NationStates

Posted: **Sat Apr 01, 2023 7:20 am**

An Economy Of No-Shows

Validity: Has the internet, high economic freedom/economy, high civil rights and high scientific advancement/IT sector

The Issue: The National Remote Workers' Union are on strike after a series of corporate conglomerates prematurely ended an industry-wide remote work trial to measure productivity, demanding they return to the office after profits suffered. The union claims workers are happier than ever at home and want you to ensure their right to work remotely.

Option 1: "How can we keep our economy afloat if everyone works from their bedrooms the whole year round?!" blasts CEO of Boringe Logistics @@RANDOMNAME@@, fixing @@HIS@@ million-@@CURRENCY@@ tie. "My offices have some of the best working conditions in all of @@NAME@@, but I allow them to go home for a few days and they never want to come back? It's clear from our trials that working from home slashes productivity and obliterates profit margins. We'll be in the red before the sixty-hour work week is over if these useless remote work positions don't get the government axe."

Effect: office workers get a daily five minute break to cry profusely

Option 2: "Chill out my guy," says former Boringe Logistics employee @@RANDOMNAME@@, patched in to your computer through a video call, "my productivity has skyrocketed since I went fully online. I can watch cat videos on five different monitors and still get over half of the spreadsheets partially finished in one day!" He stops to complete a few data entries and an online form before downing a monster-sized energy drink. "Sure, I'll go offline to play games, maybe go out once a day for a mild walk, but who cares? We're happy! Honestly, if the government actually cared about the wellbeing of office employees and encouraged us to go fully digital, the economy would only get richer or something."

Effect: the record for most jobs held simultaneously is thirty-seven

Option 3: "Wow, this is all so depressing," sighs workplace welfare therapist @@RANDOMNAME@@, copies of @@HIS@@ book 'Holistically Working Spiritually' piled on your desk, "endless desk work in general feeds into an unhealthy cycle where employees get virtually no sunlight, damage their eyesight looking at screens, and do almost no physical exercise throughout the day! All workplaces should have double the breaks, outside exercise equipment, and more ergonomic desk chairs so remote workers actually want to come back."

Effect: new, lean-back spinny chairs are all the rage in @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ workplaces

An Economy Of No-Shows

Validity: Has the internet, high economic freedom/economy, high civil rights and high scientific advancement/IT sector

The Issue: The National Remote Workers' Union has gone on strike after a corporate conglomerate issued a series of demands for them to return back to the office over work ethic disputes. While workplace welfare experts have also raised concerns, the union claims they're more productive than ever and want you to ensure their right to work from home.

Option 1: "How can we expect to keep our tremendous economy on the rise if everyone wants to work from their bloody bedrooms!" blasts CEO of Boringe Logistics @@RANDOMNAME@@, fixing his million-@@CURRENCY@@ tie. "My conglomerate has worked day and night to create the best working conditions in all of @@NAME@@ and now we have empty offices? It's preposterous! All remote work positions should be examined by the government and axed if they're not deemed essential to their businesses. This lunacy needs to end, or we'll be in the red before the sixty-hour work week is over."

Effect: office workers get a five minute break every day to cry profusely

Option 2: "Dude, chill out," says former Boring Logistics employee @@RANDOMNAME@@, now a pioneering remote worker, "My productivity has skyrocketed since I went fully online. I can watch cat videos on five different monitors and I still earn seven times more than those suckers at the office!" He stops to complete a few data entries and an online form before downing a monster-sized energy drink. "Sure, I'll go offline to play games, maybe go out once a day for a mild walk, but who cares? I'm making you more money! Honestly, if the government encouraged all office employees to fast-track their workflows and go fully digital, the economy would only get better."

Effect: the national record for most jobs held simultaneously is thirty-seven

Option 3: "Wow, this is all so depressing," sighs local workplace welfare therapist @@RANDOMNAME@@, copies of @@HIS@@ book 'Holistically Working Spiritually' piled on your desk, "The problem with office work is that it feeds into an unhealthy cycle where many employees get virtually no direct sunlight exposure throughout the day, damage their eyesight looking at screens, barely get any physical movement, and the same applies to remote jobs! What we really need is a total reevaluation of our approach to working conditions. All workplaces should have double the breaks, outside exercise equipment, eyesight safe screens, and more ergonomic desk chairs. This way, remote workers will be inclined to come back to their offices, and businesses can't treat their employees like desk slaves!"

