Your Office Away from the Office – The Life of a 2021 Worker

Fedida, Keren | Unsplash

“Workin 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin’, barely gettin by, it's all takin’ and no givin’.” In these immortal lyrics, Dolly Parton perfectly encapsulates the sentiments of the 20th-century masses, as they bustled about metropolises built around the monotonic 40-hour workweek. In the 21st century, the sense of jadedness with this lifestyle has increased; people around the world have become drawn towards the wealth and nomadism of the new-found remote work lifestyles, such as that of influencers and content creators. Over the 2010s, it became clear that people were striving to move away from the nine-to-five life, but this change was happening at a mere snail’s pace - that is until the fateful advent of the new decade, 2020. With all the surprises that the COVID-19 pandemic “bestowed” upon the world, perhaps the most far-reaching was the abandonment of physical offices and the rapid digitization of our workplaces and lifestyles.

This change was initially believed to be temporary, but throughout 2020, it has become clear that some pandemic-induced measures will outlast COVID-19 itself. With regards to the US Economy, Global Workplace Analytics has stated, “Our best estimate is that 25-30% of the workforce will be working-from-home multiple days a week by the end of 2021.” Furthermore, it is also estimated that “56% of the U.S. workforce holds a job that is compatible (at least partially) with remote work.” Thus, as the pandemic draws out and our remote working capabilities grow over the forthcoming year, it is likely that the post-pandemic remote workforce will grow larger than current estimates predict. This has massive implications for the future of the global economy, and its various urban landscapes. Take, for example, Manhattan or London - global financial centres packed with commercial real estate as far as the eye can see. Hypothetically, even if 20-25% of the businesses located in these regions were to make remote work permanent and completely abandon their physical office spaces, the sheer quantity of space to be freed up in these urban areas would be immeasurable. As new uses for former commercial spaces are found, our cityscapes will likely face great changes over the next century.

With our workspaces no longer concentrated in a single area, what will a downtown of the future look like? If specialized work opportunities decreasingly require an office, why move to a city at all? Will the future of remote work be completely at home, or will people use this opportunity to stay anywhere they desire in the world? These are just a few of the endless array of questions that arise when wondering about a sans-office future. While it may be difficult to provide definite answers, it is interesting to hypothesize what the post-Covid world will look like.

Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom predicts that the flight of workers out of metropolitan areas could “Remove from city centers up to 50 percent of total daily spending in bars, restaurants, and shops... having a depressing impact on the vitality of the downtowns of our major cities.” If your favourite restaurant, bookstore, or any other brick-and-mortar wants to remain in city centres, they must find ways to adapt their stream of income. For the remote work era, it is better to become reliant on the permanent local community, rather than relying on the ever-decreasing stream of commuters or short-term stayers. However, local businesses may not have to take on such extreme measures, as few companies are likely to go completely remote with their workforce. Bloom points out that in drafting their work-from-home policies, corporations should structure their post-Covid operations to be a hybrid work-from-home model. Under this model, employees can choose whether or not they want to work from home, and how many days a week they’d like to come into the office; he also emphasizes that working from home should remain a privilege, not a right. To expand on the latter point, Bloom believes that the opportunity to work from home will prove to be an excellent incentive for employees to enhance their productivity and prove their trustworthiness with the company: if an employee can work effectively and without supervision, then they can earn the privilege to work remotely. However, if the employee proves to be an ineffective or untrustworthy worker, they will be required to work in the office until proven otherwise. Bloom sees the hybrid model as better than the full-time at-home model, citing that “It is hard to be creative at a distance, it is hard to be inspired and motivated at home, and employee loyalty is strained without social interaction.” Furthermore, the vast majority of surveyed workers (80% in a CPA survey) prefer some degree of a hybrid model, as compared to working at home full-time. Various commercial properties have already been vacated and have been purchased by tech conglomerates like Google and Amazon, who announced expansion plans for both Toronto and Vancouver. Meanwhile, other properties are converted into residential spaces; properties in Calgary’s downtown area, which has an office vacancy rate of around 30%, are being bought by developers, who are looking to convert them into future residential spaces. The latter possibility is rather intriguing; vacancies in commercial properties may finally present an opportunity to address the ever-growing housing crises in so many urban environments.

All this talk of cities and statistics is fine and well, but you’re likely still wondering whether or not you will be able to make an Aruba beach resort your new home office. The simple answer is, probably not. The office may have a less prominent role, but it will likely still be a key facet in commercial operations post-Covid, with many leaning towards the hybrid work-from-home model. To put it back into Dolly’s words, you will likely be “Workin’ 9 to 5,” at least once a week. As for the rest of the week, your daily commute may just be a pantsless journey to the refrigerator. After all - your house, your rules.