{"id":192,"date":"2023-11-08T23:01:33","date_gmt":"2023-11-08T23:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/?p=192"},"modified":"2025-05-03T20:47:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-04T03:47:51","slug":"crowded-golf-courses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/?p=192","title":{"rendered":"Crowded golf courses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Crowded golf courses?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a recent piece for CBS News on the revitalization of Manhattan (link<\/a>), Michael Bloomberg, the former Mayor of New York, laments the movement to remote work and openly asserts that it is “tragic” and won’t work.” I can’t work with you over Zoom<\/em>“. “We are paying our employees for five days of work<\/em>“, and then he insinuates that they are golfing because the golf industry has seen an upswing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Referring to a young female staff member who was in the room, he pointed out that she has “One chance to have a great career, it is to build a cadre of friends right now\u2026 be references for her going forward..these are the people that are going to teach her how to do things. How to interact with people<\/em>“.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Human beings don’t change very quickly in what they do<\/em>“, says Bloomberg, “you can’t do the same thing via Zoom that you can do face to face, period<\/em>“. My first instinct is that Mr. Bloomberg is simply dating himself. My second is that he must have lived a very privileged life to lack empathy and demand such paternal deference from the world. My assessment is that he is mostly wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I grew up in the sprawling outskirts of the Los Angeles suburbs. My father spent his whole career working hard to provide essential items Mr. Bloomberg probably took for granted. My father was a Purchasing Manager in various manufacturing firms. Considered lower white-collar, he rarely had the time to attend school events, much less golf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many Angelians, he sat in traffic 10-20 hours per week to get to jobs where he spent 50-60 hours a week. He left early to arrive before the boss and stayed late to leave after (We all know those rules). When he came home, he was tired, cranky and emotionally unavailable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I recall being dropped off at school before 5 a.m. so that he could make it to work before the owners, who could afford a much shorter commute. Long commutes steal time and energy from parents and have knock-on effects on society and the environment. The lack of my father’s attention in my life and the early hours nearly cost me my high school diploma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were no options for my father’s generation to work from home. But now there are, and I find it incredibly short-sighted for people of privileged backgrounds like Mr. Bloomberg to make blanket statements about the feasibility of remote work, perhaps the best workplace evolution for American families in my lifetime. I am also confident that these environments are feasible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why? Because I am the owner of a very successful firm<\/a> that has never required any parents to commute to an office. When we launched our firm before COVID, we were determined not to have offices for many reasons: environmental, social, and personal. Change is not easy for anyone, and we were once considered weird. I recall many job candidates lamenting this policy and even asking for financial support to use co-working spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pandemic gave many more people permission to try this lifestyle. These parents learned a lot during COVID-19, including that they enjoy their families more than their commutes. Many discovered efficiencies absent the office politics. Many found time to be available to their children or pets during critical moments during the day and time for self-care routines. We all found other avenues to network and feed our social appetites. And more will emerge to replace any deficits created by this shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So why do we hear many senior business leaders now calling for people to return to the office? I do not want to judge or attribute any bad will or intentions to anyone. But I have some thoughts. These senior leaders may have led relatively privileged lives, have shorter commutes themselves, or developed unhealthy paternalistic appetites that are hard to feed online. They may enjoy large offices with treadmills. Perhaps they already practice self-care and “golf meetings”. At some subconscious level, perhaps they resent that getting a tee time with all those common folk on the links is more challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK, that last comment was snarky. But if business leaders genuinely believe their staff should be in the office, move the office out of Manhattan. Or pay staff enough to live there. I suspect that requirement would make Zoom seem a lot more feasible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my experience working in offices too much time is wasted on office politics. As Bloomberg points out, proximity matters in dated hierarchical and paternal cultures. In fact, in my opinion half of the time we use in offices has been wasted with political maneuvering for proximity, trying to get into the right room with the right person at the right time and say the right thing to get closer to a coveted promotion. Or being in the good graces of your manager during annual performance reviews. