re: Bosses’ opinions of remote work changing quickly

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do think it is wrong to disappear from your "desk" for extended periods of time simply because you are at home. If you wouldn't have gone swimming while in the office, for example, personally I don't think you should just because you can since you are home.

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I used to work in an office and now own my own business that I run out of my house and I can’t disagree with this more as a broad statement. As long as the work gets done, you’re not neglecting clients who gives a shite? WFH also means you’re no longer 8-5 either. My wife works from home and may go into the office once a week, but since the whole wfh started she puts in more hrs than she would have at the office simply bc she can always run back upstairs and fine tune something or check her emails in the evening.

This is simply not true. Bosses want people in the office to make sure they feel in control of the workplace. At least in the legal field, it was categorically proven that people far outpaced their previous billable hours. During COVID, numerous firms in the top 50 had banner years.

I think WFH works well for transactional law

Litigation not so much. Especially as Courts are returning to in-person hearings on a weekly basis. And lawyers my age using every bit of their flex days are doing a disservice to their own partner track. Being in the office matters to older attorneys, like it or not.

It should be based on results. Had a manager tell me two things a few years ago:

1. Be results oriented.
2. Watch anybody long enough, and you'll catch even your best employees goofing off.

I have found both to be true. If the client is happy and the business is profitable, then not much else matters.

The anti remote work narrative is gonna be pushed big time real soon.

Cities will lose way too much money with a commercial real estate crash.

Bc they can’t stand over you to micromanage and probably afraid their management position becomes irrelevant when the work is done without their hovering. Not all jobs. Some need to be in the office. Some can be successful remote and companies can see who is productive or not. Terminate those who aren’t.

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Being in the office matters to older attorneys, like it or not.

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For sure. And it is largely due to the fact that they are simply unwilling to change. I had a conversation with my partners at a retreat recently and they kept saying things like “So much training is lost. Like I can’t talk to the associate after a conference call and do a debrief” or something similar, to which I replied, “Why not? Just pick up the phone and call them right back to discuss the conference call,” to which there wasn’t a great response. There is a benefit to in office. Not sure it’s quantifiable. But it isn’t nearly as beneficial as people think, particularly once they realize they’ve been working remotely from the fricking office most of the time anyway, whether via Zoom calls with clients, or intra-office calls to colleagues so they didn’t have to leave their desk, or passing redlined documents back and forth, all of which can be easily done from home.

Litigation would be tougher remote, particularly certain types of litigation.

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If you wouldn't have gone swimming while in the office, for example, personally I don't think you should just because you can since you are home.

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Sure but the more apt comparison is that there is no discernible difference between taking 30 minutes to go for a swim and dilly dallying for 30 minutes in the office and not getting any work done.

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and not around a bunch of people who want to bullshite all day

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Thats the only part I like.