Work From Home Is A Disaster
For a corporate employee, working from home often tops the wishlist. But I believe it creates more harm than good. Employees demand remote work so they can do more within the same time, avoid the daily commute, and better utilise their hours while maintaining work–life balance. On the other hand, companies want to ensure their employees are working — not always out of mistrust, but because the workplace is where you are expected to work.
This tug-of-war has existed since the 2020s, when everyone realised that achieving the same level of productivity didn’t require long hours in the office. People discovered that most meetings were unnecessary and that much could be done through emails. Toxicity also reduced, as managers could no longer hover over subordinates just to prove they were in charge.
But I hold a counter view: regardless of the apparent benefits, working from home is ultimately a disaster. People who worked remotely for two or more years lost their social skills. They became shy, reserved, and confined to their comfort zones and small groups. They forgot the art of striking up conversations with strangers. They forgot how to have fun with people. Single men became glued to dating apps and lost the ability to approach women even in safe, everyday settings.
In both corporate life and personal life, being amenable to people is a crucial skill. You don’t need countless friends or endless socialising, but you do need the ability to coordinate with others. It’s much easier to bond over coffee and shared gossip about management than over Zoom calls. Coffee breaks, stress balls, and group meetings create an environment where talking to people comes naturally. These are the moments that often spark lifelong friendships.
Knowing how much people value these things, despite their mundanity, I realise that employees hate toxic bosses more than they hate their organisations. People don’t leave companies — they leave managers. Your opinion of a past workplace is almost always shaped by the friends you had there and the boss you reported to.
A hybrid working culture offers the best solution to this conundrum. It gives you time to manage family responsibilities while ensuring you get enough social exposure to avoid retreating into a cocoon. If you’re young, don’t choose permanent remote work — it’s a disaster whose consequences you’ll only recognise later. Instead, aim for better colleagues, a better boss, and a healthier work environment.