx 5K employees) have been back for months. This week, all were told to return by April 4, and that accommodations would be made for thosethat needed them. My friend in HR told me they already had 200 requests. (Eye roll)

[Celerity]

30. no

Everyone needs to return...

not happening, sorry

[VarryOn]

62. If you worked at my company...

You would. But, with some work-from-home flexibility.

I've been in the office since Sept 2020...no issue.

[Celerity]

65. I don't work at your firm though. Regardless of what one firm does, it is not

possible to extrapolate that out and apply it across the board.

I personally work from home and sometimes at the office. Really makes no difference to me. Many people feel otherwise, so I am not going to apply my situation to the rest of them.

[VarryOn]

66. Well, nonetheless, I agree with the President. Nt

[smirkymonkey]

83. Let me guess.

You are a white male middle-manager. Seems to be a popular opinion among such types.

[VarryOn]

105. Pretty much...

And let me guess, you’re…never mind. No good being a contrarian here.

[smirkymonkey]

110. Go ahead and try. You are probably wrong anyway.

I am a well paid professional at a Fortune 100 company that values it's employees and their opinions. Not all of us are professional babysitters and need to have total control over other people by having bodies at desks.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

63. Why?

[VarryOn]

64. It's now safe...

Some employees are, no doubt, milking covid to WFH.

I've said this before because I believe it...a WFH employee is 66% the employee as one in the office. They are not as accessible nor are they a part of all the hallway and office discussions that crop up. And I can't tell you how many times I've gone into a meeting where it was decided it wasn't worth the bother to include someone working from home.

People insisting on working from home at this point aren't helping their careers.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

67. .

Some employees are, no doubt, milking covid to WFH.

If the employee is producing what's expected of them and meeting all benchmarks, is that milking?

Most studies find that productivity goes up with people working from home. People are excluded from hallway and office discussions in person all the time. Deciding it's not worth the bother to include someone working from home often means they didn't need to be in the meeting anyway or would have been included only to meet some protocol that obviously can be ignored.

People insisting on working from home at this point aren't helping their careers.

Eh, that's a pretty sweeping statement. In-person work can have different cultural payoffs depending on the employer. Sometimes being in person can be helpful to a career, sometimes it isn't.

[smb]

75. For One Thing, Work From Home Has Advantages For Not-Straight-White-Male Folks

Prejudice tends to be dissipated over comm links because of the lack of in-your-face contact, and sexists can't pinch butt or grab pussy in a teleconference.

[MichMan]

84. The option is available mostly for white collar office jobs only

Anyone who works in manufacturing, health care, retail, transportation and service industries are not allowed the option. This would include a vast number of POC.

[meadowlander]

90. I'm autistic and WFH saved my career.

Pre-Covid I was about to quit because the noise levels and constant interruptions in an open plan office were making my physically ill.

Now I WFH full time, get twice as much done with a tenth of the stress, have two hours of commuting a day back to do what I want with, never gets colds or flu so I take less sick leave and save on the emissions.

Biden need to lay off on butting his nose into where people chose to work. Or if he must, he should be supporting WFH because of the climate benefits and additional flexibility it gives to workers to live further away from the office in more affordable housing.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

108. Couldn't agree more

I'm back in the office 3 days per week now, but that's due to the nature of my work, much of which can't be done from home (I'm with DoD). Savings in commuting time and emissions are wonderful.

I have six direct reports under me, and between them, 42 other employees. Even though much of our work needs to be done inside the office, I work closely with my direct reports to ensure that we are doing all we can to maximize flexibility for our employees, whatever that may be for them.

We have a few employees who prefer to be in the office all the time, but most want at least one or two days per week at home. From a management perspective, it's a bit more work to ensure that we have the "inside" coverage we need for classified issues, but I view a big part of my job as ensuring that my employees are able to achieve a satisfactory work/life parity. That means conducting unclassified work in the unclassified environment so that people are able to continue with a degree of telework. It also means pushing back on leadership above me when they get into the "people need to be in the office to do anything productive" mindset.