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conscious or not, these are the politics of paternal privilege. Politics based on proximity, sometimes given the euphemism “networking” (or ass-kissing, to be frank), serve no good use to our products or clients. They do serve to sustain and feed large hierarchies that, quite frankly, reinforce patriarchal inequities that generate little real value in an organization that self-management, autonomy and trust might better serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, in our organization, we have flattened that hierarchy; we have phased out the managers and the extrinsic currencies they distribute. We instead trust people to network healthier, including the golf course, if that feeds their success. Instead of paying for expensive office spaces, we support our self-managed employees to travel to see each other in social settings (if they so desire) or to furnish their home office with environments conducive to success. We do not simply “pay them for 5 days a week”; we pay them for outcomes and trust that they will achieve outcomes regardless of proximity to us, paternal deference or any other sort of politics of inequity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Mr. Bloomberg’s case, the interview focused on the revitalization of Manhattan. So, I must thank him for his charitable investments there, including donations to the arts and public infrastructure. What will we do with Manhattan if we do not commute there?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am curious how much of his incentive is tied up in commercial real estate, which is on the precipice of collapse. But is it ok to push people back to commuting simply for the sake of commercial real estate prices? Instead, we should provide enough office space in proximity to people who can commute humanely Then we should convert the rest to homes for more people, easing traffic for those (e.g. first responders) who truly can not telecommute. Please share your thoughts below, and we can discuss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Overfylte golfbaner?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I en nylig artikkel for CBS News om revitaliseringen av Manhattan, uttrykker tidligere ordf\u00f8rer Michael Bloomberg bekymring for utbredelsen av fjernarbeid. Han hevder at det er “tragisk” og at det ikke vil fungere. \u201cJeg kan ikke jobbe med deg over Zoom,\u201d<\/em> sier han. \u201cVi betaler v\u00e5re ansatte for fem dagers arbeid,\u201d<\/em> insinuerer han \u2013 og legger til at golfindustrien har hatt et oppsving, som en mulig indikasjon p\u00e5 at ansatte n\u00e5 heller spiller golf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Han peker p\u00e5 en ung kvinnelig medarbeider i rommet og sier: \u201cHun har \u00e9n sjanse til \u00e5 bygge en stor karriere, og det er \u00e5 skape et nettverk av venner n\u00e5\u2026 disse menneskene vil bli referanser for henne videre\u2026 det er de som skal l\u00e6re henne hvordan ting fungerer, hvordan man samhandler med folk.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMennesker forandrer seg ikke raskt i hvordan de gj\u00f8r ting,\u201d<\/em> sier Bloomberg. \u201cDu kan ikke gj\u00f8re det samme via Zoom som ansikt til ansikt. Punktum.\u201d<\/em> Min f\u00f8rste tanke var at Mr. Bloomberg rett og slett daterer seg selv. Min andre er at han m\u00e5 ha levd et privilegert liv, et liv der han kan mangle empati og likevel kreve slik paternalistisk respekt fra resten av verden. Min vurdering? Han tar stort sett feil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeg vokste opp i de utstrakte forstedene til Los Angeles. Faren min jobbet hele livet hardt for \u00e5 gi oss det Mr. Bloomberg sannsynligvis tok for gitt. Han var innkj\u00f8pssjef i ulike produksjonsbedrifter \u2013 klassifisert som lavere hvitsnipp. Han hadde sjelden tid til \u00e5 komme p\u00e5 skolearrangementer, langt mindre spille golf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Som mange i L.A. satt han i trafikk 10\u201320 timer i uken for \u00e5 komme seg til en jobb der han jobbet 50\u201360 timer i uka. Han dro tidlig for \u00e5 v\u00e6re f\u00f8r sjefen og ble sent for \u00e5 dra etter. (Vi kjenner alle de reglene.) N\u00e5r han kom hjem, var han sliten, gretten og f\u00f8lelsesmessig frav\u00e6rende.