I was reading an interesting viewpoint that echoes my own, that the people fighting for working from home are doing themselves a lot of damage. Yes, there is the lack of socialization and therefore opportunity to rise up through promotion, but there are other factors to consider too.
One of the ones that I have been mentioning for a long time is how people who work from home are far easier to replace, because there isn't the internal social network to even notice that they are being replaced. This replacement can come in many forms, like through automation, but because people are able to work from home, it doesn't really matter where they work from, including which country. This means that people are increasingly able to be replaced by cheaper workers in other locations, without having to worry about pesky things like immigration.
Immigration is only needed to fill jobs that require physical presence, not intellectual.
While companies are always looking to maximize profits, this move is likely to be perpetuated in times where companies are looking to cut costs even further, like in the case of recessions and economic uncertainty. The more isolated the employees are from each other, the easier it is to cut ties with individuals without it impacting on others in the organization.
But, what I am interested in seeing is just what many are going to do with their time once they don't have to do any of that pesky work stuff. One of my friends the other day was talking about someone he knows who is from West Africa and even though he is working here in a decent job, he still has several "side hustles" going.
This is likely a cultural thing that has been born through necessity of his situation from his home country, where multiple revenue streams were necessary. And, it is likely one of the habits that is very hard to let go of, as even though it might not be necessary, relying on the security of a single job is a risk. However, "locals" tend not to do this kind of work at all, as they feel that they are more secure in their employment situation and if they do lose their job, they can always find another one. This means that they aren't "culturally" cut out as much for the gig economy hustle.
Of course, it doesn't mean that they are unskilled, but it is a mindset change to move from being employed steadily to chasing pieces here and there and, living with the uncertainty of not knowing the amount of the next income is challenging. Some people are born into situations where they are essentially forced to live like this, and they are generally the ones who have something on the side, always with their eyes open for another opportunity.
For many of the people who seem to be looking to minimize their employed work with companies, they don't seem to have a very good picture of how they are going to make it through to whatever their old age is going to look like. They seem to be looking to maximize their free-time opportunity, but think very little about how to spend that free time. And, since they tend to be younger and less experienced, plus conditioned by the pushed culture, they also seem to be instant gratifiers, so they aren't driven to be investors either.
What do they visualize their future to be?
Remember when kids would talk about what they want to be when they grow up? Even though very few actually became those things, there was a mindset that there was something to work toward, an expectation that work was required. Now, people seem more willing to do whatever gets them by to their next hit of entertainment, without considering the longevity of what they do. It is like someone who dreams of having a house, wife and kids, but spends all their money on hookers and blow.
At some point though, reality bites and a lot of people are going to be faced with the fact that they are now far behind the eight ball. Instead of being where they wanted to be, they haven't even started taking the journey to get there and instead, have just been spinning their wheels in the mud. They will look around at their immediate peer group and perhaps see their own reflection, but if they range a little wider, there will be the people who they used to know living the life that they want for themselves, because those people worked at getting there.
Work is no guarantee, but not working pretty much seals the deal that financial success will remain out of reach. And, it could be that even moderate results are out of reach, because over the space of perhaps decades, there hasn't been adequate advancement in skills, social capital or work advancement to keep up with the inflation of the costs of of living. This means that living standards get increasingly chipped away at to lower them, rather than slowly chipping away at the barriers to financial wellbeing that facilitates a better living standard.
Rather than tasting green, many are green with envy.
Yes, we are nearly all envious of people who have what we want for ourselves, yet we rarely consider the journey they took to have what they have. It isn't always about material things either, because relationships are also sources for envy for many, where they want something special, but do not have what it takes to have it. And financial security does impact on our relationships, because financial insecurity is a major cause of stress on individuals and couples.
Love isn't all you need.
Humans seek out security and whilst in the past there was a high need for physical security in what was a dangerous world, now it is money that provides that protection. It is money that ensure there is food on the table. It is money that buys a roof over the head and a shirt on the back. It is money that pays for an education. It is money that increases opportunity. And it is money that covers the cost of entertainment, whether that be a subscription to a streaming service, or a private flight to a tropical island. Pretending this isn't the case, does no one any favors.
