Atlanta office ghost towns wait and wait and wait for workers’ to return (Sandy Springs: home, quality of life)

[LynnHarris1]

Julius Linton’s job as a shuttle bus driver in one of metro Atlanta’s biggest office developments has become eerily quiet in the last few months.

There’s no real rush hour around Sandy Springs’ 63-acre Concourse. The parking decks are mostly empty. No long lines of riders wait for Linton to give them a lift to Perimeter Mall or a MARTA station. At quitting time, only a scattering of workers emerge from the high-rise King and Queen towers. Linton picks up only about seven riders throughout his six-hour shift..."

https://www.ajc.com/news/local/atlan...LmqG7IEc70VdL/

[Need4Camaro]

Offices nationwide are going to have ALOT working against their favor for the forseeable future, or until a vaccine is released. --(Speaking of vaccines, my imagination stems to believe given the nature that this virus can mutate you can catch it more than once, it will probably be an annual or bi-annual vaccination administered along with flu-shots)-- For starters, workers depending on transit services will either be unwilling to commute, or be hendered by more limited transit operations. Then even those who are willing to commute by transit or car will unlikely be willing to work within a confined environment. Many businesses also shut down before the government mandates as they do not want a virus like that spreading within their confines. Despite government allowing reopening, those operations will likely be suspended for the forseeable future until they see clear indication that both cases and hospitalizations are trending downwards, and are also staying down.

In other words, this Pandemic is going to punch a serious hole in our economy regardless of what the Governor's mandate and may very well change how business is conducted and lives are lived altogether. I'm also quite worried about high density areas and mixed used developments/downtowns. They are not seeing near the traffic they were in the past and many high end retailers are also still shutdown.

[ATLTJL]

One of the positive aspects of COVID-19.

Everyone rushing to one location at the same time, then rushing out at the same time, needlessly fighting traffic and each other to crowd into a single space to do the same thing that could be done from another location, or at that location but at staggered times... It's really a super old construct that needed to be shaken up.

Sorry it took something like this to do it, but it was going to have to be done.

If we go back to that, we're dumb.

[citidata18]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

One of the positive aspects of COVID-19.

Everyone rushing to one location at the same time, then rushing out at the same time, needlessly fighting traffic and each other to crowd into a single space to do the same thing that could be done from another location, or at that location but at staggered times... It's really a super old construct that needed to be shaken up.

Sorry it took something like this to do it, but it was going to have to be done.

If we go back to that, we're dumb.

We will. Just a question of when.

[ATLTJL]

I know we will.

Because we are dumb.

[atlHawks]

Originally Posted by citidata18

We will. Just a question of when.

Curious, what age range are you in? I feel like older folks are against WFH. I'm in my late 20s and I dont agree with that. I get more work done from home PLUS I'm happier.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

One of the positive aspects of COVID-19.

Everyone rushing to one location at the same time, then rushing out at the same time, needlessly fighting traffic and each other to crowd into a single space to do the same thing that could be done from another location, or at that location but at staggered times... It's really a super old construct that needed to be shaken up.

Sorry it took something like this to do it, but it was going to have to be done.

If we go back to that, we're dumb.

Totally agree, ATLTJL.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by atlHawks

Curious, what age range are you in? I feel like older folks are against WFH. I'm in my late 20s and I dont agree with that. I get more work done from home PLUS I'm happier.

I don’t think he is necessarily against WFH. He just knows corporate mentality and they probably have no desire to keep things like this forever ... but I do think it will remain this way for a considerable amount of time.

I’ve been hunting ever since I got laid off due to the Pandemic and I am getting recruiters stating up to 7 - 8 months of working remote before things return to normal, and others saying they simply don’t know when and are willing to recruit others from out of state without the expectation of them relocating.. but many do believe it will eventually change back.. hopefully it won’t but it’s the cold reality for most.

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

I don’t think he is necessarily against WFH. He just knows corporate mentality and they probably have no desire to keep things like this forever ... but I do think it will remain this way for a considerable amount of time.

I’ve been hunting ever since I got laid off due to the Pandemic and I am getting recruiters stating up to 7 - 8 months of working remote before things return to normal, and others saying they simply don’t know when and are willing to recruit others from out of state without the expectation of them relocating.. but many do believe it will eventually change back.. hopefully it won’t but it’s the cold reality for most.

I think there are two opposing forces. Those who believe you’re not working if you’re not in the office, and who talk “collaboration”, and those who treat their employees as adults and look at the potential savings and quality of life improvements for their people.

[ATLTJL]

Those who believe you’re not working if you’re not in the office

Yes, but these people are fools, because almost every job has measurable metrics that show productivity.

True, those metrics may not always show how long someone worked, but they show results. So it really makes no difference if someone only has to work 20 hours to achieve results that seem like they took 40 hours. Good for that person, they earned the right to work fewer hours!

I think the real issue is many middle managers understand their roles are relatively useless outside supervising others, and they know if their managers find out they are not really needed, they could very well get eliminated. When you look at who is against WFH, it's rarely workers or the executive team. It's that layer in the middle.