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeg husker at jeg ble sluppet av p\u00e5 skolen f\u00f8r kl. 05 om morgenen, s\u00e5 han kunne rekke jobben f\u00f8r eierne \u2013 som hadde r\u00e5d til kortere reisevei. Lange pendler stjeler tid og energi fra foreldre \u2013 og skaper ringvirkninger i samfunnet og for milj\u00f8et. Mangelen p\u00e5 oppmerksomhet fra faren min og de tidlige morgentimene holdt p\u00e5 \u00e5 koste meg vitnem\u00e5let mitt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Min fars generasjon hadde ingen alternativer for hjemmekontor. Men det har vi n\u00e5. Og det er utrolig korttenkt at mennesker med privilegerte bakgrunner, som Mr. Bloomberg, kommer med bastante p\u00e5stander om at fjernarbeid ikke fungerer \u2013 kanskje den st\u00f8rste arbeidsplassrevolusjonen for amerikanske familier i min levetid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Og jeg vet at det fungerer \u2013 for jeg leder en sv\u00e6rt suksessrik bedrift som aldri har krevd at foreldre pendler til kontoret. Da vi startet selskapet, f\u00f8r COVID, bestemte vi oss for \u00e5 ikke ha kontorer. Milj\u00f8messige, sosiale og personlige \u00e5rsaker l\u00e5 bak dette. Forandring er aldri lett \u2013 og vi ble sett p\u00e5 som litt rare. Jeg husker mange jobbs\u00f8kere som syntes dette var vanskelig \u2013 noen spurte til og med om \u00f8konomisk st\u00f8tte for \u00e5 bruke coworking-kontorer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pandemien ga flere muligheten til \u00e5 pr\u00f8ve denne livsstilen. Foreldre l\u00e6rte mye \u2013 blant annet at de faktisk setter mer pris p\u00e5 familien sin enn p\u00e5 pendlerrutinene. Mange oppdaget effektivitet uten kontorets politikk. Mange fikk tid til barna eller kj\u00e6ledyrene sine, og til egenomsorg. Vi fant nye m\u00e5ter \u00e5 knytte b\u00e5nd p\u00e5 \u2013 og flere vil komme til.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S\u00e5 hvorfor h\u00f8rer vi stadig ledere kreve tilbakevending til kontoret? Jeg vil ikke tillegge noen onde hensikter, men jeg har noen tanker: Mange av disse lederne har levd privilegerte liv. De har kanskje korte reiseveier, store hj\u00f8rnekontorer med tredem\u00f8lle. De har kanskje allerede etablert rutiner for egenomsorg og \u201cgolfm\u00f8ter.\u201d Kanskje de p\u00e5 et ubevisst niv\u00e5 irriterer seg over at det n\u00e5 er vanskeligere \u00e5 f\u00e5 tee-time \u2013 fordi vanlige folk ogs\u00e5 er p\u00e5 banen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK, det siste var litt spydig. Men hvis n\u00e6ringslivsledere virkelig mener at ansatte m\u00e5 v\u00e6re p\u00e5 kontoret, hvorfor ikke flytte kontoret ut av Manhattan? Eller betale folk nok til at de faktisk kan bo der? Jeg mistenker at da ville Zoom plutselig virke langt mer realistisk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I min erfaring brukes altfor mye tid p\u00e5 kontorer til politikk og spill. Som Bloomberg p\u00e5peker, betyr n\u00e6rhet mye i gammeldagse, hierarkiske kulturer. Halvparten av kontortiden brukes ofte p\u00e5 \u00e5 komme inn i \u201cdet riktige rommet\u201d, med \u201criktig person\u201d, si \u201criktig ting\u201d \u2013 for \u00e5 komme n\u00e6rmere en forfremmelse. Eller v\u00e6re i sjefens godbok f\u00f8r l\u00f8nnssamtalen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bevisst eller ikke \u2013 dette er politikk knyttet til paternalistiske privilegier. Noen kaller det \u201cnettverksbygging\u201d \u2013 men \u00e6rlig talt handler det ofte om smisking. Og det skaper lite reell verdi. Det opprettholder store hierarkier og strukturer som egentlig hemmer innovasjon. I organisasjoner som verdsetter selvledelse, autonomi og tillit, er det bedre l\u00f8sninger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Derfor har vi flatet ut hierarkiet. Vi har fjernet mellomledere og ytre bel\u00f8nningssystemer. Vi stoler i stedet p\u00e5 at mennesker bygger sunne nettverk \u2013 ogs\u00e5 p\u00e5 golfbanen, om det hjelper dem \u00e5 lykkes. I stedet for dyre kontorleieavtaler st\u00f8tter vi v\u00e5re selvledede ansatte til \u00e5 reise og m\u00f8tes sosialt (hvis de \u00f8nsker det), eller til \u00e5 skape hjemmekontor som gir dem suksess. Vi betaler ikke dem for \u201cfem dager i uken\u201d \u2013 vi betaler dem for resultater og stoler p\u00e5 at de leverer, uavhengig av fysisk tilstedev\u00e6relse, paternalisme eller kontorpolitikk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I Mr. Bloombergs tilfelle handlet intervjuet om Manhattans revitalisering. S\u00e5 jeg m\u00e5 takke ham for veldedige bidrag \u2013 til kunst og infrastruktur. Men hva skal vi bruke Manhattan til, hvis vi slutter \u00e5 pendle dit?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeg lurer p\u00e5 hvor mye av motivasjonen hans som er knyttet til investeringer i n\u00e6ringseiendom \u2013 en bransje som st\u00e5r p\u00e5 randen av kollaps. Men er det greit \u00e5 presse folk tilbake til pendling bare for \u00e5 redde eiendomsmarkedet? Vi b\u00f8r heller skape kontorplasser i n\u00e6rheten av folks hjem \u2013 og konvertere overskuddet til boliger. Det vil lette trafikken for de som virkelig m\u00e5<\/em> pendle \u2013 som f\u00f8rstelinjearbeidere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Del gjerne dine tanker nedenfor \u2013 s\u00e5 tar vi samtalen videre.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Crowded golf courses? In a recent piece for CBS News on the revitalization of Manhattan (link), Michael Bloomberg, the former … Continue reading Crowded golf courses<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":238892274,"featured_media":144,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pf3Jag-36","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterplaces.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/faabf25b-bdf2-47f7-a396-fa03e4b94b1d-1.jpeg?fit=4032%2C3024&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/238892274"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=192"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":499,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192\/revisions\/499"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterplaces.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}