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Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

businessinsider.com

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Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#51

Post by jedberg »

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…

I don’t think it’s family vs not family. It’s all about personality. To wit: If you’re single, work from anywhere you want is great. But if you have a family, not having a place to escape the distractions of home life can be a disaster.

It’s all just how you manage it. :)

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#52

Post by gridlockd »

gilrain wrote: post #14
mam2 wrote: post #2

So it's been definetely proven that WFH is cheaper for compagnies ?

Certainly. Why rent office space when you can commandeer your employees' private property?

This is the least of all expenses. Tech workers in SF can charge more because they expenses are universally higher. Remote workers in cheaper places can (and will) charge less.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#54

Post by pixl97 »

jlos wrote: post #44
dubcanada wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

How does that work for a rental?

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#55

Post by sharkweek »

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…

I love the idea.

REI I believe is moving to a model, after having just sold their massive new HQ to Facebook, where they will establish a handful of micro-offices around the country where their now distributed team can meet.

Plenty of kinks to work out I’m sure, but feels like the future of work to me.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#56

Post by Sodman »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #28
geerlingguy wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tend to think of the junior engineers, who might not have a ton of disposable income. In the before times, they would be put at a workstation with a $2-3000 desk, a $500+ chair, reliable Internet and power, and usually a new(ish) computer, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Those engineers don't have the income to get all those pieces for home use; they'll get a cheap Ikea desk and chair, a middling-quality monitor and…

I think you'll see something akin to the Joel Test [1], but for how companies manage remote. What equipment are they providing? Are you getting a one time allowance to buy your home office setup (desk, external monitor, etc)? Are you getting a stipend towards your internet connection? Are they providing a corporate managed mobile device (why are you using your personal device for work!?)? Do they provide you with a s…

Wow, great article! It's astounding how forward thinking this was 20 years ago, and how relevant it still is. It's even more amazing how many companies still don't live up to these standards today!

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#57

Post by Wowfunhappy »

thrownaway954 wrote: post #48
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'…

> co-workers aren't friends, bosses aren't friends, clients aren't friends, work relationships aren't friends.

I consider my coworkers to be my friends and it's one of the reasons I like working at my current company.

I agree that having lots of different outlets for connection is great, and I also acknowledge that there are a variety of ways in which work can complicate friendships. But, if I'm going to spend 40+ hours per week on work, I'd like to do it alongside people I genuinely like and care about.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#58

Post by Ensorceled »

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…

I think we are already seeing it. I think the increased polarization I am seeing this US election cycle and here in Canada is partly due to this effect.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#59

Post by jedberg »

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #27
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…

Wouldn't it be easier to compensate for these costs via salary increases? Not everyone will have the same needs, and attempting to track everyone's expenses seems more complicated than necessary. Although, come to think of it, it might make sense to mark some amount of money as an "equipment stipend" or similar on paychecks. That way, it's clear to both parties what the funds are intended for, even if there's no actu…

Also for tax reasons. If they reimburse you $1000 for equipment, you don’t have to pay income tax or any other tax on that $1000 and neither do they.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#60

Post by ashtonkem »

jonahhorowitz wrote: post #37

This could be read as: "Dropbox shifts the cost of office space onto it's employees."

Kind of. It depends how much people are expected to return to the office for team syncs. If you have to go into the office once a quarter, you can relocate to a more affordable area if you want to.

With WFH being permanent I’m about to move out of my 2bd apartment into a 5bd house all while saving large amounts of money. This is a win for all parties; work pays less for an office and I pay less for better housing.

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