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A—6 — Shelton-Mason County Journal Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021
GUEST COLUMN ' «
Working from home here to stay
. ith COVlD-19 vac-
cines being widely
dispensed, will an
end to this pandemic halt
“work from home?” Will
workers return to down-
town offices at pre-pandemic
levels?
Not likely!
However, it is not an ei-
ther/or question, said Stan-
ford professor Nicholas
Bloom, who is co-director of
the National Bureau of Eco-
nomic Research’s productiv-
ity, innovation and entrepre—
neurship program.
“Working from home will
be very much a part of our
post-COVID economy,” he
added, “so, the sooner policy—
makers and business (employ-
ers) think of the implications
of a home-based workforce,
the better our firms and com-
munities will be positioned
when the pandemic subsides.”
In September, Reuters
reported that U.S.-based
Enterprises Technology Re—
search surveyed 1,200 chief
information officers who
indicated more than one-
third of their workers are
By DON
BRUNELL
“permanently remote” in 2021.
The legical follow-up ques-
tion: Should employers (busi-
ness and government) get rid
of the offices altogether?
“No, but you may want
to move it,” Bloom added.
“What is happening, howev-
er, is offices are moving from
skyscrapers to industrial
parks?”
The pandemic reversed
the urban growth pattern
starting in the 1980s “when
Americans have flocked to
revitalized downtowns.”
Occupied office space in
Seattle has grown 34 percent
since 2010, according to the
Downtown Seattle Associa-
tion. Now, those towers sit
hollow. Roughly 90 percent of
the 47 million square feet of
leased Seattle office space is
currently vacated as a result
of the pandemic.”
Bloom estimates that
post-pandemic workers not
in downtown could trim total
daily spending in bars, res-
taurants and shops by half of
prepandemic levels.
Regardless, whether offic-
es are in tall buildings, strip
malls or industrial parks,
they must be reconfigured.
They need to be roomier and
arranged for social distanc-
ing. So will lobbies, eleva-
tors, breakrooms, transit
buses and commuter trains
which often were crammed to
capacity.
Bloom’s best advice is
plan to split time between
home and the workplace.
Work from home about one
to three days a week. It’ll
ease the stress of commut—
ing, allow employees to use
their at-home days for quiet,
thoughtful work, and let
them use their in-office days
for meetings and collabora—
tions. That schedule also
gives employers options to
rearrange offices for “shared
space” to avoid renting addi- ,
tional footage.
Before the pandemic, the
Bureau of Labor Statistics
estimated only 15 percent of
salaried employees had a full
day working from home and
only 2 percent worked from
home full time.
Working from home now
is dominating our lives and
jumped by 12,000% last year.
Now, 42% of our labor force
works from home full time.
However, another 33 percent
of workers are unemployed——
evidence of the savage im-
pact of the lockdown. The
remaining 26 percent work at
traditional employer premis—
es. They are mainly essential
service workers such as fire-
fighters and hospital staff.
“We see that these at:
home workers now account
for more than two-thirds of
America’s GDP (economic
activity),” Bloom adds.
Work from home is not for
everyone.
Bloom found only half of
the people surveyed were
able to work from home at
an efficiency rate of 80%
managers, professionals and
financial workers who can
easily carry out their work on
their computers by videocon-
ference, phone and email.”
“The remaining half of
Americans don’t benefit from
those technological work-
arounds — many employ-
ees in retail, health care,
transportation and business
services cannot do their jobs
anywhere other than a trao
ditional workplace,” Bloom
added.
Finally, Forbes pointed
— out the decade between 2020
and 2030 will see the num-
ber of Americans eligible to
work at its lowest point since
the Civil War: “So it is a
good thing that remote work
makes many employees hap—
pier and more productive be-
cause companies will want to
hold onto those employees.”
I Don C. Brunell is a
business analyst, writer
and columnist. He retired I
as president of the Associa-
tion of Washington Business,
the state’s oldest and larg-
est business organization,
and now lives in Vancouver.
He can be contacted at the-
Brunells@msn.com.
or more. “These are mostly
LETTERS continued from page A-5
Slow down,
EquityPlus
Editor, the Journal,
This letter is an appeal to the Shel—
ton City commissioners to slow down
the rush to sign a development agree-
ment authorizing EquityPlus LLC,
based in Mississippi, to build up to
400 housing units on acres in the
Shelton Watershed north of the Huff ’N’
Pufi‘ Trail.
This project was introduced at a
hearing on Jan. 5. A second hear—
ing is scheduled for Jan. 19. (Partici-
pate on Zoom or watch on Youtube at
MasonWebTV.)
The city manager is pushing City
Council members to move this project
to the action agenda, which would au-
thorize him to sign the development
agreement and commit the city to this
huge project.
believe citizens generally agree
Shelton needs more affordable
homes, but many questions remain
unanswered.
I Why the rush? During the hear—
ing, several people asked the city
manager whether the city had given
citizens an opportunity to discuss the
future of the watershed or bid on “sur—
plus” watershed property. He replied,
“No. We didn’t do that because we don ’t
have to.”
I Why would the city work with an
East Coast developer instead of local
builders who create local jobs? The Eq-
uityPlus executive who approached the
city is based in Washington, DC. The
proposal is for factory—built houses.
