Make Me Smart

The evolution of the American office

Jul 2, 2024

The podcast dives into the shift to remote work in the American workplace, discussing the challenges and possibilities. It explores the impact of remote and hybrid work arrangements on different industries and productivity. They also examine the evolving landscape of commercial real estate, Tesla's vehicle delivery numbers, and the disparities caused by the K-shaped recovery.

24:48

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Quick takeaways

Around 35% of Americans work remotely, with a balance of office and home days for increased flexibility.

Remote work benefits women in balancing home and career responsibilities, but entails challenges like reduced feedback.

Deep dives

Remote Work Trends and Policies

Around 35% of Americans work from home, with a common policy being three days in the office and two days at home, providing a balance for employees to connect with colleagues while enjoying flexibility. Industries like tech, finance, law, and entertainment embrace remote work, with different generational attitudes observed - younger and older individuals favoring office work, while Gen X values remote work's flexibility.

Intro

2min

Evolving Landscape of Remote and Hybrid Work

11min

Exploring the Impact of the Pandemic on Office Spaces and Commercial Real Estate

5min

Reflections on Tesla's vehicle delivery numbers and personal anecdotes about the Cybertruck

2min

Impact of K-Shaped Recovery on Individuals

5min

It’s been about four years since the great remote work experiment took off for many employees who work computer-bound jobs.

After plenty of back and forth between return-to-office mandates and work-from-home advocates, neither side really won. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the share of Americans doing some or all of their work from home has leveled off at about 35%.

“We’re not saying this is the end of the office,” said Emma Goldberg, a reporter covering the future of work for The New York Times. “We’re saying this is certainly an evolution of how people have defined their expectations of when they’re supposed to be sitting at their desk.”

On the show today, Goldberg explains who’s working from home these days and how it’s impacting both employees and their bosses. Plus, the commercial real estate question looming large over the remote work debate.

Then, we’ll get into why the Joe Biden administration’s new protections for workers in extreme heat could be threatened by recent Supreme Court rulings and a potential second Trump presidency. Plus, some news on the Tesla downturn.

Later, we’ll hear from listeners on their frustrations with wealth inequality and money’s role in politics. And, the CEO of GS1, the company administering retail barcodes, didn’t see the QR code takeover coming.

Here’s everything we talked about today: