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WFH, cloud editing, thoughts for the future
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I read Alvin Toffler’s book Future Shock back in the 1970’s and the follow up The Third Wave in the 1980s. Both books were touting the idea of technology enabling work from home or nearby work share centers. The big trouble with this vision is the social problem of not having the human contact and camaraderie that is missing in the WFH reality. But it’s not the only thing that stopped this utopian image from becoming reality.
Although the expectations were that technology would deliver the promise of high speed reliable communications long before present day, Toffler didn’t factor in that under our system of capitalist economy, technology that reduces travel, prevents commercial buildings being built and leased and reduced infrastructure spending is not favored by the rich billionaires. Seems like they preferred newspapers on paper delivered to the door and poor internet to reduce the erosion of their profitable subscription TV services. They wanted cars and roads and use of fossil fuels. Not as easy to make money with such tech as digging stuff up they didn’t own and selling it for a handsome profit.
So much as we may think working from home is great, the dual problem of shitty internet and lack of real human contact means that even with a temporary push due to a global pandemic, most people want to get back to the old unsustainable, profitable for the few ‘normal’.
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[Oliver Peters] “You have my sympathies, but just consider that decompression time ☺”
Three hours in the car is simply not decompression time. That is 3 wasted hours of nothing.
WFH has been more stressful and less stressful. We have an elementary school age child. That part is stressful. I have been working, my wife has been working, and my son is pretty much left to figure out how to educate himself most days. It’s not easy, he resists a lot of it, and it is hard on all of us and I don’t blame his resistance. School isn’t the challenge at this age. Socialization is the challenge. Right now, and this may be a sign of the level of “e-learning’ our district was (or was not) prepared for, there isn’t enough socialization with e-learning. But that very well could change, and my guess it would change very quickly.
But, not having to waste at least two hours in the car everyday relieves stress. My work day isn’t any shorter or longer, it’s about the same depending on work load, but I have more time to do other things, like help my son with his school when I can, or prepare meals, or any other number of things that I have been able to get done around the house that wouldn’t have been done before Shelter In Place. I have more ‘face to face’ meetings with clients now that I did before Shelter in Place. Everything is a google meet or zoom call, even when it really doesn’t need to be, it just seems to be how things are being done right now. And there is the odd trip to the office to get things situated, or transfer footage, or do things that can’t be done from home.
And as far as costs, Oliver, I have been talking with other friends (not in this industry) and they are all questioning the costs and resources of office space. Chicago has one of the strictest set of rules in place for opening back up. There is simply not enough space for everyone to come back according to the emerging health guidelines. So, at least for the foreseeable future, there is going to be some sort of blended work from the office, and work from home situation, and depending on what type of industry you are in, the amount of space that can be allowed to each employee, and the amount of airflow between those employees, it actually may be easier (and safer) to have everyone work from home, rather then trying to schedule time in an office space, which seems rather impractical. There is also the 4 days on, 10 days off proposal that may or may not work for everyone’s office: https://www.fastcompany.com/90503568/this-twist-on-the-four-day-work-week-could-get-people-back-to-work-without-causing-new-outbreaks
Also, summer camps are cancelled for at least the first sessions around here, and they may be cancelled all summer. We simply CAN’T go back to full time office work without some sort of child care. And that means we are exposing the entire family to health risks. Why would we do that when we can work from home? Why would an employer insist that you put your entire family at risk when you can have the same meetings virtually (again, industry dependent)?
For school starting in the fall, they aren’t sure exactly what is going to happen, but they do know it’s not going to be ‘normal’ with some sort of limited amount of students and activities.
While numbers are going down, things are looking better in a lot of areas of the world and the country, this situation is far from over. Just look at the areas that have reopened, even after mass testing and distancing, the virus always comes back. I don’t need to turn this in to a political spin, but this country has not done a good job of preparing people for what this actually means. This means we have to live with this virus and try to keep everyone as safe as possible, which means that going back to the office is going to be very different than what it used to be.
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“Seems like they preferred newspapers on paper delivered to the door and poor internet to reduce the erosion of their profitable subscription TV services. They wanted cars and roads and use of fossil fuels.”
Well – this is your interpretation, and it’s kind of silly. The business model always changes. There was a profitable printing press business at one time. There was a profitable newspaper business at one time. Those “billionaires” went away, or helped finance news via the internet, and printing via computers (those evil people at HP and Epson !).
As for cars, and fossil fuels – isn’t Elon Musk the model of someone that disrupts the technology, and becomes a new “evil billionaire” in the process. As for the poor internet services that prevent high speed communications, so we have to pay for “profitable subscription TV services” – Frontier Communications (ex Verizon FiOS) – just declared bankruptcy. It’s only a matter of time before “evil” companies like Spectrum, Comcast, COX, etc. are taken over by other “evil” companies like Google, Amazon, Apple, etc. And the game will change – and now the new set of “evil billionaires” will take over.
