Member-only story
The unbelievable selfishness of “we should all just work from home forever”
Can we just not?
A lot has changed about the world in the last eight months. Dining tables have been turned into makeshift work stations. Parents have become ad hoc teachers. And, in perhaps the biggest shift of all, the workplace has gone virtual.
Now, with breakfast meetings replaced by Zoom calls (pastries not provided), I’m pretty sure there’s solid evidence to suggest that “I think you’re on mute” is 2020’s most-uttered phrase. What I’ve also been hearing a lot of this year is “we should all just work from home forever!” And every time I hear those words I think “just shut your privileged mouth Susan.”
I’m not saying there aren’t positives to working from home. Cutting my commute from an hour-long tube journey across London to a 30-second stumble from the bedroom to the living room has been nice. I enjoy the lie-ins. And I know for some parents it’s been an invaluable opportunity to spend more time with their kids.
What I am saying though, is that before you petition your boss to not renew the lease on the office so “we can just all work from home forever” you should check your privilege.
Yes, working from home is probably great if when you’ve got a spare room with space for a desk and a computer chair. After…
