[stephenr]

> For some things, like remote working, I don't think we'll ever go back.

This could go two ways:

(a) people realise that remote working is very doable, because they managed at short notice, during a crisis, and thus it will increase.

(b) people will believe that remote work is not doable, because they didn't manage at short notice, during a crisis, and thus it will not increase.

I would be very surprised if anyone who didn't handle the change well, would accept "well you realise that you changed to this overnight, with zero planning some of us have spent the last decade or so 'making it work'?" and try again in a better scenario (i.e. time to make a proper home office, time to adjust to a different way of working, etc).

[onion2k]

Given the potential cost savings for both businesses and individuals there is already an incentive to do it; this situation will force companies to make the effort and try. I'd be surprised if there are many companies that get to the end of, say, 12 weeks of quarantine and haven't figured out how to make it work at least to some extent, or at least worked out some of the things that block it so they can start working on those problems.

[janbernhart]

There's a huge difference between everyone working remotely, and some. If a big chunks of your direct colleagues are in the office, the remote people will miss out on information, which will draw them to the office.

[stephenr]

Of course they will try - they're forced to because a dead or quarantined workforce isn't exactly productive.

But the ongoing incentives have existed for many years, and the numbers of companies supporting true remote working has been essentially a rounding error.

The problem is that these companies are adopting it because they had literally no other choice - not because they wanted to try it - so there's automatic friction there.

I think a lot of society (particularly big city issues) could be reduced greatly if remote working was adopted more broadly, but I've also heard all manner of arguments about why remote working "doesn't work" for the past decade or so I've been doing it.

[dezgeg]

Few weeks ago there were local reports of increased sales of teleconf gear (like webcams) thus companies and probably individuals have invested money in remote working gear. So I am hopeful that companies/people will want to get their money's worth of that equipment and keep using it.