What’s the purpose of the office – and do we still need it? - BBC Worklife

The employees of LendingTree, an online loan marketplace headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, US, are still working from desks and couches, on patios and in libraries. But rather than doing so remotely, they’re in a corporate office that’s been re-designed to include environments that mimic working from home. LendingTree calls the concept “resi-mercial”.

“It’s a blend of a residential and commercial feel,” says Jill Olmstead, LendingTree’s chief human resources and administration officer. “The idea is that it’s comfortable, and you want to be here as much as you want to be at home.”

When the world transitioned to remote work near the start of the pandemic, employees’ ability to adapt became rapidly apparent. A massive number of people, suddenly forced to work from home, were able to do their jobs as well – or, in some cases, even better – than they could in the office. One survey of close to a million US workers at Fortune 500 companies showed productivity remained stable or increased after employees began working remotely.

In short, workers have proved remote work is both possible and profitable. Some large, mainly tech-centered companies, including Facebook, Upwork and Slack, are transitioning to permanent remote work.

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