Ask executives why they want to get workers back in offices, and they will tell you that productivity has nothing to do with it. Judith Carr-Rodriguez is the chief executive officer of FIG, a New York City-based advertising firm. She was surprised by how well things went when her staff moved to remote work. She is resisting a fully remote future because of the officequoi. She says she knows people are being productive. Are they learning, growing, being challenged? I worry that we are creating a culture where people are not exposing themselves in the office.
People were productive during Covid lockdowns. The growth rate of worker output per hour doubled in the previous business cycle, according to a survey by Goldman. It didn't seem to be in poor taste when bosses pushed for in-person work. Multiple heads of the biggest U.S. banks have called working from home the dumbest idea they have ever heard. New Covid-19 variant have changed their plans, but eventually they want to sit in seats. In a June survey of 1,000 human resource professionals, less than 10% said their employers would operate fully remote long term.
