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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?

#101

Post by jedberg »

nafix wrote: post #45
jedberg wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

The workplace is a social hub for many people, although it seems many on HN don't care to socialize at work much.

Sure, but it depends on the company. I've made friends at every place I've worked, some lifelong, and I do miss that, but on the balance, work never really dominated my social life. I always had other friends too.

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

#102

Post by 1270018080 »

jstx1 wrote: post #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 lik…

I think individual employees are just figuring it out themselves. The free market can solve this issue autonomously. This causes a lot of short term pain for the companies themselves, but who cares? They're not even sentient beings.

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

#103

Post by jedberg »

jrockway wrote: post #36
jedberg wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 remo…

I did too. But I always felt bad when we made a work decision at the bar and then the folks who didn't come out with us didn't get a say and had an uphill battle if they didn't agree.

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

#104

Post by _8j50 »

I think like most things, moderation is best. My work makes come to the office twice a week. I didn't like it at first but I adopted, it's nice to get out of the house once in a while and see and be seen by your peers. I am most productive at home but I can be productive in the office as well.

I think a lot depends on your home life. I live alone, no close friends, pets,etc...and I am fine most days but I need some social interaction so I won't turn into a complete hermit. I have colleagues with kids and family members at home as well who hate the office for obvious reasons. So long as I get to work from home most days and I don't have to spend the entire day in the office I don't think it's such a big deal. I am grateful to even have the option to work from home at all.

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

#105

Post by fullshark »

jedberg wrote: post #11

My friend runs a company that is remote first in the way described here. They have employees all over the world, but they all get together at some random place on the planet (pre-covid) about once every two months. The employees love it because of all the free trips around the world (and often tie their vacation to the beginning or end of a meeting so they can explore that place on their own) and it's great for the c…

Being forced to travel somewhere random on the planet every two months for work and live out of a hotel room sounds terrible frankly. The company would have to spend lavishly and find exotic / fun locations I think otherwise I'd resent it and quit.

Ultimately the ideal is not a one size fits all solution but different companies developing different cultures remote/hybrid/in person strategies and employees having options. Seems like the big tech companies are all just kind of copying each other and no one is trying to really differentiate themselves here.

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

#106

Post by Agingcoder »

LudwigNagasena wrote: post #40
Ancalagon wrote: post #8

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.

I don't want an app - I like my coworkers and enjoy having lunch with them. It's the other, pleasant part of work : social interactions with people I know. They are also sometimes necessary, ie you will sometimes solve problems more efficiently over lunch/coffee than by email / Skype.

Furthermore, not everyone has a 1h+ commute to the office and lives in an expensive area - I know plenty of people with short commutes.

In the end, it's not 'all remote' or 'all office', we're different people in different conditions. There has to be room for everyone.

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

#107

Post by [deleted] »

jedberg wrote: post #97
mrtranscendence wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting idea. Every two months seems like it could be prohibitively expensive, though, depending on the org. My company has a yearly event that's mandatory for every employee throughout the country, and a common complaint is just how much it costs to put on. Granted, you could make it cheaper by getting rid of the c-list celebrity MC and free drinks, but renting a space for 1500 people, paying for travel, getting…

The cost of the travel is no more than the cost of an office, which they don't have. They basically shift the office budget to the travel budget.

[deleted]

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

#108

Post by jdavis703 »

Ancalagon wrote: post #59
taurath wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're correct, but one thing that is really missing nowadays, especially with phones and the internet, is active communities that exist in real life outside of work. Stuff like the elks lodge, rotary, bowling leagues, etc are just not as common anymore as I believe they used to be. Certainly there are many things that exist, but in a way societally it seems like they don't have very much cache, even as far a…

This is the other point I wanted to make (but frankly I was too scared that maybe it’s just because I suck at meeting people now that I haven’t socialized like a normal person in a year). It just seems harder to meet people _in general_ than it did even two years ago. Like where is everybody? Does everyone stay home literally all the time now?

People are definitely staying home more. I live in what was once a bustling night life district. It is far less bustling now.

I also feel people are sticking more to their core friends and family groups, and venturing out to meet new people less. But that’s more of a personal feeling than something I have quantitatively observed.

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

#109

Post by ugh123 »

taurath wrote: post #46
Ancalagon wrote: post #8

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 you're correct, but one thing that is really missing nowadays, especially with phones and the internet, is active communities that exist in real life outside of work. Stuff like the elks lodge, rotary, bowling leagues, etc are just not as common anymore as I believe they used to be. Certainly there are many things that exist, but in a way societally it seems like they don't have very much cache, even as far a…

I thought thats what Meetup was about, for both tech and non-tech communities. I haven't been involved for a while due to life changes (kids + relo), so not sure if its as vibrant in some cities as it used to be.

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

#110

Post by UweSchmidt »

Shoutout to everyone who keeps reading about the woes of home office, but has to work in hospitals, factories, warehouses, or drive a truck.

I enjoy my home office tremendously, but it's still kinda surreal to me how we can all sit at home with our laptops and that somehow keeps the economy going - as if our jobs hadn't been abstract and hyper-specialized already, now some people don't even leave their bed to work.

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