I'm a 60 year old male, BTW.

[smb]

73. The Studies Prove That WFH Has Actually Improved Productivity

You can insist otherwise based on your hunches and feelings, just like some people insist that drinking bleach and shoving sunlamps up your ass is superior to vaccination, but neither one is what the science says.

[smirkymonkey]

88. *snort*

[tenderfoot]

96. +1000

[smirkymonkey]

82. Why?

Any particular reason? Other than just because your company had to?

[Jedi Guy]

95. Disagree entirely. WFH is the way of the future for jobs where it's possible.

I began working from home in early 2018 as my employer didn't have enough seats for all of us. Then in 2019, they announced they were closing the office I worked from and thereafter everyone would work from head office in Toronto. My team was assured we were exempt from that, only for that to turn out to be a lie. I was the first to leave, but by no means the last. Last I heard, 75% of the team found other employment. That's quite the brain drain, no?

In my current role as a supervisor, I log in early, I stay late, and I'm available to my operations managers after-hours and on my days off when they need help in an emergency. I figure it's my way of giving back, since the company respects my work/life balance enough not to demand that I needlessly go to a particular building. As others have pointed out, studies have shown that productivity actually goes up when people work from home. Weirdly enough, it turns out that people are happier, and therefore work harder, when they feel like their employer respects their work/life balance and doesn't place needless demands on them.

WFH isn't for everyone, of course, because it takes a lot of self-discipline. I have a few problem employees in that regard, but the vast majority of my people do just fine working from home, largely because my fellow supervisors and I keep them productive and on task. But there are problem employees in every organization.

Biden's argument has nothing to do with the merits of WFH and everything to do with getting office workers back into buildings in urban core areas so they can support the cafes, restaurants, coffee shops, retailers, and other downstream economic elements that rely on them. I get where he's coming from, but the economy has changed and there's probably no going back at this point.

[Buckeyeblue]

6. It's the downstream economic impact of going back to the office

Breakfast and lunch providers, bars after work. These are the businesses that suffer from large scale WFH

[smb]

12. Broken Window Fallacy

Obviously, people eat breakfast and lunch somewhere, so there's no net economic impact either way.

[Buckeyeblue]

25. I've worked from home for the last 6 years

Yes, I eat breakfast and lunch but I do so at home. There is no quick stop on the way into the office for coffee. No running out at lunch. And I don't decide spur of the moment to grab a beer at a bar after a long day.

There is a big difference. I've saved a great deal of money by not going to work.

I don't think the broken window fallacy fits here.

[smb]

37. That Is A Textbook Case Of The Broken Window Fallacy

The whole point of the broken window fallacy is that having to spend money on a necessary evil (replacing a broken window in the original metaphor, commuting and eating at business-district shops in this situation) does not actually benefit the economy, because the money spent on the necessary evil is money not available to spend on something else.

[Buckeyeblue]

54. It's not the same

At home I buy a bag of coffee beans and use my coffee maker to make a pot of coffee. The price per coffee is probably around ten cents. Even when I drove to work I made coffee at home first. Stopping by your coffee shop of choice and getting a large coffee is like $3 with the tip (way more if I decide to get something fancy).

Same for lunch. At home I grab leftovers or throw together a grab something quick. Probably totally cost is less than $2. At work while I should pack my lunch, I don't. I end up ordering something delivered, running out for fast food or meeting work colleagues. This can cost anywhere from $8 -$15.

My grocery bill is probably no different working from home vs going into the office but I spend a great deal less because I'm not paying for coffee or lunch out.

[smb]

103. What Do You Do With The Money You Save?

1. Use it to light cigars,
2. Bury it in the back yard,
3. Glue it to your walls, or
4. Buy something else with it?

Again, that is precisely the point of the Broken Window Fallacy -- the answer is (almost certainly) #4, which means that the economy benefits just as much either way.

