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I Miss Working from the Office

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Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#281

Post by ck425 »

gamesbrainiac wrote: post #270
ck425 wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think part of the issue, atleast within companies, it does need to be either or. An empty office often isn't any better than WFH for many folk. So if in your company you're in the minority then you might need to get a new job. There's also the effect of the industry. While flexible working is great (I could already role out of bed and decide to WFH whenever before covid) there's a chance companies might cut back on…

> An empty office often isn't any better than WFH for many folk. That is really their problem. You can't force people to come to the office because you want it "hustling and bustling".

We can debate separately if companies should force people back to office.

But in this case it is an either or. If the advantage of the office comes from being around your team and colleagues then it very much is an either or between home working or everyone being in the office.

Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#283

Post by metafunctor »

DrBazza wrote: post #135
st1x7 wrote: post #48

I think that what isn't discussed enough is the variance in quality of your office environment and of your home office and how that quality affects your preferences about working from home. It sounds quite obvious but in these arguments people often just state what they personally like and leave it at that. Your office can be place where you still have the option to work uninterrupted but also get the benefits of fac…

That's a well reasoned comment. I'm 'of that age' where I have a large-ish house, and hence a large, well equipped study. I don't much like my work office. It's on the top end of 'good': spacious, well equipped, light, modern, free snacks, etc. But... and it's a big but, it's open plan. And noisy. With people eating at their desks, talking, interrupting you and so on. But I still miss it. The last nine months has tau…

Seems like you don't miss the office, but you miss the social aspect.

A good office would allow you to work in peace when you need to. For a programmer, this would be maybe 50-80% of the time. This is where the monitors and keyboards and chairs are. Personal tools and personal space.

But, there should be enough opportunity to socialize when you feel like it; ranging from sofas and coffee machines and team lunches to pool tables and movie clubs and parties and gardens and tennis courts and dinners and skiing trips or whatever.

Universities tend to be pretty good in this sort of thing, actually. You get a room. With total isolation. You also get a vibrant community of smart people with varying interests and a huge range of activities to pick from.

Most of us aren't hermits, after all. Many programmers living in cubicle hell may think they hate people, but maybe they just hate the interruptions and loosing control of their concentration.

Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#284

Post by staticfish »

slumdev wrote: post #239

I don't miss the office at all, and I never want to go back. If management asks us to go back full-time, I will start looking for another job. I'm happier and more productive than ever. I never want to go back to rotting in a cube farm pretending that 1-2 productive hours a day is enough. 1. Cubes, cube pods, and "open offices" are inhumane. 2. I don't have to wear headphones to "hear myself think" anymore. 3. Meetin…

let me guess. you're not a single?

Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#285

Post by Swizec »

dandellion wrote: post #117
st1x7 wrote: post #48

I think that what isn't discussed enough is the variance in quality of your office environment and of your home office and how that quality affects your preferences about working from home. It sounds quite obvious but in these arguments people often just state what they personally like and leave it at that. Your office can be place where you still have the option to work uninterrupted but also get the benefits of fac…

That's a very good point, I'm really enjoying working from home and I attributed it mostly to not having to do the one hour commute each way, but there's so many more things that add up: - At home I have the most comfortable chair I could find on the market that fits me perfectly. At work there are very basic adjustable chairs and they use some slippery fabric. - At home I have an ergonomic mechanical keyboard vs. a…

> - At home I have an ergonomic mechanical keyboard vs. a cheap rubber dome keyboard that kept running out of batteries at work.

> - An ergonomic mouse, vs. a tiny mouse that doesn't even have a back button.

This might be surprising, but you can bring your own keyboard and mouse to the office. Perhaps even get your employer to pay for them.

I've done this with every office I ever worked at. Dear employer I love you but my hands are my bread-and-butter and they trump your office standards. My hands, my peripherals. You're welcome to pitch in. If you have a problem with me using custom gear, bye.

Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#286

Post by offtop5 »

Author causally mentions having a family.

I think that's the big difference here. Someone single like me absolutely loves WFH. I make a very good salary, don't have to worry about even showering if I don't want to. I have my own dual monitor setup.

I can order whatever food I'd like. I wouldn't mind doing this forever , and the vaccine rolling out so we can all do concerts and stuff.

Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#287

Post by diebeforei485 »

Symbiote wrote: post #185

I was fine over the summer, but at 55.6° north in Copenhagen, sunset is now 15:53. That makes it more difficult to find daylight-time outside on a working day, and the city is in winter mood (fewer people wandering outside in the evening) so it feels more lonely. I changed the light in my office from a normal (for home), "warm" bulb to a 1500lm 6300K "daylight" one, which helps. It no longer feels like I ought to be…

I highly recommend a smart bulb that can change color, for example Philips Hue White Ambiance. You can even set it to automatically fade from daylight to warm at a time you specify.

Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#288

Post by phponpcp »

slumdev wrote: post #239

I don't miss the office at all, and I never want to go back. If management asks us to go back full-time, I will start looking for another job. I'm happier and more productive than ever. I never want to go back to rotting in a cube farm pretending that 1-2 productive hours a day is enough. 1. Cubes, cube pods, and "open offices" are inhumane. 2. I don't have to wear headphones to "hear myself think" anymore. 3. Meetin…

"unhumane" lol just quit and take up a job as one of the thousands of professions who dont work in an office. Your entitlement is ridiculous.

Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#289

Post by zikzak »

Swizec wrote: post #285
dandellion wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a very good point, I'm really enjoying working from home and I attributed it mostly to not having to do the one hour commute each way, but there's so many more things that add up: - At home I have the most comfortable chair I could find on the market that fits me perfectly. At work there are very basic adjustable chairs and they use some slippery fabric. - At home I have an ergonomic mechanical keyboard vs. a…

> - At home I have an ergonomic mechanical keyboard vs. a cheap rubber dome keyboard that kept running out of batteries at work. > - An ergonomic mouse, vs. a tiny mouse that doesn't even have a back button. This might be surprising, but you can bring your own keyboard and mouse to the office. Perhaps even get your employer to pay for them. I've done this with every office I ever worked at. Dear employer I love you b…

I have no doubt this is true and has been for me at every place I worked since I got into this field in the 90s. Except when I did an on-site contract for a government department. They would not allow this. I had to make a spreadsheet to show the stakeholder that the computer they had provided was costing them $x a day for me to just sit there watching a build. They did replace the computer.
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