I worked from home before the pandemic, during the pandemic and after the pandemic. I’m not sure I could ever work in an office again or be around coworkers all day. But that’s me – I’m efficient at how I use my time. Other people are different, and I legitimately believe that there are a lot of people who enjoy parts of coming into an office and seeing coworkers face-to-face. Which is why the pandemic gave us the hybrid work model, which is something for everyone. People can work from home part of the week and come to the office for a few days. That has been a major shift in how Americans think of their work lives and their priorities. Except that bosses are still f–king mad about it – in recent years, there have been endless thinkpieces and NYT columns about how people “need” to come back to the office to work five or six days a week, that “work” isn’t work unless you’re sharing a smelly refrigerator or completing your tasks in a cubicle under fluorescent lighting. Wouldn’t you know, Martha Stewart is one of those bosses.
Martha Stewart is on a “rampage” to abolish the hybrid work model. The lifestyle icon and television personality, 81, shared her thoughts on people not working in the office five days a week and how that will ultimately lead the U.S. to “go down the drain” in a recent interview with Footwear News.
“You can’t possibly get everything done working three days a week in the office and two days remotely,” Stewart told the publication.
She then compared the productivity level of the U.S. to France, saying the latter is “not a very thriving country.”
“Should America go down the drain because people don’t want to go back to work?” the celebrity cook posed, saying she is on a “rampage” for people to get back into the office and work in person.
Martha Stewart literally started her lifestyle empire out of her kitchen. AT HOME. She used to film her cooking and lifestyle programs at her many homes. Yes, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia had a big office and studio in New York, but Martha was still working from home!!! Anyway, never forget that Martha Stewart is a boss who believes in office culture, but only for peasants. For herself, she believes in working from home. And no, America will not “go down the drain” if people who CAN do their work at home do just that. The way these people talk is insane – “think of the poor office buildings, think of the poor bosses, America will suffer!”
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.
-
- Martha Stewart, in hat with flowers that she put on herself, attends the Central Park Conservancy’a 40th Annual Frederick Law Olmsted Awards Luncheon on May 4, 2022 in The Conservatory Garden in Central Park in New York, New York, USA.,Image: 688672338, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Martha Stewart, Credit line: Robin Platzer / Twin Images / Avalon
-
- Martha Stewart at Jillian Lopez Hosts The Grand Opening Of “The Bedford By Martha Stewart” At Paris Las Vegas Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Nv August 12, 2022,Image: 713847576, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Martha Stewart, Credit line: Arlene Richie / JPI Studios / Avalon
-
- Martha Stewart at Jillian Lopez Hosts The Grand Opening Of “The Bedford By Martha Stewart” At Paris Las Vegas Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Nv August 12, 2022,Image: 713847585, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Martha Stewart, Credit line: Arlene Richie / JPI Studios / Avalon
I went back to the office for four months after covid, I hated it so much I turned in my resignation, they didn’t want to lose me so I’ve worked from home since then. I will NEVER go back to in office work again.
My husband left a more well-paid job because after Covid they forced the workforce to go back to the office 5 days a week. Now he works remotely and he doesn’t even care he got a pay cut, he’s much happier and relaxed!
My husband has stayed in a lower-paying administrative position because they allow him a hybrid work schedule–he only has to go into work two days a week! We have a toddler, so this saves us so much money on gas for commuting and childcare! Being able to work from home really has so many benefits. And while I usually love Martha, f-ck her entitlement. Not everyone has the privilege to live close to their work, for example, and the commuting itself is draining and antithetical to productivity. My husband and I have to live an hour away from each of our prospective jobs, so we both have to commute.
HelloDolly, you’d bet!!
And what we save in expenses, plus the boost to our mental health…
I used to commute 100 miles by car every day to go to the office and it might feel weird to say this but in that regard I’m happy I was made redundant.
Clearly money is an issue at present, but…. wow it’s like I blossomed afterwards, before it felt like I had a rock around my neck every day.
Martha is an overprivileged a$$hat.
Agree with all of you. I thought Getting laid off last summer was terrible, but I discovered working a remote job paying 2/3 of my old salary made me twice as happy and healthy. Do not miss an office and have not had any trouble with the salary adjustment because you spend a ton less working at home. The benefits physically and mentally are amazing. I would not go back for twice my old salary. Martha and her entitlement can kick rocks
My current company is trying to get rid of the WFH. I have started applying to other jobs.
Wish me luck.
I wish you all the luck!
Good luck @ Eleanor as I am certain that any company would be thrilled to have you on board, so to speak!!
Best of luck Eleanor! These employers need to get a clue:)
“That old women done gone crazy.” She got a few days of positive press on two heavily Photoshoped photos of herself, basically saying she has less wrinkles than KC3’s side chick Camilla,who IS younger. (At least this what many of us Squaddies were talking about) Martha needs to take a seat and stay out of other people’s business.
