Permanent changes to how we work?

[tvguy]

BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) train system ridership in San Francisco is down 70% from before the pandemic. The train system is in financial trouble because of this. Remote work is the largest reason. And trust me, San Francisco is NOT a car friendly city. How are things where you live? My (former) employer ended remote work when California reopened June 15, 2021. My son's employer was going to discuss when and if they will return to onsite work in January 2022, but that has been pushed back to July 2022.
https://abc7news.com/bart-numbers-b...i4yF7zuXczMb8laRvdUAS1Y6LcjDYICUc1sglEgz0nvaU

 

[RF536]

We've been told we will probably not be going back to the office full time. We were supposed to go back 1 day a week in Aug 2021. That was pushed back indefinitely when cases started to surge. The has been no further mention of when we might go back 1 day a week.

 

[kdonnel]

My job has been trying to get people back in the office since June of 2021. The desire is for everyone to be in the office Tuesday, Thursday, and half day Fridays. Friday at 1pm we would have a provided team lunch and when everyone is done, head home.

Three of us were hired in that June/July 2021 time frame. The three of us come in almost every Tuesday and Thursday because we are new and following direction. There are a couple people who came in throughout the pandemic and they are there M-F.

Otherwise none of the 10-15 remaining ever come into the office.

I think management has lost control and knows it. Management knows that the employees have the power at the moment and are afraid to insist on in office since many would probably just quit and get new jobs.

I don’t think how we work is a permanent change. Eventually, 2-3 years in my opinion, the power will shift back to the employer and the workplace will regain importance.

 

[Kae]

Here is what a lot people aren't thinking about if people don't go back into an office/work setting all those buildings will go empty values will go down and that will effect the taxes on your homes and maybe state and city sales tax.

 

[ChrisFL]

I don't think we're going to see how this "new normal" really works out until 2-3 years from now

 

[PollyannaMom]

I still think a lot of places will save money (and keep employees happy) by remaining partly remote.

However, my DH, who was remote for at least a year before the pandemic, is being required to start coming in for part of the week in March. Go figure.

 

[Christine]

We were already teleworking up to 3 days over a 2 week pay period before the pandemic. Many other companies were also, yet metro ridership was high. During the pandemic most places have been 100% telework (those that can) but there's been a gradual return to office. My job was going to do a lot of telework but backtracked on it in the Fall of 2021 because they thought the "culture was eroding." So when we really ever return, which I expect to be in March, it will be 4 days per pay period (2 weeks). But tons of companies and government agencies are doing more. In the DC area, Metro ridership is way down and has been. They've also not put in a full ridership schedule either so this isn't helping. The problem now is that with Metro and commuter busses and other trains not really on a full schedule (and some people are still uncomfortable in such closed-in, close proximity) the traffic is far worse than it ever has been because everyone is driving it seems.

 

[prairie_girl]

From now on, I will only be looking for jobs that are remote. My days of going to an office/Petri dish are over.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

Thankfully, we will never go back to 5 days a week in the office. It was a stupid concept anyways since many of our meetings were via webex (due to having colleagues in different offices).

Direction as of now is that we will come into the office for "collaboration" or to use labs/tools but the rest of our work will be done from home.

Here is what a lot people aren't thinking about if people don't go back into an office/work setting all those buildings will go empty values will go down and that will effect the taxes on your homes and maybe state and city sales tax.

This depends a lot on the city. The one we live in has little for office space but the one a few over focused heavily on attracting businesses. They will likely see a big hit in revenue in the coming years as those offices sit abandoned.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The new company my husband works for it's common for employees to work from home 1-3 days a week and it's something that was adopted more during the pandemic as before it would only be every now and then. So far my husband hasn't been remote any days with exception to 1 day where we had a snow storm. He went in the next day after that and he said the office was still quite empty with people opting to stay home.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Rapid transit, Metra and overall bus ridership is still down about 70%. And Chicago's downtown office occupancy is also down about 70%. Suburbs similar, just not quite as much, about 65% down.

 

[amylevan]

My office “returned” September 2020, but I put that in quotes because despite management encouraging everyone to return full time, few did.

Fast forward to spring 2021, and they put some seriousness to their return, stating everyone was expected to be back in the office full time by July 1 2021. Anyone looking to continue working remotely had to fill out a request and be approved.

Yet here we are in 2022, and despite their best efforts most people still work from home at least 1 day per week. I submitted a request for full remote, and was approved (I’m only a part time employee though .). I don’t know how everyone else seems to be swinging the remote days but I suspect there was a lot of, “make me” type conversations.

I’m an engineer, where the majority of the management/upper level are old white men who don’t get it. They want everyone in seats at the office. As a female, with a family, I LOVE remote and I’m never going back. The young ones don’t feel a need to be in the office 40 hours either.

Times they are a changing.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Here is what a lot people aren't thinking about if people don't go back into an office/work setting all those buildings will go empty values will go down and that will effect the taxes on your homes and maybe state and city sales tax.

