In a hilarious read in the Australian Financial Review, a propaganda piece disguised as an article on remote work and office perks has been published titled WFH raises the bar for offices. I meant to post this last year, so this has been sitting in my drafts.

Mirvac, a large Australian property developer with a vested interest in getting people back into the office (because it also owns commercial real estate) has set up a trial space for clients and architectural firms. But, showing just how out of touch they are, a paragraph in the linked story reads.

“There are pot plants and whiteboards on wheels. Desks that can roll around. Power points that hang from the ceiling. Telephone boxes that bring back memories of Dr Who. Foam blocks that can be stacked like Lego.”

Is this what employees want, do they really want pot plants and whiteboards on wheels? Offices have had these things since the eighties. When deciding to choose an employer, whiteboard on wheels isn’t high on my wishlist of perks.

In other articles disguised as independent think-pieces but really being funded by the commercial real estate lobby, allegedly according to the AFR, some companies are trading up to try and lure people back into the office.

I am not convinced.

While I have no desire to go back into the office, I did ask myself the question; what would it take for me to go back into the office?

In my case;. Nothing.

Now, unlike some other up and coming workers who have never set foot into an office before, I’ve experienced what it is like on the other side.

I’ve worked in open plan offices as well as more traditional room based offices. I then worked hybrid for a few years before the pandemic forced the hand of employers and everyone for a moment in time (those that could) worked remotely.

For some people, the cat was out of the bag. Remote work was an eye opening experience. For some, it was a negative one and for many, a positive one.

The post What Would Get People Back Into the Office? appeared first on I Like Kill Nerds.