They’re so obsessed with people not having a babysit-sorry middle manager hovering over them to ensure pee breaks are 5 mins max, they are completely missing the growing movements internationally towards a 4 day work week. Good. I hope it sneaks up and takes over before they have time to complain that no one could possibly work as hard remotely as they do in the office (as if people can’t do nothing for 6 hours despite staring at a spreadsheet in the office)
There are two types of bosses – those who manage the work, and those who just really want to manage the worker. That mean-girl Martha is the second type comes as no surprise.
This — managers are having a really hard time justifying their existence and are leading the push back. That, and old-timers who just can’t wrap their heads around not having a secretary (using the term they would use) at their beck and call because they can’t learn new skills.
I’m not fully pro-remote because I work with young people who really need mentoring, and that’s especially true of women and people of color and I have not seen a good replacement for the casual, in-person mentoring that can be so beneficial. But I’m also 100% against an automatic back to office philosophy that has no thoughtfulness about how anyone else works but the people in charge.
Managers can justify their existence by figuring out how to make sure their remote workers are productive and also integrated into the company. I’m sure everyone here is a super effective worker bee from home, but I know several instances of people half-assing their way through the day. It’s up to the managers to make sure things get done.
Martha’s just trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube. This is they way it is, Martha – deal with it.
I do miss going into the office sometimes for the social aspect. But on balance I’d rather be remote than full time in office.
It’s always CEOs who work from home anyway complaining about WFH which is just such typical CEO behavior.
About eight years ago I was on a call with my boss and our CEO (audio, we weren’t even using skype yet) and he said he didn’t understand how people could work from home. My boss (knowing I was sitting at home and as a matter of principle) gently pushed back explaining that as not everyone has an office with a door that locks and an attentive EA sitting outside controlling access so they may need different environments to do different aspects of their jobs.
When Covid started, we had an all hands call and our CEO was calling in from his house in Hawaii. The level 10 eye rolls when he encouraged us to stay in the office….
@Slush How brutal! Could you see the ocean in the background?
Also, if CEOs feel the job is nit getting done on HO its kind of their fault?
On my job, CEO and whole board of CwhateverO have always mantained a view of “we should accomodate stuff that are missing” instead of “bring them back I want to see them work with my own eyes”
They give us extra money for internet and other expenses related to HO, they sent cameras to everyone among other stuff intended to make us feel more comfortable are home
Wouldnt you know, we are productive as ever and autonomus.
I will go into the office this morning because if I don’t, my boss thinks I’m not working. I will sit around for eight hours listening to people talk about their personal life and get very little done. Then I will come home and actually start working and work until late at night because it’s the only way I can get things done without the distraction (and I will not get paid for the extra hours or time away from my family). It’s incredibly stupid to force people to go into the office if it makes them less efficient. When I go into the office, I don’t see a whole lot of work happening by anyone. It’s a control issue full stop. Worst chatty offender is my boss…she just needs a captive audience.
THIS
Story of my life. Coworkers with zero boundaries, constant colds due to AC and sick people coming to work to prove themselves and doing everything to separate myself from the noise and people walking by.
We are all adults, and there are easy ways to check how much a person completes during workday. If you can’t do it, don’t be a manager.
@Anna When I used to go into work, I was constantly sick. I also hated all the jealousy/competitiveness of coworkers. Had a coworker who bragged every week how she ONLY dated men with Phds (she is divorced and single in her mid 60s lol). Also, had a lot of female coworkers with zero boundaries and want to understand why I don’t have kids (I am 42 now, but even got this in my late 20s and 30s), why I am not married etc. I talked to a friend of mine and she has the opposite problem, the men she works with demean her, think she is too pushy, and has too many opinions. I haven’t worked from an office since March 2020 and never intend to again. I cannot imagine going back to any of that mess, not to mention the awful, stressful commute!
I believe every word you say; pathetic, isn’t it?? I hope you find another job.
Exactly, there have been more than enough studies done by now showing that keeping people in an office 8 hours a day does not make them more productive and in fact has the opposite effect. I also just read a study that said that American workers are only 30% more productive than Europeans which is insane considering the amount of stress and hours American workers have/put in. Look at the differences in the amount of time European workers get off, their work/life balance, healthcare situation, etc. we SHOULD be way more productive. I’m an obviously talking in general terms and there will always be exceptions but the data is there.
Even the concept of “being productive” is highly questionable. There is absolutely nothing that says that we have to measure ourselves by how many cogs we turn or buttons we press – that’s all entirely socially constructed. It’s also entirely different between industries/fields, with different contexts from manufacturing to academia to farming to healthcare. I’d love to see a link to that study if you have it – I’d like to see how they defined productivity with that kind of claim.
@swift- I’ll try and find it again and post the link. It was one of those articles that I ended up on that was recommended after reading a different one which I as recommended after reading yet another one so hopefully I can find it.
It’s that, plus a 20 year lease for the office space issue.
I remember hearing that Martha was quite crappy to her own employees.
This anti-remote work position is insulting – it assumes we won’t get things done without a supervisor breathing down our necks – and also is ableist and classist and wasteful – what if you have physical or mental health issues? What if someone in your household needs a lot of care? What if you don’t want to spend the time, money, or environmental resources to go into the office?
