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Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

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Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#191

Post by enolan »

gambiting wrote: post #5
nathanaldensr wrote: post #2

They want an office that matches their personality. And apparently, that means beer on tap and lots of it. The office looked like the lobby of a hipster hotel. Over the next few weeks, we showed up each day and tapped away on MacBook Airs to the sounds of Portuguese house music and old-school hip hop piped in through speakers. (“Rap is urban, and so is WeWork,” the company explains online. “But more profoundly, the c…

I can't imagine worse environment for a tech job than the one where you have music playing out of speakers. Also - working on your laptop? Without proper monitors and upright sitting position? Nope, thank you.

Coworking spaces do not have a magical force field stopping you from bringing equipment or furniture in FYI

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#192

Post by iamben »

nathanaldensr wrote: post #104
iamben wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Different strokes for different folks, right? I'm at a WeWork now and I'm far more productive than the time I spent working in a quiet home. I speak to people here who love it, I speak to people here who hate it. One of the best things about being in 'tech' is unless you're terrible, you can probably find somewhere to work that better fits how you like to work :-)

Agreed. I'm certainly not knocking extrovert-tailored work environments for their own sake. I am expressing frustration that the huge differences between extroverts and introverts are nearly universally ignored, especially, it seems, in tech workplaces. I hate to be reminded that such insensitive places still exist.

I hear ya. I suppose it's just 'cool' to be able to say "we have beer! We have ping pong!" but I can understand the frustration if you're not looking for an extrovert-tailored work environment.

Do any of the bigger tech companies offer quiet space? As in somewhere you can work without all the 'cool'? Seems like it would be quite a selling point for some.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#193

Post by ExactoKnight »

BoorishBears wrote: post #113
NathanCH wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kill your body, make profit for company.

And yourself. Lots of people kill their bodies for a lot less than what a software developer makes. Not that it makes it alright that anyone has to do that, but I keep that in mind so I don’t lose perspective.

Just wait until your 30 and all this really starts to hit you. Tremors, heart problems, and a sudden realization you're no longer invincible.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#194

Post by juddlyon »

I've worked in numerous coworking places across the US, from the local mom-and-pops to the larger global companies.

All of them have private offices for rent, which curtails the noise issue. All have meeting rooms to book. Most have phone cubby-holes.

My experience has also been that you can socialize as little or as much as you'd like, it's up to you. You can attend events, or not. You can drink, or not.

That said, there are large cultural differences between the younger, startup-scenester spots and the more diverse small-business ones. The latter usually skew older and include non-tech businesses like attorneys and realtors. I prefer these and have enjoyed the "cross-pollination" of ideas and focus on turning a profit.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#195

Post by yesenadam »

Raphmedia wrote: post #115
sneak wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Drinking in general is a really bad idea. I use it as a good and clear signal for who not to associate with, personally and professionally. I am all for having more opportunities for drunkards to expose themselves.

So, if I were to invite you home and offer you a glass of Glenmorangie (Scotch) or Suntory (Japanese Whiskey), that would make me a drunkard? What about a nice glass of finely aged wine? Please, don't limit your worldview to stereotypes...

Well, (I'm trying not to be..insensitive) your defensive comment—and the fact that you were motivated to write it—does make me suspect you have a drinking problem (i.e. drug addiction) but haven't admitted it to yourself. The supposed glamour and sophistication of famous brands helps conceal the basic reality of 'drinking': it's drug-taking, isn't it. (Not that I have anything against drug-taking per se) And that last sentence is snarky/sarcasm?

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#196

Post by MrBuddyCasino »

softawre wrote: post #175
creep wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes! Men and women actually work better together than groups composed of just men or just women [1] [2] The thinking is, men prefer taking risks, while women prefer to limit risks. In cooperation, men can push women to see the benefit of a risk (and in turn she gains more experience of risk), and women can push men to hold off of risks that might be detrimental. Women are good at synchronizing group thought, in that…

Downvoters care to explain? We always say diversity is good, but when somebody provides an example of why it is good, they get downvoted?

There are always downvotes with these topics. Either you are perceived as a patriarch or an SJW. I suppose thats mostly because different people have made different experiences and are biased in one or the other direction. I personally don't care - I think James Damore made some valid points, and I also like and value my female colleagues. To me thats not a contradiction.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#197

Post by kerkeslager »

s73v3r_ wrote: post #159
dalyons wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is 100% the truth. I don’t know why it’s so hard to recognize different people have different working preferences, there’s no absolute correct arrangement. HN (rightfully) shoots down “anecdata”, but on this issue everyone’s fine with a sample size of 1? don’t just shout your preferences at everyone else, it turns these threads into useless repetitive noise.

But the problem is, the industry is trending toward just doing the open office thing. Cubes are on their way out, and places that offer private offices for developers are few and far between. We're not the one's shouting our preferences at everyone else; we're the ones having the preferences of others thrust upon us.

You're right, it's the extroverts who are thrusting their preferences on the introverts. So what? Which would you rather do, get revenge on the extroverts, or come up with a solution that's amenable to both introverts and extroverts?

If all the introverts are doing is complaining about open offices and demanding private offices, they're turning this into a zero-sum game where in order for introverts to win, extroverts have to lose. Not only is that not a good result, but it's not likely to work, since it's not going to get any support from extroverts.

Mixed private/shared workspaces are a solution to this problem that benefit everyone.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#198

Post by yesenadam »

coldcode wrote: post #119
nathanaldensr wrote: post #2

They want an office that matches their personality. And apparently, that means beer on tap and lots of it. The office looked like the lobby of a hipster hotel. Over the next few weeks, we showed up each day and tapped away on MacBook Airs to the sounds of Portuguese house music and old-school hip hop piped in through speakers. (“Rap is urban, and so is WeWork,” the company explains online. “But more profoundly, the c…

If you play music in the office, count me out. I am a musician, if I hear music my brain will focus on that and forget coding. I can deal with talking and stuff but not music.

Same. I can't watch youtube instructional videos with background music—I'm used to listening to music, learning from it, and can't help doing so.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#199

Post by mnm1 »

nathanaldensr wrote: post #2

They want an office that matches their personality. And apparently, that means beer on tap and lots of it. The office looked like the lobby of a hipster hotel. Over the next few weeks, we showed up each day and tapped away on MacBook Airs to the sounds of Portuguese house music and old-school hip hop piped in through speakers. (“Rap is urban, and so is WeWork,” the company explains online. “But more profoundly, the c…

Or you could just work from home where you can set up your own office with whatever equipment you want blasting music you want (or not) and dictate the quality of your working space yourself. And save a few hundred bucks a month...

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#200

Post by slaman »

ztoben wrote: post #103
silverbax88 wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've already beaten them out in some niche markets where we went head to head, so, yes.

It's funny you consider this running them over. I'm sure from their perspective you are hardly a blip on the radar.

I just ran over AWS by hosting my mom's webpage with 40% uptime.
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