Remote Work Is For The Privileged And What To Do About It

Charles Lamb, English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, wrote a letter to poet William Wordsworth on March 20, 1822: “My theory is to enjoy life, but my practice is against it. I grow ominously tired of official confinement. Thirty years have I served the Philistines, and my neck is not subdued to the yoke. You don’t know how wearisome it is to breathe the air of four pent walls without relief, day after day, all the golden hours of the day between ten and four, without ease or interposition.”

“Two hundred years ago and people were already tired of the office work, though I’m sure the commute was better.”

Jose Maria Barrero, Nicholas Bloom, and Steven J. Davis surveyed more than 30,000 Americans to investigate whether work from home would stay. Based on their research, 21.3% of workdays will be done from home compared to 5% pre-pandemic. That is, on average, one day a week working from home. Obviously, some will work from home full-time while others won’t have that luxury due to the nature of their work. For those for whom work from home is feasible, the typical scenario will be to work two days a week from home.

As for why the work-from-home will stick, the researchers offer a couple of reasons. As with any new technology and experience, people simply got used to it. They also invested heavily into their home equipment, on average $561 and 15 hours. Then it is the shift in the attitude towards work from home as it no longer carries the stigma. It is also seen as a safer alternative as long as the Covid-19 is around. There is also a significant amount of investment into tools for efficient remote work. And then the classic of reduced commute time, and an estimated boost to productivity by 4.8% mainly coming from saved commute time.

Unfortunately, most of these benefits will go to the well-educated and well-paid workers, where the nature of their jobs allows working remotely, and there is also a lower reluctance of employers to allow it. The lower the education and the pay, the less likely it is for the worker to have this privilege.

Many companies plan to ask their workers to get back to the office. Some decided to jump on a fully remote setup. Some people want to get back to the office and to what their lives were before the pandemic. Others are revolting and refusing to come back to the office.

What very few conversations include is the answer to the most obvious question. Who are we talking about? The conversation feels like it concerns everyone, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

The hybrid model of work is here, and it is going to stay. At least for the selected few, the highly educated, white-collar, well-paid portion of the population in developed countries. If you are one of those who work from home or work from anywhere, know that you are in a privileged minority. Be grateful for that. According to McKinsey & Company research, as much as 20% of the population globally could theoretically work from home full-time. That’s it. This is the upper limit caused by the nature of the tasks that need to be performed as a part of the job.

In advanced economies, the percentage of the workforce that could work at least partially from home is higher than in emerging ones. For example, according to McKinsey, in the UK, almost half of the workforce has at least the theoretical potential to work one or two days a week from home. While in India this number is only 20%. But nothing can change the fact that globally the conversation about working from home doesn’t apply to 80% of the population.

“While often praised as the great equalizer, the remote work future will create an even bigger divide and inequalities between different parts of society.”

The majority of the workforce doesn’t have that opportunity. They need specialized machinery, collaborate face to face, sell physical goods, make deliveries, clean physical objects, take care of patients, enforce order, drive trucks, collect garbage, and so many other vital tasks that keep society going. And many of these jobs are low-paying.

What can you do?

To make the gap as small as possible, think about how you can offer at least some level of flexibility to as many of your employees as possible. When thinking about a hybrid workplace, think about tasks and activities that need to be performed rather than about job titles. That will allow more people to participate in remote work and make it more inclusive.

What is your take on the topic? Do you see the opportunity to work from home as a privilege or your right? If you work from home what can you do to help others have the same flexibility you have? Do you expect that you will have this level of flexibility in the future?

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