The same people who want you in the office full time are vehemently opposed to paid Family and Medical Leave.
And they probably have a stake in office real estate that they are terrified about losing.
Yeah I don’t care too much for the opinions of someone who fired an employee for not being available for a call on Sunday when he was trying to enjoy a bath. Of course she hates hybrid or wfh models – she is exactly the type of workaholic micromanager boss that needs other people to constantly hear her voice and brilliant thoughts or else they have no value to her.
Martha probably cannot get her control freak rocks off abusing her employees as much when they work from home.
It is so strange to me and I don’t understand why people are so obsessed with not letting people work from home. I work from home 1-2 days/week and I’m more productive because I’m not distracting my coworkers or chatting.
I was allowed to work 2 days a week during Covid and the company had a fit when we wanted to keep that post-Covid. I don’t understand the issue except to justify the very expensive rental prices they pay for the offices.
Like you, I was being more productive in 8 hrs at home than 3 days at the office.
Many companies have realized they can save money by moving to a WFH model because they don’t have the overhead of maintaining a brick & mortar office. Office buildings across the US are sitting completely vacant. I wouldn’t be surprised if Martha has investments in commercial real estate ventures which aren’t doing too well now…
Same here – I try to do one day a week at home, and it’s usually when I have something big or complicated to do, so I can concentrate without the constant interruptions I have at the office. I need to be in the office most of them time, but when I don’t, home is good!
One of my coworkers is currently sitting here sniffling and coughing, so…great.
WFh is great if it works for you. It may not be for everyone, but if you can do your job well at home….then do it.
I work for the government which has allowed telework for YEARS now. (My mom was working from home once a week close to 20 years ago.) Before the pandemic I worked from home 3 days a week, then the pandemic hit and we all stayed home and our productivity shot through the roof (my job is very easy to track for production). Now they reopened some offices that interact with the public, which makes sense, but for people like me that would go to the office, spend an hour at the work gym and then take an hour lunch, and then have to commute home? Working from home makes SO much more sense and is so much better. I love it.
We do have the option of returning to the office if we want to, which I think is a nice compromise. IF someone wants to go in once a week, let them. I do not, lol.
This makes me so angry. I’m a business psychologist and my work is with leaders and this attitude just makes me want to scream. Everyone has different preferences and needs, as do their roles and organisations. Of course it take more effort to make hybrid work and not everyone will 100% get what they want but the outcome is way better.
Saying it can’t be done is sheer laziness and/or being so wedded in the past that you can’t accept change. Survey after survey is finding senior people saying nope and their workforce saying YES. Said workforce then votes with their feet when they have the opportunity. Good luck with that King Canute.
Preach! I love your take. May I ask who hires you/how are you compensated/how do you spread that this is fact based on actual research to the C-Suite execs who need to hear it?
YES. People opposed to work from home opportunities are just plain ignorant. There are many people that have deeply analytical work that requires concentration being able to manage their environment with a home office actually enhances their productivity! And many people will work extra time during the hours they would have been commuting. My question to Martha would be “what business results were not achieved that you can directly correlate to the business offering flexible work arrangements?”. She needs to sit down. I’m in HR and very proud to have worked on the flexible arrangements at our company and it all has to be built on trust, respect and communication. She’s in the old school camp that believes if I can’t see you, I don’t trust that you are working. Idiot.
Yes! As a boomer, I became to loathe the office as the environment is toxic as well as simply feeds into the micromanagers controlling issues, I had one that was a complete time waster that caused me to stay late to complete my necessary job duties.
If these corporations, and their controlling and manipulative management would get out of their own heads, they would look at the data, if applicable, and switch to WFH. These companies could sell their massive, Co2 pollution making monsters and sell for creating housing that is a much bigger issue than having someone sit inside 8+ hours per day, never mind the costs and time for working in a stand alone structure.
The blindness and refusal is inescapable to me!! We have many WFH staff at our company and it’s suits us perfectly too!!
A good part of these “leaders” attitude is “Freedom to work however for me; none for thee.” They regard themselves as geniuses who deserve to work however they want–and workers as dumb non-human drones who don’t need anything but the space to punch stuff out. They are also furious that less and less folks are buying the “work hard, automatically get the American Dream” bullshit. That was how they kept generations chained to the office/factory–and made sure they kept too much competition from rising to the top. In short, these people have a lot invested in killing WFH, but time is against them.
I am very glad my team went remote permanently. Our agency even remodeled our former office space to expand our outpatient clinic that was on-site. I love my team and do miss in person interaction, but I’m also THAT colleague who is constantly disrupting work with her inane chatter and gossip. I work better with just my cats when I’m doing paperwork time.
The US is the most workaholic nation on the planet. That hasn’t made us happy. We would be better off if we were a little more like France where people work to live, not live to work. And, yes, Martha sounds a bit Marie Antoinette here. Speaking of France.
The US is not the most workaholic nation.
It’s certainly known as one of the most workaholic ones in the Western world.
When Brexit happened, many EU citizens started to think to move elsewhere. Everybody avoided the USA because “they die working there”. One can say it’s a stereotype, granted, but it has taken root worldwide.
