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Why do so many people want us back in the office?

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Re: Why do so many people want us back in the office?

#211

Post by tikhonj »

aspaceman wrote: post #173
maneesh wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> if your job can be done from home, it can be done from anywhere in the world > I will call anyone's bluff who says this. Do it. Good luck. If you haven't successfully done this already, there is a reason and you know it. Welp, I'm the CEO of a smart wearable device company ( https://pavlok.com ). We were based in Boston because everyone told me, and I believed you HAD to be in one place to build a startup, and DEF…

I can’t even with this comment. Not everyone has the resources to make a working place anywhere viable. You seem to have the resources to make a hotel in Budapest or whatever work. Talking so causally about international travel already puts you beyond most Americans’ income. So yeah it is very, very easy for folks with a job like yours, and with the resources you’re afforded, to work anywhere. The issue isn’t proximi…

Why does working remote-first require more resources from the worker? You don't have a commute and you have the flexibility to choose where to work. In this scenario, nobody is forcing you to travel anywhere—a sharp contrast to non-remote jobs where you have to relocate if you don't already live in the right, usually expensive, place!

Re: Why do so many people want us back in the office?

#213

Post by sjy »

matthewmacleod wrote: post #92
supernova87a wrote: post #69

I've mentioned this before, but WFH has a huge difference in result depending on who you are, when you are (in your career), and where you are in a company (or organization). For some people , going back to the office has benefits. -- For the budding young developer who can't wait to show ideas to teammates and demonstrate being a go-getter by asking random questions and finding unaddressed issues to innovate on, WFH…

For the working parent whose productivity has been slashed by 50% and stress has gone up by 50% due to parenting obligations, WFH might be terrible. But it’s worth bearing in mind that this in particular is an almost completely orthogonal issue.

What does this mean?

Re: Why do so many people want us back in the office?

#214

Post by tima11234 »

rangoon626 wrote: post #83
hordeallergy wrote: post #65

I have no interest in being in the office. The commute is horrid and a waste of time. The socialising is insignificant. The water cooler never has more than one visitor at a time, so the idea of it being an idea exchange is myth. Everyone communicates via chat in office, with headphones on. Being able to separate work and private life is a matter of self discipline, the other matters are not. The only thing I want is…

If you primarily rely on socializing and interacting with other people AT WORK and around a water cooler of all things, you need some hobbies and activities. People used to have an actual connection to the community they lived in but it seems like there’s now a massive collective laziness to seek it out.

Agreed. I think the people that are pointing out social aspects just haven't bothered to talk to people outside of their work. I lived in several different apartments in SF for many years, I didn't know a single neighbor, ever. Most people couldn't be bothered to say hello.

Re: Why do so many people want us back in the office?

#215

Post by tima11234 »

sjy wrote: post #213
matthewmacleod wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the working parent whose productivity has been slashed by 50% and stress has gone up by 50% due to parenting obligations, WFH might be terrible. But it’s worth bearing in mind that this in particular is an almost completely orthogonal issue.

What does this mean?

WFH during a pandemic is not the same as WFH during normal times. A lot of people conflate the two.

Re: Why do so many people want us back in the office?

#216

Post by strawberrypuree »

tima11234 wrote: post #192
gordaco wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I agree. I miss my old routine too. I even have a dedicated office of sorts, and working from home is comfortable and convenient to me. But... I miss the commute. The bus I used to take wasn't particularly uncrowded, but I always managed to get a seat (thanks to having a particularly early schedule) and I used to take the opportunity to read (since each trip took about 40-45 minutes, that's about 1h30m of readi…

People need to adapt. Just because you can't seem to figure out how to read a book now or listen to pod casts because you only did those things when forced to commute, isn't a good argument against WFH.

This is an uncharitable, mean spirited take on the comment you’re responding to and you should feel bad for having submitted it. Please take a moment to draw upon empathy before posting in the future.

Re: Why do so many people want us back in the office?

#217

Post by scott_w »

> it seems some people really are suggesting that businesses > should alter their workplace strategies in order to save…> > sandwich shops. > > OK, I’m exaggerating for effect.

If only! Richard Tice (major political funder) had spent a lot of time on Twitter claiming remote work is directly responsible for Pret closing stores!

Re: Why do so many people want us back in the office?

#218

Post by dvtrn »

tima11234 wrote: post #198
danielrhodes wrote: post #177

Outside of the pandemic, I think a company doing remote/WFH carries with it some implications people don’t seem to talk about - namely that your physical workspace and equipment used is capital, and the company is not compensating employees for the use of that capital. If a company does not need to maintain office space, that is a huge expense they don’t have to pay for - but an employee is paying for it. Right now y…

Remote work at tech companies isn't something completely new, it just wasn't the norm. The good companies compensate employees for internet and hardware.

I wonder if anyone has done a survey about the specifics of company support during WFH.

“Does your company allow you to expense a portion or all of your internet?” Type inquiries. I’m often uploading and downloading large assets to our and our client systems, would be happy to fill out an allowable expense report if the company would pick up even a third of my Internet bill (course I have a feeling such a thing will never happen)

Anyone know? Curious to read the results if such a thing exists.

Re: Why do so many people want us back in the office?

#219

Post by TheSpiceIsLife »

maneesh wrote: post #154
01100011 wrote: post #140

I would be in favor of a number of working arrangements, ranging from working in a Bay Area office full-time(least favorite) to working from home most-time in an area that provides me with the chance to buy a home and have a reasonable commute to a satellite office. I am absolutely, 100% against full-time WFH in an expensive, low-quality(no sound/thermal insulation) Bay Area apartment without a dedicated workspace. >…

>> if your job can be done from home, it can be done from anywhere in the world > I will call anyone's bluff who says this. Do it. Good luck. If you haven't successfully done this already, there is a reason and you know it. Welp, I'm the CEO of a smart wearable device company ( https://pavlok.com ). We were based in Boston because everyone told me, and I believed you HAD to be in one place to build a startup, and DEF…

How do you know the success explosion wasn't about to happen regardless?

Re: Why do so many people want us back in the office?

#220

Post by Izkata »

01100011 wrote: post #140

I would be in favor of a number of working arrangements, ranging from working in a Bay Area office full-time(least favorite) to working from home most-time in an area that provides me with the chance to buy a home and have a reasonable commute to a satellite office. I am absolutely, 100% against full-time WFH in an expensive, low-quality(no sound/thermal insulation) Bay Area apartment without a dedicated workspace. >…

> > if your job can be done from home, it can be done from anywhere in the world

> I will call anyone's bluff who says this. Do it. Good luck. If you haven't successfully done this already, there is a reason and you know it.

I can give an example here: Back in March/April, we were told that if we wanted to "WFH" in another state, we had to get approval first due to laws around payments and taxes. Some states were pre-approved because of remote workers we already employed, but most had to be looked into and it wasn't a guarantee they'd be approved.

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