[Buckeyeblue]

111. Honestly, save it.

But even if I spent on say, imported cigars, the local economy I was spending it on was not getting my money.

I also spend less on gas, less miles on my car and I spend significantly less on clothes.

There is a great deal of downstream economic impact to people working from home.

I'm not saying I'm pro back to the office work. I think good workers are even better workers at home. I think poor workers are still poor workers. Let's face it, you can go to the office and not do your job. I've watched people do it for years. I'm just saying it will change our economy.

One last aside on poor workers: hard core right wingers are by far the worst workers out there. Their problem solving skills suck. They always seem distracted.

[Mr.Bill]

46. I'm retired

but I feel the same way you do. And with the money I saved, I might be going out to dinner more often.

[MichMan]

40. Right, all those people out of work in bigger cities can all relocate

[Mariana]

60. All what people out of work?

The unemployment rate is very low. People are working.

[MichMan]

68. Local businesses near all the commercial office buildings that are no longer occupied

"Breakfast and lunch providers, bars after work. These are the businesses that suffer from large scale WFH"

"Obviously, people eat breakfast and lunch somewhere, so there's no net economic impact either way."

[smb]

72. With Unemployment Below 4%, It's Clear That The Economy Is Already Mostly Adapted

Some businesses don't do as well as they did before (ones dependent on walk-in traffic in office zones); others do better than they did before (ones situated to serve people working at home, who either buy more groceries or take lunch breaks near home).

That has been the way of the world ever since Og the caveman found a couple of rocks to bang together and make a fire more easily than Grog the caveman rubbing two sticks together.

[meadowlander]

104. Or get jobs as delivery drivers

[meadowlander]

93. What's the climate impact of tens of millions of people spending hours a day in a car

when they don't need to?

WFH is the future. Breakfast and lunch providers can adapt (by providing delivery) easier than the climate can adapt to greenhouse gas emissions.

[Meowmee]

7. Work from home is better for most

That needs to be expanded not ended. Adams ended vaccine mandate etc. this country is a joke.

[paleotn]

8. That's not necessary in many cases.

20th century thinking in my view.

[smb]

16. Precisely

As good a job as Biden is doing, sometimes he's a bit too set in old-time ways.

[paleotn]

21. Hope he's not listening to the siren song of commercial real estate

Then there's the add on businesses around work hubs. I get it, but it's just not necessary or cost effective in many cases. Our economy goes through spells of creative destruction like this. You can't stand still.

[dem4decades]

9. My son's company found out they could save 40 % on office space and get more production

from their staff when they are working remotely. The company is happy with that.

[NoMoreRepugs]

10. Isn't it more in the hands of employers than POTUS?

[tman]

11. Nah. A highly unpopular position I would guess.

[onecaliberal]

13. I've been there since June 8, 2020

[bullwinkle428]

19. First week in May, 2020 for me, but I am primarily engaged in laboratory

research, which is rather difficult to do at home. Still, around 85-90% of those in the building where I work continue to work from home, and it will be interesting to see how much pressure corporate chooses to apply, in order to get them to return to the office.

[onecaliberal]

24. My work could have been done from home while school sites were closed.

[BlueTsunami2018]

15. I think people would prefer to work from home.

Away from idiotic middle micro management, office politics and people stealing their lunches.

Of course, we blue collar people have never had that luxury. I’ve been out in this the entire time. Can’t build buildings from home.

[paleotn]

27. Funny, our on site guys seem to like it....

easier parking, no lines in the cafe or just putting up with us desk jockeys in general.

[Tree Lady]

32. I am retired now

But hated office politics and clicks.

[smb]

77. Office Politics And Cliques Are Harder To Sustain Over Remote Communication

That's why people who depend on office politics and cliques (instead of actually doing a good job) for advancement are panicking over the trend toward long-term telework.

