• funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
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    8 months ago

    all the studies what I can find that show lower productivity working from home are all based around Indian IT call centers.

    I just read three studies claiming WFH reduces productivity to reply to this comment and all of them are based around Indian IT call centers.

    Which is weird to me because prior to their sudden switch to IITCCs they talk about how workers perceive saving an average of 65-140 minutes on grooming and commuting for in person work in America as a productivity bonus, but upper manager perceives it as nil (because if you’re commuting and you don’t have to- yes its amazing, but if you’re purely measuring “how much work got done between 9am and 5pm and to hell with whether you do that in office or not” then WFH is irrelevant.)

    So, if it’s only benefit is it makes employees happier, and on average the “productivity” gains are in morale, focus, application, and appropriate location - and at worst (in America) there’s no difference (except happier employees) you really do have to be an almost literal Eberneezer Scrooge to deny them that happiness.

    If you run an IT call center in India - ymmv

    • billbasher@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Right so basically the places where the boss has to ‘crack the whip’ will see an improvement in productivity. Creative types like software engineering work better or the same alone with some collaboration.

    • infotainment@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      You didn’t address my point at all — I’m talking about remote schooling, which I believe studies showed did not do well.

      I agree with you that the WFH “productivity” studies are suspect since it’s difficult to measure productivity in any meaningful way.

        • infotainment@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          Indeed I was! I’m not sure the studies you linked would either confirm nor refute that point. I agree with your supposition that studies on Indian call centers probably don’t generalize particularly well.

          • MolochAlter@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            Schooling is

            1. Targeted at children, who are famously awful at conceptualising consequences, so given a chance to slack off they most likely will.
            2. Mandatory, so there is no risk of losing your ability to get an education.
            3. Not directly related to earning and quality of life in the immediate future.

            Schooling and work are not congruous at all. The people participating are too different, they’re there for different reasons, and they get a different payoff with a different timing on its turnaround.

            Remote work translates to being able to take your coffee break at home and possibly do a load of laundry while you’re waiting for a reply on an email, and being able to do a grocery run instead of commuting at the end of the day. Otherwise for most jobs it’s fundamentally identical or straight up better.