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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?

#291

Post by SamoyedFurFluff »

BoorishBears wrote: post #112
ugh123 wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I literally never saw a Meetup group last for more than a year. The closest thing to an exception was a group that existed a decade then happened to get a Meetup for convenience, and they closed within a year of getting on (for unrelated reasons)

I think it depends on the group. I’ve been in several that have lasted multiple years. They tend to be focused on one specific hobby or demographic niche and then offer a wide variety of activities within that niche. Additionally, have multiple organizers and a large enough funnel of new joiners that it always feels big and welcome and established. I have no idea how they got to the stable position they’re in now, but these meetups are more like self-directed communities than they are going-somewhere-for-one-thing interest groups.

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

#292

Post by presentation »

IggleSniggle wrote: post #72
Ancalagon wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Well, yes. If not "everyone," certainly lots and lots of folks are just staying home whenever possible. Because we are in the middle of a global pandemic. I think this has much more to do with "we are in a global pandemic" than "you can't meet people doing remote work." Certainly, there were a number of larger groups that I used to hang out with consistently pre-pandemic, but now have totally abandoned. I'm not inter…

I know plenty of people who are staying home not because they're worried about COVID, but more because they've come to enjoy the seclusion and convenience of ordering delivery all the time.

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

#293

Post by ghaff »

snek_case wrote: post #240
true_religion wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t think there is any need to defend in person work. Until very recently it was the only socially accepted form of work. As the default, we all have a little experience in it.

> I don’t think there is any need to defend in person work. There is a need to defend it though. I've already seen several businesses claim that remote work is "the future". Personally, I feel that remote work has been very detrimental to my mental health and I hate it. I don't want that future. It feels very unhealthy.

There are probably quite a few organizations that support in-person work. You probably should seek them out (and vice-versa). You just shouldn't assume they're the default any longer.

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

#294

Post by kwakja »

alchemism wrote: post #260
ZFtdGGXwyWIpKKv wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're completely unable to empathize with those of us who have families and other commitments outside of work. Being forced to travel for work to some faraway "exotic" destination is literally the worst thing ever for someone who has kids or an ailing relative or even a garden to tend to. Mandatory offsites are extremely painful for those who have strong ties to home. At my company offsites aren't mandatory: those w…

People with responsibilities in a fixed location probably should not take traveling salesperson positions, generally speaking.

Completely agree, but this seems to be a common theme in the whole comment section - everyone is painting everything in black and white with personal preferences despite acknowledging that personal differences exist.

If one can't empathize, I'd hope one would at least be able to sympathize with another's objectively different situation.

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

#295

Post by kaczordon »

magicalist wrote: post #281
kaczordon wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not a theory , 50% of all COVID deaths were in nursing homes: https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-sweden-co... Also the paper you linked agrees with me, The highest age groups, i.e. ages 80 and above, were most strongly affected by the pandemic.

I think the "theory" being referred to is > it had nothing to do with regular people eating at restaurants and everything to do with the protocol at those specific places Also if we're going to be pedantic, we should be consistently pedantic: > 50% of all COVID deaths were in nursing homes that article actually says under 50% and it's from December 2020.

Nothing in this comment contradicts what I've said, majority of deaths were at nursing homes and better protocols would've helped them.

Still haven't addressed my point about Belgium having more restrictive lockdowns and a higher excess mortality. I guess being pedantic is easier.

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

#296

Post by randycupertino »

ethbr0 wrote: post #182
ironman1478 wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a book on this topic called "bowling alone" if you are interested. These observations are ones people were making pre-covid.

I was going to recommend that as well. Am in the process of reading it, after a previous recommendation on HN. Or as the previous commenter quipped to a similar question 'Yes, Robert Putnam identified all these trends by the 80s and 90s, but nobody liked how gloomy he was about it.' Link: https://www.amazon.com/Bowling-Alone-Collapse-American-Commu... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_D._Putnam

Does Bowling Alone have any suggestions on how to create a "third space" for ourselves? Or is it more just identifying the phenomena?

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

#297

Post by jrockway »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #261
soylentnewsorg wrote: post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's the thing though: you should not socialize with anyone at the office. The healthiest thing anyone can do for their career is to not mix work and friends. Once you're friends, you're sharing political opinions, life stories, and religious views. People pick up on that, and while you might be pleasing one guy, you're pissing off someone else. No matter your stance on something, you're going to be pissing off som…

To each their own, but to be honest I'm always baffled, and quite saddened, by this "don't make friends at work" "advice". I've made many, many friends at work, and this near-paranoia level of "you might be pissing off someone else" - so what? I don't need, or want, to be friends with everyone, and I'm quite fine if some people don't like me.

I agree with you. I get the idea that business and pleasure should be isolated, but for me... 8 of my most-awake hours are spent at work, so I'm going to do normal human things. Some people I will like more than others. Some people will learn things about me that are an information-theoretical disadvantage for me. So it goes. You can make your life miserable if you want to, but it's also OK to be normal.

I used to be the "no fun allowed" type, and I wasn't really getting a lot out of it. Now I go to all the "fun" non-work events and have a great time. To each, their own, I guess.

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

#298

Post by jamesfinlayson »

kemiller wrote: post #177
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 everyone agrees that being in the office, all things being equal, is better for collaborative work. It's just all the not-equal externalities (especially commuting and high real estate prices near good jobs) that make it suck.

Yeah I've been working from home for a couple of weeks after being back at work three days a week for a long while now - I've found myself missing the office and getting frustrated with phone calls or chats being poor substitutes for face to face conversations. Working from home part of the week is nice but doing it all week becomes a drag.

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

#300

Post by Valkhyr »

sharken wrote: post #285
baud147258 wrote: post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Because we are in the middle of a global pandemic. Really? Maybe I forgot because here in France it feels like we've kinda gone back to business as usual, as long as one can show proof of vaccination (necessary if you want to go to the restaurants, cinemas and museums).

France, Germany and Italy have really disappointed with their heavyhanded approach against those that are not vaccinated. With that said, i think many are still a bit cautious after being bombarded with warnings of the Coronavirus for 12 months straight. To me though I'm back to normality and slowly but surely everyone else.

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