Remote work became a camouflage for employee deceit

Remote work began as an emergency lifeline during COVID, but quickly turned into a shell game for many employees (though not all, of course), writes Howard Levitt. Photo by Jacob Wackerhausen / Getty Images

Autonomy is seductive. Roll out of bed, skip the commute, wear sweatpants and work when the inspiration strikes, answering only to your conscience.

For many, it seems like corporate liberation. It is the dream, until the mask slips and reality bites.

Well, the mask of remote work has slipped, and the reality is far less romantic: it has become the perfect incubator — the Petri dish — for deception.

What began as an emergency lifeline during COVID — a mark of resilience, ingenuity — quickly turned into a shell game for many employees (though not all, of course).

Some secretly