Sorry, but Working From Home Is Overrated

Sorry, but Working From Home Is Overrated(ˌōvərˈrāt)

Home-cooked lunches and no commuting(kəˈmyo͞ot) while we deal with coronavirus(kəˈrōnəˌvīrəs) can’t compensate(ˈkämpənˌsāt) for what’s lost in creativity.

By Kevin Roose

I’m writing this from the makeshift quarantine(ˈkwôrənˌtēn) bunker(ˈbəNGkər) in my dining room — sweatpants(ˈswetˌpants) on, hand sanitizer(ˈsanəˌtīzər) nearby, snacking my way through my emergency rations(ˈraSHən,ˈrā-). I’m getting plenty(ˈplen(t)ē) of work done, but I’m starting to get unnerved(ˌənˈnərv) by the lack of stimulation(ˌstimyəˈlāSH(ə)n). It’s been hours (days?) since I interacted face to face with a human who is not related to me, and cabin(ˈkabən) fever(ˈfēvər) is setting in.

Among the coronavirus’s many effects is a boom in people like me: office workers, shooed away from the office, trying to acclimate(əˈklīmit,ˈakləˌmāt) to a work-from-home lifestyle.

While the outbreak has already created inconveniences(ˌinkənˈvēn-yəns) (and much worse) for millions of people in the form of travel(ˈtravəl) restrictions(rəˈstrikSH(ə)n), health scares(ske(ə)r) and stock market turmoil(ˈtərˌmoil), it has been an exciting time for some fans of remote work. They argue that quarantined workers are getting a glimpse(glimps) of our glorious(ˈglôrēəs), office-free future.

“This is not how I envisioned(enˈviZHən) the distributed(dəˈstribyo͞ot) work revolution(ˌrevəˈlo͞oSHən) taking hold,” wrote Matt Mullenweg, chief(CHēf) executive(iɡˈzekyədiv) of Automattic, the software company that owns the WordPress blogging platform.

Mr. Mullenweg, whose company’s work force is fully distributed, sees a silver(ˈsilvər) lining in the coronavirus. In his blog post last week, he wrote that it “might also offer an opportunity for many companies to finally build a culture that allows long-overdue(ˌōvərˈd(y)o͞o) work flexibility.”

I get where he’s coming from. I was a remote worker for two years a while back. For most of that time, I was a work-from-home evangelist(əˈvanjələst) who told everyone within earshot(ˈi(ə)rˌSHät) about the benefits of avoiding the office. No commute! No distracting co-workers! Home-cooked lunch! What’s not to love?

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/technology/working-from-home.html