Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why Do We Still Commute?

citylab.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

141–150 of 400 posts

Re: Why Do We Still Commute?

#141

Post by cjcmd11 »

philjohn wrote: post #30

I work from home 1 or 2 days a week, and the rest of the time commute 55 miles each way (~1h10m). True, I probably get more done on the days I work from home as I don't have a commute, and there are fewer distractions, however, I find I can collaborate far more effectively when I'm in the office - instant messenger, email and video calls just don't cut it. Plus I have an amazing commute, mostly along British A roads…

This is what some of the comments are missing. Telecommuting doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. There are obvious advantages to being in the office; but I'd wager those advantages aren't quite as severe by cutting office time by 1-2 days a week. Plus, it allows workers to feel refreshed from dealing less with of the negative stresses of commuting.

Re: Why Do We Still Commute?

#142

Post by jheriko »

Why do we still commute?

simple, naive answer, that ignores the context of the article:

because to a very close approximation 0% of people on this planet work in an office at all, let alone an office where this is genuinely possible.

Re: Why Do We Still Commute?

#143

Post by pixl97 »

briandear wrote: post #128
nunez wrote: post #62

Why do we still commute? Because outside of the tech bubble, most jobs still require face to face communication and living close-by to the office in many cities is cost-prohibitive to many.

Most jobs don't require face to face outside of physical services such as the trades or cutting hair. And the jobs that do require face-to-face -- many of them definitely don't require an office. (i.e. insurance claims adjusting -- that's a field job, so there isn't really a "commute.") Selling insurance: not required. Customer service for the electrical company: nope. Most of that is on the phone. Logistics for a tr…

Almost all these jobs you've listed are on the list of things in the near future that won't require people (or at least as many). I called my electrical company with an outage, an automated system answered and I gave my customer number. They told me my meter could not be contacted. It then said other local meters could be contacted and it was likely a issue that just affected me, so they would send a truck. 20 minutes later the lineman/repair person gave me a call from their cell and asked a quick question about what my was going on. 10 minutes later they were there replacing the meter.

If your job can be done remotely, your job can be done by a computer in 90% of the cases. Good luck fighting for those jobs in the future (especially when they get sent overseas for 1/5th the cost).

Re: Why Do We Still Commute?

#144

Post by briandear »

peterwwillis wrote: post #68

Things that happen when you're in the office: - spins around in chair, interrupts and asks coworker a question, workshops ideas for 15 minutes, comes up with solution, makes a meeting - boss comes over and tells workers there's some issue going on he's going to go deal with and he'll be available via cell only - when SCRUM ends, conversation continues in person, things get decided - walk into boss's office and make t…

Oh my gosh. That's pretty much my definition of hell.

> spins around in chair, interrupts and asks coworker a question, workshops ideas for 15 minutes, comes up with solution, makes a meeting

Slack please. Don't interrupt me.

> boss comes over and tells workers there's some issue going on he's going to go deal with and he'll be available via cell only

I don't care. If I need the boss, I'll text/Slack/email him/her. I'm not a child -- I know what I need to do. If it's an emergency, obviously I'll know how to reach him/her.

> when SCRUM ends, conversation continues in person, things get decided

What conversation needs continuing? What actually needs deciding? Is there no leadership?

> walk into boss's office and make tentative strategy plans

holy crap. Does anything actually get DONE in this office? A whole lot of deciding and planing and interruptions and workshopping.

> discuss current issues, decide to rework something, meet with another team, make plans, start working on it

Sounds like your company lacks vision and leadership. It seems like a disorganized mess where there's no clear product vision, no clear leadership and horrible communication that requires a series of interrupting, impromptu meetings.

You described a day where code probably gets written for all of one hour -- the rest of the time is spent just feeling good about how much stuff you've gotten done. Meanwhile -- what have you actually shipped?

My comment isn't about remote vs. non-remote -- it's just pointing out that this "getting shit done" depiction is pretty much describes the sixth circle of hell.

