About the author: Tim Morton is a retired portfolio manager with 45 years of experience, and the editor of mortonir.com.
It is difficult, maybe impossible, to measure the difference in productivity from working in person or virtually, unless you are producing widgets. So much of the measurement is subjective. Some of the touted benefits of in-person are merely best guesses. Do younger staff really get mentored in an office setting? Does the corporate spirit become engrained by onsite osmosis? Skepticism abounds.
But there are trade-offs. Among them are worries about drug use and homelessness. Effective transportation is difficult and the threat of violence is a concern in city life. Compound these difficulties with outrageous rents and unaffordable house pricing. Is there a happy medium that benefits employees and employers?
But be careful what you wish for, because the reward of working at home seems to favor the company. If your employees work remotely, why limit your employees to those available domestically?