ACADEMIA DE STUDII ECONOMICE, BUCUREȘTI

Facultatea de Cibernetică, Statistică și Informatică Economică

Remote-first work is taking over the rich

world

STUDENT: REZEANU MARIA

SPECIALIZAREA: INFORMATICĂ ECONOMICĂ

AN DE STUDIU: I

GRUPA: 1024

SERIA: E

AN UNIVERSITAR: 2022-2023
I.INTRODUCTION

As we are now entering 2023, we can look back and analyze how the outbreak of the corona
virus pandemic in 2020 changed our definition of “normal” in many different areas. The rapid
spread of Covid-19 was the biggest threat of humanity in modern history. It took us by surprise
and impacted our lives socially, mentally and most importantly, it impacted our health. The
pandemic took innocent lives worldwide and put us through a scenario that we had only seen
in movies. It represented a challenge for our medical system, for the word of work and for all
types of companies all over the world.

As it represents such an actual issue and I can have a subjective view on the matter, I have
chosen to analyze the subject of remote working, how it became such a normal part of our lives
and what are its effects, explained in the article “Remote-first work is taking over the rich
world” written for the newspaper The Economist. In this essay I will analyze the advantages
and disadvantages of remote working from an economical view and how it has impacted the
performance and productivity of employees.

This article describes how the way we work was drastically changed by the corona virus and
how it will never be the same. The lockdown has pushed millions of people to start working
from home, setting in motion an experiment that was not so well seen before COVID-19 hit,
but which has now become a normal part of our lives. This article also presents the benefits and
the inconvenient of remote working, focusing on what it means for a company’s culture and
future.

II.MAIN BODY

1. Paragraph 1
a. The author’s opinion

The article starts by exposing how the average number of hours that Americans spend working
from home has drastically changed in just a couple of months because of the outbreak of the
coronavirus, rising from 5% in February to 60% in May. According to the author, most people
assumed that the office life would soon be back to its pre-pandemic form, but it has actually
become the new norm.
 b. Personal opinion

I completely agree with the author of this article because in March 2020 we all thought that life
would be returning back to normal in just a couple of weeks and that the virus would disappear
fast, but it has been affecting our lives for almost 3 years now. Even though the actual situation
is not near as bad as in the beginning of the pandemic, office life has not returned to its initial
form, and it will most likely never be the same again.

c. The opinion of specialists

Some experts consider that COVID-19 was a factor in “accelerating a workplace experiment
that had struggled to gain traction before1”, forcing the transition from a traditional workplace
to a fully remote one to happen a lot faster, while others say that “The 'overnight' move to
remote work that most businesses experienced in March 2020 is expected to make a profound
effect on the future of work itself”2.

2. Paragraph 2
a. The author’s opinion

This paragraph reveals that “40% of all American working hours are still now spent at home”,
even though many people still have no choice but to go to work physically. Remote work has
changed the dynamic of the commercial areas of numerous cities, making them “substantially
quieter” than even residential ones. These major changes represent a mystery to the future of
work productivity.

b. Personal opinion

I agree with the statement that nowadays more and more people prefer to work from home, as
it represents an easier way to organize our job around our personal lives, and not the other way
around. Also, people can choose remote work for many different reasons, such as the fear of
catching a virus, especially COVID-19, they can finish their tasks faster without having

1
https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/whats-next-for-remote-work-
an-analysis-of-2000-tasks-800-jobs-and-nine-countries (02.01.2023)
2
https://blog.tmetric.com/5-expert-opinions-on-future-of-remote-work/ (02.01.2023)
any distractions or they save time and energy by not having to get ready and leave the house to
get to their office.

c. The opinion of specialists

Many specialists think that employees should decide which work environment fits them the
best, because people have diverse needs “They can choose to work in the way that is best for
them; whether that’s coming into the office, working from home or some combination of the
two.”3

