Why Elon Musk should tweet less and parent more: Diversity and the importance of the hybrid model
Recently, Elon Musk shared his demands around return to office for Tesla: “Anyone who wishes to do remote work must be in the office for a minimum (and I mean *minimum*) of 40 hours per week or depart Tesla. This is less than we ask of factory workers.” ... adding that was one of the reasons he essentially lived at the Tesla factory in Fremont, California, when the company was struggling to increase production in 2017 and 2018. You can see the full article here.
He's gone on the attack against remote and hybrid working models stating things like his employees can "pretend to work elsewhere". Before COVID, arguments about the efficacy of remote work were compelling but highly debated. However, post-COVID, we now know that remote work is both possible and highly effective for certain career types. The COVID pandemic has forced organizations to re-evaluate their remote work policies in light of hard evidence that the entire world got to watch unfold in real time. I've seen my teams step up and continue delivering during the quarantine, and we've built camaraderie by supporting each other through some of the hardest times in recent memory. And we hired highly talented people wherever they were during a pandemic labor shortage.
For many companies, remote work was previously seen as something that was only possible for a select few occupations, such as customer service or data entry. However, the pandemic has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of remote workers, with many knowledge and technology workers now working remotely on a full or part-time basis. And while there have been some challenges associated with remote work, numerous studies have shown that it can be just as effective as traditional office-based paradigms for knowledge and technology workers. In fact, remote work can offer a number of advantages for these workers, such as increased flexibility, decreased business travel expenses, and decreased distractions. Another key advantage of remote work is that it allows workers to be more flexible with their hours. This can lead to increased productivity, as workers can take advantage of times when they are feeling most creative or energetic. Additionally, remote work gives workers the opportunity to take small breaks throughout the day, which can help to improve focus and concentration.
