There’s a lot of talk about back to the office for not only federal workers but workers all over the country. It’s usually couched in insulting terms like slackers, lazy, unproductive, and words of that nature. The rational isn’t fully articulated by the people espousing back to the office.

If they do talk about why they want it, it’s usually about the lack of teamwork, personal associations, team building, and productivity. I’m not going to say there are no arguments for back to the office but the primary force driving it is office space.

Office Space is the Back to the Office Reality

Large companies are heavily invested in enormous office buildings. Realtors are heavy invested selling square footage in large office buildings. Construction companies spend money to build these structures. In short, there’s a lot of established money tied up in office buildings all over this country. From urban centers to rural town. Office space is big business.

When people work remotely, they aren’t in those office. Who does that hurt? As they always say in detective shows, follow the money.

People Like Working from Home

The vast majority of everyday workers enjoy working from home because they don’t have to get dressed, drive in rush-hour traffic in two directions, and make or buy a lunch. They don’t like being away from small children and having to pay for daycare and other services.

Again, I’m not an absolutist. Some people like the social aspect of the office. They enjoy happy hour after work. Still, I think it’s safe to say the average worker prefers working from home and the average business owner doesn’t like paying rent for empty office buildings.

It’s really pretty simple. Who stands to benefit from back to the office? Average workers or those associated with office buildings and their financial stake in them?

Tom Liberman