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Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

businessinsider.com

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Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#471

Post by lobotryas »

hombre_fatal wrote: post #292
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 agree that the comments you've cited are a bit ridiculous. But it's also important to acknowledge that pre-Covid, only a tiny fraction of jobs were remote at all. People who preferred remote work had very little choice in the matter. Our society assumes that commuting to work and sitting in a cubicle (or worse) is fitting for 99% of the work force. So what I mainly see here aren't the comments you cite, but a "ugh…

Hold up. Are you saying people are privileged (“world tipped in their favor”) just because they like going to the office (for whatever reason)?

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#472

Post by jiveturkey »

Love all these "permanent" WFH announcements.

None of these are truly permanent, unless the company started that way (gitlab, for example). Just as they shifted from office to compelled WFH, they will shift back, with some lag time, when this is over.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#473

Post by dublinben »

rogerkirkness wrote: post #181
wffurr wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ethernet setup - do you hire techs and electricians to run cabling? The biggest issue with me for WFH has been the quality of my internet connection and it was entirely on me to get Comcast to come fix my lines and run my own ethernet to my basement "office".

Get a Powerline and ethernet adapter for your laptop. Won't link here due to spam, just search 'Ethernet Powerline' on Amazon.

According to the incredibly comprehensive "understand Wi-Fi" guide posted here recently, MoCA is likely to be better than powerline adapters.[0]

[0]https://www.duckware.com/tech/wifi-in-the-us.html#improvespe...

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#474

Post by disgruntledphd2 »

swlkr wrote: post #105

The list as it stands for permanent remote work: - Microsoft - Twitter - Facebook - Shopify - Slack - Upwork

Facebook's remote policy is for senior (e5+) engineers in the US only right now, conditional on manager approval.

Hilariously enough, they used to allow this kind of remote till 2018, when they killed it.

It's the circle of reactive tech decisions, I guess.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#475

Post by Tomis02 »

alfiedotwtf wrote: post #415
patmorgan23 wrote: post #401

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm an introvert, I still enjoy socializing with my coworkers.

Has anyone else noticed that the typical IT introvert turns into an extravert when talking to other IT introverts about the things that they’re passionate about?

Heh, it's almost as if "introvert"/"extrovert" are just labels we use without any scientific basis. ...

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#476

Post by fragmede »

marta_morena_28 wrote: post #212
whoisburbansky wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Yes except that IBM has revenue it generates from people (not) being there, while WeWork only loses money :D.

I'm a bit ignorant of IBMs business model given how many times they've changed businesses. What you're saying is that IBM has a business that generates revenue, but that business continues to exist (and generate revenue) despite people not actively being at a desk, not that IBM has somehow managed to find a way to make money from empty desks, right?

WeWork makes more money from an oversubscription model, and thus could also make money from desks being unused. (Have 10 desks, rent out "13", and hope that all 13 people don't need desks at the same time).

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#477

Post by fiddlerwoaroof »

derefr wrote: post #461
easton wrote: post #393

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can buy this precise thing from Citrix/VMware (I used it with a password, other people used it with smart cards). It’s extremely common in healthcare.

Or from Amazon — their offering is called Amazon WorkSpaces. (I say this to point out that “cloud workstations” aren’t just a legacy offering for legacy companies; the vertical is healthy and growing.)

The issue is, these solutions are frequently retrofits of a local-first graphical environment: whatever you think about the actual X protocol, I think a display-server model that can be distributed across a corporate network in arbitary ways would make an amazing difference: You want to show something to a coworker? Send them a "window invitation" and, when they accept, an arbitrary window is mirrored to their display. Pairing? Everyone has a common "virtual desktop", and you just have two people's desktops temporarily merge. Instead we have nonsense like Wayland that is retreating from the mantra that "the network is the computer" (Amazon WorkSpaces is particularly disappointing here: there is no way, afaict, to have two screens logged into the same desktop: something that's trivial with tmux+ssh. My ideal is "tmux, but for GUIs")

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#478

Post by hn-throw-22 »

ck425 wrote: post #428
hn-throw-22 wrote: post #387

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Inversely, if my employer will not allow me to be remote, I will look for another job. I think people need to realize that human interaction exists beyond the office.

That's a hard opinion to push during a pandemic. I might be ok WFH during normal times (I strongly suspect I'd dislike it still) but atm it's nigh impossible to get enough human interaction outside the office.

While yes, we're living through a pandemic. Nobody is suggesting these things should/can happen during the pandemic. People need to decouple WFH and pandemic thinking though.

Also, I think we should fully support what's suitable for people. I want to work remotely, but I want you to be able to work the way to prefer as well.

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#479

Post by ck425 »

bitdotdash wrote: post #454
ck425 wrote: post #427

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There has to be a balance though. I'm desperately missing the office and have experience moderate depression for the first time in my life working from home. Atm everything I read is 'WFH is the new normal' or 'we'll never have an office again'. If the balance goes too far to home working then folk like me will need to start clamouring for offices. There needs to be a balance and acknowledgment of each others prefere…

Something that might bear considering, is what is the office providing you that can't be served some other way? Socializing can be served outside of work (friends, hobbies), Work structure or a dedicated work space can be created without requiring a company office (pay consideration for co-working space or re-allocate commute costs/proximity premiums to a larger living space with a dedicated room for work). For most…

I actually have a large social life outside of work, far more than the majority of folk I work with. Unfortunately that's all gone atm and unlikely to return until covid is completely over.

As to space, co working isn't the same as an office and having an home office requires moving and spending a lot of money. Many of us don't have expensive commutes that offset that cost

Re: Dropbox Converts to Permanent WFH

#480

Post by intricatedetail »

specialist wrote: post #306
bob33212 wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have done this for years. I have seen that some people don't like it for the following reasons. 1. They prefer a predictable schedule. 2. They don't like being at home ( family or workspace issues) 3. They are good at or enjoy office politics. 4. They are incompetent managers and they don't know how to manage engineers other than looking over shoulders and taking attendence.

"...looking over shoulders and taking attendence." Being micromanaged remotely isn't much fun either. Like having a stalker. I'd get voice calls within minutes of a Skype status update. "Ah, no, everything's ok. Just grabbing lunch. Thanks for checking."

Report them to HR for harassment. Such calls are abusive.
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