Where I want to work

Characteristics of a perfect remote workplace

Tech workers have been remote since March or so at the latest: while some startups had always worked through the internet, others were torn from their offices with no understanding of when they would return. Across Silicon Valley, plants wither in pots and dust gathers on desks. Buffet-style cafeterias — remnants of the Before Times — sit empty and unused.

I’ve never been much of a big-company tech worker, but for many others, this was a huge shift. Lots of people picked their employers based on the comfort of their offices and the luxury of their in-person benefits. But the novel coronavirus has thrown that all away. Fancy gyms, kombucha taps, and unlimited high-end snacks are all historical novelties. We sit in our own homes, the line between life and work blurred until they’re one and the same. We buy the snacks and are responsible for our own exercise.

There are lots of things to worry about in this new dynamic — not least the effect on women and communities of color, who have borne the brunt of the worst of it. (Black and Latinx women represented most of the jobs that were lost in 2020.) But this loss of luxury? It’s not one of them. It’s one of the good things.

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