Which one is then? We’re definitely up there.
The work culture here is insane. People don’t even take all their vacation time! They come into the office sick and make everyone else sick.
Martha is 80 and doesn’t have to work. IDGAF what she thinks I should do. People are different and jobs are different. She’s being a dinosaur. An egotistical dinosaur.
I was exaggerating for effect. There are some Asian nations that probably have us beat, but compared to Europe, we are very workaholic.
@AlpineWItch – Mexico is actually the most overworked nation in the world. The average worker works over 49 hours a week.
What Brassy Rebel and Ameerah M said.
Just to name 5 of the top countries that work 54 -49 hours on average a week Mauritania, Egypt, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Gambia . This doesn’t even count the unpaid overtime hour.
The US is definitely the most workaholic Western nation.
The only developed countries surpassing it are in East Asia – Japan even has a term for “death caused by overwork” and South Korea recently thought about introducing a 69-hour week into legislation. Thankfully they faced a backlash by young people who are starting to have enough.
In East Asia it’s all about what others think of you and fitting in, so everyone stays in the office all day even if they don’t have any work, out of fear what others might say if they went home “early” (aka 5pm). The pressure to conform and respect seniority (aka bosses and managers) drives this insane work culture.
Now the US on the other hand is still entrenched in that Puritan mindset of the amount of work one does somehow being proportional to one’s morality. So people who work a lot all the time are praised while not working is akin to laziness aka bad morals (lol). As a European I’ve always found this funny and illogical because it’s basically Exploiting the Workforce 101 while making them like it at the same time.
But what bothers me the most is that also somehow the amount of work one does is still perceived through monetary value. So apparently, people who have a lot of money = super hard workaholics.
We all know this isn’t true at all anymore (if it ever was back in the day) so I don’t get why Americans still chase that extra dollar at the expense of their sanity, health and ability to live their lives before they die.
Remember, you can’t take your life savings to your grave.
This is quite false. The US is around the middle https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/average-work-week-by-country
I am talking about people who are overworking THEMSELVES, not being overworked by others! People in Bangladesh and even Mexico are not workaholics. They are exploited by employers and lack recourse. There is a big difference.
Considering your terrible industrial relations laws I’d be rethinking whether or not it’s entirely choice. The ‘hustle and grind’ mindset didn’t appear out of nowhere.
Fabulous article @ Sonya!!
BrassyRebel, I think people got confused between workaholic and exploited. I lived in the States for a year and decided to leave as it is beyond me how you can only have 11 days a year as annual leave. The rule in Europe is between 22 and 26 days of holidays and in my father’s day (1980s/1990s Italy) he had 35 days a year, meaning August off and 2 weeks at Christmas time. And he was a factory worker (and he was in the unions).
@Alpinewitch I worked so many holidays in the US (memorial day, 4th of july etc), but in Canada(I am dual now), I get paid for all holidays to not work and little to anything is open. Such a different tweak that makes a world of difference on my mental health.
The hypocrisy of Martha Stewart, who started an empire out of her kitchen, being pissy about hybrid-WFH is BREATHTAKING.
I started working from home during COVID. My former job was just starting to require 3 days per week in the office when I moved on. Now I am in the office one week out of every 6-8 (my new job’s HQ is in another state) and I don’t want to go back to even 1 regular day per week in the office ever. In the meantime, people from my old job say the CEO is on a mission to bring everyone back 5 days per week, even though all of the calls are still on Zoom so there’s very little in-person collaboration going on anyway. What a mess.
WFH is so much better.
More productive, less office politics, less interruptions, less useless travel for meetings that can be done online.
It’s literally better for the environment – less traffic pollution and less use of fossil fuels. This whole topic represents a classic example of a paradigm shift with the old guard (“come in to the office or else!”) being the ones who tend to profit off the old ways. In a change of subject, I’m getting tired of Martha Stewart – she’s trying to demand hushed respect for dowager opinions while spending a ton of money erasing every wrinkle, spot or sag. Nope, not buying it.
I’m currently working a case management job that I could easily do from home but the company won’t allow it. They want me available onsite if any of the providers need to talk to me in person, which rarely happens. I work out of a dark, windowless office and make phone calls all day and no one ever seeks me out. I turned in my resignation. I’m going back to home health case management. At least I can work out of my car, take my dogs with me and breath fresh air.
On behalf of all the Martha Stewarts, I must say that it makes me itch to know you have such options and control over your working environment. (/joke).
My husband prefers to go into the office. However, he says it’s because the office is now empty. Lol
Same! My spouse prefers to go into his office because the people he works with choose to work from home most days of the week. He is easily distracted at home, but I love working remotely and can efficiently take breaks, go on walks, etc. The work policies should be adapted in terms of how people concentrate in different environments.
During the pandemic, our office went to 1 person in at a time, and I LOVED it. It was hectic dealing with everything here, but I didn’t have the distractions of home, nor the distractions of coworkers, and I could play music, etc.
