Offices. A long-awaited comeback, or already a relic?

After September 11, the eyes of the whole world turned to the problem of terrorism. This phenomenon had, of course, operated earlier, however, at that time it affected the most powerful country in the world, and as a result, it did not take long to react. In addition to the obvious military measures, the implementation of enhanced security procedures began. This can be clearly seen at the gates detecting metal and other materials from which explosives can be obtained standing in large numbers at airports. It's been 20 years since 2001. A lot right? Almost a quarter of a century, and terrorist security strictures continue to function at virtually the same level.

In today's post, I'd like to touch on remote working, in the context of maintaining, as it were, the continuity of this solution after the SARS - Cov 2 virus was tame. Many companies have introduced this work system more or less willingly. Some with more fear caused by the epidemiological situation, others and more skeptical according to the principle "Dura lex, sed lex".

Remote work in numbers

According to a report by the European Commission, published on April 30, 2020, before the pandemic we were working remotely and at 40h/week at 1.9%. At this point, the percentage is, as high as 85.6. We can clearly see that we have practically completely transformed our work model. This mode, undoubtedly attractive in its form, has brought many positive consequences. Let's do a little comparison of employee opinions from before and during the pandemic based on the committee's report.

• Adaptation of work to personal needs: up from 71% to 81%
• Saving time (e.g., for commuting): up from 50% to 94%
• Motivation to work: up from 28% to 45%
• Overall greater job satisfaction: up from 30% to 42%

Not so colorful in the long run anymore...

The same report, is a very comprehensive publication and includes in its content also the other side of the coin. We have written about the negative effects of remote work before. We have used in our publications the psychology of the human mind and its task-oriented nature, the "need" for stability and the physical movement itself. Added to all this is the very obvious and simple fact, namely that we are herd animals. We need each other, we need interaction with each other, and we need it at the smallest level (such as the smell emitted by the other person). All this and many more obvious factors cause this way of working to gradually begin to bother us. Let's make a comparison based on the previous report with the same formula as in the previous paragraph:

• Lack of self-discipline: up from 18% to 27%
• Blurring of the work-life boundary: increase from 16% to 53%
• Weekend work: increase from 15% to 19%
• Difficulty focusing - presence of other household members: increase from 8% to 33%

There are many more examples for and against, and I won't show them all here. I refer you dear ones to the report, if anyone is curious: https://epale.ec.europa.eu/pl/resource-centre/content/raport-z-badania-dotyczacego-pracy-zdalnej-w-czasie-pandemii-covid-19 . The general conclusion of the study of the impact of remote work is as follows: we are coping, but we are increasingly affected by the lack of contact with each other and the disorder of work and home zones. I fear that such "recommendations" will be maintained and promoted long after the current crisis is resolved.