Carolyn Vigil has devoted much of her professional life to working in Big Tech. As the primary caregiver for her 23-year-old autistic son, Jax, managing these dual responsibilities has been challenging. Despite having to temporarily leave her job in the past to care for her son, Vigil faced a new dilemma when the pandemic forced her to become not only her son's caregiver but also his teacher. Although this presented significant challenges, she was able to strike a balance due to remote work opportunities. However, her distress grew when her company announced a return to in-office work.
The future of remote work is uncertain as many American workers have expressed a preference for remote work, and a significant portion of work in the U.S. has continued remotely. In a competitive labor market, many employers have supported remote work to aid recruitment and retention efforts. Conversely, several companies, including tech giants and financial institutions, have shifted to advocating for increased in-office presence. Concerns have been raised about remote work's impact on productivity, with some studies indicating decreased productivity for fully remote workers.
The appeal of remote work extends beyond work-life balance, especially for caregivers like Vigil, who manage significant responsibilities at home. The oversight of this uncompensated caregiving in traditional productivity measurements distorts the true economic picture. Unpaid work performed within households is not reflected in economic indicators, leading to an incomplete assessment of the economy's health. The pandemic highlighted the impact of household production on economic activity, indicating the need for comprehensive data on this type of work.
The omission of domestic work from economic indicators influences policymaking, undervaluing caregiving, and household production. Remote work has enabled caregivers to continue employment and fulfill caregiving responsibilities, thereby increasing productivity and positively impacting the economy. Moreover, remote work's flexibility has supported increased labor force participation among women with young children and enabled workers to provide more caregiving. This flexibility aligns with demographic concerns and could potentially contribute to addressing challenges related to an aging population and declining fertility rates.
In Vigil's case, obtaining a waiver from the return-to-office mandate allowed her to continue working remotely with occasional in-office visits. However, the prospect of being forced back into the office led her to contemplate early retirement. This emphasizes the critical role of remote work in enabling caregivers to balance their responsibilities effectively.