R.I.P. Office
For many years remote work has been associated with a certain stigma — think lazy and unproductive. The pandemic forced millions of workers home and at least one survey contradicts that negative assumption. According to a study by Upwork, an online freelance work platform, 32% of the managers surveyed said they saw an increase in productivity against 23% who said the opposite.
Upwork's chief economist Adam Ozimek and his team found that 17% of respondents would look for new jobs, if they had to return to the office. They also found that 15% of respondents would take a pay cut to work remotely and another 26% would consider this option. As reopening plans for companies stall due to the delta variant, the shift to remote work is only gaining more momentum.
Adam mentioned another economic benefit of remote work. The clustering of human capital and financial capital in selective "superstar cities" like Seattle and New York contributed to the disparities between mega-cities, small towns, and rural America. By giving workers the opportunity to work from home, many could move to cheaper areas and contribute to those local economies.
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