There's so much vacant office space right now, it's absurd to me that companies aren't giving out offices to their employees like it's 1976.
For nearly every job, some work is much better done in a focused, quiet, environment, and some work is best done in a highly collaborative setting.
Give permanent offices to anyone who wants one (and actually uses it 3 or 4 days/week), reservable offices for anyone else who wants to pop in for a day, tear out all the cubicles, and create great collaborative spaces in their place.
>it's absurd to me that companies aren't giving out offices to their employees like it's 1976.
It's because offices are now a status symbol and the manager who works in an office and forces their employees to work in a pit feels those employees are below them. Not only that, he wants them to know they are below him. This is also the reason your salary ceiling is usually less than whatever your manager makes.
It's an example of office political bullshit and another reason many/most people prefer WFH.
To add to your point, they also don't like to set a new precedent, if it takes off everybody would have to do it.
Managerial jobs seem to now be a thing of the past. In the past year, I haven't felt the need for a manager. Even while executing projects that need some form of central collaboration.
At this point in time manager largely feels like some sort of legacy aristocratic position, which a big fat salary all to do nothing. And in most cases, add negative value.
For nearly every job, some work is much better done in a focused, quiet, environment, and some work is best done in a highly collaborative setting.
Give permanent offices to anyone who wants one (and actually uses it 3 or 4 days/week), reservable offices for anyone else who wants to pop in for a day, tear out all the cubicles, and create great collaborative spaces in their place.