Remote work destroying society is news to the millions of us who work from home or vehicle offices, or get things done in coffee shops or diners. Me, I'll happily skip the rehash of last night's game or looking busy in exchange for going/being home early.
Commuting is a tax on the employee as well - a 1/2 hour commute is 2.5 eight hour days out of a person's life every month. Multiply that times all the people sitting in traffic....
Lee
I see it from both sides. I personally have enjoyed the autonomy and flexibility over the past two years, as well as saving an hour plus per day not commuting. My company has flourished the past two years, as have our peers and competitors. People are definitely being effective remotely. That said, I ”donate” much more than that hour saved daily by working longer due to inefficiencies brought on by remote work. I suspect that is common. There are social costs as well to remote work, not to mention the lost opportunity of being able to pop into an office or cube to ask a simple question. I really miss seeing and talking to my coworkers.
I don’t believe remote work is the end of society, but I do believe that it is a seismic shift.
As an aside the streets around Tesla (and throughout the Bay Area) is littered with campers of employed people that can’t afford to live in the area, yet presumably can’t get an equivlent job where they do live. Housing affordability is a huge issue here and elsewhere. Remote work can ease this.