This week we cover a lot of ground: from tech giant Microsoft joining big employers in inviting workers to stay home permanently (and with “geopay” comp adjustments if they move), to the ergonomics crisis that is spreading across kitchen tables and spare bedrooms and home offices everywhere. Yes it’s a pain in the neck (and back, and elbow, and eyes).
We discover who is having the greatest challenge adjusting to remote work (it’s not who you’d expect), and the elephant in the room: “How large can virtual offices scale?” that most large enterprises want to ask, but have not fully faced.
Finally, we take you on a super-cool (if you’re a Trekkie or a VR gamer or both) trip through an innovative way to onboard new hires virtually—on the Holodeck!
Our bonus entries this week include (what else?) a primer on the latest TikTok Internet celebrity, and all the fuss around skateboarding, lip-synching Fleetwood Mac, and drinking cranberry juice. Spoiler alert: the article has a response from none other than Mick Fleetwood himself! And yes the TikToker in question gets a new Truck (what!?) from Ocean Spray. And we close out this week’s collection with a collection of its own: an amazing market map of over 200 startups working on products and services for remote work! Take a look
Enjoy! And skate/lip sync / drink cranberry juice responsibly and safely!
1. Microsoft joins a growing crowd of major employers to allow employees to work from home permanently.
2. Ergonomics: it matters (yes we have that laptop “hunch” and that “keyboard/mouse elbow” too. Poor home-office ergonomics and pandemic-related stress can cause health problems.
3. These are the types of people struggling most with remote work. Conventional wisdom said extroverts would find work-from-home isolation challenging. Turns out that’s not who’s having the hardest time.
4. Insightful article asking “how big can the virtual office scale?”
5. Remote goes Star Trek: Onboarding new hires in VR on… that’s right, the holodeck. As in videogames, VR creates an immersive experience. Corporations are starting to use that to build the work ties lost during the pandemic
Bonus 1: TikTok, a skateboard, a creative human, and a great song. In case you’ve been living in a TikTok-free zone (like yours truly), here’s the down-low on the latest Internet celebrity, the skateboard riding, Fleetwood Mac lip-syncing, cranberry juice drinking Nathan Apodaca. Now you can tell your friends (or kids) that you’re hip and with it. And for all of you diehard Fleetwood Mac fans, be sure to scroll down in the article to see 73-year old Mick Fleetwood affirming @420doggface208’s coolness with his own nod to the skateboard+cranberry juice+lip sync!
Bonus 2: Remote Work Market Map. Super-cool layout of companies addressing remote work with services and products. Impress your boss and colleagues with this map of “who’s doing what” in remote. This is a market map and exploration of 200+ startups in 45+ categories amongst a larger sea of businesses that are changing how we get things done outside the office.