Food for Thought: Snowstorms

What can we learn from snowstorms?

Not too long ago, Toronto had a snowstorm that affected many of its residents and caused substantially longer commutes. I have said before that inconvenience is one of the best sources of ideas and I think it's worth taking time to think about what snowstorms can bring us in terms of food for thought.

What the snowstorm exacerbates are pre-existing problems built into how the city is run. The most obvious one is that of a commute. Commutes significantly contribute to environmental pollution along with a waste of time and money, things that could be used to boost an economy. There are many jobs that can simply be done from home, and increasingly many offices are starting to do just this.

At the most extreme there is the Results Only Work Environment, where there is no requirement for commuting to an office and sitting there for a period of time. It is claimed that this type of per-hour billing is an antiquated form of human resources management from the days of the industrial revolution.

I am not suggesting that telecommuting is a panacea to all work situations, but isn't it interesting that such a discussion can come from a snowstorm?