Teleworking in the ATL taking off! (Atlanta, Alpharetta: construction, college, costs)

[arjay57]

Here's a great article that sums up many of the benefits of tele-working. Let's make sure the ATL continues to be a leader on this.

A lot of companies and managers before the pandemic still viewed working from home with suspicion — despite many studies showing that people working from home are vastly more productive, not less. Think about it: You work a full day, you're not late because your commute took 30 seconds from coffee pot to desk, you don't have to leave early to beat traffic, some time you formerly spent in the car invariably winds up as time on the job, and you want to appear effective so you tend to go the extra mile. (More metaphorical miles, fewer odometer miles.)

Yet before the pandemic hit, only 4.7 million Americans, or 3.4% of the population, were regularly working from home.

It took coronavirus lockdown orders — work from home or don't work at all — for many companies to set aside their misgivings. But now that widespread WFH has happened, we likely will never go back to the way we were.

Full article...Earth Day 2020: Looking forward to a cleaner, happier post-commuting world

[Joe_P]

I don't know why this is mentioned in the context of Atlanta. This is going to be part of a new normal everywhere. Everywhere.

In fact because of it, migration patterns may change as many more jobs will be open to broader areas of living.... maybe not national, but at least to some regional area so that an employee could get to an office periodically without too much logistical issues.

[sedimenjerry]

Originally Posted by Joe_P

In fact because of it, migration patterns may change as many more jobs will be open to broader areas of living.... maybe not national, but at least to some regional area so that an employee could get to an office periodically without too much logistical issues.

I'm still aligned to the Dallas office for my company. Under normal conditions I work in the Atlanta office just to have an office to go to. My work doesn't change. There's no actual reason for me to be in the office.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Joe_P

I don't know why this is mentioned in the context of Atlanta. This is going to be part of a new normal everywhere. Everywhere.

Because the ATL has been out front on this?

Note the article from the ARC in the OP. Even before the current slowdown, Atlanta was tearing it up on telecommuting:

The fastest-growing commute is having no commute at all, other than moving from the bedroom to the home office. Teleworking is more popular than ever, thanks to modern technology like wi-fi, laptops, and smart phones, and the increasing embrace of this practice by employers.

The numbers are striking. In 2008, about 150,000 metro Atlantans worked at home, the Census survey found – about 5.7% of all commuters. By 2017, the number soared to more than 208,000, or 7.3% of commuters, a whopping 39% increase.

In other words, we got 58,000 commuters off the road without spending a dime on infrastructure. This coronavirus thing should help us even more with that.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Because the ATL has been out front on this?

Note the article from the ARC in the OP. Even before the current slowdown, Atlanta was tearing it up on telecommuting:

In other words, we got 58,000 commuters off the road without spending a dime on infrastructure. This coronavirus thing should help us even more with that.

Hopefully this shift will be permanent for some. Remember how much we got our hopes up that the I-85 fire would permanently create more MARTA riders?

[Hokiehaven]

Originally Posted by Joe_P

I don't know why this is mentioned in the context of Atlanta. This is going to be part of a new normal everywhere. Everywhere.

In fact because of it, migration patterns may change as many more jobs will be open to broader areas of living.... maybe not national, but at least to some regional area so that an employee could get to an office periodically without too much logistical issues.

I'll be surprised if it does fully, I could more likely see a scenario where people have to go into the office 1-2 times a week if you have one. Companies still like control if they have the ability to.

[Atlwarrior]

It appears Atlanta is poised to gain more traction with Google, Alphabet, and Microsoft, all of which are currently looking at expanding in Midtown. All those companies recently supported gain in remote access technology.

[hilltop180]

I'm in IT and we've been working from home since March 12th. We were told they will start assessing possibility of return to the office by August. For me there is good and bad. I don't commute for than a total of 1 hour per day but I still save so much time not commuting. The downside is the social and collaborative aspect of working from home.

[BELMO45]

Originally Posted by hilltop180

I'm in IT and we've been working from home since March 12th. We were told they will start assessing possibility of return to the office by August. For me there is good and bad. I don't commute for than a total of 1 hour per day but I still save so much time not commuting. The downside is the social and collaborative aspect of working from home.

Considering I still have to go to the office I’m loving this. I’m wondering how long I can expect traffic to be this reduced. I’m hoping it goes into next year

[arjay57]

This will likely make a huge impact on the ATL's living and commuting patterns.

And think how much we will save in infrastructure spending!

‘Old normal’ is gone, virtual learning will stay after pandemic, says ex-Georgia Tech president

The shift to virtual working and education forced by the coronavirus pandemic is here to stay, says former Georgia Tech president and current Regents professor George “Bud” Peterson.

“I don’t think we’ll ever get back to the old normal,” said Peterson, speaking May 21 as part of the Dunwoody Perimeter Chamber of Commerce’s “Return to the Perimeter” virtual discussion series about post-pandemic business.

The lingering challenge of developing a COVID-19 vaccine or similar medical measures is one reason the “old normal” isn’t coming soon, said Peterson. But the changes will be even more long-lasting than that, he said.

“But the main reason I say… I don’t think we’ll return to the normal is that we’ve all changed. We’ve changed in a lot of ways. We’ve learned to live virtually,” Peterson said.

“There are a lot of 50- and 60-year-olds that today know how to communicate the way 15-year-olds do, and three months ago they didn’t,” he said.

Full article...https://www.reporternewspapers.net/2...ssages_COPY_01)