as we face the battle that all organizations are facing now and
getting people back into the office, that this people,
it's really hard to explain this core psychological truth,
which is we want you to have a feeling of belonging and to feel necessary.
We and we want you to join our team and if you're not here,
it's really hard to do that.
It's not in your best interest to work at home.
I know it's a hassle to come to the office, but like, you know, if you work,
if you're just sitting in your pajamas in your bedroom,
is that the work life you wanna live right?
Don't you want to feel part of something?
So Malcolm Gladwell's comments there about returning to work aren't unique.
There are people who have been making similar points, but
a lot of people had a problem specifically with it coming from Malcolm Gladwell
considering what is known about his work habits now, of course he's a writer,
he's a little bit freer to work where and when he wants and apparently he
has exercised that ability in a Wall Street journal op ed back in 2020,
he called himself someone who writes in coffee shops for a living.
He says I hate desks.
Desks are now banished.
That was back in 2005, he said he starts his day with his laptop on his sofa,
no word on whether in pajamas or not in other writing.
He talks about how he has different places in new york that he likes to go to work,
but not his office, notably he has an aversion to midtown,
he wouldn't even go to the office to drop off the things that he had
written couriers would pick them up and then bring them to the office.
So he's just a very interesting person to deliver the message that you develop
a sense of belonging and community with your job by being there in the office.
Again, others have said it and I have made clear that I like the idea of people
being here that which is not by the way,
the same as feeling that they should be mandated to come to work.
But David, I'm curious what you think about this.
Look I I get that for certain people, yes, having that belonging and
seeing other people and being part of a community and
being able to talk to people face to face instead of over zoom's.
Yes, that's valuable, valuable to individuals.
It's valuable to a team.
But I think there also needs to be a certain recognition and
maybe this is where it was so surprising coming from Malcolm Gladwell, there's
some people who actually this has been the best thing that has happened to them and
their families that they get to work from home and be around their kids and
be more involved in their family life and that provides a sort of work
life balance that a lot of people didn't have before the pandemic.
So I wish you would have said yeah in certain circumstances, particularly for
people who are single or more lonely having the opportunity to belong to
go someplace work Yeah, that's that's better than staying at home.
But for other people getting to rediscover your kids or
being able to do things other than work, which is what working from home sometimes
affords you a certain flexibility and autonomy that can be really powerful too.
And I just, I'm so surprised that this sort of came out as badly as it did from
Malcolm Gladwell of all people, by the way, that was a funny tweet.
We found it was Malcolm Gladwell is joe Rogan for people who read the new yorker.
No, that's 100% fair, but it's funny.
Anyway.
So look, I I've talked about this,
I I think that people should have the ability to choose.
I do also, I find the idea of only ever being at home weird and, and
then I'm I'm a pretty hardcore introvert, I like my alone time and
everything, but for me it just, it feels too much like ready Player one.
It feels like you wake up in a place you work at a place to eat in a place,
you go to sleep at a place, you wake up in a place like it just, it feels too much
like one thing, but if people wanted, I think that they should be able to do it.
I just to me it seems it seems too futuristic to dystopic almost like
obviously, you know, capitalism isn't a utopia or
anything going to work as a utopia.
But I know it feels weird to me and I wonder if we're still just a couple of
years, you know, I wonder if there will start to be a turn at some point where
it's still somewhat novel, but after five years,
after eight years is everyone only gonna want to be at home again.
I think it should be up to them.
But I'm but I'm curious about that look and
you raise a great point because I think human beings are naturally
wired to be able to have interactions with other human beings to be able to see
other people to be able to face them face to face, be able to talk to them,
exchange information whether it's pleasantries or work related stuff and for
that reason, I mean I've been working at home for the last I don't know, three or
four years, but it at least a couple of times a week I have to schedule things to
make sure that I see my friends to make sure that I do activities that are not
work related to make sure that I'm interacting with people having nothing to
do with my job because my job otherwise would be just over this computer.
And I think it's important for everybody to realize, don't isolate yourself.
I mean I think that's what Malcolm Gladwell was trying to and didn't say so
particularly, but everybody needs these connections, everybody needs to have
a sense of belonging and just be careful that if you are working primarily
from home, still make sure that you have these connections besides just
through the computer, because that is, you know, it's it's dangerous to sort of to
leave it just with this sort of computer zoom connection that so many people have.
I agree, I agree.
By the way, lizzie nanny Dragon says,
I work in health care and would love to be able to work from home.
I can see why that would be difficult though.
There are some people who are always going to have to be in person as a waiter.
I often thought it would be way better doing this in my own home.