I think you'll find those same people were wasting an equal amount of time in the work place as well. They just find other ways. I know one guy who was writing their novel at work, because it only requires a computer/is discrete.
I’m someone who finds it hard to stay productive at home but has no trouble focusing in the office.
Ala Atomic Habits, my home environment is set up to make my personal life easy. During the workday it’s way too easy to slip into leisure activities, while on personal time it’s easy to unwind. The office, on the other hand, is the opposite: it’s not full of things I enjoy doing, so distractions come with a lot more friction.
Working from home can be a net negative for some, even if it is a huge boost for many.
Even before COVID and the standardisation of remote work I got my best work done when I just grabbed my laptop from the office and went to a pub or a cafe to work.
There's some actual science in there how changing the place where you work makes it ... different somehow and you can focus on what you need to do instead of falling into old habits based on the location.
That’s definitely a big factor, and I’ve noticed a similar pattern with cafes or other locations.
The office is just the most reliable “not at home” environment for getting work done for me—there’s no guilt about camping out all day, seating is always available, internet is reliable, and so on.
I have thought a lot about this and it is why I think remote is doomed long term at the mass market because of a type of scaling property.
I am much more productive working remote. It isn't even close.
The dysfunctional slacker at the office though can get some productivity squeezed out of them at the office. Remote, they are completely useless and dysfunctional.
Then take the average worker with kids who can save a ton of money by not sending the kid to daycare and the loss of productivity from that.
At some scale, the productivity increases do not make up for the productivity loss in aggregate. The more you scale up, the worse it gets.
Remote is only going to work long term for small organizations who won't be much effected by this scaling property.
> The dysfunctional slacker at the office though can get some productivity squeezed out of them at the office. Remote, they are completely useless and dysfunctional.
Honestly, I think part of the issue I see with this is "squeezing productivity" out of them. Almost every other manager I've spoken to would see this as a complete waste of their own time and would simply fire the slacker instead. I know that it's easier or harder in different companies/countries. Maybe it's a sign that the slackers are in HR? ;-)
Back in the 80s my dad worked at a factory as a chemist. He said one dude who worked the night shift had put a cot in a closet. He'd come in and sleep basically his entire shift so he'd be well rested for his day job.