Re: Why Do We Still Commute?

#145

Post by Yaggo »

I bought a house from countryside three years ago, 75 km from the city. A round-trip during rush hours take two hours. I'm allowed to have two remote days per week, and I don't really want more (maybe three?), because I miss the social interaction etc. too much. Even weirder, I also miss the lonely moment in behind the weel.

Re: Why Do We Still Commute?

#146

Post by return0 »

There is some value to commuting for work. I attribute it to hippocampal remaps when moving to the workplace, which helps you get into "work mode", associate your workplace with actually working and also give your "home" cells a rest. The solution to this would be "work centers" in every neighborhood where you can go to feel like working.

I think some psychologists should do some research on the subject , remote work is only bound to become more common.

Re: Why Do We Still Commute?

#147

Post by madcaptenor »

tossaway1 wrote: post #55
blunte wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't believe your "commute" constitutes a commute in the sense of what this article is about. Your commute is just a walk. People traveling for 30-90 (or more!) minutes to and from work, particularly the ones driving in traffic, are the commuters. And the ones I know that fall into that category hate it. Good for you that you have such a nice situation, though!

I commute 60 minutes each way (give or take depending on traffic). I wish the commute was shorter but I personally wouldn't work from home regularly even though I technically could. Between a chatty wife, active kids, and unfinished projects around the house, I don't have the willpower or ability to avoid distractions at home. I'm more productive going into work even if you factor in the time spent driving. Plus, my…

Although when we get self-driving cars your employer will start expecting you to work during the commute.

Re: Why Do We Still Commute?

#148

Post by sidlls »

coldtea wrote: post #99
sidlls wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

None of the ones I've ever seen or used comes close to even approximating the in-person whiteboard experience.

Not even sure what that means. They let you write stuff (even with a pen, on a touch capable display) and have others see what you write (and even write/erase themselves). What else is missing? Standing in person before an actual whiteboard? Smelling the marker's ink? Maybe with the advent of cheap VR and smell-o-vision we'll get that too.

Two things stick out as most problematic: "whiteboard" real estate and latency.

Re: Why Do We Still Commute?

#149

Post by sokoloff »

imgabe wrote: post #107
twoquestions wrote: post #98

We commute because businesses can push off the cost of commuting to their employees. I'd personally be in favor of a "congestion tax" or somesuch for companies that force their employees to come in rather than work remotely. Commuting takes up energy and resources, and the congestion incurs costs on third parties (car accidents, higher gas prices, and the like). While it's debatable whether remote works for businesse…

I've thought about this in the past. What if companies had to pay for the time you spend commuting? They'd have an incentive to hire people as close as possible, and support local policies that make it easier to live closer to work. On the other hand, employees would have an incentive to try to stretch out their commute as much as possible, to get extra pay for time "not working". I don't know how rampant that would…

In the end, setting aside the distortions caused by minimum wage laws, companies pay for the value they receive from their employees. How you want to apportion that value (hours, widgets, hours [including commuting hours], flexible work arrangements, paid time off, company holidays, etc) doesn't matter much.

As an employer, I'm indifferent between paying someone $50/hour for an 8-hour work day, or $40/hr for an 8-hour workday plus 2 hours of paid commuting.

Re: Why Do We Still Commute?

#150

Post by booleandilemma »

codingdave wrote: post #81

I worked from home for five years, and just this week started back into a job where I commute to an office. I don't love the commute, but I also don't agree that working from home is a universally better answer for me on a personal level. Everyone knows the benefits of working from home, but there are downsides as well. Fixable downsides, but they exist nonetheless -- it is easy to become a hermit. Easy to over-work.…

I think a good solution to this is to just mix it up. At my place we have a policy of working from home on Fridays and coming in the rest of the week. We get to have a day of not commuting, working in our pajamas, and still have plenty of time to be physically present in the office. As an added benefit, the workweek feels shorter.
Post reply on HN