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Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

businessinsider.com

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Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#121

Post by hn_throwaway_99 »

I guess it's not surprising but I am super disappointed by some of the comments here that show a total lack of empathy for people who aren't like you. I mean, you love working from home? Congrats, more power to you. But the number of comments stating that "only people who are good at office politics like going to the office", "only incompetent managers need to see you in person", "your co-workers aren't your friends", etc. are, as I would generously put it, tone deaf.

For many (most?) people this has been the worst working situation of their lives, and attempts to minimize that are insulting. I believe it will be especially bad for those early in their careers, trying to find their footing, get mentorship, and build their network.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#122

Post by golergka »

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'm single, and transition to WFH has made a great improvement to my social health.

Sure, all people need social interactions. But these interactions don't need to be defined by work. I work in caffe 10 meters from my apartment. Sit with laptop in the park. Meet with friends. I don't drive, don't use public transport, but walk an awful lot.

And thanks with great, mostly asynchronous communication at my workplace, I sleep as much as I want to, and work exactly when I feel like it, and never ever hear or see my colleagues — only text, mostly comments as opposed to instance messaging. Sometimes I just slack off for three days straight. Sometimes I go into work binge for a non-interrupted 20 hour refactoring session. Not even because there's some deadline, feeling of responsibility or any other kind of negative motivation like that — just because I enjoy it and don't want to stop!

I feel like I've been on vacation for the last three months, and yet repository stats show me that I'm more productive as I've ever been.

Oh, and the best thing about all of that? I live in a country with much lower cost of living than US, but thanks to headlines like this, I feel that I'll soon be competing for exactly the same jobs and salaries that SF engineers.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#123

Post by whoisburbansky »

derefr wrote: post #109
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…

> 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. I’m forgetting their name for them, but IBM has been doing this for decades now. They buy up office space in every major city, and then, rather than permanently stationing any teams there, essentially make all such spaces into private-acces…

Isn't that exactly what WeWork's business model was?

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#124

Post by headmelted »

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…

"Remote-only cuts out the in-person experience entirely, which is problematic for building teams and culture"

This is stated as fact everywhere but I've not seen supporting evidence anywhere.

I spend about as much time in my day speaking to other people as I would have done productively and by choice before. The only difference now is that I'm more able to avoid extraneous meetings and other drags on my time that don't benefit from my participation (because they're largely irrelevant to my work and vice versa).

In any case kudos for taking this step which I'm sure is not an easy decision to make given that it's a fairly seismic shift to how most companies approach work and employment.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#125

Post by strawberrypuree »

Vrondi wrote: post #77
akeck wrote: post #10

One thing I've been wondering about is RSI liability with WFH. Some companies spend a significant amount on workplace ergonomics to prevent/manage RSI. WFH, though, is a much less controlled environment. E.g., a particular worker may not have the physical space for the recommended special equipment. RSI: Repetitive Strain Injury

Since you are otherwise liable for the safety of your own home (if you own it), then this should be no different. You're responsible for your own bed/couch/etc's ergonomics, and also for your own home office. Like, it's your house.

The OSH Act applies to work performed by an employee in any workplace within the United States, including a workplace located in the employee's home. [0]

[0]https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/1999-...

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#126

Post by hn_throwaway_99 »

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…

> But most people don't know that there are massive tax benefits to working from home (at least in Canada)

That's generally not true for workers in the US. If you are self-employed, yes, you can take a home office deduction, but not if you are a W2 employee.

The US used to have an "unreimbursed employee expense" itemized deduction, but even then there was a pretty high floor (had to be more than a couple percent of your total income) so most people couldn't make use of it. That deduction was eliminated in the 2018 tax law.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#127

Post by Jaruzel »

leetcrew wrote: post #99
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.

> You know, coffee shops, restaurants, etc need to survive. in general, yeah, but do the shops and restaurants that exist to serve downtown / office park workers need to survive? I'm not convinced that WFH changes the net demand for these services. if these businesses move away from places people commute to and move into places where people actually live, I would consider that an improvement. I'd much rather spend my…

> if these businesses move away from places people commute to and move into places where people actually live,

Here in the UK,I'm hoping this will happen. We've been suffering the 'death' of the local high street for years, and many local communities are non-existent because there are no longer local social hubs. For every coffee shop or pub closed in the centre of the cities, another could open in a rural area. We'd all be better off for this, I know it.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#128

Post by C1sc0cat »

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.

Good luck if your a junior living in a studio apartment with no space to put a desk let alone have a spare room for office.

Exactly why do you seem to be on the employers side here

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#129

Post by stagger87 »

johnward wrote: post #83
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…

> which is problematic for building teams and culture; Why? I've been remote for about 8 years. I don't think I've had any problems building relationships. The only thing you miss from the office is the time spent screwing around with co-workers. I guess you could consider that "Team building".

If you are genuinely asking, there are people, myself included, who don't think virtual interactions are a substitute for building relationships. It's the same reason I want to transition to meeting someone in person after talking to them on a dating app. I can totally understand that everyone is different and may not think the same. For instance, if the only advantage of in-person interactions at work you can think of is goofing around, I suspect you are better suited for remote work.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#130

Post by C1sc0cat »

athenot wrote: post #71
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'm 2 decades into my career and have been working from home for a fortune 100 company for 2 years before covid (well, we would meet once a week in the office but just for meetings), so when the pandemic hit, it didn't change our work habits. A cheap Ikea desk is perfect for my needs. It's a wood counter-top board and 2 adjustable sawhorses. Cost me about $200. However where I spent the money is on a good 5k monitor.…

Your company paid for that 5k monitor I hope ?
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