Control and Ego?

I hoped not to come back to WFH for a little while, because I suppose everyone's heard enough about it for the moment, and then I stumbled across this piece in the Atlantic, by Ed Zitron (more on him in a moment) that made me sit up and take notice.

It's got a compelling title:  "Why Managers Fear a Remote-Work Future."  We've seen a lot of opposition to extending WFH indefinitely, from titans of industry to middle managers.  Here's the point he's making: 

Remote work lays bare many brutal inefficiencies and problems that executives don’t want to deal with because they reflect poorly on leaders and those they’ve hired. Remote work empowers those who produce and disempowers those who have succeeded by being excellent diplomats and poor workers, along with those who have succeeded by always finding someone to blame for their failures. It removes the ability to seem productive (by sitting at your desk looking stressed or always being on the phone), and also, crucially, may reveal how many bosses and managers simply don’t contribute to the bottom line.

Zitron is saying that  when everyone's remote, the only way to assess the value of an employee to the company is to examine the amount and quality of work produced.   "Remote work makes who does and doesn’t actually do work way more obvious."  When everyone is working from home, those who have gotten by on personality, and drama, and learning how to "look busy," have nothing to show for their days.  Oh, and also:  when everyone's at home, there's almost no room for "control and ego." 

Zitron makes the point that has been obvious to us who have been paying attention, that there are no good reasons to ship everyone back to the office.  There is no evidence that "workplace culture" or "face-to-face collegiality" or "the efficiency of working in the same room" has any effect on the bottom line.  They are phrases that are mouthed by those who are fearful that they will no longer be needed in a "culture" based on quality and quantity of work produced.

There is little doubt that WFH will be one of the more interesting developments in the new world.  Whether it develops naturally, and boosts productivity and worker happiness (and reduces traffic congestion and hydrocarbon burning), or whether it is squeezed out by those who need control and ego, and to avoid seeming redundant, only time will tell, as they say.  

ADDENDUM:  Even if you're only a little interested in this topic, I think Zitron's "tech and culture newsletter" is worth your time.  Thoughtful, and no punches pulled.