Man Criticized After Claiming Anyone Who Works From Home Has 'Unlimited Time Off'
He feels that remote workers have the freedom of not being attached to a desk and therefore can travel wherever they want.
Vadym Pastukh / Shutterstock A man has been criticized for undermining remote employees' work and claimed that they have it easy because they work from home.
Posting to the subreddit "r/unpopularopinion," he admitted that remote workers are allowed to have copious amounts of flexibility with their time and have "freedom" to travel and do what they like.
He claimed that anyone who works from home has 'unlimited time off.'
"You're free to travel anywhere you want and leave your residence for any length of time," he began in his Reddit post. "As long as you do your work even remotely (it rarely is a full day’s worth of work anyway), you can go on vacation, visit friends or family in a distant place, and so on."
He continued his dignified opinion, claiming that remote workers never have to request PTO or take a day off unless they want to disconnect completely from their jobs because they can easily travel to a tropical country and vacation while still working since it's all remote anyway.
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"With a job where I’m in meetings and filling out spreadsheets, I have [the] freedom to travel and go/do whatever I want just so as long as the work gets done. The average worker has 2-3 weeks of vacation a year," he added.
Speaking about some of his friends who work remotely, he noted that they easily travel to different places abroad, or visit friends and family without having the restraints of an in-office job.
He acknowledged that this kind of freedom is something he yearns for, and would love to pack his bags and go anywhere at a moment's notice for as long as he wants. He explained that as long as remote workers do their job and get the work done, they essentially can have a free vacation.
"Working remotely offers virtually free time off that no in-person worker can ever get access to," he remarked.
People heavily disagreed with his opinion and pointed out that remote workers often have to do more.
"For those of us in positions of responsibility, it's a burden. I'm literally never off work. I have no office hours that are respected as limits on my availability. For instance, this morning I got a call at 6:30 AM with a request for help. So much for 9 to 5," one Reddit user wrote.
Another user added, "You have to answer calls and emails in a timely manner. There are mandatory meetings. It all depends on the job. In fact, some remote jobs are the exact opposite of that. It's unlimited work since you always have your work in front of you. If you work in a distributed team, you get asked questions during off hours all the time."
A third user chimed in, "I wish this was true, but it's definitely not for me. I am attached to my desk every day. I can't just pack up my computer and go wherever I want. I had to ask permission to work from a different location for a week while my heat wasn't working last year."
"My employer definitely does NOT want us trying to work while on vacation. Work is still very much work, full-time. I prefer it," they added.
While it may seem as if remote employees have unlimited freedom because all their work is done on a laptop, that's not the case.
It's still very much a real job that often requires an employee to be in a stable environment so they can attend meetings, conference calls, or other requirements.
In fact, a study that tracked more than 60,000 Microsoft employees over the first half of 2020, found that remote work triggered a 10% boost in weekly hours. Remote employees are working more, in part, because they are commuting less.
Another landmark study, based on data from 27 countries, found that remote workers saved 72 minutes in daily commuting time. On average, employees spent about half an hour of that extra time engaged in daily work: more than two hours a week.
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The responsibilities that remote workers have shouldn't be understated because they are working from home. While there are benefits to not having to work in an office space, just like every other occupation, there are also cons as well.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.