On Remote Work Part 1

This is great to hear (from BBC Worklife):

Leading voices in the tech industry have been backing remote work and the advantages that it brings since fairly early on in the pandemic, however. They cite evidence that working from home can result in increased productivity as well as providing better work-life balance, a wider workforce talent pool for hiring, and greater employee inclusivity and retention.

But there is always people trying to go against the tide, not surprisingly this one, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. He said this:

Google expects employees to work in-person for at least three days a week after the planned return to offices on 1 September, The New York Times reported. But what it means is that Google employees are required (a.k.a. obligated) to work from the office at least three days a week. We all know what at least implies to those big money guys.

And then there is this:

“It’s an aberration that we are going to correct as quickly as possible.”  Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said at a Credit Suisse Group AG conference in February.

Not worth commenting; this guy still lives during the Industrial Revolution. His employees are expected to work 80 hours a week—at least.

What is worth to comment is Solomon’s pay package: it is comprised of $2 million in base salary, a $4.65 million cash bonus, and $10.85 million compensation in stock form, which is based on the bank’s performance (CNBC). This is not even decent.

I’ve been working remotely for the last 16 months. My agency fought hard to stay alive during the pandemic. It survived. We were never as united, collaborative, and productive, individually and as a team, as we are right now. I am not being naive, I am experiencing intensively this new reality, and as much as those C-suite guys try to keep things as-is for the obvious reasons, the future is coming. It seems pretty different—and better— for the people who do the actual work.

I am posting this from a cabin in Lake Tahoe, in front of a fireplace.