Is the problem the office or the commute?
If offices, schools/nurseries and housing are all within a 20mn cycle radius the question of remote or in-office work becomes different
If offices, schools/nurseries and housing are all within a 20mn cycle radius the question of remote or in-office work becomes different
Even if a close cycling trip, that's still a burden most don't want to deal with anymore. Just think about cycling in a heat wave or thunderstorm (they're common where I live and dense enough to where being outside for just a second is the equivalent to jumping in a lake)
It is a little nicer from an efficiency standpoint to have more experienced workers around to train the new ones, but that doesn't change the fact that those experienced workers are now quite mobile and can get a new job with little effort. When my old company went to hybrid we started immediately losing the best talent. It was a trickle at first and then a dam bursting. They're finally accepting remote-only because they don't have a choice. Their engineering staff went from an average of 8+ years of service to like maybe 3, and that has huge inefficiency losses.
But it's not only that. Kids need more than just being transported, fed and put to bed. You need to rush home to cook, do chores because you didn't have time to pick up the mess in the morning, take care of them. Then once they are asleep, more chores, and then your free time starts at 9-10pm, until you crash.
Being at home, especially flex time, nothing prevents you from doing laundry, and because you eat at home, you can do a bit more dishes after lunch, start cooking something for supper, etc. It alleviates my routine a lot and I also work more time with less stress.
You'd think for once the money people would think about the money, not the method.
I can't choose when Janet or John taps me on the shoulder whilst I'm in the middle of something important.
I take breaks when in the office too, I just can't spend that 5 mins putting the washing on. Usually I just look out of the window.
Edit to add: Whether I'm at an office or at home, I go on at least one 20 to 30 minute walk and ideally two or three each day. I've been doing that for over a decade. I have no qualms saying that in public. Any employer or manager who sees this as a negative habit because I'm doing it while I'm "on the clock" is not one I have any interest in working for, and I'm very happy if they'll filter themselves out of my set of prospective employers.
If you do computer work, it's important to move your legs and extend your gaze into the distance, often. What you're advocating here and are "startled" that it's "controversial" is just strictly unhealthy. Don't kill yourself for a job. There are many many employers who won't require it of you, because they know that happy healthy employees are more creative and more productive than unhealthy burned out zombies.
If I do laundry and quick groceries in my worktime it's a lot less of an issue if I have to log in to quickly flag an error outside my worktime. Balance is still needed, but that's a world of difference when flexibility goes both ways.
(inconsiderate workers are an issue however you turn it)
I prefer my water cooler chat to be with my family, not random coworkers.
Therefore, you're just traded the time for money.
WFH solves both problems at once. AKA, it increases efficiency of the entire system.
Also, most of us change work more often than where we live (wasn't true for me in the past but should be from now on, and I think I was an outlier).
Another point - moving kids older then say 6 between schools/locations is pretty harsh on them too. For every single one that thrives with such dramatic changes and finds new friends easily there are tens who struggle.
Having a quick chat when your kids get back from school, taking a 10 min break with your family, spending 15min cooking a fresh lunch instead of waiting in line at the restaurant etc.
Of course not everyone wants that proximity, but if you do that's a big deal.
What if they are at home?
Because even with Star Trek teleport WFH means do not need to dress up accordingly to some common social dress code, enough for traveling outside depending on the season and so on.
I WFH in my underwire in a dedicated, locked, room at my own home in my own environment. So the problem is ALSO the office, not just the commute. The problem is the absurdity of keeping up models that was needed in the past, but have no reason today for most, they are needed only by some giant capital who profit pasturing humans like cows.
This is the problem: a society not centered on actual tech levels and for the people instead of for exploiting the most for the interests of a very little cohort.
I don’t want to cycle 20 minutes when it’s 105F outside (today), or 30F outside (February). Frankly it could be a 5 minute cycle and it’s not going to happen in those temperatures.
Secondly, when I get there, I don’t want to sit in an open plan hell hole listening to other people on video calls talking about things which are irrelevant to me because there aren’t enough meeting rooms with AV equipment.
I like the office more than most of my coworkers like the office. And I hate the office.
I'm lying there detecting the foul odour of my neighbours diet wafting through the overflow hole in the bath and basin!
At least my supplements are improving my olfactory bulb, who would have thought being on a mains water supply is a low level neighbourly germ warfare zone.
No wonder the water companies tell us to spend no more than 4mins in the shower!
You have a plumbing problem - both the drain and the overflow should be protected by the trap, preventing intrusion of sewer gases and other odors.
I can watch the water in the toilet rising and then receding when the basin and sink gurgle.
I also would not put anything past the US and UK military around here.
Basically, the sewer line should be vented to air on top of the building somewhere, or in some cases air could be let in via an air admittance valve. This should prevent the creation of a vacuum that would cause gurgling or odors.