Zoom is asking employees to spend more time at the office. If managers were waiting for a sign that it was the right time to call employees back to the office, they couldn’t hope for one any clearer than the announcement that Zoom, whose videoconferencing technology made remote work possible for millions during the coronavirus pandemic, was limiting its own work-from-home policies.
“The remote-work revolution is officially dead,” declared Business Insider. According to Forbes, about 13% of the full-time American workforce is fully remote; another 28% workers are hybrid, meaning that they work some days from the office and some from home. But those figures could change in the coming weeks. Elected officials, corporate executives and civic leaders say that it’s time to curb a practice that was convenient during the early days of the pandemic but that has outlived its usefulness.
Many workers enjoy the comforts of remote work. When remote work was first introduced in the spring of 2020, it was a matter of necessity, not convenience, since most of the country was under strict lockdown orders. At first, managers were pleasantly surprised to find productivity increasing. Workers no longer had to brave lengthy commutes or engage in chit-chat with colleagues who wanted to share their vacation photos.
Now, however, most evidence is pointing in the other direction. Remote workers may be becoming more disconnected and therefore less productive. Fully remote workers who have no contact with their colleagues could be 20% less productive than their peers, according to one study. Corporate executives also say that creativity has suffered, and that younger workers are missing out on mentorship opportunities. “It’s time to admit that remote work doesn’t work,” says Silicon Valley technology investor David Sacks.
