The Case for 100% Onsite Work
Proponents of requiring managers to work entirely onsite argue that leadership presence in the office is essential for a number of reasons. Firstly, it facilitates direct supervision and more effective communication. Being physically present allows leaders to better gauge the mood and dynamics of their teams, potentially leading to more responsive and adaptive management practices. As one commenter on Glassdoor notes,

“There’s a tangible difference in the operational dynamics when leaders are directly interacting with their teams. It fosters a culture of accountability and immediate feedback.”

Furthermore, advocates believe that having leaders consistently in the office sets a strong example for other employees, promoting a culture of dedication and visibility.. It also potentially enhances collaboration, as spontaneous meetings and discussions can occur more naturally without the barriers imposed by digital communication tools.

The text ‘I keep my “center of excellence” in my pants’ was posted by a user with the nickname Amazon1 on Glassdoor, during a discussion about whether managers and leaders should be required to work 100% onsite.

The Counterarguments
However, critics of the 100% onsite mandate for managers raise significant concerns, particularly around flexibility and work-life balance. The pandemic has demonstrated that many aspects of management and leadership can be effectively conducted remotely, without a loss in productivity or team cohesion. Opponents argue that forcing managers to return to the office full-time could be seen as a step back in workplace evolution.

“Requiring managers to be in the office full-time disregards the lessons learned during the pandemic about flexibility and the potential for remote management,” one Glassdoor user expressed .

The argument regarding diversity and inclusion: Remote work has been a significant boon for inclusivity, allowing individuals who may have disabilities or caregiving responsibilities greater access to leadership roles. By mandating onsite work, companies might unintentionally marginalize these employees and narrow the pool of talent from which they can draw.

Impact on Recruitment and Retention
The decision to enforce 100% onsite work for managers could also impact a company’s ability to recruit and retain talent. In today’s competitive job market, flexibility is often prized by potential employees, including those in leadership positions. Companies insisting on complete onsite work might find themselves at a disadvantage, particularly when competing for top talent against firms that offer more flexible working arrangements.

The debate over whether managers should work entirely onsite is complex and multifaceted. While the presence of leaders within the office can undoubtedly enhance certain aspects of business operations, the importance of flexibility and the proven effectiveness of remote work cannot be underestimated.

What are your thoughts about requiring managers and leaders to be 100% onsite in the office?

The corporation said it has about 20 workers who live in Taoyuan, the epicenter of the recent cluster of infections stemming from the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. The 300-employees company is headquartered in Taipei and specializes in software and application development.

The employees began working remotely Wednesday (Jan. 12), according to Mitake, which has rushed to put in place equipment to facilitate remote work, CNA reported.

Last May, when the country saw a surge in local infections, Mitake had implemented a three-month distance working restriction for all of its workforce. The company noted that stricter epidemic prevention measures have been taken and alert levels increased.

The new Omicron COVID-19 cluster had involved 40 cases in Taoyuan as of Friday.

Taiwan on Friday reported 11 local cases and 57 imported cases, bringing its total to 17,692. Of the 1,837 passengers who have arrived on long-haul flights since Jan. 11, 139 have tested positive for COVID at the airport, a 7.59% positive rate, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center.

Mo Bhende, CEO and co-founder of Karat. Photo Credits: From Day One

To reach its findings, Karat ranked each metro by how respondents from a given area performed on its technical interviews. Since the founding of the company in 2014, it has conducted more than 150,000 technical interviews for technology companies, including Pittsburgh-based Duolingo Inc., to help organizations narrow down a field of candidates for open positions within the company, some of which can get hundreds of applicants per role.

For Pittsburgh, around 40% of those who took part in Karat’s technical interviews end up with a pass, outranking those who take the same interviews but face-to-face in cities like Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, or Boston. Hence, according to Karat’s data, that 40% of interviewees are more likely to end up moving further along in the hiring selection process and consequently are more likely to get hired for remote work at a tech company. Mo Bhende, founder and CEO of Karat who also happens to be a Pittsburgh native, commented:

“We look at where developers are based, and what that data tells you is that the engineers who live in Pittsburgh perform at the highest levels for what we consider remote cities. That’s really impressive. Honestly, if you are an engineering leader sitting at some Bay Area company and you were trying to figure out where to go hire from, you should probably hire from Pittsburgh.”

Bhende attributes the performance of the city residents in the company’s interviewing process to a few factors. One of them is the success of Carnegie Mellon University’s computer science program, from which Karat has interviewed over 1,000 potential recent graduate candidates. Karat’s data also suggests that CMU graduates perform the best compared to those who attend other U.S. and Canadian computer science programs.

Bhende also noted that Pittsburgh’s growing tech industry could also play into why residents in the region are performing better than those from other cities.

