We have several years of hard evidence that many jobs can be done entirely remotely. There is no good economic or productivity reason to mandate return to office. (manager egos and corporate optics of office buildings are another thing)
Workers now know what it's like, and many strongly prefer it. There are 3, maybe 4 companies in my commute distance that could be potential employers for my job title. When I work remote, I have access to 10's of thousands of companies across the entire united states.
Employers, if they have any sense at all, will realize the same is true for them. What are the odds that the nation's best talent lives within 60 miles of their office? Why pay SanFan wages when equal talent lives all over the USA, eager to work remotely? Why pay for office space- when people sit alone in cubes doing Teams calls?
Cities should press for remote workers. It keeps tax dollars where people live. It reduces traffic. It frees up commercial space for other uses- almost like inventing more land in the heart of cities.
I've spend thousands of hours commuting. Wasted. Spent away from my family. For nothing.
I've been paid low local wages, because employers knew I had nowhere else to could go.
I will never work in office again. At any price.
