Thread by @MgS_2011

So, working at home should come with a pay cut?

I don't think so. Here's why: /1

globalnews.ca/news/7090216/c…

1) Most jobs where "work from home" is possible are knowledge work. In other words, my employer is paying me for the expertise and ability in my head in the first place. It's not a "occupy a station on the assembly line" job. /2

1a) If you're going to cut my salary because of where I choose to work from, you're basically saying that you don't value my knowledge. /3

2) Over my working life, workplaces have become increasingly uncomfortable for knowledge workers. Today's "open plan" offices cram more workers into less space, but do so at the cost of ability to concentrate. /4

2a) In 1990, a private office was a pretty reasonable expectation - with a door that can be closed, walls to the ceiling, etc. By 2005, a "bullpen" with 6' walls was pretty normal; today, it's giant tables. /5

2b) Where a typical worker accounted for ~100 sq ft of office annually, now they're lucky if they've got 10 sq ft - including common areas.

Employers: You've made work spaces shit, and now you're going to bitch when workers say they don't want to be there? /6

3) If I'm working from home, that costs me money and space. Suddenly, I'm carrying the cost of whatever room I set aside for that against my mortgage, the IT infrastructure required is my responsibility, etc. You've literally downloaded the entire cost of workspace on to me/7

3a) If I'm a contractor, I can usually justify that as part of my business expenses. But if I am an employee, I can't write off those expenses against my income for tax purposes. So that's a second penalty already being exacted. /8

4) Where I choose to live should not determine the value of my service to you. If you would pay me $95K to do the job in Toronto, I expect you to pay me $95K if I'm living in Foremost, AB. /9

4a) By working from home, I'm saving _YOU_ money. Even the full time subscriptions to facilities like Zoom, Slack, etc. are a fraction of what it costs for me to have my butt in a chair in your office. /10

5) What about jobs that require collaboration? We need to get better at collaborating using new tools anyhow. Random interruptions at work, the endless flow of multi-hour meetings has a cost too. /11

If you're going to cut my wages because I work from home, then you've demonstrated that you don't trust me to do my job, no matter how well I've done it, for how long.

"Working from home is a privilege" you say. No, it's not. COVID-19 proved that. /12

What it also showed is that workplaces have become so awful to be in that many workers simply don't want to be in them.

This is now about respect, employers. Do you respect your workers enough to treat them fairly? Or are you going to continue to be abusive and untrusting?