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Half of American workers would rather work from home forever: poll

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Re: Half of American workers would rather work from home forever: poll

#101

Post by mcv »

aloisdg wrote: post #24
therealvayne wrote: post #7

Don’t people miss social interaction? I don’t understand how these articles are written. As a single man living on my own, this lockdown has made it pretty lonely.

Outside the lockdown when I want to have a social interaction, I call a friend and go to a bar, or I organise a boardgame or roleplay session. I can choose my friend but I cant choose my coworker.

I do miss my co-workers and am currently working in the most fun team I've ever worked in. Now I wonder if that might be because for once I did get to choose some of my co-workers.

Re: Half of American workers would rather work from home forever: poll

#102

Post by cik »

I've been working from home a minimum of one day a week for 10 years, frequently 2 days a week - and for rare bursts of a month, the whole deal.

The reality is that environment more than makes up for all of it. At home, I completely control my work environment. Sure, there are elements to communication you have to change - amongst other things, but working from home is fantastic if you WORK from home.

I find those days at home are significantly more effective - and the clients, partners, and employees I've worked with have always agreed. There's also a lot to be said for face-to-face time though.

Re: Half of American workers would rather work from home forever: poll

#103

Post by cs02rm0 »

gspr wrote: post #29

I wonder if this is related to the long commutes Americans have gotten used to. I'm not in the US, and while I would say I definitely appreciate the flexibility of being able to work from home (or from "not the office") every now and then, and I do like the present drop in meetings, I cannot fathom how people stay sane without a variety of other people around. My productivity has definitely dropped, and it feels like…

Might be worth checking CO2 levels, or leaving a door and window open.

Re: Half of American workers would rather work from home forever: poll

#104

Post by freeone3000 »

therealvayne wrote: post #7

Don’t people miss social interaction? I don’t understand how these articles are written. As a single man living on my own, this lockdown has made it pretty lonely.

I miss going out and drinking with friends, I miss going on dates, I miss hanging out at the card game bar. I don't really miss work.

Re: Half of American workers would rather work from home forever: poll

#105

Post by PragmaticPulp »

gspr wrote: post #29

I wonder if this is related to the long commutes Americans have gotten used to. I'm not in the US, and while I would say I definitely appreciate the flexibility of being able to work from home (or from "not the office") every now and then, and I do like the present drop in meetings, I cannot fathom how people stay sane without a variety of other people around. My productivity has definitely dropped, and it feels like…

> Does anyone feel the same?

The study headline is that half of Americans prefer work from home. The other half either prefer working from an office or haven't made their minds up yet.

In my experience managing remote teams, including some people who are new to WFH, many people struggle with the isolation of WFH. For others, the honeymoon phase is short-lived as cabin fever sets in.

During normal times, the solution is to make an effort to get out of the house every day. Go to the gym, meet friends for lunch or dinner, and otherwise fill your in-person social needs somehow. The struggle with Coronavirus quarantine is that in-person social events are not allowed, so the typical solutions are much more difficult to apply.

> My productivity has definitely dropped, and it feels like my brain never really fully turns "on".

Now would be a great time to try a new morning exercise routine. Getting out of the house for even a 10-minute morning walk can make all the difference in the trajectory of your day. You can build up to a 30-minute run over time, but it's easier to engrain the habit if you start with a very low bar. Just get dressed, prepare a to-go coffee if you like, and go for a walk around your block. You might be surprised at how this sets a different tone for your day.

Long commutes aren't great, obviously, but they do serve a functional purpose of partitioning your day between home and office. Try to find a replacement activity that performs the same partitioning step at home.

Re: Half of American workers would rather work from home forever: poll

#106

Post by tfigment »

rb808 wrote: post #56
rb808 wrote: post #45

I heard on WFH opinions there are two groups of people, one that think this will usher in a new age of productive freedom working from home never having to commute again, and the group with kids.

I should add our juniors are getting screwed. Usually we spend a lot of time training and coaching, now at home they're mostly ignored. I think our intern class is going to get cancelled too.

My company cancelled its intern program this year. I actually did hire one but I was very proactive in making it happen and barely got it done before shelter-in-place kicked in. It's really challenging for both sides compared to last year due to lack of in person but it's working.

Re: Half of American workers would rather work from home forever: poll

#107

Post by gspr »

torben-friis wrote: post #92
gspr wrote: post #29

I wonder if this is related to the long commutes Americans have gotten used to. I'm not in the US, and while I would say I definitely appreciate the flexibility of being able to work from home (or from "not the office") every now and then, and I do like the present drop in meetings, I cannot fathom how people stay sane without a variety of other people around. My productivity has definitely dropped, and it feels like…

adittionally to what others have commented, make sure that the room you're working in has enough sunlight and (I can't stress this enough) is well ventilated. It also helps if you can walk outside 5 minutes every hour or so (lawn, terrace, whatever's available). Somewhere where you have open air and you can focus your sight on things that are more than 5 meters away. As for the long commutes, I'm from a big european…

> As for the long commutes, I'm from a big european city and I still have almost a one hour commute to work. Granted, it's public transit so I can use the time somewhat (netflix on my phone, ebooks or whatever) but it's still two hours that I could otherwise use at the gym, having beers with friends or watching a movie.

Yeah true. I was thinking more of the American-style car commute. While I agree that time spent commuting is time lost, also on public transit, the American car commute seems like an absolute nightmare to me, far worse than WFH ;-)

Re: Half of American workers would rather work from home forever: poll

#108

Post by warkdarrior »

deevolution wrote: post #100

I think alot of people will want to go back because they've now associated working remotely with being in an isolated jail cell. Also I'm sure couples and people with kids are ready to jump out their windows. I wont be going back to the office for a number of reasons, however, and I think everyone should boycott the office as well. Weather you want to work in the office or not should ultimately be the employees choic…

> Ideally that extra cash goes to wages or hiring.

That is adorable!

Re: Half of American workers would rather work from home forever: poll

#110

Post by dathinab »

drewg123 wrote: post #54

I've worked from home since 2001, except for a brief 2 year stint at Google. I think I'm far more productive at home because I have: - An office, with a door I can close This was going to be a big list, but I actually think that just about sums it up. The cube environment at Google was utterly intolerable, and made it hard to concentrate. It didn't help that the guys in another group next to us had a game where they…

> An office, with a door I can close

Honestly IMHO having office rooms with ~4 (in exceptions 5 or 6) people is the bottom line for allowing productive work for any job needing concentration (and it's healthier either way).

I never understood how some companies promoted the mass offices as a good solution for the employee, sure it's maybe cheaper for the employer but that normally the wrong end to save money.

I've worked in a large loft with ~10 people, a 4 person room a 5 person room and a pseudo single room (it didn't had doors and was ineffective 3 person room).

My experience:

- The more people in the room the less the productivity even if it's a large loft.

- But if having to share a room with someone who is chatting all the time is even worse even if its a 2 person room.

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