Hybrid, Not Remote, Working Is the Future 

In the executive boardrooms of the companies I work with, the debate about remote vs. in-office working rages on. Well, rages is not fair. It continues, but with less vehemence and certainty, as employees and their managers try out different arrangements.

In a recent study conducted by Future Forum, 34% of workers said they were working full-time (30+ hours a week) in the office. 48% said they were working in a hybrid arrangement, and 18% said they were working full-time remotely.

In my industry (digital publishing), the percentage of employees working full-time is considerably less than 34%. According to a very casual survey conducted by yours truly, it ranges from zero to 10%.

The Future Forum survey also reported that 80% of participants want flexibility in where they work and 94% want flexibility in when they work. But few want their offices to disappear. Two-thirds of those surveyed said they want their offices to say open as an anchor for interacting with other employees, for “collaborating with co-workers/clients, building camaraderie, and facilitating in-person meetings.”

Click here for details.

This Sounds Like Another Political Conspiracy Theory, but It’s Fact!

Boy… this is weird. And worrisome. It will surely be called another conservative conspiracy theory. But I’ve double-checked. And it looks like it’s true. Here is the story, in brief:

The US Census Bureau just released a statement saying it had, in the 2020 census, “miscounted” the populations of 14 states. It overcounted the populations of eight states and undercounted the populations of six. And not by a little. Or without a big effect. Because the miscounting had a major impact on the subsequent rearrangement of the Electoral College, which, as we all know, plays the most important role in the outcome of our federal elections.

The result significantly favors the Democrats and hurts the Republicans, since seven of the overcounted states were blue. And five of the undercounted states were Republican.

What it means: When the Census Bureau reapportioned the House of Representatives, Florida was cheated out of two additional seats it should have gotten. Texas missed out on another seat. Minnesota and Rhode Island were each able to keep a representative they should have lost. And Colorado was awarded a new member of the House that it didn’t deserve.

Click here and here to learn more.

Another “Victory” for Identity Ideology

I swear. I did not get this from The Onion or The Bee…

In a split decision, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a prisoner in Fairfax County, VA, that identified as female should be housed with female inmates. Even though he retains his male body parts.

The “enlightened” perspective on this is that if a man with a penis really believes he’s a woman, it would be cruel and unusual punishment to have him locked up with a bunch of men. His fellow prisoners might berate him or, worse, use him unwillingly as a woman.

The “transphobic” perspective is that this guy might be looking to hang out with a building full of women, showering with them, and possibly trading chewing gum for favors.

I’m confident that both points of view will be proven both right and also wrong.

Regardless of one’s perspective, the background of the suit and the legal arguments make for fascinating reading. I’ve gathered two reports on this. One from the conservative-leaning Daily Signal news site, and another from the left-leaning Washington Post. You can read them here and here.