It should have a lasting effect. Companies in cities, where they have been spending enormous amounts of money on office rent and maintenance, are also getting a lot of pushback from workers who have now realized what their life can be like when they don't have to commute 60min each direction into the city daily. N of 1, but the wife's company which prior to COVID required everyone come in to the office (she had to get a special dispensation when we moved) has shifted to allowing like 30% of employees work from home, 20% work part-time from home and the rest work in the office, or something like that. A large shift for a company which was very firm about it previously. This is primarily because the pandemic forced a proof of concept, and workers showed they can be just as efficient working from home as they were in the office. (I do not know if that means they were just as lazy in the office or what).

victor809 wrote:

My life is better since I got sent home March 17th, 2020. My job has not changed one single bit. I had been pleading for YEARS before then to allow flexibility to stay home for those of us that can and COVID forced their hand. I have ZERO desire to return to "normal." I care nothing about corporate cultures or interpersonal interaction. My job is 100% network based and 98.2% of all communications with others I had BEFORE COVID was on Skype, Teams, email, or phone. Right now I go the office an average of about once a month for 2-3 hours to do those very few things I need to do in person. That's fine. The rest of the time, I am taking up NO space at the office. I require no HVAC or power or even flush their toilets. I actually spend MORE time online just because I want to and have the time. My hours are no longer 7-3:30. They are "whenever". If I want to go fish or run errands, I do. The wife and I are empty nesters so I have no distractions at home unless she is feeling amorous. Yep....even our sex life is better. I can also be anywhere and do my job. I am currently sitting on my patio writing this, smoking my pipe, and working on a beautiful late spring day. Not trapped in a gaddam office listening to some meathead drone on about some nonsense.
I've been sniffing around for promotion for a couple of years and now? Don't even want it. If possible, I want to ride this out until retirement. Let the younger ones or those who love the office environment have those. Just let me have this. I've heard some idiots complain that the company should "pay for our internet and power bills and give us fancy chairs at home." Are you $hitting me? STFU. They DO provide computers and monitors and such. I can pay for the services I already have. Hell, just the savings on gas and time MORE than make up for that $hit.

The smart companies will use this as a recruitment tool and run with it. The dumb ones (most of them) will force people like me back in the office and watch as we seek out those will let us have our freedom back.

I should also add that I haven't used any "vacation" time in almost 2 years. Hell, I don't need to. I feel like I have a full time job AND am retired all at the same time. I'm a "non-corporate" guy in a corporate world. For the first time, I'm ok with that.

JadeRose wrote:

If I was still working I'd be in the same boat, except I would also be saying, "See, I told it would work!"

Gene363 wrote:

The reports of the death of the office job are greatly exaggerated.

HockeyDad wrote:

it's certainly a scary issue for a lot of middle management, (AKA excess overhead) types in addition to office space owners.

Gene363 wrote: