Remote workers work longer, not more efficiently • Hacker News Board

Re: Remote workers work longer, not more efficiently

#21

Post by bushbaba » Sun, Jun 13, 2021, 2:21 PM UTC

wffurr wrote: post #12

Does the original study attempt to account for the once-a-century pandemic occurring at the same time? Seems like one should be careful drawing conclusions about remote work from the last year's data.

This was probably the best environment for remote work. There was nothing else to do but work and eat for many.

As people start going to sports games, vacation, concerts, fairs, dinning, bars, clubs, etc. the number of hours they’ll work will go down.

Re: Remote workers work longer, not more efficiently

#22

Post by andrew_ » Sun, Jun 13, 2021, 2:21 PM UTC

burlesona wrote: post #14

I’ve found remote work is hardest with time management, specifically when I have lulls in the day where I don’t feel particularly focused. At the office I would have gone to the cafe or for a walk outside the building (downtown), had a short break, and gotten back to work. When I try that from home it doesn’t work well. I’m fortunate to have a home office with a door I can close. But if I leave that room I’m immediat…

Agree that well-rounded time management skills are required, or are essential to learn. My spouse, for example, has some of the worst time management skills I've ever seen, unless she's bounded by the confines of an office working with peers. In office, she does quite well. There's merit to the theory that surrounding environments effect focus.

Re: Remote workers work longer, not more efficiently

#23

Post by giantandroids » Sun, Jun 13, 2021, 2:22 PM UTC

I can't read the full article as its behind a paywall, but from looking at this glimpse in the preview it was based on installing some sort of keylogger to track time spent typing and tracking websites visited, which are both really poor indicators of productivity. Just as many workers will visit reddit, facebook whatever in the office as WFH, no metrics were used around the actual output of work.

All in all a poor study.

Re: Remote workers work longer, not more efficiently

#24

Post by globular-toast » Sun, Jun 13, 2021, 2:22 PM UTC

I work longer, more efficiently, and have more free time. It really is a win-win. There's just not much I miss about the office at all. Initially I said the only thing I miss is whiteboard sessions, but even that I've now found tools which work well (excalidraw).

Re: Remote workers work longer, not more efficiently

#25

Post by ctdonath » Sun, Jun 13, 2021, 2:23 PM UTC

Why is this presented as a problem? If one works 1-2 hours more daily and still gets more personal/family time, for eliminating of unproductive commuting time, is this not good? is this not in fact more efficient?

Re: Remote workers work longer, not more efficiently

#26

Post by rinze » Sun, Jun 13, 2021, 2:23 PM UTC

I've been working from home since March 2020. The moment I started I followed the work schedule to the minute. I work 8:30 to 16:00, with a 30 minute lunch-break. I don't work extra time. The work laptop gets closed at the end of the work session and that's it. If work somehow leaks into my brain outside of those hours, I make a note in a notebook I have and forget about that idea.

A few weeks back I received the good news that I can keep working from home indefinitely. It mustn't have been that bad for whatever fashionable metrics pass as "productivity" nowadays.

Edit: typos.

Re: Remote workers work longer, not more efficiently

#27

Post by Retric » Sun, Jun 13, 2021, 2:24 PM UTC

bushbaba wrote: post #21

wffurr wrote: post #12

Does the original study attempt to account for the once-a-century pandemic occurring at the same time? Seems like one should be careful drawing conclusions about remote work from the last year's data.

This was probably the best environment for remote work. There was nothing else to do but work and eat for many. As people start going to sports games, vacation, concerts, fairs, dinning, bars, clubs, etc. the number of hours they’ll work will go down.

Except most workers and organizations where unused to the environment so many one time training and setup costs got averaged in. Not to mention kids being in school/daycare.

This was really a terrible introduction to remote work and it ended up going surprisingly well.

Re: Remote workers work longer, not more efficiently

#28

Post by jessriedel » Sun, Jun 13, 2021, 2:24 PM UTC

Is "productivity at home is same as at office, but work at home has more micro interruptions that researchers couldn't track" a viable theory? Would explain longer hours and seemingly lower productivity. (Workers are just taking care of little domestic things here at there throughout the day.) They don't say many details about how they determined when people were working.

Re: Remote workers work longer, not more efficiently

#29

Post by loxs » Sun, Jun 13, 2021, 2:25 PM UTC

Yup, expect this propaganda for some time now :)

Re: Remote workers work longer, not more efficiently

#30

Post by tyleo » Sun, Jun 13, 2021, 2:26 PM UTC

the_gipsy wrote: post #7

“It’s best for you AND the company” sorry but every time I’ve heard this exact phrasing, it was only good for the manager voicing it, not for me NOR the company.

I agree with you. However, I don't agree with the voices of managers. I manage a few engineers and haven't had additional trouble during the pandemic:

* People show up when meetings are scheduled as always

* While I can't get up-to-the-minute responses from people, my style doesn't really require them. If someone is on a walk, eating lunch, or taking a nap for 30 minutes, I can wait. I care more about happy and productive teammates than micromanaged ones.

I feel like having a productive team here is a matter of rolling with the punches. We have a policy of communicating OOFs if they are longer than 30 minutes but anything less is fine as long as you are getting the work done.