3. Paragraph 3
a. The author’s opinion

In the third paragraph the author explains how the perceptions regarding the future of office
work are now changing. He uses examples of government ministers and Wall Street banks,
often “the most enthusiastic advocates for in-office work”, starting to be quiet on this subject
and backing his statement on a survey realized by 3 well-known economists that claim that in
a post-pandemic world of average of 1.3 days a week will be worked from home, a number
significantly bigger than they expected in January of 2021.

b. Personal opinion

I believe that nowadays remote working is seen as an opportunity, more and more people
deciding to replace the traditional environment of the workplace for the comfort of their own
home.

c. The opinion of specialists

The expectations of the days spent working from home in a post-pandemic world (1.3 days per
week4) were significantly exceeded as of now, January of 2023, studies show that “people were
coming into the office an average of 1.4 days a week, compared to 3.8 days a week pre-
pandemic.5”, so they spend 3.6 days per week working from the comfort of their own home.

3
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210915-how-companies-around-the-world-are-
shifting-the-way-they-work (02.01.2023)
4
https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/10/30/remote-first-work-is-
taking-over-the-rich-world (02.01.2023)
5
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62542537 (02.01.2023)
 4. Paragraph 4
a. The author’s opinion

The author considers that there are a few factors that explain why remote work is dominant
after the pandemic: people are scared of contracting the virus, they want to avoid a long and
“sweaty commute five days a week” and the most intriguing possibility that employees may be
more productive working from home.

b. Personal opinion

I agree with the author’s point of view, and I believe that remote work will continue to be
popular for a pretty long time, as it allows workers to have more time for their personal lives
and it also offers employers more efficiency from their staff.

c. The opinion of specialists

The majority of experts agree with the author’s opinion on this specific topic, claiming that
remote work represents the future of the workforce - “future of work has arrived6”.

5. Paragraph 5
a. The author’s opinion

In this paragraph the author presents a study that follows the impact that remote working had
on an Asian IT-services company. The shift to working from home increased the average hours,
but the output was disappointing. The productivity was significantly worse and the
communication with all the employees represented a struggle.

b. Personal opinion

Considering the effects that the year 2020 had on our lives, I think that the results were as
expected. At first, remote work was a new concept for all of us and we didn’t think it was
necessary to get used to it, as we thought the pandemic would be over a lot sooner. But now I
consider that the situation has improved in the majority of cases, and also remote work isn’t for
everybody and that is why I think that companies should let their employees decide on their
work environment.

c. The opinion of specialists

Numerous specialists consider that a full remote shift is not the best option, claiming that a
hybrid system is a better alternative for both the employees and the employers “A hybrid model

6
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2020/04/10/is-working-from-home-the-future-of-
work/(02.01.2023)
can offer flexibility and empower employees to work to their strengths, which in turn boosts
productivity7“.

6. Paragraph 6
a. The author’s opinion

The author reveals that the majority of the studies present positive results, finding that “Only
15% of home-workers believe they are less efficient working in this way” and that more than
half of the people consider that they are getting the same amount of work done, while a third of
them claim that they are even more productive.

b. Personal opinion

From my point of view, working from home has a lot of advantages as increased productivity,
more free time, no commute, etc., but also disadvantages such as less communication between
colleagues, it can be harmful to the company’s culture and the mental health of the employees.
However, these factors can differ depending on the person.

c. The opinion of specialists

There are different views on this matter: some specialists think that remote work can “provide
more time for hobbies and interests, and improve personal relationships8.”, while others claim
that it “can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation9”. However, the majority of experts
support a balanced hybrid model “the hybrid work model has the potential to take your
organization to a new level of productivity10”

7. Paragraphs 7
a. The author’s opinion

In the seventh paragraph, the author talks about the lack of insight economists have on why
remote workers are more productive, bringing up the possibility that there are less temptations
at home, that commuting was a tiring factor for the employees and that the dependence on tools
such as Slack makes the instructions much clearer and bosses can co-ordinate teams more
efficiently.

