All good and I appreciate your push back. 1. Never thought of that, but can totally see how Zoom can neuter meeting groupthink of a certain kind. Would be interesting to look into if a different kind of groupthink replaces it. Don't have anything in mind, but like weeds, that kind of stuff always finds a way in, lol. And, I totally agree that folks need to prep before a meeting. That said, I've been in my fair share of Zooms where people are just faking it. Human nature. 2. I don't have any data on this (because I haven't looked) but can see how this could easily be the case 3. I know this one first hand. I've been working from home for over six years now, and did the same back in the late 90s/early 2000s. I work always because I'm always at work. 4. No argument there 5. Call me old. Whatever. I still think (no data, just have a hunch) that there is a significant value to working in person in certain circumstances. The fact is, most work probably doesn't fall in this category and I have no problem admitting that. Even so, there is something magical that happens when people come together to solve problems. Sounds like your Gen X'er was a slug that should have been let go a long time ago. There are just crappy employees that would rather suck up and look good than do good work. This is more of a human problem than a work location problem. Someone should have held him accountable and honestly whoever didn't should be held accountable, lol. Hope your dinner was superb. ;)

1. I agree 2. Agree, again 3. Okay. Probably should try to deal with the issues, but I get it 4. Yeah, agree. Companies need to trim the dead wood and are never really good at that. A lot of dead wood lives in middle management 5. This is an interesting one. I think you're right, but the people in charge of the real estate are not the ones who dictate where people work. I can easily see a CFO saying, "Let's dump some office space! It will be good for our balance sheet, etc." I just don't see the money people in a corp keeping real estate just because. And, the smart ones will dump their space before the collapse, so not sure you've got a good point here. Although, yes, real estate is an issue that has yet to be addressed, imo 6. I think truly higher-performing people want to have some interaction and would welcome some time at the office. Unless, like I said in my video, they are simply transactional people or in transactional roles. Then they don't really matter to the core of the business. So, if you're a database manager, yeah, work from home. Who cares? If you're a product manager, then you probably need to interact on a more face-to-face level to get good work done. 7. I am not sure I agree with this. Seems more like a broad generalization. Look, I make them all the time, but I can't really respond to this because it just sounds like what you think. I've yet to run into older people that have struggled with working from home. I have, however, seen young Gen Y struggle because they can't manage young kids, bosses, spouses, and their home office all at once. BTW, not saying it's the Millennials that are struggling, just that it's hard to make such a general assertion 8. Makes sense. So you're a dev. Cool. What about other wealth-creation roles? I get that it works for you. I'm similar in that I'm a consultant. I do transformational work. I can do a lot of it remotely, but I also work in person with clients based on need. That said, I can think of a number of roles that need some interaction. You make your living on a keyboard and screen. Not all wealth is made that way. Would you agree? 9. I'm not here to defend how some companies behave. So, won't argue this other than to say, not all companies are the same. Lot's of crappy companies out there but at the same time there are a lot of great one's too. Too bad all you hear is an old guy complaining. That wasn't my point. I was sharing some thoughts for consideration, not attacking working from home. Regarding being at the peak of privilege, all I can say is your underlying assumptions and theories will absolutely create what it is that you think you're observing. You see me and think you comprehend what you see. You likely don't. I'm not at all frustrated. It's just interesting to me and I think the dynamics bear considering and conversing about. I haven't fallen for anything, really. I'm just talking about what's happening around us and am at the same time asking some questions. Maybe your reaction to me has more to do with you and what you feel than what I actually said. Maybe.

@@MikeGastin I think we generally agree more than we disagree, but as you outlined there is a bit a disconnect between the groups of people with generalizations. I often have had a hard time meeting in the middle with middle in management, I am not all that young, but not all that old, but when I see the younger generation struggle, I get a lot of their frustrations. There is value in being connected and seeing people face to face, but often it is not presented in a way that is completely appreciated. Also certainly I can appreciate that not all roles can be done at home completely and it is more of a rarity than anything. On a side note when you start working for a company large enough it quickly turns into HR, and Ethics departments not as a friend, but as a group working against employees and trying to keep lawsuits internal, sexual harassment and bullying is a lot cheaper to deal with internally rather than eating a lawsuit and swallowing the PR that comes with it. When talking about this though you might catch some side eyes from the upcoming generations. I appreciate the insight and probably should not have watched this pretty much after a company wide meeting about this. Cheers!

No worries at all. I totally am a product of my generation and even though I've had some serious hardships, I'm quite blessed-undeservedly so. I think Gen Y gets a bum rap. There are a lot of very hard-working people in that segment. And, I am totally on board when it comes to criticizing the BS that large corps and their management are capable of producing. A lot of what's wrong with our society can be laid at the feet of these big companies. That said, I know some amazing privately owned companies that as so good to their people, their community, and their customers. I'm grateful for your comments and even that you took the time to push back. I don't mind a good argument, but even so, you've brought up a lot of good issues. I just hate getting lumped in as "not getting it" just because I've got a white beard. 😂 Glad you took the time and you actually made me think this through more. I want to better understand what others are going though, if just to be a better person and even to maybe help.

I'm really glad I posted this video as I've gotten some good perspectives. Thanks!

Thanks, John-Paul! Excellent resource. And, yes, I am all for flexibility. This vid was more of an impromptu convo on the situation, but by no means is meant as a hard argument. And, one great thing about remote is it gives companies access to better talent by opening up geography. There are so many facets to this new situation. That said, I think my underlying *feeling* is that we need local interaction and that teams that do engage located together, even if just time to time, are going to do better than those where everyone is just remote. I'm having lots of conversations with people who just want to work from their bedroom and laptop with no engagement and I think that's not good for anyone; company or employee.

Yes! I probably wasn't clear about this in my vid, but I agree: compromise. Some time in the office and some time working from home. And, we need to address the problems that a lot of companies have let go without fixing: bad managers, needless meetings, etc.

Have been there for a while, bro.

You would quit if you had to interact with other humans from time to time? To each his own.

@@MikeGastin i interact with coworkers and clients remotely everyday as an Principal Architect. The older I get the more i understand that there’s more to life than your job. Companies will replace you in a snap if you were to die. Time with family, friends and love ones are way more valuable.

I’m with you 100% on that. And I hope my video isn’t suggesting work is everything. My point (if I remember correctly) is that it’s hard to do transformational work without being in person; that, ignoring the downsides of an office, there is a lot of value working directly with other people. All the best.

I've been working from home for over six years now and agree. Of course, I do believe there are times when working face to face is better. What kind of work do you do?

@@MikeGastin software developer, until march 2020, i was working from home two days a week, I choose the current full work from home always.

Yeah, but see? You commented and now I'm commenting back. Sure, it's not an in-person conversation, but it's also not a true monologue, either. And, I believe I admitted that it's not a true convo due to the fact that video is one way. But, thanks for your comment.

@@MikeGastin This is a comment. Not the video. I still believe you should call it a monologue or a speech. We are having a correspondence in the comment section, not in the video. I don't want to make this an important topic. The main reason to watch this video is what you said there. I mostly agree with you which is more important than the semantics.

@@NikolaGluvakov Haha. It's all good. I don't script these vids. I turn on the camera and talk. That means sometimes I am not precise and I don't apologize for that because it is what it is. Not sure if you make videos or not, but one thing is you try to talk to the camera as if you're talking to/with friends. So, for the creator, it can feel like a conversation because that's the mindset you try to put yourself in. I am glad you're able to get past the semantics to hear what I was actually saying. All the best. ;)