OPINION: Working from home is bad for business and workers; after all, if your job can be done from Brighton or Parramatta or Chatswood, it can probably also be done from Bangalore or Johannesburg, for a lot cheaper.
It’s been the sleeper issue since the pandemic has drawn to an end. A privileged element of society returning to normality: white-collar workers returning to the office.Elon Musk and Scott Farquhar.
For the vast majority of workers, such as nurses, teachers, chefs, truck drivers and manufacturers, working from home is impossible. Finishing at 4.30pm to make dinner and watch Netflix may sound like fun, but there is increasing data that shows employees who work from home are suffering from increased loneliness and isolation, as well as being unable to detach from work.
That is, if your job can be done from Brighton or Parramatta or Chatswood, it can probably also be done from Bangalore or Johannesburg, for a lot cheaper. A software developer or accountant working from home is far more likely to accept a slightly more lucrative job offer – why? Because they no longer have any intrinsic connection to their employer.