I cannot see an issue here, given office work can be done from home and was! And even including required modifications a cheaper option.

Moreover, zoom allows all the consultations that could ever be required. And allows records that place merit in the hands that created it rather than those that manage/use the staff and their intellectual abilities!

And as the model for the future, allows for long overdue decentralization! And if that hurts high flying developers? Tough titties! We need decentralization to ensure affordable housing. Some of which could be former office space reconfigured as accommodation

All of which would be progressed with the rollout of rapid rail and desal plants to ensure new and reliable town supply. Plus ultracheap and reliable nuclear power.

The only thing and I do mean the only thing that prevents this progress are recalcitrant intrangsient politicians! And those in the deep pockets of urban developers?

If there are other reasons, they escape me. Ask your intending elected representatives if they are there to represent you and progress or well heeled urban developers?
Alan B.

I guess if it is a government department. or large large operation, about half the employees are doing something only marginally useful, or long term product development, however in smaller companies there is often only one or 2 people with full knowledge of that company.

When I was running a little group of 4 associated & 2 separate companies, I needed those people right there to give me any answer I needed, right now. I did not have time to waste finding someone working or not at home. In fact I needed people who could switch from what they were doing, spend 2 minutes giving me an answer, then go back seamlessly to what they had been doing. If they were unable to do that, they were of no use to me.

When I was running a fleet of tourist boats I had trouble with the builder of 2 of them. New boats, they had teething problems. The company gave in to unions & instituted a 9 day fortnight.

If I had a problem with anything, air conditioning, steering, engines or toilets, that was disastrous. As many problems were multi discipline I could find that I could not get an answer from Thursday to Tuesday, as one or more critical people were not available. This was not supportable. Imagine if they were all working from home.

It is so critical that you do not cancel a trip that I used to use the bank jet that flies from Perth right around OZ to Cairns & back every night to get engine parts from Adelaide to Mackay. They landed at about 2.30AM, allowing engines to be fixed & running next day. The delivery cost was huge, but critically you maintained faith with the agents who sold your tickets.

Time is critical in many things, & time wasted finding that person working from home, & getting answers is just not viable in most private enterprise.

Hasbeen. The article was about office workers not boat builders or anything like that.

Trades are a completely different issue as is ferrying tourists from here to there. Can't imagine how anybody in that game survived covid and all those on again off again shutdowns, especially if fully leveraged?

And how does one do social distancing in the close confines of a boat?

I worked in the tourist trade for a bit and made more in tips than I ever made in wages. and better in every which way than putting the hand out for the dole.
Cheers, Alan B.

Once upon a time we had cottage industies.
Then we moved to having centralised places of work.
This meant lots of travel, and allowing time for that travel.
But overall this was a more efficient and productive system?
It was necessary where large machinery was needed for production.
(one cannot build a 'titanic' in a back garden)
A centralised work place is still necessary in some instances.
But technology is now allowing us to revert to 'cottage style' for many industries.
We can thus save on travel, and the time that takes.

For home life, we devise dwellings as spacious, convenient, and comfortable as possible.
Why should this approach be changed for a place of work?
Work is a vital part of life too.
So why should work be conducted in cramped and dingy conditions?
The obvious answer is that it shouldn't.
Work should be conducted in 'suitably accommodating' places.

So working from home is good.
(this can allow savings by both the employer and the employed)
And only when necessary, travel to a centralised workplace.
(this system is already in use in many places in the world)
Any centralised workplace should be made as comfortable and convenient as possible?
(that seems to be the way to go)
Which is a lot of words just to say: 'get with it fellahs, and move with the times!'