[Tree Lady]

80. Yes it must be tough for the

Ass kissers

[smirkymonkey]

85. +1000

Exactly!

[tenderfoot]

102. I don't miss the age discrimination.

WFH is a godsend in that area.

[HipChick]

22. This will cost Biden...

Folks don't want to go back to the office...

[Tree Lady]

31. Yes he needs to see its not about

Covid. Workers love it, save money on childcare, commuting, have more time. Bosses can save money by having smaller offices. Most workers get more done without distractions.

My daughter says she goes in once a week now but gets much less done because of people disturbing her at desk.

[Sympthsical]

45. I get so much more done at home.

As your daughter said, less unnecessary interruptions. I can focus on each task and get them done quickly and efficiently.

I also work in “off” hours because I like getting things done. “Hrm, that needs to be done tomorrow. I’ll just knock that out tonight while watching tv, and then I don’t have to worry about it.”

I would never do that if I was in the office all day.

[Tree Lady]

48. True my daughter sometimes starts early

To get off early or works a bunch of long days to get a half day off. As long as she is in zoom meetings she can make her own hours.

She works for big accounting firm taxes for large banks.

[AngryOldDem]

94. I did pretty much the same.

I logged in early — much earlier than anyone else — got my hours in and logged off between 2:30-3 p.m. I also worked later if the work was there. I would keep checking the queues, doing stuff as it came in, and in the meantime relaxed by doing light chores and other things. Now during slow times in the office, I fight to stay awake and my mood goes through the floor.

[smirkymonkey]

92. I was in one day last week and all the socializing and at-desk conference calls and open

space meetings was so distracting I could barely get anything done. It's nice to chat with my co-workers now and then, but some of the more extraverted ones will gather in groups and talk and laugh loudly so that you can barely hear yourself think. I don't know how that is supposed to be considered "more productive" by people who take the stance that being in the office is better than wfh.

They aren't getting any work done, I am not getting any work done because of the distraction and I suppose others like me aren't either.

We also have open spaces with tables that some people like to gather at for improptu meetings which is another huge distraction. It's really pretty annoying and inconsiderate toward those of us who are trying to concentrate on what we are doing.

[Ace Rothstein]

23. I've been WFH since April 2016.

I've been in the office twice since then and had to travel once during that time which was a trip to Panama. I think I have it pretty good.

[uponit7771]

26. Biden admin is off on this one, they ... where are they getting their data from?!

[smirkymonkey]

33. Yeah, this is not a winning position for him to take.

Read any newspaper article on this topic and then the comments that follow. People are not going back to full time in the office. Ever.

[smb]

38. He's Setting Himself Up For Another "Independence From The Virus On July 4 (2021)" Embarrassment

The next variant could show up any time, and if so Biden's comment will age like potato salad left out in the August sun.

Lord knows he's an improvement over the Tangerine Toddler, but he really needs to work on the whole "think first, talk second" thing.

[Mariana]

61. If Covid vanished today, many people would still prefer to work at home.

It's not the President's place to tell them they shouldn't.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

34. Why is he pushing this? Does he think people aren't working at home?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

42. Omg... Agree with you!!! I've done both and love the flexibility

Of working at home. It's far more results oriented. If you want to work at 3a you can.

[Mariana]

59. The employment/unemployment numbers say people are working.

The unemployment rate is very low.

[smb]

78. I Suspect That He Still Hasn't Learned His Lesson About Trying To Be "Bipartisan"

Does he think people aren't working at home?

That's a common GQP talking point (building on their well-established disdain for the civil service). One of Biden's faults is that he's too willing to keep listening to those people no matter how often they prove themselves to be dealing in bad faith.

[smirkymonkey]

87. +1000

Yes, although I mostly approve of the job that he is doing that is one thing about him that still irritates me and prevents me from being a less enthusiastic supporter. He is too "old school" and it's not serving him well in this day and age.

