I think there's several things to think about. And I do think hybrid is best.
Public transport has massive issues. Always have had. In cities its lack of capacity while charging quite a bit of money. Where I live on the outskirts of 2 cities but in a small fairly poor town, pu kic transport is so appalling no can rely on it for work. It doesn't 3eally work for a lot of people, including the people who can't drive.
Coffee shops, I feel a bit 'meh' about. They are mostly huge chains, not small businesses. Outside of cities most people don't pass a coffee shop on a morning commute. As it stands, this issue has been hugely blown up since July 2020 when Boris and friends were trying to convince people you had to go back to work or the economy would shrivel to the size of a raisin if we didn't buy a Starbucks.
The main issue I have is that for years people have been saying that 2 working parents and long days doing breakfast club after school club isn't great for kids or the family unit. People talk alot how kids would benefit from their parents being at pick up and drop off more. More family meals, more time as a family. Or long hours and long commutes on bad transport contribute to stress, with them can cause health issues and generally, reduce quality of life for people
For lots of people who work and commute into cities, that wasnt possible. The economy seemed to be surviving only by making people travel everyday for set hours, impacting their mental and physical health and that of their kids.
If office workers really have such a huge impact on the economy, surely helping g them manage the work life balance is a good thing for the economy.
There doesn't need to be acceptance that wfh doesn't work in every job. But also acceptance that sometimes it's not working because the employer has no interest in making things better. Massive companies and governement departments have been riding 'we are taking longer due to caring about our staff and letting them work from home' when actuly, there's other factors. Saving money by not replacing staff for example. I am 100% sure that if everyone went back to office tomorrow, customer service levels won't rise. But wfh definitely doesn't work in every job. I agree with that.
You do may have become unhealthy, but office hours and commutes are often not great for health. It all depends on the person. I can't say much has change for me. But several people I know have taken up running at lunchtime for example.
Its definitely harder to switch off. But again, it's something the person needs to take control of. But just as wfh doesn't work for all jobs it doesn't work for all people and their families. It will make things better for alot, worse for alot. Which is why hybrid is better.
Your dp could still mix with people, he didn't HAVE to put weight on. He could go for a walk. Or it could be that it doesn't work for him.
Its a complicated issue and I don't think anyone can say wfh works for everyone and every job.
In my industry we have seen a trend of people leaving employers that are forcing people back full time, to come to employers like mine that is offering percent hybrid. But I suspect of companies enforce wfh for teb majority of the time, we will see a trend of people leaving those employers for an employer who offers office working or hybrid.
So again, I think offering hybrid is a better offering from employers. If you like to work in an office most hybrid employers will allow you to work from the office as much as you want. But you could also wfh if the boiler engineer is coming (or whatever the reason you want to is).
Choice is never a bad thing, even if you don't ever exercise that choice.
So after the mammoth post I do agree to a point. I don't think wfh is inherently bad, but not inherently good either. I think hybrid offers the beat of both, if its possible to do.
