TICKER VIEWS – Should your boss pay you to work from home?

The pandemic has completely reshaped the way many of us work. In March 2020, the whole world turned upside down, as the realisation swept across parliaments and businesses that we were in for an unprecedented journey.

Almost overnight, and for some, definitely overnight, they were suddenly working from home, if they were working at all.

Let’s be honest, it felt like the beginning of a great holiday. Zoom calls in your PJs – more time with the dog.

But as time went on, a bit like two weeks in hotel quarantine, we started to notice a few key issues. Firstly, humans like to change up their surroundings. It’s why we go on holidays to different places, have dinner at different restaurants.

We also miss seeing our colleagues. Just the general office banter of “how’s your weekend?” or “Did you see MAFS?” was suddenly missing from our lives. Don’t get me started on Zoom fatigue. That was day three right?

But the thing most people noticed… was their utility bills went through the roof. Suddenly, many of us were home… all the time. In the cooler states, that meant we were blasting the heater while powering our devices.

Essentially what happened, without anyone really thinking about it, as companies were able to shift their costs of doing business… to the employees.

And it’s big business.

Google pocketed $268 million in related savings during the last quarter, which equates to $1 billion on an annual basis. Essentially all those Google workers got on their little colourful bikes and rode home, never coming back.

A billion dollars in savings!

But some people have been fighting back. I’m aware of a law firm where the staff began invoicing their bosses. First it was for thing like laptops and iPads. Makes sense right? And why shouldn’t they pay.

Then it turned to splitting the electricity and water bill – making sure employees were fairly paid for the extra power they were consuming at home.

Some even went a step further. I’m aware of one company whose employees started invoicing them for toilet paper! It was a law firm, so I’d love to know how that one ended up.

It’s not all bad

But while we tally up the total cost to employees, there are also some amazing savings we’ve seen too. For example, the savings in tolls and commuting fees like public transport tickets. In London, March 2020 saw a 95% drop off in user trips. That’s incredible. And anyone who has used the London Underground would know… it’s not cheap.

Then there’s the coffee budget. I’m a strong skinny latte man myself. Usually about $4.50. That becomes pretty expensive when you have it every day, and then reach for a second on around 11am right. So many of us have turned to Nescafe or the dreaded International Roast to get by! While others have seen a walk to the nearby suburban coffee shop as a good way to get out of the house between Zooms.

But now it’s time to return

I’m a big believer in the saying “no man is an island”. A home should not be a prison, and as people we really do need to connect. I’ve spoken to other employers who really struggle with keeping the team together, and being able to make sure tasks are being completed. We have all just emerged from a shockingly real human experiment. For some introverts, WFH has been the best thing ever (I call them cat people) – but for others, it’s been a year of anxiety and uncertainty. And usually the best antidote for that is human connection, and a good laugh. And for that, I’d happily pay a train fare.