Elon Musk issued a statement that all of his employees will be returning to the office to work, saying if they do not like it, they can go pretend to work someplace else.
The implication being that those who work remotely are so comfortable that they aren't actually getting any work done.
Some also claim that working from home is morally wrong, insisting that people who work in their homes will suffer from isolation, sloth, laziness, mental illness, alcoholism and drug addiction.
Without the water-cooler affect, they argue that people will be stuck inside their own worlds not noticing how wretched their social skills and personal hygiene has become.
While not every employer has the option to afford the luxury of remote work, some are simply against giving their employees the choice.
Of course, as Libertarians, we support their right to run their business as they see fit, but there is nothing immoral about working outside of the office.
Here are 6 considerations when thinking about the future of remote work that is a symbiotic relationship between employer and employee.
1. Productivity Improves
The stodgy old boss thinks that you need to be micromanaged in order to be productive. This may be true in some rare arenas, but overall people remain quite productive while working from home.
Some employees actually become far more productive.
When thinking about the measurement of productivity, many supervisors mistakenly believe that it is about how much work can be done in a given time frame.
While time is definitely a factor overall when it comes to success, it doesn't have to be measured hourly or even daily, but rather as an aggregate. The more value put into the work, the better the pay off on the grand scheme.
The remote worker has a lot fewer interruptions, a lot less obstacles that impede the value that they put into their work. Mundane and stressful tasks like commuting to work, getting on the subway, dealing with parking garages, fighting the clock in the morning, etc impede the caliber of someone's content and production.
Also, it is demonstrated that while some employees do not consistently sit at their desks (which they shouldn't anyway), they do spend more time actively engaged in their projects from week to week.
What improves their morale and attitude?
2. Independence & Flexibility
The fact that some employees can go run errands, take walks, exercise, meditate, fix the bathroom sink, wash clothes, spend more time on meals, having more quality time with their family, etc really bothers some owners and supervisors.
There is no reason to object to this sort of flexibility, independence, and freedom. As a purchaser of labor, I want those who work for me to have all of those things available to them.
As long as they're providing value to my company, I don't care if they spend more time making home cooked meals. As long as deadlines are met and they're available when needed, I don't care if they step out for a leisurely walk or swim or jog.
I would prefer them sew more into themselves and become better people. The rising tide raises all ships. If their lives get better, they will become a better asset to me as well as themselves.
3. A Wider Range of Team Members
Decentralizing the working facility is a great benefit to both the owners and the employees.
Instead of having people locally apply for a job and building a team from a small selective pool of options, we can cast our nets far and wide to really give ourselves the chance to build the most vital team possible.
Likewise, an employee doesn't have to live 20 minutes from their workplace. They have an enormous scale of options by being able to find what's best for themselves in the entire country (or even globally).
As Libertarians, we prefer more options, not more restrictions. More freedom and better options make better employees. The quality of a worker's performance will degrade under micromanagement, including the suffocating feeling of not having the option of mobility in their careers.
4. Reduced Overhead
An extension to the previous point is reducing the costs of operating. Not only does productivity increase, the amount that has to be invested into the physical operation is greatly reduced. Financial and mental costs are severely lowered.
No warehouse, no office, no breakroom, no furniture, air conditioning, risk of injuries, etc.
Likewise, the employee doesn't have to own 3 cars, 50 outfits, and a monthly pass to pay for public toll roads and gas taxes. It saves them time, money, and inconvenience.
5. Ability to Build a Successful Life
While it is true that some may become isolated and dive deep into a depressive state where their personal attire and hygiene suffer immensely, most people simply need to adjust to the lifestyle. Most will eventually become more disciplined.
Contrary to waking up drinking whiskey everyday because your boss can't smell it on you, many remote workers have picked up healthy habits like yoga, meditation, breathwork classes, increasing their education, preparing healthier meals, going to the gym more, lifting weights, taking walks, being artistic, getting stand up desks, installing happy lights, office treadmills and cycling, etc.
Since there is nobody around to watch you, you can take 10 minutes to do some jumping jacks, run the neighborhood, walk the dog, or sing while making a healthy smoothie.
The possibilities are endless, and the more time the culture has to evolve, the more creative it will become. People will be improving their lives, and that is solid and morally sound.
6. The New Water Cooler(S)
Some employees miss the daily inclusion of social interactions in their lives when they begin working from home. The working individual gets to spend their breaks talking to other like-minded people or even get a chance to get closer to supervisors.
While remote workers can still impress their bosses, get raises, and show their worth, they may be lacking in having a social life.
The reality, however, is that you do not need to have a social life with people at school or work. We are social creatures, but there's nothing hardwired into our DNA that says we can only be social with the people we work around.
The truth is that the remote worker can be even more social than they were before. While being stuck at work, they are only going to get social interactions with other employees.
In a remote working setting, an employee can stay very in the loop through phone calls, zooms, texting, pings, etc that they are encouraged to make whereas private phone calls to friends while at work are generally frowned upon.
In the meanwhile, the remote worker has the freedom and luxury to stay communicated with many people outside of their work sphere whilst still maintaining productivity.
Some employees have even joined or become a presence to neighborhood watches, clubs, improvement associations, and other valuable community networks. They are even more connected than they were before.
Not only are they a better asset to the community as a whole, they are happier and more inclined to go to trivia nights, shows, bars, bowling alleys, church bingos, etc when the work is all done.
In conclusion
It's a pretty far reach to claim that working from home is morally wrong. While there are indeed some obstacles to overcome and new challenges to face, the end result is more freedom, more flexibility, better productivity, better social interactions, more community, and fewer interruptions.
As the culture develops more, the grand design of a better life for many employees will become a morally uplifting reality.
If you enjoyed this insightful article, check out What To Do If You Hate Your Job.
