Sign Me Up For The Zoom Meetings

Recently I made a post that seemed to strike a chord with a lot of workers right now. You see people talking about Zoom fatigue and how over Zoom meetings they are on social media. Nothing is ever perfect, but something we need to remember is that while there are some annoyances with working from home, there are many more when having to work in-office. 

Long commutes into work take up a massive chunk of our time by themselves, and that isn’t even considering how long face-to-face meetings often drag on. According to the Census Bureau, the average commute time daily nationwide was 55.2 minutes in 2019, and in more busy towns, it can be easily that much one way! In one year, that means the average person spends around 240 hours commuting, with those of us who are unlucky in more busy metro areas spending upwards of 525 hours a year commuting. Even at $15/hour, that is up to $7,875 a year we are spending just getting to and from our jobs!

That dollar-to-hour ratio really doesn’t scratch the surface of what that time means to the average person, though. Many of us that are parents get home as our kids are getting ready to go to bed. We get home and struggle to somehow magically squeeze in the time to eat a healthy meal, hit the gym, see our family, and get enough sleep for the next day. We do that five days a week for most of our entire adult life. This balance gets infinitely more complicated when both partners in a relationship are working, especially if kids are in the mix. 

When both parents are working, as is the case with almost half of all married households, having flexibility and remote work opportunities is a must. Juggling family time when both partners work an in-office 9-5 (with a commute!) becomes astronomically difficult. With that in mind, consider how this kind of situation is increasingly challenging for disadvantaged families where the option for one partner to stay at home is just not possible due to financial strain.

We haven’t even touched on how remote work is significantly beneficial to mental health and that 80% of workers are hoping for flex-work options after the pandemic. Just look at these statistics from this study from FlexJobs in partnership with Mental Health America:

• 80% of workers agree that work flexibility is better for their mental health
• 83% of workers say remote work options decreases stress
• Less than 2% of respondents are interested in full-time onsite work
• 67% say work flexibility means they would spend more time exercising
• 92% say having a flexible job makes them a happier person in general

We need to face it - forcing onsite work five days a week just doesn’t make sense. The option to come into the office and interact face-to-face is fine; there is nothing wrong with needing that schedule and stability to stay focused and work. With that being said, I want my 525 hours a year. I value that time that I can invest in my family, and I value that time I can invest in myself. 

As I said before, sign me up for the Zoom meetings.