As someone who is under a hybrid working model who’s very rarely required to actually go in office, I started going once a week cause I know my floor will be empty lol
My boss does not let us work from home, he feels we do not work if at home. We have a couple people who, for health reasons, have to work home couple days a week but he does not like and feels his other employees may sue him. We have maybe 2 clients walk in the building a week, so I get having someone here-hybrid would be the best way to go I feel. I see no one, but I do checks. Again, hybrid should work for me. I also had an office manager (she has since left) who called me when I was in bathroom. When I talked with her, she asked where I was. When I told her, all she said was she called me and I wasn’t at my desk where I should be. I felt like saying put a phone in the ladies room and maybe I will answer you!
I’ve been working from home since 2004. I miss a few things about office life, but not enough to go back. It’s insane to me that we’re freaking out about empty office buildings at the same time as we have a huge housing crisis. I mean, the answer’s right there…
In general, I feel like the universe is sending us message after message that the ways we’ve structured our society are outdated and actively harming us now, and we’re determined to ignore it and cling to tradition.
THIS.
Time for some changes that benefit us all. This bs is so antiquated
Dwell magazine had an article about people in Norway repurposing office buildings into communal living communities. They have multiple kitchen spaces, bathrooms, and living areas, then the residents build 2-story pods on wheels that they can move around for sleeping/privacy. It’s an interesting concept.
@It Really Is… That’s super interesting! I know there are so many creative and workable solutions out there, and we seem determined to ignore them in favor of keeping the status quo.
Interesting concept. I looked for the Dwell article, unsuccessfully, but must have used wrong search terms or got distracted by other articles. Issue date or article name?
My company has been really cool about hybrid and remote work so I feel very fortunate. I tried hybrid for a few months but there was hardly anyone there, especially in the evenings, so I basically had a whole office building to myself once the cleaning company left. It creeped me out so I went back to fully remote. Now the company is trying to sell the building. It really is a new day and its time the CEOs realize that.
What ticked me off about this article was when Martha called an employee on a Sunday, was appalled that he was in the bath, and refused to talk to her. She said she knew she couldn’t work with this person because he didn’t want to work weekends! This insistence that employees should be available 24/7 is an outdated way of thinking about work. My office is hybrid; I work from home three days a week and go into the office two days; we also have Summer Fridays. If anything, the pandemic taught people they needed a better work/life balance.
Yeah she just wants people at her beck and call 24/7.
How many hybrid employees are working more than 40 hours/week bc of constant pressure of staying late to get some last minute tasks completed while upper management got to go home on time? And overtime has to really be justified and consistently paid now. And will no one think about construction and commercial real estate? Those buildings must be fully staffed! /s.
Most companies probably don’t like this new way of life but can’t deny the advantages. And obviously, productivity across hasn’t declined bc of labor. If there is decline, it’s bc those business are having trouble filling those positions. Obviously, several industries don’t have to operate like they did pre pandemic to be extremely profitable. Yet, these owners are still whining. But, there nothing stopping mid-to upper management from electing to come into the office to work 5 days a week….oh wait!
She’s one of those faux-allies who pretends to care about the avg person but occasionally reveals her true colors.
It’s very rare that people adverse to exploitation become billionaires. We’ve always known that Martha is not a nice person, she’s just joined the rest of her people in saying the quiet part out loud. It’s much harder to crush souls when they aren’t in the next room to yell at.
The only people demanding and defending working in the office is anyone who has a stake in the building itself. Otherwise, convert unused office space into affordable housing. I am hoping the “in the office only counts as work” leadership soon retires out of existence.
yep, allll this
The absolute silliness of comparing the American work model to the French work model is astounding. The French may be very productive, but they’ll take hour and a half lunches, and they work very strict hours where they absolutely do not tend to work matters when they are not at work. All of this is the complete opposite from the American work norms of skipping lunch and always being available to your work. So, actually, yes, let’s adopt the French work standards, as we haven’t even gotten into their generous leave policies.
I loooooooove working from home. I first started before COVID simply because they didn’t have enough office space. It was weird at first but I quickly adjusted. The last place I worked was a toxic work environment. One woman died. We had to call 911 on another woman. People were quitting left and right.
My boss was a complete dick that was eventually forced to retire early from higher ups. He was one of those dicks that considered on time “late” because he preferred you to be early. Every day I stressed out driving into work worried that I would be 5 minutes late depending on the traffic and weather that day.
Working from home gives me 2 extra hours a day I save in commute time, I save hundreds of dollars in gas money, I get to work with my kitty sleeping next to me. I don’t have to deal with work drama. Which also saves time because at my last job we would waste at least 2 hours a day bitching, commiserating or crying over work issues.
Now that I’m working from home, it opened up job opportunities because now I can apply for jobs based out of anywhere in the US. My current job is based out of California and more than 50% of the staff live in different states from coast to coast. And, you know what, I’m more likely to work a few extra hours to finish a task than I would have ever done if I had to stay in the office to do the same.
Working in an office is a relic from a former time, where things were not digital or online 24/7. You had to be physically present to type on a typewriter or draw on a desk.
