For Curtis Sparrer, a home-based evangelist, the office is just a “business prison.”
Five years after the Covid-19 pandemic sent workers scurrying home, laptops under their arms, Sparer is challenging the arguments made by corporate America as it seeks to fully return to the office.
The issue has become political.
The incoming Trump administration, through the Department of Government Operations (DOGE) led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, plans to end all remote work for federal employees.
“When you have an office, there’s a lack of trust. You need to see people there to make sure they’re doing their job,” the PR manager told AFP from his San Francisco apartment, which overlooks the city’s rooftops. .
After the telecommuting revolution, hybrid work became the norm in the United States, with a few exceptions such as Goldman Sachs and Tesla, which quickly mandated full-time office presence.
Now, many large companies are abandoning the compromise method.
Amazon recently required engineers and administrative staff to come back five days a week. According to a survey conducted by the social network Blind last September, more than 90 percent of employees are not happy with this decision.
On Reddit, users are reporting that they have turned down interviews to work for the e-commerce and cloud giant because of the policy.
Others think it’s a veiled downsizing strategy, although they believe the company founded by Jeff Bezos is at risk of losing its top talent.
– Chewing food –
JPMorgan Chase’s March announcement that it was ending wire services was met with similar resistance.
Employees posted so many comments about concerns — from travel costs to child care — in an internal forum that the bank closed that section, according to the Wall Street Journal.
JPMorgan CFO Jeremy Barnum addressed the issue during a press conference, and acknowledged the risk of losing key employees, saying: “We are not very confident that we will return to work.”
“I’m disappointed that Amazon and others have pulled people into the office while we’re making great progress in making working from home the norm,” Sparer complained.
When he founded Bospar in January 2015, Sparer deliberately chose not to rent office space, both to save money and to recruit talent beyond San Francisco and New York. Ten years later, he still stands by that decision.
Office spaces naturally create inequality, he said.
“One gets a corner office with windows and the other gets a cubicle, which causes conflict,” he explained.
“There are also more opportunities for sexual harassment, the spread of disease, and the daily irritation of office gossip and hearing coworkers chew their food.”
Sparrer emphasized the environmental benefits of telecommuting, noting that many Americans drive to work in cars that guzzle gas.
“A typical office building is a pollution nightmare,” he said. His company’s research shows that remote workers are more likely to cook at home instead of ordering delivery and recycle their own waste.
– ‘When, where and how’ –
According to a “Flex Index” study by IT solutions company Scoop, by the end of 2024, nearly one-third of US companies will need a full-time office presence, 38 percent will maintain a hybrid approach, and less than 30 offers a complete selection of employees. .
Healthcare software provider DrFirst is an example of a successful remote work transition.
The company, which previously maintained three offices in Arizona and Maryland, transitioned 400 of its employees to telecommuting permanently by 2023 based on employee feedback.
“More than 85 percent of our people reported that working remotely improves their overall well-being, whether it’s mental or physical health, and reduces stress,” said Mathew Carrico, the company’s vice president of human resources.
“Productivity is always high.”
To maintain the company’s culture, DrFirst established online community groups, regular check-ins, and an action plan based on quarterly goals.
“We don’t dictate when, where, or how people work – that’s where trust comes in,” explains Carrico. “But we are responsible for the results, as we would do in the office.”
Heather Happe, a 14-year veteran of DrFirst, appreciates escaping rush hour traffic.
“There’s that slippery slope of knowing when to stop working, but you learn to set boundaries,” she said.
“I can spend more time with my son, pets, and plants!”
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