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Great Debate: Working From Home Permanently

Colleagues Nate Kucsma and John Corrigan debate the pros, cons and logistics of permanently working from home.

After 11 weeks of working from home, senior writer John Corrigan has grown quite content. Meanwhile, Nate Kucsma, executive director of research & corporate marketing at ASI, can't wait to get back to the office. In this edition of Promo Insiders, the colleagues debate the pros, cons and logistics of permanently working from home.

Podcast Chapters
2:25: Our current work-from-home environments
4:51: What Nate misses about the office
8:31: Pros and cons of video-based apps
15:12: Productivity: up or down?
17:40: Blurring the lines of work/home
20:59: Benefits of working from home
23:42: What the “new normal” may look like
28:51: Industry recovery

Before the COVID-19 crisis, Corrigan and Kucsma were among the few in ASI’s Editorial department who didn’t work from home at least one day of the week. Seeking an escape from their families, they happily made the daily commute, hunkering down at their desks and commiserating on walks outside the building.

Kucsma misses those walks – he enjoys getting to know his coworkers, learning what they’re working on and how he might be able to help them. Working from home has stifled his creativity, leaving him without the inspiration that may come from small talk in the cafeteria. Meanwhile, Corrigan has been more productive than ever. Without frequent staff meetings and luncheons, he – and the rest of the editorial department – have been getting more work done. As a result, April 2020 was ASICentral.com’s best month in terms of page views.

In this podcast, the colleagues and fantasy football foes discuss what they miss about the office, what they love about working from the comfort of their humble abodes and how the promotional products industry may adjust to the post-coronavirus world.