It is true that buildings will sit empty but some of that is companies adjusting their needs. Some trade smaller buildings for bigger ones some do the opposite, some move from one area to another area especially if rents can be lower or a building bought for less.

I agree with the other poster it depends on how your state and local government does it. Office buildings are taxed under commercial rules in my area, it doesn't affect your home value because your home's comps are well other homes, not a commercial building. As far as state and city sales tax well that's much more complicated than an office building sitting empty. Office parks sitting empty do not equal my city raising their mill level on my property tax.

Also to keep in consideration is types of industries may change, you may have less corporate occupants but more of something else. TBH office parks in my area I sorta liken to malls. There was a rapid expansion of them over the years realistically eventually, pandemic or not, there would be issues with some companies leaving, some coming, needs changing ,etc.

Heck bringing companies to a state can cost tax payers lol. My governor just signed a There's apparently a super secret $4+ billion dollar deal that my state and another in competition for. The cost to taxpayers for my state? over $1billion in tax incentives. Tax incentives are a large carrot my state and local government uses to entice businesses and developers alike. There was a measure that was signed by the governor to generate this large of tax incentives and with it corporate taxes would be gone or heavily reduced. Empty office parks have nothing to do with that. Many times it's used to entice companies to come here and build their facilities as building brings jobs that way too. This would be the case here with this super secret project where it would be "employ 4,000, and other firms supplying or supporting it would add several thousand more jobs." So for us tax payers darned if we do darned if we don't.

 

[ronandannette]

Here is what a lot people aren't thinking about if people don't go back into an office/work setting all those buildings will go empty values will go down and that will effect the taxes on your homes and maybe state and city sales tax.

Yes, just so. Prior to Covid, the corporate end of the energy sector, which is the life-blood of this region, was in a slump for complex reasons. Our downtown business district had developed a vacancy rate of 15% in 2019. Today it's a historic high of 33%.

Much of the vitality of the area has been sapped, retail, hospitality and entertainment businesses are decimated and as you mention, the municipal tax base has taken a HUGE hit. Non-property related business taxes have skyrocketed and residential property taxes have increased three years running. On the up-side, if there is one, there are a number of public/private joint-ventures underway to convert some of the massive surplus of downtown office space to affordable housing, so I guess there's that.

As for work-at-home in general, my industry doesn't lend itself to it particularly well. My company only ever allowed it at a bare minimum to accommodate lock-down and quarantine regulations. We've all been back to business as usual for over a year.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I'm a teacher and my husband is a Sheriff Deputy, so we are working outside the home, but lots of people I know are now working from home all the time.

My Sister and BIL both now work from home - BIL has to go into the office every now and then for meetings, but Sis does everything remotely and attends all meetings via Teams. My cousin works in the mortgage dept of a bank and she works from home now 3 days per week.

 

[Dakota731]

My entire family works in healthcare so no choice for any of us. I like the hustle and bustle of a busy hospital setting and enjoy seeing lots of people every day, so working from home would not be enjoyable for me anyway

 

[tvguy]

Here is what a lot people aren't thinking about if people don't go back into an office/work setting all those buildings will go empty values will go down and that will effect the taxes on your homes and maybe state and city sales tax.

Valid in most places. But I live in the State Capital and most of those offices are State and Federal offices that don't pay any taxes and just cost money so at least in my case, it might only be a positive impact.
The people impacted most are restaurants and other businesses that provide services to public sector workers. But those businesses had been in decline long before the pandemic because people just didn't have the time to leave the office to get to a restaurant, order, eat and get back in the 30 or 60 minute lunch break they had. The increase in services like Grub Hub and Uber eats did help a little, but not enough.
In my 40+ years in the working world, I worked 25+ years, 8 hours straight without a meal break. You brought food, or bought it from the vending machines......although just before the pandemic, I saw people more and more having food delivered. Always felt sorry for the receptionist having to not only deal with her job, but find people to tell them their food had arrived. The 8 straight days went away when it was discovered that California law REQUIRES that not only does your employer have to give you a meal break, but you are REQUIRED to take it.

 

[neverlandsky]

Currently our buses ridership is down. Only 65% compared to before the pandemic stats. Starting in 2 weeks, all bus routes will be operating on Saturday's schedule on weekdays for more predictable and reliable service. What we've been noticing is more and more people walking and choosing locations to live where you can walk or bike to work. People are tired of mass transit or commuting spending hours in traffic to and from work.

 

[tvguy]

I'm a teacher and my husband is a Sheriff Deputy, so we are working outside the home, but lots of people I know are now working from home all the time.

Teachers here were remote for over a year. And when they have a covid issue, they immediately go back to remote learning for a week or two. Some schools had to extend the Christmas break due to infections. And parents have the option here of having their children remain on remote learning, but the Sacramento City Unified School District doesn't have enough teachers to supervise all those remote requests.

 

[WhatDinosaur]

Right now employees have the upper hand and it is glorious. Remote working saves people 1+ hours a day on commuting. I know if my employer took away the option for remote work I’d find a new job that allowed it. I’ve done stellar work from home for the past two years, so I think taking it away wouldn’t be because of efficiency or output.