Remote workers of the world, unite!
Hello, and welcome to WIRED Start: your weekly roundup of the most important stories, landing in your inbox every Monday.?
This week sociologist Katherine Alejandra Cross considers the masses who settled into remote or hybrid work during the pandemic, and suggests they are waking up to the fact that Zoom-mediated labor isn't all it was promised to be.
Remote Workers of the World, Unite!
Instead of being liberated from unnecessary drudgery, demands on remote or hybrid workers’ time have ballooned, they feel permanently on call, and some can't shake the sense that they're working harder than ever for less pay.
They're experiencing a lesson that everyone who's ever used so-called labor-saving devices has learned the hard way: Expectations swell to fill the gaps left by the time you save. Women have always felt this most acutely; if a washing machine saved you hours on doing laundry, then you had to fill that time with other displays of devotion to your family. Zoom is no different: The hour you save on your unpaid commute is now an hour that can be filled with a pointless meeting.?
Capitalism expands to fill all available space, co-opting anything put before it
A bit of pushback is required, because over the past three years much of the public has too often treated remote work as an inherent good. The managers and bosses who wailed to the high heavens about how remote work would end civilization certainly did nothing to hurt the impression that it could be a mighty strike against capitalist exploitation. If it were making them this mad, surely it was revolutionary. But it's not. Like expectations, capitalism expands to fill all available space, co-opting anything put before it. Remote work is no different, and if we're not careful, the tech that makes it possible will obliterate the already porous wall between home and workplace.
Read the full story here.
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Until next time
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Patent Illustrator, Design Concept Artist
1 年This is complicated by click tracking which completely disregards the role of ideation in work flow. I have actually been encouraged to think less in order to optimize productivity. Which is kind of crazy when you realize mistakes introduced from rushing require time to fix later. This is happening as much in the office as remote. These productivity expectations are skyrocketing from growth in competition from international markets and AI.
HR Consultant/HR Outsourcing/Employee Relations/Employee Engagement Specialists
1 年This an insightful resource - thanks for sharing!
Recruiting, HR and Operations - and Proud AGGIE Dad!
1 年I have no idea why it was necessary to claim that "Women have always felt this most acutely" starting with washing machines - a comment which insults both sexes. I suggest that such remarks and comparisons be left out if you want to be taken seriously.
Opportunity Management, Grant Winning, Business Development, Communications Training
1 年Lol.