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Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

businessinsider.com

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Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#241

Post by PragmaticPulp »

dml2135 wrote: post #156
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 3. They are good at or enjoy office politics. As a counterpoint, we had a mix of remote department and in-office departments at my last company. Transitioning to fully remote made marked an increase in politics every time. It sounds counterintuitive at first, but fully remote moves even more conversations to side channels. At the office it’s hard to have secret exclusionary meetings without other people noticing ev…

I'd say on top of that, remote work comes with some of the same communication problems as social media platforms. Without facetime, the assumption of goodwill starts to wear way.

The quickest way to resolve political standoffs in remote companies is to fly people out to an office and stick them in a conference room for a day.

The agenda barely matters. People just tend to behave better when they're dealing with a real human being that they've met instead of a screen name in Slack that they argue with every day.

This is why I never promise anyone 100% WFH or 100% remote any more. I tell everyone to plan for 0-3 weeks travel, giving some leeway for flying people out for face-to-face planning.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#242

Post by halfmatthalfcat »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #121

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"…

My hypothesis is that WFH has been somewhat ostracized, generally, by companies for bad reasons that would otherwise benefit employees who find it beneficial.

The pendulum is now swinging in WFH's favor and those who it benefits want to cement it as a very viable and practical alternative to the traditional office model.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#243

Post by marcosdumay »

this_na_hipster wrote: post #163
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #121

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"…

I completely agree. Additionally, as someone in the thread pointed out, this decision really doesn't make sense by Dropbox. You have a series of problems that I can't see a solution for. 1) If we have Dropbox Studios, who dictates the frequency of those visits? If a manager dictates, there will be resentment of some sorts. If its a democratic vote, what about the people that can't make that date? 2) Assuming the date…

What I expect from something like this is:

The visits are either dictated by policy or agreed upon by the participants. A place will probably want both, a low frequency one by policy and freedom for the employees to set any frequency to themselves. Voting doesn't make any sense, you need all the participants to agree on a date.

The policy meetings ought to be fixed and with a low enough frequency that people can plan their lives after them. Like once every 6 months. Otherwise people will resent them.

After a date is set and the people come together, they can work on whatever they decided to have the meeting for. Of course, it's probably not for doing solo-work, but the company shouldn't dictate a lot here. It would go counter to the goal of the studios.

I imagine the company expects every worker to be able to meetup at some point.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#245

Post by farnsworth »

wuunderbar wrote: post #237
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #121

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"…

> 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've noticed as of late HN has been riddled with comments such as: here is my extremely strong thoughts on X with my personal anecdotal experience Y, and therefore this is how the world should work. > I believe it will be especially bad for those early in their careers Agreed. I think it can be equ…

"as of late"

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#246

Post by hintymad »

batmenace wrote: post #214
hintymad wrote: post #164

In the early days of Dropbox, engineers went to really loud bars late in the night, and them settled their designs in the bar with god-knows how much drink. This culture made it really hard for engineers with a family, or for those like me who simply hate, I mean really hate, noisy place or excessive drinking. Well, I guess this WFH policy would help leveling the playground. Bar culture sucks.

Wouldn't the WFH culture also encourage (post-COVID) a lot of informal meetings, people getting together in coffee shops, bars etc to discuss things in person?

Only if collaborators stay close to each other and prefer hanging out. When everyone is in office, calling a hangout in a bar is easier, compared to when everyone by default stays at home.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#247

Post by Smithalicious »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #121

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"…

Many people who thrive working from home have been forced to work in the office for their entire career and are now VERY driven on defending their improved working conditions.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#248

Post by ryandrake »

h327 wrote: post #226
ryandrake wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If your office is in SF, WFH 4 days a week doesn't let you live in ultra-low-cost rural Iowa but it could let you at least work in slightly-lower-cost Modesto or even Redding. Not ideal but better than a $4K/mo SF apartment. I think I'd be willing to live with a 4 hour commute once a week (or get your private pilot's license and you're about 1.5 hours away). Not convenient but do-able.

The idea of flying to work is fun, and I have seen it pop up in a lot of these WFH discussions. But even if you have your GA license, you'll need to rent or own the plane, pay directly or indirectly for hangar space and fuel, and deal with the air traffic congestion that would arise from more than just a handful of people trying this trick. In my opinion these barriers make private flying too dissimilar to driving a…

Totally agree. I've got my ticket and I wouldn't do it unless I actually lived on an airpark with a hangar at my house, and I'd have to get my instrument rating to be able to rely on it for commuting.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#249

Post by holtalanm »

boulos wrote: post #166
holtalanm wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

that argument is idiotic. from my personal experience, at least, I had FAR MORE interruptions when I was working in the office than I have when working from home.

They’re talking about exactly that: disruptions in offices have a huge drag, so WFH can allow companies to recoup productivity.

ahh, i read that as the other way around. hah
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