I don't think I've talked to a single CEO who is excited about or planning to continue remote work beyond what is necessary/precautionary. https://twitter.com/Austen/status/1260282168791560192

I said this tounge-in-cheek, but it has been fun to see the responses and debate.

To be fair to @Austen, I think the dominant narrative in tech and to some degree in finance, and therefore on Twitter, has been WFH is a revelation and will spark a revolution in work.

Based on the DMs and emails, COVID may indeed cause a shift in attitudes towards work.

If the hypothetical math holds on a commute-free quality of life, increasing productivity and decreasing office expense, then every company will quickly adopt the strategy or get out-competed.

The attractiveness can certainly be billed as old school vs. new school, and not without some validity.

But circumstances matter. If you don’t have kids, have a more spacious residence, and a job that is easily done from home, it seems like a no-brainer.

Start taking away those assumptions and the picture gets murky.

While the meeting-filled chaos, butts-in-seats office caricatures can be true, having space for colleagues to collaborate and focus can be wonderful.

The fidelity of in-person communication is dramatically higher and multi-stakeholder decision-making is greatly enhanced.

Sometimes that matters, and for some jobs more than others.

There are jobs that are nearly impossible to do from home — most forms of healthcare, retail, restaurants, travel, construction, manufacturing, commercial and residential services.

What does a culture look like to have support, operations, and executive functions WFH, while many others in the company are required to be physically present?

We're tribal creatures and a physical/digital intra-company divide can be problematic.

Again, it’s murky.

Many jobs fall in between. Can sales be done remotely?

Yes, but the game theory of it suggests that especially for higher-ticket transactions, you’ll get outcompeted quickly. Business travel signals importance and trust is built far, far easier in person.

The customers always have and will continue to set the rules.

The implications of a WFH revolution are obviously far-reaching for commercial and residential real estate, urban center economies, rural outposts, childcare, co-working, mass transit, work-related travel, and well-worn career paths.

Will be a battle against inertia and history.

As an aside, @PermanentEquity has always had a principle we have called “maximum reasonable flexibility.”

It’s simple — trust your colleagues and give them the latitude to decide where they work best within the constraints of the role.

When we partner, we try to demonstrate maximum allowable flexibility and hope it influences the portco company's thinking.

There are many ways to work and no "right way."

Organizations are collections of people who have opted-in to a particular culture, of which there are many.

Anyways, it’s fun to have such a lively discussion. Hope everyone is staying safe and sane. Cheers.