I’ve been teleworking too, and I see some of the advantages you’re talking about. I sit through a lot of boring meetings, and they’re much less stressful now that I can be invisible and avoid the pressure of having to look professional—and with wireless headphones, I can walk around and do stuff.
Thing is, though, so much of work is about relationships and resolving conflict, and the way humans are built is that relationships just don’t work as well when you’re not face-to-face. I think we’ve all noticed this with internet interactions—people will say shit to you that they would never say if they were face to face, and conflicts get worse and less courteous (even with people you know in person, taking it online harms the relationship). And if you’re at all interested in friendships or romantic relationships or mentorships formed at work, that’s just not going to happen if you never meet people in person. I feel sorry for the new people who have joined our organization recently and have to work with people they’ve never met.
So I guess where I come out is, I’m glad I have the ability to telework as needed or perhaps a fixed one or two days a week, but I would not keep a job that was 100% telework, and I hope the future involves most people coming into the office most days.
I’ve been teleworking too, and I see some of the advantages you’re talking about. I sit through a lot of boring meetings, and they’re much less stressful now that I can be invisible and avoid the pressure of having to look professional—and with wireless headphones, I can walk around and do stuff.
Thing is, though, so much of work is about relationships and resolving conflict, and the way humans are built is that relationships just don’t work as well when you’re not face-to-face. I think we’ve all noticed this with internet interactions—people will say shit to you that they would never say if they were face to face, and conflicts get worse and less courteous (even with people you know in person, taking it online harms the relationship). And if you’re at all interested in friendships or romantic relationships or mentorships formed at work, that’s just not going to happen if you never meet people in person. I feel sorry for the new people who have joined our organization recently and have to work with people they’ve never met.
So I guess where I come out is, I’m glad I have the ability to telework as needed or perhaps a fixed one or two days a week, but I would not keep a job that was 100% telework, and I hope the future involves most people coming into the office most days.