It is a relic from even farther back, where industrial regions had jobs “far away”, but the rest of the town was farmland and homestead. People HAD to travel to “go to work” back then, but that is
NO LONGER THE CASE.
Work is everywhere, and everything is reachable online.
We dont have typewriters and files anymore, we have keyboards and emails. We have VoIP and video calls. We are going increasingly paperless.
There’s no need to be in an office, except to justify the wasted building space that owners are paying insane rent for, which should actually be turned into something recreational and rehabilitative for the people who are now 4x more productive today than 50 years ago and get even less free time than before!
Like an indoor parcour, a garden space, a theater or art hall, a public park, a nice bistro and parking / apartments etc.
Exactly, but Martha Stewart was born in 1941 so that says it all. She’s from another era that’s long gone.
There are a lot of Boomers out there clinging onto their professional lives because they never developed the skills necessary to thrive in their personal lives.
I look at them and think about how no one ever said in their deathbed that they wish they had spent more time at the office.
Oh Martha: “She then compared the productivity level of the U.S. to France, saying the latter is “not a very thriving country.”
France has better health and a longer life expectancy than the US. Also, people do thrive there. Wrong country to compare the US to.
I haven’t read the whole piece yet, but I suspect that by “thriving”, Stewart is thinking of corporations and shareholders rather than the overall quality of life of people in the general population.
France has 300,000 people 100+. They are very much thriving.
I legit laughed at that comparison because she had exposed her ignorance so much there.
France has its problems but it’s one of the best countries in the world to be a worker and overall citizen in terms of life quality and social welfare. Not to mention it’s a rich developed country too.
And FYI, the richest person in the world is French, so corporations are very much thriving as well.
My employer insisted we return to the workplace but appeared to forget they cut costs by reducing office space. Hot-desking? People were sitting in the floor.
So voluntary WFH it is.
This isn’t about getting back to the office, productivity or team building, rather it’s about weeding out the ‘weaklings’ i.e. parents with young children, elderly parents, disabilities etc etc
They want the old model back because if we continue down this track workers rights strengthen.
It’s also about corporate real estate.
Good points! When my kids were little, I constantly missed out on after work events. The ones where you schmooze your way to a promotion. Work from home and online happy hours leveled that playing field.
We are allowed to come in 2-3 days a week of our choosing. We only came in 4 days a week any way as Fridays are half days and everyone works from home (pre-pandemic). I don’t mind it and I like being able to come in and use the gym. We have open seating and I HATE that. People hose themselves down with perfume, cough and sneeze because they come to work sick ( I thought we stopped that), they’re loud and inconsiderate so mostly everyone wears headphones all day. It’s the not the great communal thing bosses like to think it is. I sit in an isolated spot so I get work done, but if I had to sit with everyone else…. YIKES!
Why come into work sick? Why has NO ONE learned this yet?
Ok Martha whatever – just shut the f up!
I’m sick of billionaires telling us how to live our lives and make more money for them. Just shut up already and go fill yourself a rose petal bath or whatever it is you like to do, fill flower pots with gold.
BREAKING: 80 year old woman doesn’t understand how computer based jobs work in the 21st century.
Maybe all the weed she smoked with Snoop is affecting her mind.
She knows, this a very smart woman. She’s also a nasty piece of work, she treats her employees terribly and expects them to be on call 24-7 for her and her business.
I think Martha Stewart needs to zip it! I work 30% at work and 70% remotely, and I get all of my work done and then some while I’m home. Remotely there are less interruptions, and I can work on my own schedule.
Personally, anybody who is against the hybrid working model isn’t too bright. The work force isn’t going down the drain because of that. That is just so ignorant to say that.
I came here to make the same exact point, that when Martha Stewart had a tv show, she filmed her segments from her home (and I’m sure got a huge tax write off for a percentage of her square footage too, and had a silent chuckle over all that too, if I know Martha). Who the heck is she trying to fool by saying all that. It’s uncanny that most of these miscreants who lament that regular workers have options between going to the office vs. working from home, and a hybrid of the two are usually people who themselves have choices and have famously chosen not to go into their offices every day.
Also, I’m no Francophile but has it ever occurred to MS that the French have set up the kind of society that they want? Some societies want and pursue money and power over all things and end up with the most powerful weapons, while others prioritize time off, vacations, healthcare, etc. I’m sure that they wouldn’t mind being recognized as a “world power” but maybe they don’t think it’s worth all of the other things one would have to give up for that dubious achievement.
The bosses with pathological control issues are the ones freaking out about WFH.
I’m also reminded of the old saw about the buggy whip manufacturers who were furious when the automobile made them obsolete within just a few years. Sorry but the world changed and it’s not going to change back just because you desperately want it to. Adapt or die is the eternal rule in business.
I have been WFH the last three years and it has been wonderful. I keep waiting for the hammer to drop with a return-to-work mandate. But so far they are just letting people do what works best for them. You know, treat us like adults. I do see our middle managers itching for work in the office. As they are more worried about their own jobs than what is most productive for individuals. So they are constantly pushing it and giving higher raises to people that were in office more than remotely. Cultural changes are never easy. And for someone like Martha, they can’t wrap their head around it. How can you feel in control if can’t put people in a box in an office? While they enjoy being at home. They don’t want you to have the same perk as them if you are beneath them on the corporate ladder.
