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The worst part of working from home is now haunting reopened offices

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Re: The worst part of working from home is now haunting reopened offices

#101

Post by pmlnr »

onion2k wrote: post #75

Employees need to be on site, we’re told, because collaborating with one another has been harder to do when everyone is working from separate locations. I think this is true, but only if the main part of your job is collaborating eg talking to other people to reach a consensus. That is easier face to face. The problem is that only higher up management roles are actually like that. Lower down the tree people are expec…

> That is easier face to face

Written down communication makes things impossible to wiggle out of later on, meaning the writing needs to happen anyway, why waste time on the face to face?

Re: The worst part of working from home is now haunting reopened offices

#102

Post by Tenoke »

VBprogrammer wrote: post #85
Tenoke wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had that as the standard practice for meetings at a job so we accommodate remote/other employees but the employer had bought us good noise-canceling headsets so there was no issue when a person near to you will be speaking.

So all the people in the office on calls are wearing noise cancelling headphones so they can take part in meetings with people who may be in the same office. Even with good noise cancelling they have to be permanently muted if not talking to avoid bleed though noise from the environment. All of the other people around then are forced to wear noise cancelling headphones to cancel out the noise of all the people around…

This was mostly just for company-wide meetings (standups and the like). For smaller meetings people would move to a conference room.

>Remind me again which part of this is better than those people just being at home in their own space?

I didn't argue against remote, simply that having an online meeting which includes people near you doesn't have to be problematic sound-wise.

Re: The worst part of working from home is now haunting reopened offices

#103

Post by DoingIsLearning »

showsover wrote: post #49
spaniard89277 wrote: post #46

I do the exact same job in my office than with my laptop anywhere else. Im in my mid 30s, and most of employees are +45 in my job. They really want to come back, and there are already a few in there, but whats the point? I guess they feel lonely, bosses too, but my life is so much better with WFH. Now Im just used to go places with my laptop, my phone as hotspot, and do work somewhere nice and quiet. I can even trave…

It might go either way to be honest. I'm currently living and working Spain as a SWE (immigrant) for a US company and the amount of useless meetings there is insane. That makes it quite hard to work on-the-go as half of the day is spent in meetings (most of them with camera turned on).

Can I ask how are you dealing with taxes, working for a US company in Spain? Are you contracting your SWE services and billing them? Or are you an employee of the US company?

Re: The worst part of working from home is now haunting reopened offices

#104

Post by TuringTest »

maest wrote: post #97
ajdegol wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This guy goes into a bar in Mexico and there’s a dog lying in the corner, every so often the dog whimpers and whines a little. The guy asks the barman “what’s up with that dog?” And the barman said “oh, he’s probably lying on a nail.” After a few more minutes and another set of whines, the guy asks the barman “so why doesn’t he move?” And the barman says “it probably doesn’t hurt enough for him to get up.”

Interesting story, but why in Mexico?

In countries where it is very hot during the day, there is a cliché that people make the minimum effort necessary or even less.

The cliché is true during the hottest hours, but it fails to admit that it is simply because most activity moves to the twilight hours when the heat subsides.

Re: The worst part of working from home is now haunting reopened offices

#105

Post by fbanon »

thawaya3113 wrote: post #50

> all the benefits of working from home (no commute, more focus, hanging out with the dog, whatever it may be) More focus…hanging out with the dog… These things literally contradict each other. The fact that someone can type this out and not even realize that just goes to show why everyone is convinced they have become so much more productive WFH, when companies dhar actually track their employees and their productiv…

Facebook didn't call people back to the office.

Re: The worst part of working from home is now haunting reopened offices

#106

Post by pzs »

fcatalan wrote: post #70

"Emergency" WFH at my workplace have been slashed, everyone back in full since the start of the month. No reason publically given, been privately told "not about people like you, but some others have taken a 2 year vacation so management is fed up". I have emails from the CEO personally thanking me for my commitment in going way over what was expected when basically saving the institution during lockdown, so now I al…

"I'd leave, I even feel I'm morally in the wrong for not leaving. But the thing is that the pay is good, that I'm of an age prone to experiencing ageism in the job market, and also this is a place where I have ample slack for tuning my output and inmerse myself in side projects or personal improvement, so their loss..." - this tells me that you are a very loyal employee and you also find security more important than other aspects of your career. That is certainly your decision, but I suggest you to keep looking at the balance and consider the compromises you are making because of this. Based on my experience there is considerable talent shortage on the job market, and loyalty is seen as a positive by reasonable hiring managers.

Re: The worst part of working from home is now haunting reopened offices

#107

Post by BlargMcLarg »

kamaal wrote: post #65

There is a big reason to Work from office, apart from the merits of the case like close collaboration, productivity et al. Most important of all is being able to see your manager on a day to day basis, a lot of people don't really understand how important seeing your bosses on a day to day basis can be to their careers. Most people have a problem of neglecting what isn't front of them, it's not malice or anything its…

>I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years, compensation, benefits and overall career trajectories of people who work with top bosses at office is better than those working from remote.

The way people find new jobs today is already largely digital. Networking events still exist as a once-every-so-often opportunity. The majority of recruiters and employers are still looking at personal projects, all which are accessible from a distance. Realistically there is very little reason the majority of people are affected by this when it comes to new jobs.

The majority of people don't grow well staying at the same job. This immediately lessens the impact of removing physical connections as a means to get better compensation. We've seen dozens of articles regarding this. As an added benefit, I wouldn't be surprised remote workers would have an easier time job hopping too.

I see many reasons the above would unfold, but even without WFH things have been trending against company loyalty and dedication being a great way to further oneself in most of the west.

Re: The worst part of working from home is now haunting reopened offices

#108

Post by endymi0n »

fcatalan wrote: post #90
ajdegol wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This guy goes into a bar in Mexico and there’s a dog lying in the corner, every so often the dog whimpers and whines a little. The guy asks the barman “what’s up with that dog?” And the barman said “oh, he’s probably lying on a nail.” After a few more minutes and another set of whines, the guy asks the barman “so why doesn’t he move?” And the barman says “it probably doesn’t hurt enough for him to get up.”

"Nailed" it. Perfect description of my situation. I wish I weren't like this

To say it with the words of my first boss that stuck with me:

"Love it, change it or leave it. No amount of complaining will ever do anything else than paint you as a naysayer."

Was a hard pill to swallow, but my own experience proved me again and again he was spot on.

Re: The worst part of working from home is now haunting reopened offices

#109

Post by wmkn »

Looking at the comments and article, I almost feel like a freak for actually not minding going back to the office.

My commute to the office is about a 10 mins walk - maybe that’s the difference with many others here. Either way, I like the separation between work and home. I also believe that online meetings and chat are not a great substitute for actually talking to people, especially when you are building something together.

Re: The worst part of working from home is now haunting reopened offices

#110

Post by verve_rat »

fcatalan wrote: post #70

"Emergency" WFH at my workplace have been slashed, everyone back in full since the start of the month. No reason publically given, been privately told "not about people like you, but some others have taken a 2 year vacation so management is fed up". I have emails from the CEO personally thanking me for my commitment in going way over what was expected when basically saving the institution during lockdown, so now I al…

Sounds like it is time for you to take your two year vacation.
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