Greg Rosalsky’s piece for the Atlantic’s companion site, Citylab about why we still commute when tele-commuting was going to rescue us from that time-consuming chore makes for a thought-provoking read on some reasons why (and why we should not) we still commute instead of using technology to work from home.
I am in the process of moving cities (and countries) for a new job and am looking for a new home. The number one item I have given the real estate agents who are helping me in my search is minimum commute time: no more than 30 minutes. Having worked all over the world, both near and far from my primary place of work, using all manner of transportation, I have come to the conclusion that it is the single biggest waste of my time. So it’s a task I am always looking for ways to compress. Naturally, I read Mr Rosalsky’s piece.
He gives a fun run down of that quaint time in the 1970s and 1980s when future prognosticators forecast mass exodus from the cities and all of us working from home, with the demise of the physical office. I remember it well. It was a story read to me at bedtime along with the fairytale about the paperless office. He cites many reasons why, as I have come to realise, commuting is a dumb use of our scarce time:
“There are many reasons to believe commuting is stupid. It wastes resources. It’s bad for the environment. It’s unproductive time that we’re not paid for. It costs us money. It’s stressful. It’s associated with higher rates of depression, obesity,cardiovascular disease, divorce, death, and a whole host of other maladies. We report we hate it more than anything else in our routines and that we’re happier when we get to more regularly work from home.”
But, as he tells us, most of us still do it because face-to-face is still something we seem to have to do. He gives a number of reasons for this:
- Social connectivity benefits are well known and documented
- Work that requires innovative outputs is better done face-to-face
- Management’s desire to keep watch and ensure workers aren’t slacking off at work
- Higher team productivity
He then goes on to discuss how emerging technologies might fare better than those we have at present in helping us to get the benefits of face-to-face without having to physically be in the same location. In particular, he introduces Jeremy Bailenson, a Stanford professor of psychology, who has high hopes that VR can one day help us to bridge the gap. But while we wait for that day, I have a few other more practical observations and suggestions.
I am old enough to remember not having a PC on my desk. And to remember, when one did arrive, having to go for training to learn how to use WordPerfect 5.1 on it. Fast forward a few years, and we just expect everyone to know how to use all the technology companies provide and when to use it, without the benefit of lessons or standardised approaches to use. Consequently, I find that, although many of us can use the technology, the quality and application varies dramatically between individuals. So it hardly seems fair to blame technology for failing us when we have provided so few rules around how it should be used for optimal outcomes. And not just the tool, but the also finesse with which we deploy a chosen tool or process as befits the expected outcome: No company I have ever worked at has been diligent about the guidelines on what type of work requires what sort of communication tool. So, rather than merely lamenting the deficiency of technology, I think a little guidance on occasions in which to use it would be helpful additions to any “work from home” or “flexible work” policy.
Here are my attempts at a few ground rules that could increase the amount of time we actually need to be in the office to get the benefits outlined above:
- Can this be written down? If so, write it down and send it. You don’t need a meeting.
- Do you need a meeting? If so, what is the desired outcome and what activity needs to happen in the meeting to get it. Can it be written down? You don’t need a meeting.
- Okay, you need a meeting. Does it have to be in person or can voice/video achieve the same outcome? What can be written down and shared before the meeting? Do you really need a meeting?
- You are sure you need a meeting and it has to be face-to-face. Go to the office and have the meeting.