I’m like you in that I’ve been working from home for the past three years (basically since the pandemic), and like you I’ve also been waiting for the other shoe to drop and to have that option revoked by management — even though there’s been no noticeable drop-off in productivity.
WTH Martha?!?!
I have the best boss ever, we WFH 2 1/2 days and in the office the others and I can’t tell you how many times he’s sent an email that said “ok, we’ve collaborated enough for the week, if you want to finish the week working from home, fine by me!”
As long as we are productive and can show that in our metrics and our deliverables, no problem. When someone starts f#$king around then he takes care of that on a case by case basis.
People are generally more productive from home, IF they want to be.
Oh Martha
Go take a seat on one of your many hand-crafted-by-peons garden benches and keep your nose out of other people’s work-life choices.
I wonder if she has office buildings in her real estate holdings portfolio…
Is she going to lead by example and go into the office every day? She probably doesn’t even know where it is…
People who engage in “social engineering ” are floundering under work-from-home. You get to see just how much of their work they pawn off to others. They are the ones pushes a return to the office. It’s easier to be caught or exposed cheating online.
I heard one story where the cheater deleted the worker from slacker/discord/team or whatever. What that did was made it look like THEY did all the work. Ofcourse it was a big argument and people know to never work with the cheater again.
“Social engineering” sounds like ‘social loafing’ elevated to art form level 🥱
It is so much easier to ignore the chain emails asking for volunteers to do x when you work from home and never have to be overworked unless you choose to be.
My husband’s law office starting making the partners come back to the office three days a week a few months ago. He’s not happy about it, but I think he understands their reasoning. The newer/younger associates need mentoring and to build relationships with each other and the partners, and it wasn’t really happening when everyone was just communicating by phone and Zoom. But at least he doesn’t have to go in every day and he can take “vacations” once a month where he stays home for a week to ten days in a row.
It wasn’t about productivity or billing hours. It was helping the younger attorneys to learn and grow. It was the younger ones who were saying they really wanted more time in person with the partners and older associates from whom they were supposed to be learning. They wanted the in person time back.
As a partner in a larger law firm, I agree- we did the same thing. Things were just deteriorating, specifically for younger attorneys. It’s not all or nothing though- people can and do work at home part of the week. It was the full time remote that was difficult, and it is harder to manage employees (most employees are fine, some are not).
I work in a private company and 75% of our workforce are new grads who need and want to be mentored. I still think it’s nicer/easier to provide that mentorship in person, but I have to say, I’m getting used to doing it over Zoom. Still … I wonder sometimes whether the people who WFH full-time are going to be overlooked for certain promotions, because they’re not in their managers’ faces regularly. It shouldn’t work that way, obviously, but I think there’s an unconscious tendency, on the part of otherwise well-meaning managers, to give that extra bit of responsibility to the person they see right in front of them.
I have been working from home since the pandemic’s start, and fortunately my employer has been great — we get to choose whether we want to work in the office or at home, so most of us are at home. Deadlines are still deadlines. Whether we’re productive or not is obvious.
I genuinely like and respect my co-workers, but I have to be honest — I like my dog more.
My only obstacle to my productivity is Celebitchy TBH. But after I read this awesome site, I get my work done.
Martha should knit herself a muzzle.
“Martha should knit herself a muzzle.”
👏👏👏 😂😂😂
It’s a good thing!
Love it when people try to take something away from others that will not affect them in any way. I suspect Martha may have large investments in commercial real estate. I can’t think of another reason she would care so deeply about this.
You hit the nail on the head. They want us back to justify their leases.
Martha Stewart had better MIND HER BUSINESS.
I never, never want to go back. I’m more productive when I’m not interrupted and distracted all of the time. I’m eating much better since I’m not packing microwavable meals or eating out every day. My mental and physical health have never been better.
I’m a better person AND a better employee working from home.
I hate working at home, I want to be in an office around people. My job, litigation attorney, means I have to be in court and meeting with people so working at home would not be best. However I do not understand the idea that just because some may like it- why everyone has to do it. If your job can be done out of the office and you get your work done, what does it matter where you are doing it.
EXACTLY!
I work from home four days a week, go into the office with everyone in my department one day a week. I love it! Anyone who wants to come in more than that is free to do so. Last week I had to come in for a meeting on a WFH day, and I stayed all morning, getting a lot of stuff done, but loved going back to my home office in the afternoon.
We’re adults. If we’re getting our work done, that’s all that matters!
That being said, people need to stop posting on Tok Tok about all the things things they do besides work when they work from home. You’re going to ruin it for everyone!!!
I’m certain she loves to see her employees toiling away. She no doubt enjoys popping up unexpectedly to make sure she’s getting her money’s worth.
In-office is a totally outdated way of working. Working remotely isn’t possible at every job, but when possible, it cuts costs, illnesses aren’t spread, the worker saves money on work clothes, transportation and unnecessary dining out, etc
She’s totally out of touch on this topic.
