[rxtexit]

I am full remote for a very small, non-software business but I think even for us we are probably losing productivity vs the office.

I think child care is a big driver but no one can come out and say this.

I am more productive remote but I wouldn't be if I was also baby sitting a 5 year old while working. A big reason I am more productive is living alone and not being distracted.

A company can't demand a remote worker pay for child care so the kid isn't at home like in an office.

I also think my increase in productivity doesn't offset the office slackers who are doing basically nothing at home. I think the office can squeeze some productivity out of the slackers while it is a lost cause remote.

In the aggregate, I think for most companies it has to be a net loss of productivity to be 100% remote.

While it is a huge increase in my general well being and happiness, the highly productive workers are going to be highly productive either way and not that much more productive remote. It is everyone else that causes remote to not work as well at the margin. Then if a competitor does RTO, the company almost has to hedge and RTO as well.

[lr1970]

It basically boils down to the dichotomy -- "live to work" or "work to live".

We want "work to be able to live" while the employers want us "live to be able to work".

[bagacrap]

That is not at all what the comment you responded to said.

Rather, if you are of the mindset that you want to work the bare minimum to get by in life, then what constitutes the bare minimum is probably more when you're in an office.

To cast those who enjoy their work as having no meaningful life outside of work is small minded and jealous.

[grvdrm]

I think this is simple and has little to do with child care. I have 2 kids, fully remote, but otherwise worked office jobs (w/kids) prior to 2022.

Companies believe that in-person interactions lead to more productivity. And I think that's true for many companies and many workers. Anecdotally, lots of folks I know that commute into NYC feel that the distinct on-at-work and off(ish)-at-home is more productive for their work.

[nopelynopington]

A lot to unpack here.

I have children. I work from home. I don't look after them at the same time. This is true for every parent in my company who works from home.

> A company can't demand a remote worker pay for child care so the kid isn't at home like in an office.

A company can't demand an in office worker pay for childcare either. But if they don't have arrangements, they can't come to work.

You seem to be implying that every parent who works from home is only doing so in order to secretly mind their kids and not pay childcare which is a very unfair and unrealistic generalisation.