I don't get it. Why should someone working from home make more money than someone who does not?
This is: Your employer should provide the means for you to do the work they ask of you.
As a person in the US where "health insurance" is so tangled up with employers I can tell you, the last thing anyone should want is more financial entanglements between employees and employers.
I agree that health care shouldn't be tied to employment, but saying a company shouldn't buy you e.g. a laptop, desk, chair, and space to work seems wild to me.
The net result is still that you
- disincentivize companies to let people work from home
- give people who can work from home, (and already are at an advantage to cashiers/tellers/etc...) more benefits.
With a majority remote workforce, the company’s physical plant expenses should be reduced, effectively shifting the cost of utilities to the employee. All things being equal reduced expenses mean increased profits. This increase in profits generally does not go back to the employees, so even though their personal assets are effectively serving as a rent-free physical plant for the company, there’s no consideration of that in the company’s bottom line. Depreciable expenses plummet for them, and on and on.
I don’t like marrying it to salary and definitely prefer a reimbursement model, though that has a few new burdens for the employee, but that’s acceptable.
Anyway, it would make more sense to pay for a percentage of the transportation/time spent travelling of the workers rather than for housing costs - not only it would incentivise companies to enforce work from home but it would also be more fair to the employees. After all the employees would have a home regardless but have to pay for transportation only if they have to attend the company.
If you are an independent contractor, a company should pay your rate. If you are an employee the company should pay for the equipment needed for the job.
Talking to many friends and people at my job, I am definitly not the only one, so work from home has a cost for employees.
But the plumber is not your employee. He is somebody else's employee, and that somebody should be paying for his work van and tools (that somebody could be himself, if he's independent).
Anyways, it's all a bit of a moot point. Labor is a market and the prices are what they are. Most employees will earn X. If an employer has to pay for WFH (or transit), the employee will just earn Y+expenses, where the sum equals X.
In a perfect world, there would be few or zero entanglements between my wages and expenses/benefits. And I could negotiate freely on just my wages (not wages, expenses, benefits, etc).
If I have to work from home I need a larger apartment with an extra room, and it will be more expensive. During lockdown I'm using the room of my son, but it is not really a feasible arrangement in the long run.
Well, take a job that requires a truck, or expensive construction equipment, or whatever, to do. Is it surprising that a job that requires the employee to furnish his own such pays a bit more? In this case, the employee is asked to provide his own office (in a country where real estate is immensely expensive).
It's a zero sum game for them
No big deal, seems fair to me
If the situation becomes permanent some people may have to move to larger homes, upgrade some utility subscriptions, etc. But I'm afraid for most people this payout from the employer will come out of their future raises.
For example, some people are not living in an ideal "work" environment — smaller spaces, no air-conditioning, pets/children, noisy streets/neighborhoods, etc.
In my opinion workplaces provide a stable environment that negates the above-mentioned constraints and also encourages interpersonal contact; both of which (barring the current pandemic that necessitates WFH) would give a better median ROI across the workforce.
But yeah, I think people who work from home should make more money. Consider it a reward for not contributing to traffic congestion and pollution. :P If you really insist on working onsite, fine, maybe we can allow that but it's not a free perk!