In my supermarket they are mandatory. You get your fruit and you put them in a scale which prints out an sticker with the weight, pricing and barcode, which is what os scanned at checkout.
This would be all avoided if they had scales at checkout and the clerk used them (which would also reduce fraud) but of course is cheaper having way less staff.
We did have the windows open, and the put some fans, but still was quite unbereable. Especially because of all the computers. We did have a lot of fights with the company for this, as spanish law dictates a maximum temp for a working space. Some days, when it was over 40ºC inside, it was like an oven (literally it was better to go outside below a tree or something), we ended up walking out of the office, fuck that shit.
Before the pandemic, my old company allowed us to remote work on occasion, but it was rare. With the pandemic we started to work from home regularly and it was a game changer. Little bit after the pandemic they forced us to go back to the office (also, in summer, in spain, to a office with broken AC), so I changed jobs.
Best decision I ever had. The company I work for now is US based, so obviously its remote only for me. There's a big culture shift, both from being American and for being remote focused, but I think its fantastic. Never have been as productive in my life.
There's a great difference between companies allowing remote and being remote oriented as well. Management has to fully buy into it and promote using remote tools, otherwise it won't work.
The problem is that people ever bought enough gold to cover costs.
Admitedly, its also reddit problem that they went from hosting links/text to also hosting images/video which is a completely different (and more expensive) beast.