“I would love to continue to see even more success stories out of Pittsburgh itself. I think the Duolingo success story is great, they’re a client of Karat’s, we do their interviews. But beyond Duolingo, I’m waiting for the world where I see 15 Duolingos or 20 Duolingos because I do think that creates a matter of city pride that will attract talent. Clearly there’s talent being attracted at the university level. The challenge and opportunity for Pittsburgh is to retain that talent, so that when they’re in their 30s and 40s that they live in Pittsburgh.”

Respectively, the report found that several regions (Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon; and Atlanta, Georgia) rounded out their top five cities for hiring remote software engineers. The data can be accessed here.

“Improving attendance is one of the most fundamental ways to support learning recovery and get students back on track academically. This is clearly critical during COVID, but frankly, is an issue we all must address during ‘normal times’ as well. EveryDay Labs plays an instrumental role in this strategy for us.”

According to “Present Danger: Solving the Deepening Student Absenteeism Crisis” a recent report from Georgetown University, COVID led to lower rates of attendance for students in under-resourced communities, even as attendance rates for more affluent students increased. EveryDay Labs CEO, Emily Bailard added:

“This funding is an important step in meeting the needs of district leaders serving millions of K–12 students and families, so that all students have the opportunity to learn every day. It’s about generating new insights into a pervasive problem, and investing in tools that reflect the aspirations of school district leaders and students alike.”

Even before the pandemic, a growing number of U.S. school districts were tapping the potential of behavioral and data science to tailor interventions and supports to realworld needs, and engage families to improve attendance and student outcomes. On average, districts that partner with EveryDay Labs see a 10–15% reduction in chronic absenteeism.

This investment round, which includes participation from Reach Capital, Gary Community Ventures, City Light Capital, RedHouse Education, Edovate Capital Bonsal Capital, and Copper Wire Ventures will also support EveryDay Labs’ efforts to scale its research-based communication tools to help district leaders tackle other critical priorities, such as learning recovery, enrollment, and connecting vulnerable students and families to resources.

On Tuesday, the company said it won’t have strict requirements for the number of days spent in an office but will empower teams to decide on the number of days employees are expected to attend work in person.

Canva said the decision followed internal research with a survey showing that 79% of its teams say they feel productive working from home, with 81% saying they wanted to continue balancing working in the office with remote work when stay-at-home orders are relaxed. The company’s new policy won’t set strict requirements for balancing physical and remote work. However, it said it expects to see employees appear at their “nearest Canva hub” at least eight times per year.

Canva also shared its global approach to team building would be reimagined to fit the new approach to physical work, with the introduction of an all of company ‘Meeting Free Wednesday’. The company also added:

“We believe traditional workplaces will become the exception when it comes to the future of work. The pandemic has disproved the notion of collaboration being best in one way or in one place.”

In late April Australian tech giant Atlassian announced a remote work policy that would enable its global staff of 5,700 to work from anywhere in the world.

As part of its approach to flexible work, employees are expected to visit the company’s offices four times a year to attend global summits or to design their own approach to office attendance. The company found that around 50% of employees intend to continue going into the office on a regular basis. Atlassian also said its policy not only reflected the company’s global approach but signalled a shift in the flexibility employees expected in conducting their work. Scott Farquhar, co-founder and co-chief executive of Atlassian said:

“If you think about Atlassian historically we’ve basically been a global company, we’ve had a belief that talent exists everywhere in the world, not just in Silicon Valley.”

In April Canva rocketed to a new milestone with a valuation of $US15 billion ($19.7 billion) following a new round of funding. The company shared that the pandemic had boosted its user base by 50% due to an increased demand for tools that enable remote collaboration.

They knew many IT specialists and cyber-security experts would be on leave, enjoying a long weekend off work. Before long, more than 1,000 companies in the US, and at least 17 other countries, were under attack from hackers. Many firms were forced into a costly downtime period as a result. Among those targeted during the incident was a well-known software provider, Kaseya.

REvil used Kaseya as a conduit to spread its ransomware – a malware that can scramble and steal an organisation’s computer data – through other corporate and cloud-based networks that use the software.
REvil took credit for the incident and claimed to have encrypted more than one million systems.

The group then demanded a ransom of $70m (£50.5m) in Bitcoin for the release of a universal decryption tool that would allow those affected to recover their crucial files.

Hacking experts warn that such attacks are likely to become more frequent, and suggest businesses cannot afford to underestimate the hidden impact the pandemic has had on their vulnerability.

‘Climate of uncertainty’

Experts also warn of a significant growth in the number of coronavirus-themed phishing emails targeting employees, being reported by several companies around the world.

