Remote Work Was Meant to Reshape the Political and Social Landscape. What Happened?

The remote work experiment proved we don’t need to be in an office to succeed — so why are we still being dragged back to our desks?

Remember when COVID-19 was supposed to revolutionize work? Millions of us were suddenly Zooming from makeshift home offices, fumbling through virtual “watercooler” moments.

Companies, faced with stressed-out, fearful employees, made grand promises. Flexibility! Work-life balance! A brave new workplace! It was the dawn of a new era, they said.

Fast forward a few years, and the much-hyped remote work revolution is faltering.

Why?

Bottom line: No matter how many tears the CEOs shed or how often HR insisted “we’re all in this together,” the harsh truth remains. Humans are, painfully and inevitably, just resources.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ And it’s inconvenient for those resources to be anywhere but their desks.

The Great Experiment

When offices across the globe shuttered their doors in early 2020, it kickstarted what many dubbed “the great work-from-home experiment.” Suddenly, 35% of US employees found themselves working remotely full-time. Gone were the rush-hour commutes, the office small talk, and the rigid 9-to-5…