this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2023
1118 points (98.6% liked)
Work Reform
9798 readers
409 users here now
A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.
Our Philosophies:
- All workers must be paid a living wage for their labor.
- Income inequality is the main cause of lower living standards.
- Workers must join together and fight back for what is rightfully theirs.
- We must not be divided and conquered. Workers gain the most when they focus on unifying issues.
Our Goals
- Higher wages for underpaid workers.
- Better worker representation, including but not limited to unions.
- Better and fewer working hours.
- Stimulating a massive wave of worker organizing in the United States and beyond.
- Organizing and supporting political causes and campaigns that put workers first.
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
You missed the most important thing. Real estate investments that aren't allowed to go down in value, which they would if offices became superfluous. Just imagine how many buildings would become "worthless"/could be used for something else.
Yeah, this is BY FAR the biggest reason. Pretty much all the rich people and most big companies have huge investment in portfolios that contain a lot of commercial office spaces. If we were all allowed to work from home those investments would plummet and all the rich people and big companies would take MASSIVE losses on those investments. Which is why all the media and even companies like Zoom are trying to pull a 180 on working from home.
Zoom forcing employees back to offices still baffles me
The video conferencing software that saved the world during covid and made all the companies survive the lockdown.
I feel like we need to talk about this more. Their whole model is promoting remote experiences and yet they are also forcing folk back to the office. I can’t think of a reason outside of external pressures that would happen.
That is a huge pressure, but it's less obvious why a company in a business unrelated to real estate would want real estate prices high.
The secret is that companies aren't in the business of making a good or providing a service, they actually are just giant schemes for raising money for "investments". For example, airlines don't make their money off of selling tickets, but through prospecting jet fuel. Most companies aren't as direct and clear about what their business actually is.
Also the link between real estate and all of jobs isn't very clear and is very abstract. It's easy to see the costs and interactions with companies forced by working in an office, it's difficult to see how a building losing value effects anyone.
In the Wall Street area of Manhattan, some of the biggest buildings are already being converted to apartments. It's been a trend for a while, because the older buildings are too expensive to rewire for computers/HVAC.
A forward-thinking wealthy person would start buying these buildings at fire-sale prices and converting them to residential buildings.
You have to be very choosey, because most office buildings aren't easily convertable