[iemanja]

35. Work has changed

It's not the 20th century anymore. Remote work is extremely common, and it's not going away, pandemic or not.

[MichMan]

36. Big urban cities are going to have to accept much lower tax revenues

Without a lot of people occupying office space, paying local and state income taxes, and supporting local businesses. Wont nearly need the same number of city employees.

If people can work from home anywhere in the country, I can see some companies outsourcing some remote jobs to other countries.

After all, if all you need is a computer and a phone, what difference does it really make if your remote employees are located halfway across the country, or halfway around the world?

[Coventina]

49. This has been going on at Amex since the 1990s. Almost all of their workers are either

working at home or in India (also at home).

[Laura PourMeADrink]

39. Hmmm. Not loving this idea. Get how it would add normalcy but

SO much cheaper for businesses. And people love it.

[Silent3]

41. I'm going back to the office this coming Tuesday...

...but my company is currently planning on only requiring us to be in the office only two days per week from now on, COVID or no COVID.

It's possible that could change later, but it's what the company intends to try to stick with on a permanent basis unless it doesn't seem to be working out for some reason.

[Sympthsical]

43. The environment disagrees

Less cars, less pollution.

He basically just urged millions more Americans to go sit in traffic. What? Who’s idea was this?

I am baffled why he thinks this is even slightly a good political comment.

None of his business, really. My company found something that works, makes employees happy, and cut down on costs.

What an unnecessary political fumble. Want to anger people? Wait til they hear this one.

[Mariana]

47. That isn't his decision to make.

It is a private decision between employers and employees. It's frankly none of his business.

... Americans can not only get back to work ...

And what the hell is this about? Why feed the right-wing lie that there's this huge number of potential employees sitting at home drawing unemployment? Americans have *already* gone back to work. The unemployment rate is extremely low and has been for some time.

[milestogo]

57. + a brazillion

[MerryBlooms]

50. I've been working in the field all along,

I do home health. Not Once did I ever consider not taking care of my clients. The supervisors are still working from home. Our union finally won us retro hazard pay. Pennies on the hours, but we won! I don't know what the answer is for anyone else, but my ass will be taking care of my clients, no matter what, and their shopping, pharmacy, etc... It's what we do.

I haven't taken time off except for my own surgery right before this all started. I am there no matter what comes, including the Almeda fire.

I agree with our President, but folks should wear a mask if they need to.

[Mariana]

56. Why do you think people who can work from home shouldn't be allowed to do so? nt.

[hardluck]

51. Says the guy that works from home.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

53. You made me think about something I read many years ago. It was a psychologist

talking about trump. How he had a very distorted view of reality because he lived in that penthouse and took the elevator down to work each day for SO many years . How unreal this was and how it detached him from life in the real world.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

52. No one wants to get dressed up anymore!!!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

71. The dry-cleaning industry was decimated long before Covid.

I saw a group of people in a restaurant yesterday, women in dresses, guys in coats and ties. I wonder if I could still tie a tie. After decades of wearing a tie to work, it's been ten or fifteen years of "casual".

Last time I "dressed up - ish", Christmas, decent slacks, a nice shirt, polished shoes. No tie, no jacket.

[smb]

79. It's Not Hard To Find Perfectlhy Good White-Collar Clothes That Can Be Washed At Home

It's pretty much only the upper-level tailored executive suits and high-fashion dresses that need to be dry cleaned these days.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

81. Agree. Most restaurants don't care anymore. And I went to a funeral late last year

Shocked to see what people were wearing.

[smirkymonkey]

100. I save so much on dry cleaning!

Not to mention the whole business of "what am I going to wear today", accessorizing, makeup and all of that business.

I bought a bunch of big men's cotton button down shirts that come halfway down my thighs to wfh and and hang around the apartment when I am not going out anywhere. Of course I dress for the occasion when I do go out, but it's nice not to have to worry about it. And maybe TMI, but not having to wear a bra is so liberating! It's probably like wearing ties for men.

