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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?

#361

Post by tayo42 »

ck425 wrote: post #318
VectorLock wrote: post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think both big house 2 hours away and small studio 10 minutes away would both be happy about WFH. This means small studio 10 minutes away can move out of his small studio that he lives in only because its 10 minutes away. EDIT: Not to say that studio 10 minutes from work might enjoy other aspects of his living situation but if his main constraint of "must be 10 minutes from work" is lifted, that gives him much more…

Moving isn't easy if your have a mortgage plus I don't particularly want to move. Even if I did I got a great deal on my flat and I'd have to move right out the the edge of town or to a very rough neighborhood to afford an additional room for the same price. Lastly you're ignoring that some of us genuinely like being in an office. I like the physical separation between work and home, I like seeing folk day to day and…

On the other side, those people you want to see in person all the time might not be enjoying that.

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

#362

Post by freyr »

The comments here are repeatedly suggesting a compromise between fully remote and fully on-site: "Just have employees come into the office X days a week instead of every day."

This is my preferred outcome, but the main benefit of remote work, for me, has been the opportunity to leave the Bay Area. I can't really stand the idea that I'd be forced back into the Bay Area housing/rental market, just so that I can attend a few days of meetings per month. It would be the worst of all worlds.

So I'm hoping that the reported techie exodus from SF leads to a diaspora, with attractive tech job opportunities cropping up in more U.S. cities.

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

#363

Post by enriquto »

briandear wrote: post #321
tgsovlerkhgsel wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Commute time is a big thing here. People who have a 2 hour (one way) commute from hell from their massive house are super happy about this situation (shocking, I know). People who live in a small studio apartment 10 minutes from the office see it differently. What I expect this to result in is employers increasingly forcing people to WFH (either outright, or by making the offices horribly unattractive through hot-des…

So let’s give a tax cut to WFH people. Next, if you cost the employer less money, that means they are more profitable which means RSUs should become more valuable. Or, at the very least, ask for a pay raise. If your productivity is the same or greater, that shouldn’t be too hard. If you are replaceable by a cheaper worker, then that’s more of a statement i of your value rather than company economics. You can also mov…

> For those that live five minutes from the office — now you can move and save a pile of money in the process.

No thanks, I like my kids to be able to walk from school to home.

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

#364

Post by konjin »

sibmike wrote: post #347
x87678r wrote: post #124

My commute is 20 minutes on an uncrowded ferry, and my home office is a tiny desk in my daughter's bedroom while she works on the other side on school stuff. My colleague has a massive house with a pool tennis court and so much space he has literally 3 never-used bedrooms. His wife looks after kids who are at school most of the day again. His commute is 2 hours each way. People are talking home vs office people are c…

Just 20 minutes one way adds up to 20 working days per year. That's 4 weeks of unpaid labor! People are unhappy about extra money spent on Air Conditioning or an extra office chair but the most are happy to carry the opportunity cost of commute. :(

I have a 5 minute commute.

I make it 30 min by walking through a park to have a coffee in the morning and unwind before going home in the afternoon.

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

#365

Post by paulcole »

briandear wrote: post #322
ck425 wrote: post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Again this heavily depends on your situation. I live a 20 min walk from my office. I have £0 commuting costs. On the other hand I live in an old city with little new built housing. My flat is over 100 years old with massive ceilings, electric heating and no way to way to improve the insulation. Heating it just in the evenings for 5 hours costs about £50 a month, heating it while I work will likely cost £70-100 extra…

It’s not a zero cost: it’s 40 minutes of time.

It might be a net positive if they enjoy the walk more than 40 minutes of other activity.

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

#366

Post by tayo42 »

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.

I think covid lock downs make it hard for people to realize there normally are other opportunities for socialization and community too.

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

#367

Post by willcipriano »

enriquto wrote: post #363
briandear wrote: post #321

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So let’s give a tax cut to WFH people. Next, if you cost the employer less money, that means they are more profitable which means RSUs should become more valuable. Or, at the very least, ask for a pay raise. If your productivity is the same or greater, that shouldn’t be too hard. If you are replaceable by a cheaper worker, then that’s more of a statement i of your value rather than company economics. You can also mov…

> For those that live five minutes from the office — now you can move and save a pile of money in the process. No thanks, I like my kids to be able to walk from school to home.

I'd like a view of the ocean from my home office window, however I don't want it enough to pay market rates for it. You may feel otherwise and are free to spend your money as you wish.

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

#368

Post by marcins »

x87678r wrote: post #124

My commute is 20 minutes on an uncrowded ferry, and my home office is a tiny desk in my daughter's bedroom while she works on the other side on school stuff. My colleague has a massive house with a pool tennis court and so much space he has literally 3 never-used bedrooms. His wife looks after kids who are at school most of the day again. His commute is 2 hours each way. People are talking home vs office people are c…

Definitely this. My employer is allowing for this flexibility / lifestyle choice by having offices for those who prefer to work from an office, as well as for those times when it would be easier to get together to collaborate. They’re still working through the details, but I think it’s a good balance.

As someone with a comfortable WFH situation, and a 1h commute, I’ll definitely be staying at home most of the time once offices re-open - and maybe even consider moving a bit further out for a bit more space.

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

#369

Post by buzzerbetrayed »

ahupp wrote: post #301

I worked remote for 3 years. It was great at first (10ft commute, woo!), but I wouldn't choose to do it long-term. All those relationships I'd made with co-workers slowly withered as the team changed, and by the end we just didn't work as cohesively together. It wasn't a failure per se, we still shipped software, it was just clearly a lot less effective (both for me career-wise, and for the team as a whole). So I wou…

> this was before video conferencing, slack or FB Workplace so maybe things are better now.

I do think things must be a lot better now. I started a new job after COVID began, so I still have never met my team in person. I’m on video calls with them multiple times a day though, and slack with them all day. Sure, it probably isn’t quite as good as in person contact, but I’ve been shocked how well it has worked and how well I feel like I know most of them.

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

#370

Post by hackmiester »

maest wrote: post #306
edoceo wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My team has a similar tool. So, everyone is in the room, muted and no-volume. So, if someone needs my attention they can send a bell but when my audio is off its only a visual bell, so it won't interrupt the deep work. And one can always exit the channel if needed - which is shown in status, so folks know your DND or not available. But, one can monitor the channel so it behaves like a water cooler too. And up-scales…

Is this an in-house tool?

Seems that they said it is; however, you could do all this with Zoom, for instance.

To be in the room muted and with no volume, disconnect the audio connection.

To ask for someone's attention, send them a direct chat message (not to Everyone).

And of course you could always leave the Zoom meeting and rejoin later.

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