Level The Field
Work From Home as a default will radically transform the economy, quality of life, and environmental impact on transit. It will also smooth out cash-rich geographical hotspots and eventually help dampen the property market too. It’s the right thing and, post-pandemic, we’ll thrive for it.
Its establishment as a pandemic norm has exposed terrible managers and bad employees for what they are and tested the agility of companies across sectors. In the long run, any smart economy will lean in to it, as global talent is going home - wherever home may be.
I would actually go as far as saying that talent acquisition - in particular in data and tech sector - is going to be closely linked to WFH job offerings. In a scramble for post-pandemic recovery, any country (looking at you, the UK) with desires to gain or dominate in that arena will need to proactively incentivise remote working.
Of course, we will need to have bigger conversations, about how those who cannot work from home are compensated, recognising that they face more expense simply to perform essential tasks for businesses. But this is a long-term positive too and perhaps overdue.
For sure it’s not a sprint, but a marathon. What it will do, though, is change the type of houses we need, the infrastructure spending of states, and the way we consume (where and, also, what we’ll put up with paying).
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It has always been a decision for businesses whether to embrace this as part of the future, or go back to the "always done this way" mentality. And what we have before us is a once in a lifetime opportunity for companies and employees to drive the societal change needed to level-up for real. More power than any vote will ever provide.
The future of work is interwoven with the future of economic growth, housing, equality, and the environment. It will take on the shape we give it. Governments will simply follow the direction of travel and work out how to tax it to provide the services needed.
Look up and embrace what is within reach because we have the rarest of chances to redefine not just work but living too.