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Is going to the office a broken way of working?

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Re: Is going to the office a broken way of working?

#32

I’m gonna go against the HN grain here and, despite having been fully for remote work for the first year or so of the pandemic, come out and say that life has really gotten a lot more repetitive and frankly disappointing since covid and the death of the office. I kind of miss meeting people in the office. I was in the unfortunate position of having moved to a new city for a new tech job where I knew nobody just seven…

Hey! Same here! Moved teams in same company and I feel so alone it's crazy! Many engineers are introverted and/or already have relationships they've built before covid hit. No matter how hard a i try to connect through the chat window, in just don't get the same reciprocation as I get from face to face.

I've been coming to office to run into more ppl but alas, no one comes. So just as you, it's very lonely here and it's hard to get attached to work when you haven't met anyone face to face.

Re: Is going to the office a broken way of working?

#33
post #6

Living in Maui, I have a remote job (my agency/consultancy) and a job doing fun stuff (driving people to Hana, Haleakala OR working on a whalewatching boat). I am setting up residual income streams to save for my own property here. I have a startup/movement I am working on as well, freeing up my time from clients to invest more time and money into it. Balance is the key to fulfillment, to longevity.

You might want to edit that it's a whale watching boat, not a what hunting boat. Unless...

Sounds like a great balance you have; good luck saving up for the house!

Re: Is going to the office a broken way of working?

#34
My impression from previous discussions is that people like what they like whether it's remote or in office and there isn't a lot of convincing that we can do to each other.

Given the above, how do companies move forward? Make some % of your employees unhappy because they're either dragged back into the office or forced to work without one? Hybrid models? They seem like the worst of everything and they don't look like a stable solution. Maybe through quitting everyone reorganises themselves into the type of company they want (remote or in-office) and then everyone is happy?

What options do we have here?

Re: Is going to the office a broken way of working?

#35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How much of this is fixable though if you could have a normal social calendar? I don't think current circumstances offer a fair comparison.

true but I mean its been a year and a half since the first lockdowns...this kind of seems like it is the new normal, right?

The Spanish Flu was about three years, but it did end. We're not going to be like this forever.

Re: Is going to the office a broken way of working?

#36
post #17

I’m gonna go against the HN grain here and, despite having been fully for remote work for the first year or so of the pandemic, come out and say that life has really gotten a lot more repetitive and frankly disappointing since covid and the death of the office. I kind of miss meeting people in the office. I was in the unfortunate position of having moved to a new city for a new tech job where I knew nobody just seven…

Isn't that more an effect of your local social scene being shut down though, and not lack of commuting to an office? If all the local bars/clubs/libraries/whatever you like to do were open, wouldn't that solve the problem?

I always enjoyed the after-work drinking events. Lots of people there that I would never call up and ask "hey want to go to the bar?" but still enjoyed hanging out with. I guess it's not work's job to be your social life, and these after-work events exclude people with families or that don't like alcohol from valuable interactions... but ignoring the global effect, I personally enjoyed them. Now that everyone is remote, they don't happen, and you just have to put "fun" events on the team calendar. That's more fair, and almost as good, but I get why people miss that part of office culture.

Re: Is going to the office a broken way of working?

#37
> He even imagines a future in which specialized resorts will arise in locations conducive to brainstorming or strategy formation, where teams will work with the help of professional on-site facilitators.

While this may be the romanticized optimal work setup, regular people have kids in school and local commitments. This arrangement, sometimes, puts unfair disadvantage to women as well. Of course in a ideal world, both parents don’t have to travel to offsite, but disappearing to a resort for days may not work for everyone

Re: Is going to the office a broken way of working?

#38

I’m gonna go against the HN grain here and, despite having been fully for remote work for the first year or so of the pandemic, come out and say that life has really gotten a lot more repetitive and frankly disappointing since covid and the death of the office. I kind of miss meeting people in the office. I was in the unfortunate position of having moved to a new city for a new tech job where I knew nobody just seven…

How much of this is fixable though if you could have a normal social calendar? I don't think current circumstances offer a fair comparison.

My social calendar is almost back to normal. I see friends most nights, I do all of my favorite hobbies again. The only things I don't do that I used to really are going to large events (concerts/sports events) and I travel less frequently on planes.

WFH is still incredibly isolating for me. I feel disconnected from my work and from my peers. I was remote once before the pandemic and felt exactly the same way.

I think most people would describe me as highly extroverted. I just don't get enough/diverse enough person to person contact to be happy when I'm at home working all day.

Re: Is going to the office a broken way of working?

#39
Co-locating with your coworkers isn't a broken way of working, per se, but the majority of our cities are not designed for work/life balance.

If the office is a 5 minute walk, I have absolutely no problem going in and staying until the usefulness of being together is exhausted for the day. When the commute is an hour plus in traffic, that's gonna be a no from me dawg.

Add on to that the fact that some regions have been major winners the last decade while others are major losers, means that people stuck in "loser" regions may have better remote prospects than local prospects.

Re: Is going to the office a broken way of working?

#40

I’m gonna go against the HN grain here and, despite having been fully for remote work for the first year or so of the pandemic, come out and say that life has really gotten a lot more repetitive and frankly disappointing since covid and the death of the office. I kind of miss meeting people in the office. I was in the unfortunate position of having moved to a new city for a new tech job where I knew nobody just seven…

I think people like you need a new app, something like Tinder for lunch. I personally have no will to move to a high cost of life area and spend 1+ hour on commune just because my coworkers can’t find friends.
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