That is not true.
It does help those who understand economics and markets to extract more money and power from the economy, because it takes competition off the table, meaning less people competing for the pool. If everyone was invested, the ROI would be far lower, because the distribution would be far greater. If people rally care about improving wealth inequality, they should stop whining about it and start competing for it.
Note: this doesn't mean competing only in the traditional markets.
While the average person is minimizing their workload, the average hustler is increasing the impact of their time spent. While the average person is watching Netflix, the average content creator is creating something that they believe will garner for attention. While the average person complains about not having enough money, the average investor is trying to understand mechanisms to generate more wealth.
They are all competing for value.
It might not be a utopia, but it is the way economies work and those who choose not to compete, will find themselves living in a dystopic world of increasing hunger for all the things that they are unable to afford. It isn't about a Lamborghini in the driveway, it could just be about a pair of shoes to walk in - but everything has a cost and if we are unable to pay the price, we are going to pay a price.
There may be no good options in life, but some are worse than others.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
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I’ve actually got a post coming out sometime this week but I have a decent job right now where it pays the bills, does well for us but I also work a second job and I’m going to get a third one. The other 2 jobs are not every single weekend type of thing but they are contractor work where they post shifts and I pick them up. The money is great and I enjoy the work so I say fuck it, why not work extra? It’s the only way to get ahead in my opinion. It’s my own version of the gig economy where I don’t slow down. I guess I get it from my dad, who is in his 60’s and he works his full time job plus side jobs multiple days a week.
There are definitely a lot of people who just want the one job, work your hours and go home to watch sports, do the “stuff” that people are expected to do. I can’t do that shit lol I would rather be cleaning the house, organizing, writing posts or doing a lot of other things besides sitting down and watching some shit to keep us distracted.
I do miss a bit of the in person dynamic of work but at the same time I do not miss at all the fucked up commutes that we often have to do where we live to get to these places. That’s what annoys me the most. The housing near the places where the business offices are is often astronomical in price so that drives me nuts. I would love to live 10 minutes from where I work but I’m not going to financially ruin myself to do so that’s for sure. I’m not going to “keep up with the Jones’s” in that regard.
I completely agree. I have been writing about this kind of work for six years now! :D That hustle mindset brings opportunity and when doing it for a purpose other than simple survival, meaning to life.
And yeah, the commutes can suck (not an issue for most in Finland), but at the same time, they can be productive too. I used to have to drive a lot for work, or catch trains as I was working in multiple locations daily. However, I would listen to podcasts, or be mentally planning posts, taking short notes on what I will write. It was super useful for me and I had thousands of post ideas lined up.
Although there are some advantages of working remotely, as you mentioned, there are also disadvantages such as reduced social interaction and the risk of being changed more easily, I agree with this. In fact, this theory reminded me of the situation my friend told me recently. The working from home system before the pandemic was not as popular as it is now and my friend was working by going to the office, the topic we discussed during the chat was;
Does the post-pandemic hybrid & full-time work from home and going to the office 1-2 times a month make us blunt in social communication?
Since the comment my friend made to him was yes, we thought about whether the time of the pandemic had an effect on this disadvantage, and I think the answer was actually that working from home makes people blunt.
Because I'm the type who believes there is life out there. One should go out in the morning and get involved in active life, even if you have nothing to do, I still believe it is necessary to go out and take a short walk. Because most people cannot come to their senses immediately after waking up and may need 1-2 hours to open as a head. But if you have to be somewhere on time or go for a short walk as soon as you wake up, you'll come to yourself more quickly. I can relate this issue as follows, let's think of a job profile where we work from home. Neither there is environment where you can have a half hour chat with your colleague during the coffee break nor order, discipline, etc. It pulls people into the comfort zone and this comfort zone can turn into a swamp by time, so remote working makes people very socially blunt if it is managed unconsciously.
It definitely makes people blunt and then, when so many people are engrossed in socializing from behind screens, they are even more blunt. It isn't honesty either, it is just poor communication skills in general.