7
https://enterprisersproject.com/article/2021/7/hybrid-work-advantages (02.01.2023)
8
https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/benefits-of-remote-work/(02.01.2023)
9
https://w
ww.techtarget.com/whatis/feature/15-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-remote-work
(02.01.2023)
10
https://enterprisersproject.com/article/2021/7/hybrid-work-advantages (02.01.2023)
 b. Personal opinion

From my point of view, workers are more productive from home because they feel more
comfortable, they do not get distracted by other co-workers and they have much clearer tasks.

c. The opinion of specialists

Many studies show that the increased productivity is due to the change in environment, remote
working offering a peaceful place, with less interruptions “working from home allows for a
quieter environment that can facilitate more focused work11” This non-traditional way of
working comes with other advantages, such as improved staff health and wellbeing, financial
benefits, convenience and better work-life balance. On the other hand, finding a balance
between the new reality of work and home may be challenging.
8. Paragraph 8
a. The author’s opinion

The article continues by questioning the lack of evidence of a shift towards “fully remote” work,
presenting the fact that a tiny minority of companies has chosen to completely change their way
of functioning, while the capital of remote work remains underpopulated.

b. Personal opinion

In my view, this drastic change is far from being implemented because people also need to
communicate face-to-face, to create better relationships and the company needs to give the
employees the chance of exchanging ideas with more colleagues, not only the close contacts.
Also, the new staff needs to learn how to properly complete their tasks and to accumulate work
experience, and that would be a lot harder in a “fully remote” environment.

c. The opinion of specialists

Some experts consider that “fully remote” work has already started at a slow pace and that it is
going to completely change our work environment, while others claim that the lack of
teamwork, office equipment and security concerns will keep the companies from making the
decision of going “fully remote”.

11
https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/advantages-and-disadvantages-employees-
working-home
 9. Paragraph 9
a. The author’s opinion

The author is skeptical towards “fully remote” work, presenting a couple of the downsides of
this way of working and claiming that “firms have good reason to hold on to their office
buildings, even if they are used less frequently”.

b. Personal opinion

I believe that in the following years more and more people will choose to switch to remote
working and that most companies will turn physical work into “work from home”, while
moving into smaller offices and still giving their employees the choice to commute to work.

c. The opinion of specialists

The opinions are divided on this specific topic. While some experts claim that remote work can
trigger anxiety and stress because of the lack of human interaction, others say that working from
home represents the better alternative because it offers a more peaceful space, without social
pressure and it allows more time for interests and relaxation.

10. Paragraph 10
a. The author’s opinion

In the last paragraph is presented the fact that firms have to adapt to this new way of working
and find the best solutions to fit their goals and to increase productivity and motivation. The
author is sure that in the future offices will still have a significant role, “even if they are mostly
empty”.

b. Personal opinion

From my perspective, companies will have to experiment in order to stay afloat and more so to
improve themselves. They will have to find a way to bring people closer and make the office a
place to come together for a common purpose, at least one or two day a week.

c. The opinion of specialists

Experts seem to agree with the author on this matter of fact. They think that companies need to
find a balance between remote and physical work, becoming more flexible to employee’s wants
and preferences in order to create a more “positive, vibrant workplace culture12”.

12
https://www.thehrdirector.com/the-big-priorities-for-office-life-post-pandemic/(02.01.2023)
 III. Conclusions

The coronavirus pandemic forced us to adapt to even more technology in our lives, changing
what we thought was normal and offering us a new view on our jobs. Even though remote
working is not and will never be for everyone or for every industry, it is safe to say that it is
here to stay and that it represents the future of our work environment. Although it has its
problems, the advantages of working from home are far more numerous and its presence made
some of our lives a lot easier and comfortable.

In conclusion, it is well-known that remote work comes with a vast array of issues and
challenges for firms and employees, but it also comes with a wide range of benefits. After all,
remote work can represent the best way of finding a balance between work and personal life,
while having time for yourself and your interests, but also engaging with your co-workers and
employer.

ARTICLE LINK: https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/10/30/remote-

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