Remote work is 'here to stay' -- even with a vaccine, says former IBM CEO

[Klaralven]

Technology trends driven by the coronavirus pandemic — such as the shift to remote working — will continue after a vaccine becomes available, according to the former boss of IBM.

Ginni Rometty, who serves as IBM’s executive chairman after stepping down from the CEO role this year, predicted that digital technology will continue to transform the way businesses operate even as the world returns to some level of normality with the advent of a vaccine.

Her comments came on the heels of an announcement from drug maker Pfizer that its coronavirus vaccine is more than 90% effective in preventing Covid-19 infections. Major stocks that benefit from people staying at home due to the pandemic — like Zoom and Netflix — fall sharply following the news.

“I actually don’t think these technology trends are going to reverse themselves,” Rometty told CNBC anchor Karen Tso in an interview for CNBC’s East Tech West conference.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/11/covid-vaccine-ex-ibm-ceo-rometty-says-remote-work-is-here-to-stay.html

[mzmolly]

1. Woo!

One good thing came from this pandemic, perhaps?

[MissB]

2. Both DH and I are perm WFH

I gave up my parking spot this month after confirming that I’ll never need to work in the office again. Meeting virtually works for most of my required meetings. I spend the summers in the field but social distanced.

I miss chatting with my coworkers but oh well.

[Blue_true]

3. I doubt it.

Parents found out the hard way that schools not only educate their kids, it serves as a good day care source also. Very few parents are going to relish being available to their kids 24-7, with very little interaction with other adults.

[KentuckyWoman]

4. A family member got shifted to WFH in March and will likely continue

She was begging to work remote at least Tues & Thurs ... her husband had a stroke in October and needs help. They are having to hire people in. When she goes to the office there is always the concern if he is OK.

The employer would not allow it and the pay is more than she can make anywhere else. Suddenly with Covid it was everyone work from home. They the employer found out how much cheaper it is if they aren't paying for the internet, office space , water bill .. etc etc. Plus, even with parents juggling kids, productivity shot up.

So now her whole team looks like it will be long term work from home ... and if someone feels the office is better, they can request it.

Interesting how that works ....

[marlakay]

5. Both my daughter and step daughter have been

Told when this is over they can stay working from home if they want to. One is a paralegal and other doing accounting for large firm.

Step daughter likes it because she has a 10 month old and gets to see on breaks and nurse. Daughter likes because she can be with teens after school and wear yoga pants, lol.

[Redleg]

6. Oh, good grief

As much as I appreciate that technology allows me to work safely from home, I don't want to be working from home until the day I retire in 10 years or so. I am a college professor and no matter how good the technology is, there is nothing like meeting face-to-face with students to discuss ideas. Zoom meetings and its like works fine for a small seminar class (fewer than 20 students) but not for larger classes. And when given the chance, students appear to be opting for asynchronous online courses rather than synchronous because it works better with their schedules.

I find it harder to focus at home, especially with my wife and kids all working from home. I feel very dis-connected from my colleagues and students, especially since my university has been at this since the middle of March 2020. I am feeling disconnected from society because my family has been following the rules, wearing masks, and limiting our exposure to the public and not visiting family across country. I just hope for at least a break sometime next year- perhaps fall semester, where classes can be in person again. Most students at my university prefer in person classes, though they appreciate being able to take online courses during the worst of the pandemic.

I appreciate that many people have been able to keep their jobs because of technology, my wife being one, but I think too much of this shit will be detrimental to society. Our tech overlords often overlook or don't care about the negative consequences of all this. Look how it widens the gap between those who can work from home and those who can't due to the nature of their work. These tech gurus keep telling us to buck up and go with the changes, but I cannot help feeling that a lot of people are going to lose out over this, further widening the wealth gap and the need for some form of basic universal income. I am too damned close to retirement to have to worry about this crap so I feel really badly for younger people whose future looks a lot less certain because of this and the effects of climate change.

I just had to vent about it. Don't get me wrong though, I appreciate the opportunity to work from home during the pandemic but after that I want to resume some level of normalcy, whatever that new normal looks like. At least we will have a president who cares about our collective health.

[pfitz59]

7. WFH will further isolate us from socialization

Will be too easy to develop a "bunker-mentality". I am opposed to it. Folks need to be out in the world even more, seeing, smelling and tasting the life that abounds outside 4 walls.

[Klaralven]

9. Actually, WFH gives people more time to be out in the world

Since they are not stuck in an hour commute each way between home and a cubicle within the 4 walls of an office building.

[gulliver]

8. WFH should be the norm for those whose jobs work well that way.

Dressing up, driving through traffic, just so you can attend (usually unnecessary) meetings? Lease buildings so that people can have the joy and camaraderie of bumping into each other while getting coffee...while missing out on all the joys of being home to take care of their elderly parents or when their kids come home from school? It's nuts. If we had been doing what we're doing now all along, there's no way we would go along with someone who proposed doing what we used to do.

[Buckeyeblue]

10. The flip side is that companies are realizing the cost savings available with less office space

I think companies while downsize office space and create flexible work environments where teams and individuals will have access to office space as needed. So teams may elect to come to the office X times pe month to check in, have face to face collaboration, etc. But for the most part while not have a day to day presence in the office.

I think executives and other senior leaders will still maintain an office presence. But 80% will not. Think about it. If I'm on conference calls 60% of my day, why do I need to drive to an office to sit in a cubicle, to be on the phone?

The other secret is that companies are finding that employees work longer days at home.

[Klaralven]

11. The office space becomes more like a conference center with meeting rooms, breakout spaces,

privacy rooms for things like personnel interviews, and cube hotels for individual work.