What Happens If WFH Lasts ... Forever? — TECH AND WORK Newsletter #5

Quick shoutout to Sharron Tendai, Shannon Tanski Cornelius, Esteban Contreras, Tej Brahmbhatt and the 4,681 people who answered last month’s TECH AND WORK poll asking whether the crisis has brought out your “inner entrepreneur.” In case you’re wondering, 74% of people said yes and 26% said no.  

Thought Of The Week

If you’re like me, you’ve probably got serious WFH whiplash by now. At first, there was so much optimism around remote work. No more commuting. No more cubicles. No more office gossip or tiresome team-building. Employers marvelled as productivity rose, while huge office leases were wiped off the books.

Then, reality set in. Homes aren’t offices. Carving out distraction-free work time, especially for parents, is a daily struggle. For managers, creating cohesion and chemistry, even just coordinating simple projects, has become an uphill battle. At some companies, waiting lists formed to get back into the office … at least until COVID’s second wave interrupted reopening plans.  

So, what now? What’s clear is that, whatever happens, WFH won’t be going away anytime soon. 83% of employers plan to continue flexible work policies, including remote work, after the crisis. For all the challenges, work is still getting done remotely and an entire generation is getting habituated to life sans office. 

But what’s desperately needed is balance. And this takes time. The rules of work — in place for hundreds of years — have been rewritten overnight. Everything from childcare options to home design to dress codes to management techniques needs to catch up. And the same goes for office technology. 

For all their virtues, Zoom, Slack and the current crop of people, productivity and comms tools still leave a lot to be desired. Businesses need a whole new generation of software to help them recruit, onboard, educate, manage and build culture, remotely. 

Flash poll: What's on your WFH software wish list right now (apps you wish existed, but don't)? Click here to vote on LinkedIn.

I have no doubt better tools will come, eventually — the need and market potential is too huge to be ignored. In the meantime, our best (and only) option is to roll with it, as we adapt in realtime to the new (ab)normal.   

Articles Worth Skimming

Death of the handshake: The handshake has been around at least since Homer’s Iliad. But it doesn’t take a genius to see its days are numbered. According to no less an authority than Dr. Fauci, shaking hands is “really one of the major ways you can transmit a respiratory-borne illness.” Problem is that — the whole germs thing aside —  the handshake actually has a lot going for it: the experience of physical touch lowers the heart rate, releases oxytocin and actually drives bonding. The New York Times looks at some options to fill that void, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ signature “hand-over-heart” motion. 

Birth of workleisure attire: By now lots of us have probably mastered the “Zoom mullet” (i.e. professional on top, PJs on the bottom). But what does the future actually hold for professional attire? Early signs suggest that tight-fitting clothes with buttons, belts and restrictive accessories like ties are definitely out. Instead, a new generation of WFH fashionistas is donning loose-fitting sweaters and linen slacks and taking cues from athleisure brands like lululemon and Kit+Ace.

The “anti-bully” font: Even before the pandemic, more than one-third of all bullying was virtual, according to the UNESCO.  With so much more interaction taking place online these days, the risk of cyberbullying has never been higher. Enter Polite Type. The open-source font automatically rewrites hurtful words as users type. (“I hate you” becomes “I disagree with you.”) Meanwhile, profanity is blurred out altogether. While not a panacea for cyberbullying, Polite Type is a friendly reminder to choose words carefully online. Download it free here. 

Feedback From Readers

Starting a dialogue is what this newsletter is about. So I’m always appreciative for comments and engagement. This comment comes from Heather Scearce, an agent at New York Life Insurance Company, in response to my recent article about the upsides of virtual hiring.

I had a positive experience as an employee in the virtual hiring process. I think that virtual meetings conducted while you are in your own space can create a feeling of comfort and neutrality that does not exist in a typical interview where the physical surroundings are unfamiliar. All in all, the process for me went very well.

Love the point about comfort/neutrality, Heather. I think that’s a huge boon of the WFH experience overhaul, not just in terms of interviewing. The added stress of being in a foreign environment that you don’t have control over is minimized, enabling you to really focus on the task at hand (at least, when partner, kids, dog, etc. aren’t Zoom-bombing your calls).   

Dad Joke Of The Week

Why can’t you trust atoms? … wait for it … 

They make up everything.  

Thanks, everyone. Please hit me up with any comments, suggestions or feedback and encourage your colleagues to subscribe here. Talk soon!