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© 2025 AFPIn U.S., teleworkers don't want to turn back
By Julie JAMMOT SAN FRANCISCO©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
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© 2025 AFP
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TaiwanIsNotChina
I can understand requiring a hybrid model but full time office work for those whose jobs don't require it should go the way of Elon's credibility.
Desert Tortoise
Even before the pandemic the place I work was moving to a hybrid work environment simply because they ran out of office space and it was cheaper to reconfigure what they had for part time telework and "hoteling' at the office than to buy or build new offices. The pandemic simply accelerated the process. Even if top leadership suddenly demanded we all go back to the office tomorrow there would be no place for us to work from.
Peter Neil
management without data or information justifying the blanket return to the office mandates is just plain stupid.
all the information shows no drop or an increase in productivity.
large offices of cubicles don’t need to be leased, don’t need utilities, insurance, etc. mostly middle managers trying to justify their existence.
and all the wasted time and energy getting dressed up, traveling an hour back and forth to do the same thing you can do at home.
Antiquesaving
I understand the employee's view and in many cases working from home is possibly a better option for both the employer and employee.
But here is what the problem is in certain industries and especially in government.
Privacy concerns!
Unfortunately in recent years we have seen quite a few private information leaks some small some massive.
Ask any competent cyber security expert and they will point out it is infinitely harder to secure hundreds if not thousands of locations that one single concentrated location.
Look at the government of Canada, trying to get people back in the office every hybrid, they are refusing.
But certain information is not permitted to access remotely and for good reason.
So citizenship, passport, etc... processing is only done in office as it should be.
This means when the assigned worker isn't in office they are not able to process these things and as one would expect these services are way behind and backlogged.
Imagine your private information from name, address, phone number, date of birth, social insurance number (social security number, etc...) being accessed in an unsecured place like a cafe, this could apply to your credit cards, social media accounts, etc...
No in office isn't 100% secure but with machines that don't leave the office, areas off limits to non employees, etc...it is far easier to insure proper updates on the system are universal, that the people around are properly vetted and approved to be around the information.
Then we have the social situation, more and more "isolation" yes it may be volunteer and self isolation but when we look at how many in the west are now being treated for mental health issues related to being unable to function in public, creating even more isolation isn't going to help
As I said, some things/jobs work from home or a hybrid arrangement is fine but do you want your private information especially the information your government has to be accessible from anywhere including in public places?
Aly Rustom
hybrid and teleworking is the way of the future. It is also an excellent way to curb carbon emissions, as millions of people who would otherwise commute to work every day would be working from home. It makes sense. Companies which insist on needless 5 days a week at the office are outdated and probably are not worth working for.
YeahRight
You almost had my upvote, but then you had to put in a personal dig on someone.
No soup for you.
Sven Asai
Positive and negative interactions, that all forms and makes a company, forming an identity for fulfilling together the company's business goals. With only lone wolves in home offices, all companies will fail on this misleading path. At least hybrid models are necessary to force every employee into interaction and direct communication with other co-workers.
Aly Rustom
THIS!! Well said Peter
Jind
I have worked hybrid for many years long before covid.
I do like to spend 3-4 days in office for the team interactions and collaborations.
There is a lot that can be resolved face to face meetings than remote.
Very productive.
I don't mind employees work one or two days from home.
I have noticed that a lot of remote employees do not spend their 8 hours a day in front of their laptops as they are in gyms and grocery stores or doing something else other than actual work. You see them constantly looking at their phones.
Antiquesaving
Data is a funny thing, it is amazing how one can make the same information give two different opposite results.
Take the recent CBC investigation of the passport issuance in Canada and the time it takes go get a new passport or renew one.
According to the union and the official government site it takes under 20 days for 90% of applicants to get their passport working hybrid.
But after getting the raw data and doing some investigation, CBC found out that the true information was manipulated and in over 50% of cases it takes far longer than 20 days and 90 days or longer isn't unusual and by no means was 20 days even close to the truth.
So how do they get away with claiming under 20 days?
Well they pick and choose information, they put certain things as "special cases" " unusual circumstances" etc.. removing those from the data.
This is done by many advocates of "work from home" unions, activists etc...
And yes companies do it to to claim the worse in the opposite direction.
Problem in today's world is few very few "neutral" sources still exist, so if it is a pro corporate the data is manipulated to make work from home look bad, if it is from a employee right activists leaning source, they will push only the pro work from home manipulated data.
In all probability it depends on the job.
An insurance sales person that depends on commissions for the majority of they income will work far better from home. But a salaried worked without and supervision and no dependency on performance will slack as long as the minimum is done.