During the height of the pandemic in 2020, network security firm Barracuda Networks said it had seen a 667% increase in malicious phishing emails. Google also reported, at the time, that it was blocking over 100 million phishing emails daily. Casey Ellis, founder of security platform, BugCrowd, tells the BBC:

“Social engineering and phishing work best when there’s a climate of uncertainty. As an attacker in that scenario, I’ve got a base of fear to work off of.”

Mr Ellis says for example, one method hackers may use in a post-pandemic world could be an email that lures victims in with the promise of appointments for those who are currently unvaccinated against the virus. He adds:

“You’ve got an entire population wanting the pandemic to end. They’re more likely to click on that. I think that companies should proactively consider that it’s a really good time to invest in training to work through these kinds of scenarios.”

The consequences of such phishing attacks can often be dire. While global multinationals may be able to recover from substantial losses, cyber-attacks can be catastrophic for both small businesses and individuals.

Voice cloning of growing interest to actors and cybercriminals

The app that lets you pay to control another person’s life

In November 2020, a Sydney-based hedge fund collapsed after a senior executive clicked on a fraudulent Zoom invitation. The company, Levitas Capital,  reportedly lost $8.7m to the cyber-attack and was forced to close.

Here is the “Lenovo Aware” smart learning solution for consumers. Its software aims to support the distance learning experience by addressing some of the digital challenges revealed last year. One such challenge is to maintain the concentration and motivation of young students and improve digital well-being while attending online classes. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the education sector by implementing distance learning. Lenovo also cited a survey conducted on virtual education that revealed the main challenges facing parents.

In its study, Lenovo found that the most common challenges parents face in adapting to online schools are questions about the effectiveness of online learning, continuous monitoring for children, excessive screen time and body. Posture issues mentioned that it involves overuse of connected laptops and other electronic devices. According to Lenovo, the new smart learning solution addresses these issues by using the PC’s built-in camera to detect eye contact between a person’s body language and the device. The software can be activated within the Lenovo Vantage and all features must be manually activated by opting in from the Lenovo Aware settings. The software, with the help of pop-up notifications and voice alerts, tells the user to sit off the screen, correct their posture, rest off the screen and rest their eyes.

The main features of the software are break reminders and distance reminders that automatically notify the user to take a break according to the computer usage time settings set by the user: detect the distance between the user’s face and the PC screen. Posture reminder: Detects whether the user is sitting properly and warns the user if the wrong sitting position is consistent for a period of time. Attention Function: Determines if the user is currently in a concentrated state.

On the other hand, Lenovo Аware software presents very real challenges that need to be addressed with remote learning and remote work. There is a big trade-off of privacy. Allowing a company to access a person’s camera for an extended period of time certainly raises questions.

According to a report commissioned by Rollbar, a software development platform, the COVID-19 work-from-home policies had affected developers differently. Although 77% said there had been a significant impact on their work — there was a big difference between age groups.

Younger developers, classed as Gen Z, overwhelmingly (90%) said that COVID-19 had impacted their jobs, while older developers, or baby boomers, were less concerned — with 52% reporting a significant impact on their work.

The 2021 State of Software Code Report asked 950 software developers in the US about their experiences. It was conducted by Propeller Insights in late December 2020. Brian Rue, CEO and co-founder at Rollbar, said:

“Our research shows that some developers have struggled with remote work while others have thrived. But nearly half said that they are ready to head back to the office. Those who have grappled with isolation, and balancing work and home life, are especially keen to return to shared workspaces.”

About one-fifth of developers complained about higher stress levels because of working from home. They had trouble striking a healthy work-life balance and had to work extra hours. They also highlighted issues such as lower budgets, smaller teams, and that the work was far more challenging because there weren’t the same opportunities to collaborate with colleagues. Cory Virok, CTO and co-founder at Rollbar, also commented:

“Coding is a team sport. Developers want to run through their thought processes in person. It’s always easier to do this in the office than on Zoom.”

Interestingly, about one-half of developers had not worked from home before the COVID-19 policies were implemented.  Additional complaints: 19% claimed damage to their mental health from working from home, and one in 10 said it had a negative effect on family life. About one-half of developers in the North-East US are keen to go back to the office compared with 37% in the South — possibly indicating that space for a home office might be a factor.

Rollbar said that it has more than 5,000 companies using its continuous development platform, cutting the time developers spend finding and fixing bugs which the report showed is much tougher from a home office.

Digital tools as learning goes remote.

Brad Freitag, CEO at Claris states:

Schools across the U.S. constantly face challenges around getting the most meaningful information out of the volumes of data gathered and processed each day—- which we are solving with Claris Connect for Apple School Manager.

Claris Connect includes support for SIS systems from Aeries, Follet Aspen, and Skyward.

The system uses the OneRoster specification from the IMS Global Learning Consortium, a spec designed as a secure standard to use when sharing confidential school information such as rosters, courses, enrollments and grades between SIS systems and supporting solutions for learning.