It’s always the control freaks who don’t go into an office daily (yes you, Elon) that are demanding everyone else come back. F- them! I’ll never go back. Never. Too bad Martha if you are stuck in an expensive, long term lease on office space. Call the wahhhhhmbulance
Why does she make it so hard to like her!
I despair that idiots like this run the world.
She is a notoriously terrible boss and all around miserable person. I have had to interact with her in professional settings and it’s appalling how she treats staff. People regularly cried in the bathrooms and she was one of those types of bosses that ruled through fear and created a small circle of loyalists around her who were afraid to say no to her. She ran her company into the ground because she fostered a culture where people would just scramble to appease her rather than be able to speak their mind and let her know when her ideas were bad. She has a miserable and lonely personal life so she wants everyone else’s whole life to be about work as well. That she is flexing in this article for firing someone who wouldn’t keep on talking to her on a Sunday while they were taking a bath is an insane thing to brag about. She’s highly problematic, I never understand when people don’t call her out.
Exactly, she’s an awful person to work for.
I wasted so much time honestly at work, so many hours wasted with coworkers who wanted to gossip, surfing the web, thinking about lunch or going to get a snack/bathroom break, worrying about adverse weather in winter for the commute home, worrying about my dog at home alone etc. I am way more productive at home and way happier. I will never go back because I do not miss the socialization; rather I am less stressed out by avoiding the pettiness/jealousy and gossip. I still think I was more productive in person than some who seemed to never do anything at work.
Martha, Martha. Come into the future, please. 80-plus year olds are just having their late-life tantrums about things changing to benefit the next generations. Maybe she’s just jealous that the Wolf of Wall Street type of overwork culture is fading out and just falling out of fashion because people are exhausted by it. Mentally, physically, spiritually. There are busy times at work I just literally want to go sit outside under a tree and breathe. Hypertension is no joke. Work life balance is no joke either.
And here I was thinking Martha had gotten wiser–and a bit cooler. Never change, hon. 🤮 It’s a good thing these bosses are outing themselves so folks can avoid their workplaces.
Hybrid has been working great for my partner. He does a variety of things in his job, enjoys some in person interaction, but is also glad to be able to work from home some days and not commute daily. He’s able to schedule things that don’t have any need to be done at the office for work from home days, and go in and complete what needs him in person on other days. However, I know a lot more people who are in the position of their job being entirely do-able from home, yet corporate has decided they need to go in a specific days for no apparent reason than their own notion of optics and false beliefs about productivity and supervision.
Martha Stewart needs to sit her privileged a$$ down on two seats.
Ok this comment thread really helped me feel better
I work from home now doing graphic art but at a pay cut.
But I feel so much better and happier this way.
But I’ve felt guilty for making less
But is it really a pay cut when you add up all the gas, meals out, clothing expenses and commute time you paid for out of pocket when you went to work at an office every day?
I’d rather eat grandpa’s toenails than work for Martha Stewart.
Martha’s only saying this because she’s the boss. If she were a regular low level employee she’d be thrilled to work from home too. Also she’s 81 for gods sake, she’s on her way out. I wouldn’t ask her opinion on the future of business culture any more than I’d ask any other pensioner. If people are worried about Joe Biden’s ability to lead the country, why are they even giving Martha the time of the day? FYI she is older than Joe Biden!
In fact the only people who are opposed to working from home are bosses/manager/senior level company people. Regular employees all are in favor of it and guess what, regular employees outnumber senior management everywhere. I know there’s no democracy in the private sector but time for a change I think. Us regular workers outnumber management by a mile and if we all reject their BS and demand more flexibility they’ll have no other choice but to comply.
Moreover, the 4-day work week is also gaining momentum in many European countries. If you can get your work done in 4 days and then have 3 days off, why not? Same workload, same pay, what does it matter, especially if all deadlines are met.
This shift in work culture, in combination with technological advances, is the best thing that came out of this wretched pandemic.
Don’t you just love these entitled CEOs? The data says that WFH increases PRODUCTIVITY. Being in the office improves collaboration, mentoring, and teamwork. So, as a leader, you’d think hybrid could be very beneficial to the company. Like so many CEOs, out of touch.
I like Martha, but she has no idea of what she’s talking about. I would rather work from home all the time, but our company is old-timey and wanted us all to come back in. I can’t wait to retire from this place, which is in a few more years.
I’m the employee who pre COVID came to work to work, not get involved in the social side of the office. I have a life outside of work and coworkers cannot be trusted. This attitude made me very misunderstood by my colleagues. I was like a roarschart test. You see what you want to believe. The result was I became the subject of ridiculous amounts of gossip. All of it completely untrue. Some so out of character for me that I had to laugh hard.
So I love working from home. If my colleagues are gossipy, backstabbing, or envious, I don’t hear about it.
Martha is another Boomer, who doesn’t have a fulfilling personal life and is addicted to the power and control that comes with being a CEO. Martha along with all of the other geriatrics in the upper echelons of business and politics, clinging with their boney claws to power need to finally retire and find a personal life.