The Problem with Remote Work

Upping sticks and moving for employment is fine if you’re single and don’t have strong family or geographic requirements. Once there’s a partner and even kids involved it becomes (quite) problematical. Needing two jobs and schooling is a far larger problem than needing a job. Especially if borders or language issues are present.

Granted, most positions can be well-filled by “good” workers, so limiting hiring to a geographic region is tolerable. Say a commuting time of two hours each way or less. Hopefully, such regions have the support structure needed for multi-person living otherwise people will face pressure to move when leaving single life. Given enough new hires, that’s not a great concern to the companies but affects the individuals.

However, when a “great” worker is needed, either some means has to be used to paper over any partner/child/… issue or an exception will be made re local work. As you all know, coworkers hate such exceptions and they’re morale killers. But, again, if there’s enough newbies companies won’t care. Companies talk about these kinds of hires, but how many are really needed? Who knows the rhythm section and the second guitarist of the typical band?

And companies don’t seem to have much heartburn offshoring or outsourcing work. Why would they have problems outsourcing staff?