Could Remote Work Be Destroying Your Hometown? — TECH AND WORK Newsletter #9

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Thought Of The Week — Second-order effects of remote work

You’ve probably heard of the concept of second-order effects. Basically, when anything happens, it has immediate consequences. When we switched to remote work, for instance, offices went dark, people stopped commuting and everyone got really good at Zoom. 

Second-order effects are the consequences of the consequences. It’s about following the chain of causation down the line. Nearly nine months into this work-from-experiment, we’re starting to glimpse some of the second-order effects and, well, they’re huge — far more consequential than we initially thought. 

For starters, there’s literally a mass migration in progress across the U.S. as remote workers leave expensive cities for more affordable outlying areas. Recent data from Upwork shows anywhere from 14 to 23 million Americans are planning to move as a result of remote work.

With this mass migration have come challenging questions for employers, especially those who plan to embrace remote work going forward. For example, should remote workers who live in less expensive areas be paid less than those in pricy cities? Reddit has planted a flag here by promising to pay everyone the same regardless of geography. My 2c: While this approach seems egalitarian, it actually hurts people who live in big cities and may backfire. 

Then there’s the reality that our cities and towns were built — in some cases over centuries — around the idea of in-person work. Offices clustered in downtown real estate. Restaurants and shops gathered around them. Transit systems were put in place to move workers back and forth. But remote work imperils that entire ecosystem and the countless jobs dependent on it — so much so that Deutsche Bank economists argued last week that remote workers should be subject to a 5% tax to offset these economic impacts and support lower income employees who still have to go into work.   

Flash poll: Would you support a 5% tax on remote workers to help subsidize lower-income workers who can’t do their jobs from home? Click here to vote on LinkedIn.

The big picture here is that the second-order effects of remote work are just starting to be felt. And they promise to change not merely how we do our jobs, but how we live our lives. 

Articles Worth Skimming

Working parenthood 2.0 So many parents have been forced to juggle childcare and schooling with job responsibilities during the pandemic. And it’s taking an emotional toll — in the form of burnout, guilt, frustration and endless compromises. Author and parenting expert Daisy Dowling argues in Harvard Business Review that what’s needed is a radical new conception of what working parenthood means, including “a no-apologies view of yourself as a single, whole and complete person” and “a bias toward visibility and action.” 

Covid passports are coming Some major good news last week, with Pfizer’s announcement of positive results from its phase III Covid vaccine trial. The tricky thing, of course, is that it will take months to administer a vaccine to everyone who needs it. In the meantime, how do we keep track of who’s safe to travel, attend concerts, go to work, etc.? Enter the digital immunity certificate — an update on the old-fashioned “yellow cards” issued by the WHO to certify vaccinations. Axios reports on various emerging options, including encoding info onto biometric passports or smart ID cards or — better yet — making use of the NFC “tap” functionality in smartphones.   

Empty offices as affordable housing More second-order consequences of remote work here: In Manhattan, only 10% of workers had returned to the office as of late September. Those numbers will rebound, but a work-from-home future means huge numbers of offices will remain vacant. So why not convert this idle office space into new residential projects, especially badly needed affordable housing? Bloomberg reports that this idea is gaining serious traction, not just in New York but across the country. 

Feedback From Readers

I got some great responses to my poll last week asking how effective people are at “managing themselves” at home. (If you’re curious, 63% said they were great, 29% OK, 6% not good, and 2% abysmal.) I wanted to highlight this comment: 

I've been a remote freelancer for 5 years now. I can see why it's not for everyone, but I can't imagine working any other way. Over those 5 years, I've implemented processes and tools to stay on top or even ahead of all my client and personal tasks. For me, it's all about keeping a good overview. Some of my favorite resources have been the 12 Week Year and the Productivity Show podcast from Asian Efficiency. If anyone is struggling, check those out. — Thalassa van Beek, freelance social media strategist and manager

Thanks for the perspective and resources, Thalassa. What struck me about what you said is that self-management (and thriving in a WFH setting) is really a learned skill. Like any other skill, it requires training and practice to master. The challenging part is that so many of us have been thrust into remote work with little or no foundation in place. Huge opportunity here for HR-related software and HR teams to fill this void and support employees as they develop these new self-management muscles. 

Dad Joke Of The Week

What does a nosy chili pepper do? … wait for it …

Gets jalape?o business!

Thanks, everyone. Please reach out with any comments, suggestions or feedback, and tell your colleagues to subscribe here. Until next time!