My first taste of remote came in the last century. For real.
I worked remotely in Prineville, Oregon, starting in 1993. I was a newspaper reporter covering two counties about 45 minutes from the The Bulletin main office in Bend, Oregon.
Dial up internet, landlines, the works. Even these little black walkie-talkies when I was out in the field reporting stories and my editors needed to talk to me.
I’ve been a remote worker since then for almost my entire career. So it was nothing new for me when the pandemic hit two years ago and forced employees to work from home.
Like I did almost 30 years ago, we got used to it. We made it work. Companies made money. Employees thrived.
Why go back?
For some it might simple be for control. Or they like to see people working. For others it might be lack of trust. And other reasons, I’m sure. One company claims their culture works best when everyone is in the building.
The remote work/office gig is causing problems for companies demanding their employees come back to the office. A friend of mine has had it with their company. They demand all the employees work in their office, except for a chosen few who are “grandfathered.”
Another friend wants out of their remote work unfriendly company because of the commute. They say they also work less efficiently in an office with lots of distractions who are mainly other employees.
There’s got to be a middle ground. Some people love working in the office. They like the vibe, or the collaboration, or the snacks, or the extroverting playground. That’s great. Enjoy!
There’s room for some give and take. On both sides.
I remember many years ago, 2003, exactly. I was interviewing for a newspaper job but wanted to work at home and asked if I could do that. The editor who was interviewing me thought about it for a few seconds.
“I don’t care where you work,” he said. “Just get your work done.”
Amen.