Not So Fast on the Work-From-Home Trend
All movements have a catalyst that elevates them from radical ideas to mainstream, conventional thought.
The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has been the catalyst for the remote-work army to issue this attitude: Offices are dead and the future is working from home.
While part of me celebrated the public’s embrace of remote work, I hesitated and thought to myself, “whoa, not so fast…”
In the headwind that is all things indefinite remote work, we have something to say here at Fisheye:
Offices and places of collaboration are not dead.
The Work-From-Home Trend
Humans love to spot trends. Once we spot those trends, it often becomes a sprint by the most ambitious among us to the far end of said trend.
But given time to reflect, oftentimes these first movers are not granted all of the spoils of their progressive — and well-intentioned — thought.
For years, we’ve been advocates of working remotely here at Fisheye Marketing.
Our team members at Fisheye have had the freedom to set up at our office, coffee shops, local businesses, libraries, or from the comforts of their homes. We have been primarily a location-agnostic agency.
We use a bevy of tools (Slack, G-Suite, Zoom, Loom, Monday.com, etc.) to stay connected when our physical presences are not.
Despite this, we have an office and have since 2016.
Why is this?
My belief is that there is an intangible benefit that takes place from human energy, proximity, and collaboration.
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon shares this sentiment, stating in response to Google CEO Sundar Pichai at a security conference last month, “In-office interactions are critical to innovation."
Google is moving full-steam ahead toward the trend. They are sprinting toward wide-spread remote work.
It was just released that Google will offer employees $1,000 to equip themselves with “work-from-home office supplies.” However, reducing their offices will boast millions of dollars in annual energy cost savings to the corporation.
Much of Google’s team will work from home through the end of 2020.
Benefits & Challenges
Working from home and remotely has its benefits. We’ve lived this life!
Some of the elements our team enjoys?
Starting your day in your pajamas.
Saving on drive time / commute.
(The average American spends 4 hours and 35 minutes per week commuting to-and-from places of employment.)
Working out during the day, as time permits.
Going on walks through your neighborhood over lunch.
Petting the dog.
Meals from home.
Freedom to move about the house throughout the day.
Enjoying time to work outside, if possible.
However, there are unique challenges.
In a recent study, 29% of employees who work from home have indicated they struggle to implement work-life balance. Their work creeps into their evenings and free time.
Offices build in the ability to mindlessly compartmentalize our lives. We can work there and live our lives at home. Remote work blurs those lines, without discipline and defined time.
Also, it’s lonely working from home in perpetuity. I can say this after founding an agency from local coffee shops and my 725 sq. ft. apartment on the outskirts of town. It’s lonely stuff.
Our Verdict
Great work is never confined to a singular location.
At Fisheye, our great work exists inside our minds and on our devices.
However, having a centralized location helps us optimize our work. Some of the greatest marketing ideas we’ve ever had have come during a team whiteboard session, or groupthink brainstorms for a client in person.
There’s something innately human about meeting face-to-face. Reading on physical, non-verbal cues builds momentum as we tackle challenges together.
While we’re excited to see the world wrap its arms around remote work, ultimately, there is a place in this world for office space.
We can’t talk over one another on Zoom calls indefinitely. (Ope, sorry, were you talking there?)
Office spaces may seem to be trending out, but it is our hope at Fisheye that companies are simply more mindful of the use of their office spaces and remote work policies.
We will continue to be efficient with common space and be flexible with our remote work policies.
The first step is having the conversation.
