Letters to the Editor: Reject the corporate lie that working from home is a perk

Los Angeles Times Opinion
·2 min read
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TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA—APRIL 20, 2021—Ben Jarso, an avid skier, recently bought a home in Truckee, CA, and says he loves it. He moved up from the Bay Area, since virtual working is common at Facebook, where he works. Housing prices and construction in Truckee, California is on the rise as more people can work virtually and want to get out of big cities and into the mountains. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Ben Jarso does work for Facebook from his home in Truckee, Calif. -- near Lake Tahoe -- on April 20, 2021. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: Once again, people are letting corporations lie to them. Are employees really willing to take a pay cut to work from home, when working from home saves the corporation millions of dollars?

Remote work means corporations don't need a physical building or at the very least they can rent a much smaller space. They don't have to incur any of the other expenses with having employees on the premises.

You, on the other hand, have to pay utility bills for working from home in addition to giving up a private space to conduct your work. If anything, you should be demanding that the company reimburse you for rent, utilities and any equipment you need to work from home.

Stop being a puppet of the corporations. If they want to cut your pay, find another job. It's easy because employees are in the catbird seat now.

Shirley Conley, Gardena

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To the editor: A major consideration when weighing factors related to whether to work from home must be the well-being of the planet.

The pandemic has given us a gift. Many of the ways we used to forestall the spread of COVID-19 can also be applied to our war on carbon. To the extent we can immobilize, we should. And that means work, play, learning and more.

All work that can be done remotely, should be.

Andrew Tilles, Studio City

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To the editor: You should be paid for the work you do, no matter where you do it. Some workplaces don’t have that flexibility, like coffee shops and construction sites. So, the common denominator across all workplaces is the work the employees do.

Remote work should not be considered a perk, with lower pay for the worker. The employer is already making more money off the remote worker in terms of lower utilities, less space used and increased productivity.

Maribeth Bandas, Encinitas

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.