I have had a home office of sorts for over 20 years. Leaving Germany aged 24, I have communicated with my parents first via fax from Australia, later through Skype. Over the years I have learned how to best make use of the home office space and how to juggle between the official business location and being at home when pumping out work. The pros and cons of online meetings are old friends.
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, many people discovered that one could work from home, not having to follow a rigid schedule of office hours. Employers were sympathetic when it came to parents having to juggle kids, household and work in one space. Great! I appreciate that concessions were made.
However, I never believed in the narrative that the era of the office is over and that the WFH paradigm will take over. Many articles proclaimed the downfall of office buildings as the place to perform ones task. Doomsday projections saw the construction industry suffering as there would be no demand. Funny memes about Zoom filter failures circulated.
Well, go out now. Drive to town in the morning. EVERYONE is back to the office and traffic is as thick as it used to be, if not thicker. People now also discover that there is an upside or two to the daily commute. For instance, one doesn't have to start working the moment one wakes up. A podcast can educate me while I drive to the office; something I wouldn't do when working from home.
I could say "Told you so". But it would not be credible as I don't have evidence of having said that the world will return to the office. Personally, I am happy to be back in my office a few days a week. When I am not in, I am usually travelling or working on something that requires quiet time.
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