Do you believe people working from home are really productive? Do they work more or less diligently or about the same? Not everyone and maybe just a minority have the focus and ethics to give the government or a company its money’s worth from the comfort and distractions of home.
The government is not serious about customer service and cares not about the inefficiency of work from home. It’s not their money that’s wasted and it caters to workers not the public (consumer). It’s a union shop, but this is not the case for corporate America.
Is anyone surprised that nearly half of employees are getting a buzz-on while on the clock from home? And the survey only asked about alcohol - maybe just a few hits on that blunt wouldn’t hurt a thing.
It is not a new idea for some to work from home but the Covid – 19 rules have forced millions to flee the office, be paid and work elsewhere as a ‘life-saving move.’ While phoning a worker for a major nonprofit recently it sounded like the call woke her. She was groggy. She said she was ‘working’ from home.
One survey found 42 percent of workers were drinking while employed from home, according to Fishbowl, a social network. The survey was answered by 12,895 professionals from across the U.S. on the Fishbowl app and included companies such as JP Morgan, Facebook, McKinsey, Tesla, Bank of America, BCG, Deloitte, Amazon, Edelman, Nike, Google, KPMG, and others.
Fishbowl found overall that 41.76% responded that they drink while distance-
working. “North Carolina had the highest percentage answering with Yes, with 47.7%. Following closely behind were Oregon (47.58%), Connecticut (47.41%), Colorado (46.93%), and Washington (46.3%).”
“Arkansas had the lowest percentage answering with Yes at 28.85%. Then there was New Jersey (32.94%), Virginia (35.47%), Michigan (37.83%), and Missouri (37.96%).
In an Alcohol.org survey 67% of Hawaiians and 60% of Rhode Island workers said they drank at home on the job. This survey also found 50% of employees in some states drinking while doing business, as well.
However, drinking at home is not the only distraction or inefficiency. Economist Nicholas Bloom of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research believes the “work-from-home movement ... could actually generate a worldwide productivity slump and threaten economic growth for many years,” according to a March 30 report.
“We are home working alongside our kids, in unsuitable spaces, with no choice and no in-office days. This will create a productivity disaster for firms,” he said.
“I fear this collapse in office face time will lead to a slump in innovation. The new ideas we are losing today could show up as fewer new products in 2021 and beyond, lowering long-run growth.”
In one study, when 1,000 Ctrip (Chinese Travel Agency) employees were offered the choice to work from home, only 500 volunteered. The others stayed in the office.
After nine months of allowing those employees work at home, Ctrip asked them if they wanted to keep working remotely or return to the office. Half wanted back in the office despite their average commute of 40 minutes each way.
Why was that?
“The answer is social company,” Bloom says. “They reported feeling isolated, lonely and depressed at home. So, I fear an extended period of working from home will not only kill office productivity but is building a mental health crisis.”
Isolating people whether for work or by scaring them to death with Covid – 19 tales drives them to drink, use drugs and become mentally ill.
It almost seems like some in charge are intent upon destroying people.
(Get Lou’s podcast at “No Hostages Radio” and his articles at nohostagesradio.com)
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