Commercial rates are still way higher than residential. I’d be curious if it were actually possible to buy a whole floor of mini apartments and turn them into offices instead.
It used to be common for startups to do this really early on. Founders would rent a 3 bedroom and make it an "office" until they out grew it and could afford commercial.
Someone should try that - instead of offices, give people small, offices/bachelor apartments with small kitchens, bathrooms, and sleeping quarters.
Have them work for 4 days where they are totally tuned in and productive with their team, and then give them 3 days off, where they can go home to their family and completely forget about work.
Sort of like the oil rig model, but for tech workers.
Wouldn't have to live in high COL areas, and have only one commute per week.
This is probably a horrible idea, but then again, the standard workweek that most in office workers adhere to right now isn't super stellar or efficient either...
As someone with a life outside of work, this does indeed sound like a horrible idea.
Yeah but at least they get to see their spouses and children every day.
Despite the narrative about tech workers you see in the media, the vast majority of them are normal people with families who work normal hours Monday through Friday and are satisfied with their work-life balance.
Honestly, even working from home, I wouldn't outright dismiss the idea of 4/3 split, or even 2/2/2/1 split - the normal cadence means that, during the work week, I only get little low-quality/low-intensity time with my kids just after they wake up, and just before they go to sleep.
Who does this idea benefit? Who would want this arrangement? This only makes sense for folks who want/need to go all in on their job... in order to live in a crappy apartment that they do not own. This may make sense for some founders/early career founding teams. But I don't see it making sense outside of that. Most potential customers, investors, and future employees would likely be skeptical of a team that worked in this manner.