I Why pack homes onto, one
site? Developing small communities of
25, 50 or homes would create liv—
able neighborhoods and mitigate traf—
fic impacts.
I What will be the impact on local
schools?
I Why EquityPlus? They ap-
proached the city with a proposal, but
what do we know about their work?
Has the city contacted cities who
. worked with them on recent projeth
to learn whether they are happy with
the process and with the houses Equity
Jdurnal Letter Policy
The Journal encourages original letters to the editor of local interest.
Diverse and varied opinions are welcomed. We will not publish letters
that are deemed libelous or scurrilous in nature. All letters must be
signed and include the writer’s name, address and daytime phone
number,,which will be used for verification,purposes’only. Alleletters
‘
are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. To submit a
letter, email editor@masoncounty.com, drop it off at 227 W. Cota St,
or mail it to PO. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584.
Plus built
I Has the council seen floor plans
for the proposed homes? Photos of re-
cent projects?
The development agreement was
written by EquityPlus and authorizes it
to acquire and develop the property.
Section 13.9 allows EquityPlus to
“assign or transfer all or any portion
of its interest, 'rights, obligations or
responsibilities in this Agreement
to third parties, without limitation
(and) without the necessity of consent
by the city.”
EquityPlus can sell its interest and
get out at any time. The city cannot.
The contract should be changed so that
EquityPlus can only transfer its rights
and obligations to a third party with,
the city’s consent. '
No cash is paid at closing. Equity-
Plus will give the city a “seller’s note,”
which will be paid to the city annually
“to the extent of net available cashflow
...” and based on number of units con-
structed (Section 12) Since the contract
has no schedule for when houses will
be built, it is unclear when payments
would start.
In Section 13.11, the city waives im-
portant legal rights if a dispute arises.
The development agreement trumps
Shelton Municipal Code. “If any terms
of this Agreement conflict with other-
wise applicable provisions of the SMC,
the terms and conditions of this Agree-
ment shall control.” (Section
The development agreement is a 15-
year commitment. Please check client
references, strengthen the city’s rights
in the contract and consider local op-
tions before you sign.
Barbara Parsloe
Shelton
Save our country
Editor, the Journal,
Donald Trump once boasted that
he could kill someone in public and get
away with it.
His inciting his mob to attack the
US. Capitol to disrupt the certification
of the Biden-Harris electibn victory and
steal this fair election resulted in hold-
ing Congress, stafi‘ and media members
hostage and the deaths of five people,
including a brave Capitol Police ofiicer
and veteran,and must be punished.
If Trump, the attackers and politi-
cians who also tried to disenfranchise
the majority of voters are not held ac—
countable, they will continue the ram-
page; how far this goes, don’t know,
but as a Jewish and gay person, we can
look to Nazi Germany and see those
results.
Trump must be removed immedi-
ately for treason, either through the
25th Amendment or impeachment and
the violent attackers of the Capitol/
Congress must be prosecuted for the
high crimes they committed. Domestic
terrorism must not be tolerated. Doing
so will undermine our democracy and
more lives will be lost.
We must save our democracy, our
country.
Michael Siptroth
Belfair
Wake up, Trumpsters-
Editor, the Journal,
To all my fellow Americans who
continue to support President Donald
Trump, please wake up! Seek the truth.
Just this morning, Trump said on
a
national television that he’s done noth—
ing wrong. Big surprise.
You may believe in Republican prin-
ciples. tend to lean toward DemOCratic
principles. This is a good thing. It’s
how we keep a country with a healthy
v balance that represents all of us. But
let’s be clear, Trump onlystgndsfor,
Trump principles. He’s nat‘Ame
First. He’s Trump first and only. .
entire presidency has proven he’s inca—
pable of seeing any foreign or domestic
policy through any lens other than how"
it makes him look, his personal enrich:
ment, his re-election prospects or his
ego gratification, This recent mob riot at
our Capital is a direct result of Trump’s
lies and decisive rhetoric. The continu-
ing threats brewing forward are scary
and dangerous. But even more impor-
tantly, they’re a horrible assault doing
lasting damage to our democracy and
our peaceful existence. Stop with the
false equivalencies comparing this to
the Black Lives Matter riots. There is no
comparison. All of this violence has been,
directed by Trump and is based on lies.
Full stop. The election was not rigged.
The only serious election fraud was at,
tempted by Trump himself. As with most
all of his accusations throughout the last
five years, everything Trumpaccuses
others of, he is actually guilty of.
It saddens me that people know and
used to respect) continue to perpetuate
their undying allegiance to this horrible,
lying, narcissistic conman.
Do you actually think this makes you
a patriot?
Standing up for a man who takes
the side of Vladimir Putin and other
authoritarians while alienating our al-
lies? Standing up for a man who has
screamed election fraud all the way
back to before the election?
Because being the type of “cheating
competitor” he has been all his life, he
must pre—emptively bake in his excuse
in the event he loses. Stop looking the
other way" and making excuses for him.
Stop changing channels when even FOX
News begins to occasionally tell the
truth. The truth is out there. Look for it.
. Open your mind. If you, take offense
to being called a cult member, stop act—
ing like one.
Audrey Vandervelde
Shelton
“WNW”... AWWWMMM .WWWM. .,