Enabling unique digital workflows

The idea is that SIS data can feed directly into other learning tools, applications, and digital content, which extends to building unique workflows that use popular platforms, including Excel, Twtiter, Box, MailChimp, Trello, Asana, Stripe and many more.

For teachers, it should reduce the time spent ensuring pupils have the right information for the current lesson, as well as being able to check attendance and attainment at a glance.

How exactly it works: A student signs in with their Apple ID and digital assets (such as courses, tasks, messages, attainment records, and so on) are downloaded to the device from iCloud. Data is also cached so if a single iPad is shared across a small number of people, all documents, apps, and other content will already be on the device at  sign-in.

What happens in schools

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the school had to enable virtual learning for students almost overnight, which it claims was made easier by its decision to use Claris and Apple School Manager.

Just because of that Microsoft shared how they are evolving their own hybrid work strategy for their 160,000+ employees around the world with the first-annual Work Trend Index report that uncovers seven hybrid work trends every business leader must know as we enter a new era of work.

Here are the seven hybrid work trends that will shape the future of a hybrid work world:

• Flexible work is here to stay

Employees want the best of both worlds: over 70% of workers want flexible remote work options to continue, while over 65%  are craving more in-person time with their teams. To prepare, 66% of business decision-makers are considering redesigning physical spaces to better accommodate hybrid work environments. 

The Work Trend Index survey was conducted by an independent research firm, Edelman Data x Intelligence, among 31,092 full-time employed or self-employed workers across 31 markets between January 12, 2021, to January 25, 2021. Photo Credit: Microsoft

Hybrid work is inevitable. Business leaders are on the brink of major updates to accommodate what employees want: the best of both worlds.

• Leaders are out of touch with employees and need a wake-up call

Many business leaders are faring better than their employees. 61% of leaders say they are “thriving” right now — 23% points higher than those without decision-making authority. They also report building stronger relationships with colleagues and leadership, earning higher incomes, and taking all or more of their allotted vacation days.

Photo Credit: Microsoft

Business leaders are faring better than their employees. Most leaders in our study were male information workers with an established career – the near opposite of those struggling most.

• High productivity is masking an exhausted workforce

Self-assessed productivity has remained the same or higher for many employees over the past year, but at a human cost. One in five global survey respondents says their employer doesn’t care about their work-life balance. 54% feel overworked. 39% feel exhausted. And trillions of productivity signals from Microsoft 365 quantify the precise digital exhaustion workers are feeling.

• Gen Z is at risk and will need to be re-energized

An overlooked demographic appears to be suffering right now: Gen Z. 60% of this generation — those between the ages of 18 and 25 — say they are merely surviving or flat-out struggling right now.

Photo Credit: Microsoft

Gen Z is struggling more than other generations. The last year has been more challenging for Gen Z in many ways — from bringing new ideas to the table, to simply feeling engaged or excited about work.

• Shrinking networks are endangering innovation

The pandemic-driven isolation people feel in their personal lives is also happening at work.

Anonymized collaboration trends between billions of Outlook emails and Microsoft Teams meetings reveal a clear trend: the shift to remote shrunk our networks. At the onset of the pandemic, our analysis shows that interactions with our close networks at work increased, while interactions with our distant networks diminished.

Analysis of an aggregated 122 billion email interactions and 2.3 billion meeting interactions in Microsoft Teams and Outlook across industries and countries around the world. Photo Credit: Microsoft

Teams are more siloed in a digital work world. Collaboration trends in Microsoft Teams and Outlook show that interactions with our immediate team, or close network, strengthened with the move to remote work.

• Authenticity will spur productivity and wellbeing

As people navigated unprecedented stress on the frontlines, balanced childcare and homeschool, worked from living rooms, quieted barking dogs, and pushed away curious cats, something changed: work became more human.

• Talent is everywhere in a hybrid work world

One of the brightest sides of the shift to remote work is that it widens the talent marketplace. Remote job postings on LinkedIn increased more than five times during the pandemic, and people are taking notice. 46% of remote workers we surveyed are planning to move to a new location in the year because they can now work remotely.

Insights were generated from data points created by hundreds of millions of members in over 200 countries on LinkedIn. Photo Credits: Microsoft

Remote opportunities are more attractive to diverse applicants. On LinkedIn, women, Gen Z, and those without a graduate degree are more likely to apply for remote versus on-site positions.

In addition to uncovering what’s at stake with the future of work, the Work Trend Index identifies five strategies for business leaders as they begin to make the necessary shift:

• Create a plan to empower people for extreme flexibility.
• Invest in space and technology to bridge the physical and digital worlds.
• Combat digital exhaustion from the top.
• Prioritize rebuilding social capital and culture.
• Rethink the employee experience to compete for the best and most diverse talent.