Opinion: Google and Twitter are right. Workers should stay home.


Rather than bring employees back anytime soon, organisations should settle into remote work for the long haul – as some are beginning to do. Google and Facebook have gone this route, telling employees to work from home for the rest of 2020. Microsoft is green-lighting WFH through October. Twitter has said employees can continue to log in from home indefinitely. — Dreamstime/TNS

The more I read and hear about what offices will be like as they reopen, the more dystopian it sounds: empty desks, no meetings, everyone keeping their distance from one another. I miss the thrum and hum of the workplace, but the need to maintain social distancing means reopening won’t bring that back.

And for all that offices will be quieter and emptier, they may not be much safer. Erin Bromage, a biology professor at UMass Dartmouth, compiled a useful list of several known Covid-19 super-spreading events that highlights the danger of being cooped up inside with a sick person. If a 90-minute restaurant meal, 120-minute choir practice or 180-minute birthday party is enough for one person to infect a roomful, how much more risk is in a 540-minute workday, even with precautions?

Unlock 30% Savings on Ad-Free Access Now!

Monthly Plan

RM13.90/month
RM9.73 only

Billed as RM9.73 for the 1st month then RM13.90 thereafters.

Annual Plan

RM12.33/month
RM8.63/month

Billed as RM103.60 for the 1st year then RM148 thereafters.

1 month

Free Trial

For new subscribers only


Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
work from home

Others Also Read


Want to listen to full audio?

Unlock unlimited access to enjoy personalise features on the TheStar.com.my

Already a member? Log In