This hits SO hard! Having experienced both sides of the commuting nightmare (in cities like Warsaw and London), I can physically FEEL those subway images.
What really resonates with me is the dignity aspect - there's something fundamentally wrong about forcing humans to endure daily physical discomfort for jobs that literally just require a computer and internet connection. It's not even about productivity anymore (though remote workers are often MORE productive) - it's about basic human respect.
After nearly a decade working remotely, I've discovered something fascinating: companies that force returns to offices aren't usually doing it because work quality suffers... they're doing it because managers haven't evolved their management style beyond "I need to see you working."
And that benchmark point about productivity! YES! Whether someone's in an office or at home, their VALUE comes from their ideas, execution and impact - not from how many hours they sit in a chair.
The challenges are real though - I've struggled with isolation and work-life boundaries that I never anticipated. But these are SOLVABLE problems unlike the absolute nightmare of mass transit during rush hour.
This hits SO hard! Having experienced both sides of the commuting nightmare (in cities like Warsaw and London), I can physically FEEL those subway images.
What really resonates with me is the dignity aspect - there's something fundamentally wrong about forcing humans to endure daily physical discomfort for jobs that literally just require a computer and internet connection. It's not even about productivity anymore (though remote workers are often MORE productive) - it's about basic human respect.
After nearly a decade working remotely, I've discovered something fascinating: companies that force returns to offices aren't usually doing it because work quality suffers... they're doing it because managers haven't evolved their management style beyond "I need to see you working."
And that benchmark point about productivity! YES! Whether someone's in an office or at home, their VALUE comes from their ideas, execution and impact - not from how many hours they sit in a chair.
The challenges are real though - I've struggled with isolation and work-life boundaries that I never anticipated. But these are SOLVABLE problems unlike the absolute nightmare of mass transit during rush hour.
I actually wrote about these exact tensions in my decade of remote work experience: https://thoughts.jock.pl/p/remote-work-decade-experience-digital-nomad-reality-check-2025
The future belongs to companies that understand work is about OUTCOMES, not location. And thank goodness for that!