[Dorian Gray]

55. If offices and workers

are still out because of COVID? then yes... they should go back.

If they're out bc they find workers are more productive at home and they can save money on renting office space... well, then WFH makes sense.


I've always worked from home bc I run a small non-profit and don't want the expenditure of renting space. I have a small office at home, and that works fine for me. My husband is a teacher, and he's been back in person since September 2020. And we've managed to not get covid. We wear masks and got vaccinated, and if we do get covid at this point, we will deal with it with the best protection we could have afforded ourselves.

[Greybnk48]

69. You'll need to spend $ for clothes, food, transportation, grooming (haircuts, etc.)

not to mention extra hours away from home, family and pets because of the commute.

Who the hell would want to go back to that? And this is just the barebones. There's also the office dynamic to deal with.

[MichMan]

76. No more haircuts?

Whatever works for you I guess

[Flaleftist]

89. Another huge benefit is being able to live where you want.

Say you would like a quiet place out in the country with some acres of land. That's not easy if you have to live near a major city where your office is located.

[AngryOldDem]

98. THIS.

My commute is roughly 30+ miles round trip. I fill my tank about twice a week. Gas here is now pushing $4/gal. And yes, I worked in sweats, the work got done, and my bosses were happy. Shit, I was happy.

I see Biden’s point but I disagree with him here.

[avebury]

70. I am on permanent telework.

A lot of companies and government agencies discovered over Covid that they can actually save money where it is possible to allow employees to continue to work from home if employees can demonstrate that they continue to be productive. I never go into the office unless I have a specific purpose. I love working from home. I don't have to be concerned when the weather is bad. My work day is more flexible which benefits both me and my employer. If we get any urgent requests I have the ability to jump on line and take care of it. I can work week adjust around any doctor/dental appointments. Even when I am off work, I can occasionally check my work email on my work cellphone and jump online to provide a quick response when it is needed. The downside is that I end up working more hours from home then if I work in the office. I handle a lot of projects so am seldom in the position to fully sign off when on leave.

[Calista241]

74. fuck that, i like working from home.

[Boomerproud]

86. Pick your battles better Joe.

This is a loser with both sides, judging by the replies.

[AngryOldDem]

91. I respectfully disagree.

I worked from home for the better part of 2020. I have to say I felt better physically and mentally, I was more productive, and I actually started to enjoy my work. Unfortunately, we were called back in the late fall/early winter of 2020-21, with no further remote work possible. (I’m with a fairly large agency where other departments do have the option to telecommute — and that rankles me and a lot of my coworkers.)

I was able, too, to save on gas and wear and tear on my car — no small consideration now.

The agency is surveying employees about their jobs, and the HR person told me that a common theme is that people want the option to telecommute. I was asked what would cause me to leave, and I said without hesitation a job that allowed me to work remotely. This is the way of the future. The pandemic just drove the point home.

(Also…I’m sonewhat of a lone wolf who does not need the “camaraderie” or “togetherness” with my coworkers. On the contrary, some bug the living shit out of me and make my job that much more of an onsite ordeal.)

I miss working from home.

[tenderfoot]

97. The get back to the office crowd must miss being stuck in traffic.

If not micromanaging their subordinates.

Sorry Mr. President, some of us do better work at home.

[gulliver]

106. He should have mentioned remote work positively too

Some people like going to the office; some don't.

[Demsrule86]

107. My daughter is changing jobs because she does not wish to return to the office...she works

in Cleveland in the business district and when she gets out pretty late at her but good demanding job ...no one is around. She walks several blocks to the nearest parking lot...her company provides no parking near the job. I will be really pleased when she is out of there. It is not safe for a young woman. I insist she carries a rape whistle and pepper spray but no one is around.

[DFW]

109. In 2024

I think I will urge returning Biden to office................