😢 Doom and gloom at Zoom

Good Morning,

There were a couple disturbing headlines this week in the world of remote work, and we’re going to address them right off the bat.

Friendly reminder: the sky isn’t falling, and remote work is still trending up!

PS congrats to Lauren in Philadelphia for winning the $500 Threads giveaway last week 🎉

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🤨 Zoom announced a return to office. That’s not a typo! Employees within 50 miles of a Zoom office are now required to work from the office 2 days a week.

While hybrid isn’t so bad, reversing a remote policy is an obvious sign Zoom is desperate to squeeze more hours out of its employees - or at least signal to investors that it’s trying to do so.

It also could be an example of inviting the “gentlemen’s layoff.”

Some quick facts for context:

• Zoom’s stock is down 88% from its October 2020 peak

• Zoom knows better than anyone that employees want total remote work, according to its marketing material; opposing this data means they’re willing to lose some employees

• Zoom’s market share dropped by 5% from 2021-2022, and likely more in 2023 given the improvements and easy interoperability that Google Meet and Microsoft Teams bring to business suite users

While this news is incredibly ironic, it’s helpful to remember Zoom and many others (like Skype, WebEx, and GoToMeeting, which all had their time at the top) were built for a pre-covid workforce where video calls were still necessary between offices and companies. So while it’s not good for employees, in management’s eyes, it’s a return to what they know. (Insider)

🤦 “Remote workers are less productive,” according to a Fortune headline that made waves last week — for an article citing a study on data entry workers in India.

(Sound familiar? We wrote about deceitful articles just like this one a month ago.)

Assuming you’re part of the millions of remote workers in the US who are *more* productive because of remote work, just be sure that articles like this, about jobs completely irrelevant to yours, aren’t used against you in a push for more office work. (Fortune)

🖥 Xebec launched the new Snap on Kickstarter. The best portable laptop monitors just got even better. The Snap screens are bigger, easier to attach, and can be placed on a laptop for vertical or horizontal orientation. I’m stoked and pre-ordered mine already! (Kickstarter)

💰 Higher-paid, senior-level employees are driving the WFH push. Higher income and higher seniority are correlated to a higher willingness to leave a job if it required more office time. Negotiation leverage from these employees will substantially influence remote work policies. (McKinsey)

🔎 The negative effects of taking away flexible work include 76% of employees looking to leave an employer; and that percentage is even higher among underrepresented groups. (Yahoo! Finance)

💁 Drawbacks to remote: loneliness, and difficulty showcasing work to your boss. This article explores the pros and cons of remote work on employees’ mental health, and the state of remote management is summarized well by these two quotes: “Most existing HR processes are not fit for the hybrid era,” and “it’s very uncomfortable to have to learn something new, especially when you’re already at the top.” (Bloomberg)

💼 Fast Company found 700+ remote job openings at five of the biggest software companies in the US: Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft. (Fast Company)

🛌 Google’s latest “perk” is a discounted on-campus hotel, which is specifically being used to lure employees to spend more time in the office. But employees have to pay for the hotel themselves, which is $99 as part of a “Summer Special.” It’s as popular of a perk as you’d expect 😂 (CNBC)

✈️ Remote work allows for more travel, boosting the US economy. When people can work from anywhere, they are able to travel more, and therefore spend more. This article shares an example that’s likely reflective of millions of Americans’ newfound travel abilities. (Axios)

Knowing how much more efficiently people can work with external monitors, it’s exciting to think about how much impact the Xebec Snap and similar products will have on remote work down the road.

Even with a higher sticker price, items like these are worth it for employers to ensure employees can be more productive wherever they’re working from.

Not ready to splurge on the Xebec Kickstarter? Here are some other portable monitors rounded up by PCMag for as low as $150. Then it’s time to travel somewhere and boost the economy! Or… just work a little faster from your favorite coffee shop ☕️

Cheers,
Grant