Reasons to not work from home
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sick days are no longer a thing. Say good bye to taking a day off because you are not well enough to make it to the office.
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Home surveillance by your employer is already coming up as an issue. Work related ‘issues’ that are consistent for large numbers of workers generally turn to laws that govern what is allowed. Do you think the laws will favor the workers or the companies? Hope you don’t mind mandatory cameras in the home work space.
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Storage, upkeep and responsibility for work related equipment. Bye bye IT department with a person that can come look at your computer, it’s up to you to keep that company owned equipment functioning.
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Work injury liability. Fall down and get hurt at work and collect workers compensation. Fall down and get hurt at home and well, be hurt and hopefully be able to keep working hurt because you are on your own here.
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A shrinking economy hurts all workers, not just the ones who’s jobs are directly eliminated. In NYC the largest sector of office workers are in advertising and marketing. Fewer people employed and able to spend money will turn into less need for advertising and marketing and will eventually come full circle to downsize your own industries. Shutting down office buildings will hurt everybody, not just those building workers immediately fired in the office shut downs.
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Lower pay. Don’t tell me no, we are already seeing people saying their employers want to pay them less for work from home. It’s a reality that can not be denied.
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When you enter a place of business for the purpose of doing a job for an employer, that employer holds many legal rights to dictate how you spend your time and what you may and may not do. It is likely a very bad idea to extend those rights of the employer to the inside of your private home.
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Building zoning laws currently protect people from commercial activities in residential neighborhoods. It’s easy to be in favor of work from home when you think of it as someone sitting quietly in an office but what if your neighbor wants to work from home in a manufacturing job? Instead of going to a commercially zoned area to run a shop they just set up in their garage and run saws and drills and heavy machines all day long. It’s just work from home after all. Maybe they will set up a plastic refinery in their garage since it’s none of your business and they are just working from home.
Don’t be seduced by the allure of short term conditions that you perceive as a benefit to you. The history of American labor tells us beyond any reasonable doubt that the employers will make sure the long term benefits go to their side. You are creating horrific work and living conditions for future generations.