Out of Office
John Seabrook’s piece about the post-pandemic future of the office covered a number of important topics related to working from home (“Office Space,” February 1st). Two other factors are worth considering. First, remote working pushes the costs of maintaining office space onto employees. Some companies do offer stipends for office technology and at-home setups, like chairs and Wi-Fi, but many employees end up shouldering the majority of these costs. We must ask who benefits from the ostensible savings represented by home offices. For many employees—especially parents—working at home is much harder and sometimes more costly than working in an office. The second factor involves office dynamics: with people at home, there are likely fewer opportunities for sexual harassment and other detrimental encounters between colleagues, and any attacks can be recorded. Although working from home could be less safe for those facing domestic violence, many employees may find that it eases their interactions in the “office.”