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Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

businessinsider.com

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Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#41

Post by geerlingguy »

ignoramous wrote: post #11
geerlingguy wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...and that managers don't need to be hovering around their employees in close physical proximity to make sure they do work?

Don't be so optimistic. The next thing you know SaaS business that let managers monitor employees will be all the rage.

I started using Hubstaff for time tracking for myself and a co-worker, and I was kind of disgusted that one of the headlining features they advertise is "the client will take a screenshot of everyone's screen at any interval of your choosing". Yuck.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#42

Post by boulos »

dhouston wrote: post #33

To be clear (if you only read the headline :)), not entirely remote. Solo work at home, collaborative work in "studios", basically reimagining the offices into collaborative/convening spaces that you go into from ~once/week to once a quarter depending on team/role. Remote-only cuts out the in-person experience entirely, which is problematic for building teams and culture; and ad hoc "WFH whenever you feel like it" ge…

Thanks for highlighting the set of challenges (and also right near the top of the blog post).

Do you or the EIU intend to make the study results more broadly available? (There was a good discussion of Nick Bloom’s recent surveys yesterday, and this would be a nice addition to that body of work)

Edit: it was in the blog post... https://lostfocus.eiu.com/

Edit 2: the survey writeup is great (and I’ve submitted it separately if people want to discuss that; Dropbox itself moving to remote allowed w/ studios is its own discussion)

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#43

Post by jonahhorowitz »

christiansakai wrote: post #32

Curious, what makes this move (and all the rest of the WFH companies) permanent? Won't in the future when things go back to normal the cities will pressure the companies to have their employees go back into offices to make the economy moving? You know, coffee shops, restaurants, etc need to survive.

I don't think the cities have a lot of leverage in this scenario.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#44

Post by jlos »

dubcanada wrote: post #25
geerlingguy wrote: post #7

WFH saves money for the company, I just hope that some of the expensive (to the company) perks like prime real estate, free meals, exercise programs, etc. can be translated into at least a minimal budget per employee of: Internet connection reimbursement, annual budget for workspace improvements (ideally with a large initial budget, like $1000 or more for desk, monitor, chair, etc.), and possibly some other perks. Bu…

My company did internet reimbursement. But most people don't know that there are massive tax benefits to working from home (at least in Canada) you can write off the percentage of your house you work in of your rent and stuff like that. That alone can equal a $1000 a year or so. But from a company point of view, getting rid of the office is a massive save in money, so I suspect some will increase salaries or offer ot…

There are trade offs with that too. If you use a home office for a write off, you have to pay tax when you sell the home

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#45

Post by 0-_-0 »

christiansakai wrote: post #32

Curious, what makes this move (and all the rest of the WFH companies) permanent? Won't in the future when things go back to normal the cities will pressure the companies to have their employees go back into offices to make the economy moving? You know, coffee shops, restaurants, etc need to survive.

Why do they need to survive if they are not needed?

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#47

Post by lysium »

FlyingSnake wrote: post #3

Companies who go permanent WFH must be saving a fortune on leasing space costs. If these savings don’t make it to the employees who’re using their private space for office work for free, then it’s really bad.

Leasing is only a small fraction of the costs compared to salaries, though.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#48

Post by thrownaway954 »

puranjay wrote: post #31

As someone who has worked from home for a decade, I predict a mental health apocalypse in the near future. Working from home permanently requires support infrastructure not everyone has access to. It also requires a different approach to work altogether which, again, not everyone is capable of adopting. If you have family, work from home is great. But if you're single, staying cooped up alone at home can be a disaste…

not trying to sound like a dick...

everyone has to get out of the house and making actual friends in life. co-workers aren't friends, bosses aren't friends, clients aren't friends, work relationships aren't friends. we all need human interaction... join a club, a gym, yoga, bike club, whatever, just interact with people that doesn't involve talking about work. and sitting home and playing video games while good, isn't getting outside.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#49

Post by AdmiralAsshat »

jopsen wrote: post #17
geerlingguy wrote: post #7

WFH saves money for the company, I just hope that some of the expensive (to the company) perks like prime real estate, free meals, exercise programs, etc. can be translated into at least a minimal budget per employee of: Internet connection reimbursement, annual budget for workspace improvements (ideally with a large initial budget, like $1000 or more for desk, monitor, chair, etc.), and possibly some other perks. Bu…

I somehow don't feel sorry if overpaid tech workers, like me, have to buy a desk and chair. It's not like you need new office furniture very often.

I suppose I don't feel overpaid, given that I'm living in a 1BR apartment. And now with my office closed, I'm somehow supposed to find a dedicated space in my tiny-ass apartment where I can:

a) Setup the same configuration of laptop, multiple monitors, a desk phone, and an Ethernet jack into my router.

b) Sufficiently insulate the background noise on the hours of Zoom meetings I'm expected to join every day from my girlfriend working in the dining room, and the cacophony of screaming children in the apartment above me.

This solution reeks of tone-deaf executives who would think, "What? You mean all of our employees don't have freestanding houses with a spare bedroom or basement that they can easily convert to a home-office?"

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