We are limiting ourselves from random whilst only exposing ourselves to the content and viewpoints we want to, so we are severely narrowing our exposure to different view points and topics that can bring perspective and possibly improve our own beliefs and processes.
It is a travesty.
When I am away on vacation as relaxing as it might be, I always have a sense of peace when I walk back into my office at work. It's my second home and my safe space. I spend a lot of time there and it is just comfortable to me. I can't imagine losing that. My sister just moved home from another state because her husband got a job here. Her employer is fine with her working remotely from seven hours away. I just hope it lasts for her.
There are times when remote are useful and even necessary, but it is silly to believe that convenience trumps the value. I know a lot of people who suffer (for some of them unknowingly) when they don't get enough social interaction, which might be as simple as sitting next to someone at lunch time.
Yeah, I can see that. I tend to stick to myself, but there are times I enjoy a certain amount of interaction. I just need to be in the mood for it I think. :)
Currently, my partner is working from home and I can attest to their feelings in this work from work situation. They get burdened with more work because there is no personal connection and they could simply quit at any time without much of a hassle. It seems like they work much more these days as compared to working in an actual brick and mortar building for less salary. I also agree that it has started to foster issues that we need to work through now as a couple.
Working from home also means there is no division between work and home, which of course is going to impact on working hours, but definitely on relationships - mostly for the negative. Hopefully you guys can sort through the issues.
Working from home have both it advantage and disadvantage and this only pays off to individuals who really know what they want than just being self employed without a mindset of growing positively.
Being self-employed is a bit of a different thing - because there is the entire responsibility on the shoulders. Most people really do not have what it takes to be their own boss.
I agree. Sometimes peoples are working without knowing their pay package just because it's their necessitation. Its really offers a great challenge.
When you don't know your colleagues, you can't compare notes.
A frictionless capitalism around the world can lead to rapid productivity gains. On the other hand, this would be a development that intensifies employee competition.
Imagine if in an instant, everything was automated. We would see massive gains in productivity and profits - but what does it do to society?
AI agents can create a post-human society :)
This year I have noticed that working remotely has costed few of my friends their job. Because they choose not to attend the office and those who did, managed to push them out. So things like politics is harder to handle in remote office method.
Chinese virus is gone and we have to move on to the old ways. Some can afford work from home. But rest are going to struggle and would be put on rope if there is a need to cut back on the weight. I feel it would be difficult to see growth when you are not connected with the team.
I had thoughts of the digital nomad when I was in the 20s and now in 30s too. My family is so toxic they neither get me stay home, nor they would let me travel and enjoy. I have to wait till nature clears them and give me space. I can hope. Some things not in our hands as they say.
And like it or not, out of sight, out of mind. If not being seen, you aren't seen as doing anything.
At some point, I hope you are able to get out on your own and leave the traditional family behind. What I mean is, make your own family of your choosing :)
I think it depends on what task you do in the company. For example, we are three person to do our task, working hybrid. This is the min number of employees for it. Thus, if one of us should be replaced, a new employee should be trained for 6 or 12 months.
Yep. But, in a world of corporate takeovers, it is also possible that there are overlaps and also, the new trainee needn't be local. It is an extension of the Indian call centers and help desks, for so many more jobs.
It's tough to say but I do agree that there are a lot of people who have a lot of envy when they don't put in the effort. Unfortunately. people have to realize that those who put in the work tend to get further along in life.
As for work from home, I think it will work if people are disciplined. It might not work for every single business but I wonder if most of these companies are also deciding to monitor their workers working remotely.
Everyone wants to be a star, very few are willing to lay the ground work.
WFH people might need discipline to work, but they don't always think about the impact it has on their personal lives - especially their close relationships.
I agree now lot of companies hire people from around the world for cheap and there is less jobs online
I thankfully haven't had to do an online job only yet.
I break my time down into whether I am producing or consuming. The former is where I want to spend a majority of my time whenever possible.
Precisely what happened to me when Cointelegraph contracted with the bear market. They cut my entire US-based department and moved much of those functions back to their EU team mostly located in Eastern Europe. I feel like this article is YELLING AT ME, since I fall squarely in the "just enough to scrape by and make it to the next festival" group. My day of reckoning is coming...