What should remote work be like post-pandemic?

Along with the general reopening taking place has come speculation about the future of office-based work. While remote work is obviously not an option for those in retail or restaurant jobs, other industries and workplaces will have to decide what role remote work should have going forward. Nuance on this issue seems to have gotten a bit lost, based on some of what I've read recently. 

This shouldn't be an all-or-nothing matter. Different workplaces and teams may be suited for different working arrangements, depending on the particular nature of the work and employees involved. Recognizing that personal preference can influence whether a given employee would prefer to work remotely, in an ideal scenario, decisions about remote work arrangements would be made collaboratively between managers and employees based on the needs and preferences at hand. 

Maybe the conclusion at a given workplace is that some (or even all?) employees will work completely from home, or perhaps a hybrid schedule where employees work remotely on some days and at the office on others. Other workplaces might embrace a return to physical offices with enthusiasm. There are plenty of different ways this could play out; the greater flexibility working remotely allows can certainly be beneficial to some, yet others may thrive in a standard office environment. Again, this shouldn't be an all-or-nothing matter.   

Noting that some people prefer remote work because they have long and stressful commutes, this highlights the underlying issue of transportation and land use policy and the necessity of building homes near jobs. If more people can live closer to where they work, their commutes will be shorter. This goes in tandem with providing expanded and reliable transit service which decreases car traffic, making the commutes of those who still choose to drive less congested. Denser, mixed-use communities can even allow people to walk or bike to work, further reducing car traffic. 

All said, remote work is a good option to have and in some cases may be perfectly suited, but at the same time, there are certainly upsides to working in an office with one's coworkers so let's not hail the end of the office quite too soon. 

And let's also not overlook the underlying land use and transportation policy that makes some people's commutes so unbearable, hence their preference for working remotely. I guess I'm kind of making similar points to those expressed here, so give that a look for additional thoughts on this matter from someone else.