May is a transition month. Spring finally gives way to warmer temps., farmer markets reopen, and the end of the weirdest school year ever is in sight.
This year, that transition also means companies deciding whether or not to bring employees back into the office, and workers deciding if they want to be a part of that or not. On a micro level, the decision can be relatively straightforward. Do I want to commute? Do I really need to wear pants to do my job?
On a larger scale, this pandemic has re-framed not just the way we work, but how we want to work. Not every job can be done remotely—mine certainly can’t—but for those whose career fields allow it, why shouldn’t they be able to stay remote?
Furthermore, how we benchmark productivity now has a bright light on it. Are firms buying our time or our productivity? And, how, exactly should we define productivity, or its evil twin, efficiency?
I don’t think this is a binary decision. A company clumsily demanding everyone come back “or else” will face a revolt. But a company that goes 100% remote may also face hurdles we can’t yet see. Endless meetings can be pointless, but there is value in face-to-face interaction that Zoom calls simply can’t replicate.
There is an old saying “never let a crisis go to waste.” That usually applies to businesses. Today, it’s labor’s turn to leverage the pandemic into the future of work we want to see.
On to the good stuff:
We’ve always been really good a buying/accumulating stuff. Being at home more than ever has made a lot of people realize just how much stuff they have, but also ask why it’s so hard to get rid of. And is it ours forever, or are we just a stop on its journey?
“Conventional wisdom holds that the supply chains pumping consumer goods into our homes are doing it for us—that a multitude of companies have conducted painstaking research to learn exactly what we want and then give it to us more and more efficiently, as if the piles of detritus that overflow from our drawers and closets are the realization of our wildest dreams. In fact, as Pendergrast writes, our homes are just way stations on stuff’s journey from its status as raw materials to that of trash, ashes to ashes and dust to dust: “
Speaking of stuff, one athlete took a Minimalist approach to running, and it made all the difference.
In The Air:
The streak of 1 million-plus travelers through TSA checkpoints continues to roll, and stands at 61 days (as of May 11th). Still nowhere near 2019 levels, but getting closer every day.
Vaccinated travelers should plan their trips to…Croatia? Dubrovnik joins Athens and Reykjavik as a new international hot spot (or one of the few places accessible to travelers not called Cancun).
United and Delta have both announced new service, with Dutch carrier KLM also returning after a decades-long absence.Whether or not these network additions pan out remains to be seen, but it’s hard to fault carriers for being creative, and looking for ways to use underutilized assets.
In Your Ears:
Medium publication, The Riff recently expanded its reach by joining the podcast world. The first episode is out, and you can grab it here. Full disclosure: I’m an editor for the site, but if you’re a fan of music, this is an objectively great discussion. Be sure to follow the page on Twitter as well.
Also this:
What a time to be alive!
Two For The Road:
Austin Kleon on the value of taking the weekend off.
Are you cheugy?
Thanks for being here,
Kevin—
What caught your attention this week? Got a rant or rave? Let me know in the comments or send me an email. I read all the responses. You can also read more of my work on Medium, or connect with me on Twitter.