The comments made, make it seem like competition doesn’t exist, and that only the established rich companies can make a living. That was never the case, and it will never be the case. While there will always be the “evil” billiionaires – the players will constantly change – just like they always have. Progress moved forward, no matter how rich and powerful you are.
The demand for work at home has existed long before anyone knew the name Covid-19. Someone will eventually run these fiber lines, or there will be a new technology (super WiFi, etc.)
that will make it happen. And that company will get rich.Bob Zelin
Bob Zelin
Rescue 1, Inc.
bobzelin@icloud.com -
Thanks for your lengthy reply, Jeremy. Obviously, everyone’s situation is very different. The benefits of living in markets like NYC, Chicago, LA, and SF to name a few – due to their nature and this business – are also the precise ingredients that push the numbers up and make cost assessments harder than in smaller communities. So there is no “one size fits all” solution. Other than that, there’s a lot in the last part I simply disagree with, but I’ll leave it at that.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters – oliverpeters.com
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[Oliver Peters] “So there is no “one size fits all” solution.”
Indeed there is not. It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it or agree with me. I am trying my best to make sure I have employment as well.
One of the big conundrums is production. We will not have post without production. I don’t know if you have been reading anything the AICP has been putting out, but production will be hindered by safety measures. Things will take longer, costs will be higher, a set will not look like sets from pre-pandemic.
There is a lot to figure out and I think work from home is the easiest part to figure out. As soon as we all come to this reality, the better off we will all be as we can move forward with a plan in place. Everyone wants to get back to work and gathering, but that needs to be done carefully.
This gets updated here and there, and it goes through each department and has some guidelines. It’s worth reading:
Jeremy
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[Jeremy Garchow] “Indeed there is not. It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it or agree with me. I am trying my best to make sure I have employment as well”
I get that. I’m just trying to stay on track and avoid the obvious politics of the situation.
[Jeremy Garchow] “One of the big conundrums is production. We will not have post without production.”
Understood, and yes, we have also been dealing with those considerations.
[Jeremy Garchow] “Things will take longer, costs will be higher, a set will not look like sets from pre-pandemic.”
Temporarily, yes. This time next year or in 2 years? I’m not so sure.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters – oliverpeters.com
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[Jeremy Garchow] “Why would an employer insist that you put your entire family at risk when you can have the same meetings virtually (again, industry dependent)?
“Yes, thanks Jeremy. You eloquently lay out the many issues involved in returning to office locations. And you raise the number one issue – childcare. There’s simply no way any employer can expect employees to return to offices if there’s no childcare solutions in place.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tmprods
https://tallmanproductions.net -
[greg janza] “There’s simply no way any employer can expect employees to return to offices if there’s no childcare solutions in place”
But, if the employer hires contractors to edit and there’s a choice of someone who comes in versus someone who doesn’t, then that’s where the dilemma comes in. Especially knowing that the one who doesn’t come in represents a higher business cost. OTOH, if you are a valued employee or contractor, then certainly allowances will be made during this time.
However, I’m not talking about Covid circumstances today or in the next few months. I’m talking about what it looks like down the road, when Covid is no longer a factor any more than the flu is now (and no, I’m not making flu comparisons).
– Oliver
Oliver Peters – oliverpeters.com
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[Oliver Peters] “But, if the employer hires contractors to edit and there’s a choice of someone who comes in versus someone who doesn’t, then that’s where the dilemma comes in. Especially knowing that the one who doesn’t come in represents a higher business cost. OTOH, if you are a valued employee or contractor, then certainly allowances will be made during this time.”
And that’s why this issue is so complicated.
[Oliver Peters] ” I’m talking about what it looks like down the road, when Covid is no longer a factor “
And while I certainly hope we can get past this pandemic quickly, it seems essential to keep in mind that the fastest a vaccine has ever been created is four years for the Mumps. Talk of everyone going back to a normal world in the near future may be very optimistic but not realistic.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tmprods
https://tallmanproductions.net -
[Oliver Peters] ” I’m talking about what it looks like down the road, when Covid is no longer a factor …”
But when is that? How long are we going to sit around and rest on our laurels for the one day that is sanctioned that there is no more COVID anywhere? The way things are going, we are a LONG way off from that moment in this country.
So what do you do in the meantime? Wait? Or start to setup a plan that will get people working, no matter where they are, even if it looks completely different from what it used to? I don’t see a downside to making a plan. I do see a downside of doing nothing and hoping it all just falls back in to place.
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