Effect: new, lean-back spinny chairs are all the rage in @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ workplaces

Posted: **Sat Apr 01, 2023 10:23 am**

- The issue needs a little bit of explanation or justification for why there are so many people recently moving to remote work, and why it has suddenly become a problem. Whether that's in the description or in the options could be flexible, but when I read it in current form I feel like I missed an explanation somewhere. I know I mentioned on the Discord not having it be pandemic related. That holds true, but it does still need some sort of trigger.

- If the debate is about work ethic, that should come through in the options. The employer's complaint has nothing to do with work ethic – it's presented as a business not wanting to spend money on an empty office. It also is asking for the government to *massively increase* regulation and control of private employment practices, which is counter-intuitive if this goes to a capitalist nation (why would the government get to determine whether an employee is essential to a company, much less get to fire that employee?). The second option focuses on multi-tasking and efficiency, though it comes across mostly as undermining itself by talking about all the non-work things it's doing (and the effect line is out of nowhere – having multiple jobs is never mentioned). The third option feels disconnected from the debate, because it is responding to complaints nobody has made. I can see how all of these link to the debate in general, but they don't feel cohesively linked to each other yet.

- Check spelling on Boringe vs Boring. Different spellings in options 1 and 2.

Posted: **Sun Jun 11, 2023 8:05 am**

Verdant Haven wrote:- The issue needs a little bit of explanation or justification for why there are so many people recently moving to remote work, and why it has suddenly become a problem. Whether that's in the description or in the options could be flexible, but when I read it in current form I feel like I missed an explanation somewhere. I know I mentioned on the Discord not having it be pandemic related. That holds true, but it does still need some sort of trigger.

- If the debate is about work ethic, that should come through in the options. The employer's complaint has nothing to do with work ethic – it's presented as a business not wanting to spend money on an empty office. It also is asking for the government to *massively increase* regulation and control of private employment practices, which is counter-intuitive if this goes to a capitalist nation (why would the government get to determine whether an employee is essential to a company, much less get to fire that employee?). The second option focuses on multi-tasking and efficiency, though it comes across mostly as undermining itself by talking about all the non-work things it's doing (and the effect line is out of nowhere – having multiple jobs is never mentioned). The third option feels disconnected from the debate, because it is responding to complaints nobody has made. I can see how all of these link to the debate in general, but they don't feel cohesively linked to each other yet.

- Check spelling on Boringe vs Boring. Different spellings in options 1 and 2.

I've dramatically edited all areas of the draft to address your feedback. Hope its a little better now.

Posted: **Wed Jun 14, 2023 9:10 am**

Made some minor edits to option 1 and its effect line.

Posted: **Tue Jun 20, 2023 1:07 am**

There needs to be a fourth option here, people from other professions wish to work from home- nurses, waiters and actors

Posted: **Tue Jun 20, 2023 1:23 am**

Australian rePublic wrote:There needs to be a fourth option here, people from other professions wish to work from home- nurses, waiters and actors

The entire premise of this issue is based on three assumptions. One: remote workers will be attracted to a union just for remote workers (styles of working), rather than for their actual jobs (sectors of working; fast food workers [BFAWU], train drivers [ASLEF] and university lecturers [UCU] each belong to different unions in the UK). Why?

Two: there was an "industry-wide remote work trial." How were the remote workers so energised during this trial - which I assume was advertised as such - that they decided to unionise with each other? And also, which industry? The only corporate people involved are from Boringe Logistics but it's unlikely that the logistics industry, which requires a strong in-person focus, would serve as the base for such a trial.

Three: the decision to require-or-not remote working for everyone should be in the hands of the government rather than, as it was, each corporation. I understand the need for issues to be government-relevant - you wouldn't write an issue about some random fifty-something living in a village in rural western @@NAME@@ who lost his dog two weeks ago and needs people in the local area to help find it - but again, why?

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[DRAFT] An Economy Of No-Shows

[DRAFT] An Economy Of No-Shows