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Employees are returning to the office to sit on zoom calls

bloomberg.com

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Re: Employees are returning to the office to sit on zoom calls

#11

Post by bicx »

Apocryphon wrote: post #3

Have any of the pro-RTO folks on HN experienced this phenomenon? There's definitely a contingent here who do not prefer remote work, curious to read what they think of going back into the office only to have to continue to call in order to collaborate with coworkers.

I’ve been going into the office 3 days per week, and often times, it’s just me and the office manager in the office out of our ~200-employee company. We’ve been hiring remote-first for a while, so that maybe the way it is until our lease ends.

Like the other commenter, I just like having a place to get work done that isn’t my home. The plus side of an empty office is that I can take Zoom calls at my desk. It does get rather irritating to have to find an empty call room or conference room when others show up.

Re: Employees are returning to the office to sit on zoom calls

#12

Post by zebraflask »

Why is this not surprising?

I have to wonder how long this kind of thing will last in these types of org structures before there's a collective realization that coordinating groups always has a challenging element to it, even in person in a single office location.

With distributed groups, even more "overhead," which Zoom / video calls, I think, have been proven over the last 2+ years to ameliorate to some extent.

These kinds of stories come across as almost validating the critique I've seen going around on various discussion forums - that critique would be that the return to office push when the job doesn't inherently require it is more an artifact of an organizational failure to adapt and/or an attempt to put expensive office spaces to some kind of readily visible use, rather than rational or productive management planning.

Re: Employees are returning to the office to sit on zoom calls

#13

Post by rootsudo »

chihuahua wrote: post #5

This reminds me of the time about 7 years ago when my team (in Redmond, WA) wanted to send me to Beijing for a year. I didn't agree so they sent someone else instead. He spent most of the year living in Beijing and working with a team in Bellevue, WA.

That isn't so bad per se. It's pretty common at MSFT from experience, sometimes it helps. But if you are connected in the Seattle area/have a mortgage and such it can def see annoying then to leave.

Re: Employees are returning to the office to sit on zoom calls

#14

Post by ghaff »

xwdv wrote: post #8

If just one person for a meeting has to be on zoom because they’re remote, then so does everyone else, even if they’re sitting at the same table.

And for many of us who work with people in different buildings, locations, and even countries all the time that was pretty much the norm pre-pandemic.

Re: Employees are returning to the office to sit on zoom calls

#15

Post by chihuahua »

rootsudo wrote: post #13
chihuahua wrote: post #5

This reminds me of the time about 7 years ago when my team (in Redmond, WA) wanted to send me to Beijing for a year. I didn't agree so they sent someone else instead. He spent most of the year living in Beijing and working with a team in Bellevue, WA.

That isn't so bad per se. It's pretty common at MSFT from experience, sometimes it helps. But if you are connected in the Seattle area/have a mortgage and such it can def see annoying then to leave.

I would have found it pretty annoying to travel thousands of miles only to work with a team that is 8 miles from my previous office.

Re: Employees are returning to the office to sit on zoom calls

#16

Post by dataflow »

chihuahua wrote: post #5

This reminds me of the time about 7 years ago when my team (in Redmond, WA) wanted to send me to Beijing for a year. I didn't agree so they sent someone else instead. He spent most of the year living in Beijing and working with a team in Bellevue, WA.

I'm confused, what was the point of making you (or your coworker) live on the other side of the globe then? Were they running an "let's see what happens if we expel someone out of the US just for kicks" experiment? The way you described it it sounds like they deliberately did something completely pointless, which seems... unlikely?

Re: Employees are returning to the office to sit on zoom calls

#17

Post by syrrim »

rootsudo wrote: post #13
chihuahua wrote: post #5

This reminds me of the time about 7 years ago when my team (in Redmond, WA) wanted to send me to Beijing for a year. I didn't agree so they sent someone else instead. He spent most of the year living in Beijing and working with a team in Bellevue, WA.

That isn't so bad per se. It's pretty common at MSFT from experience, sometimes it helps. But if you are connected in the Seattle area/have a mortgage and such it can def see annoying then to leave.

The timezone difference would be murder, I imagine.

Re: Employees are returning to the office to sit on zoom calls

#18

Post by rootsudo »

chihuahua wrote: post #15
rootsudo wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That isn't so bad per se. It's pretty common at MSFT from experience, sometimes it helps. But if you are connected in the Seattle area/have a mortgage and such it can def see annoying then to leave.

I would have found it pretty annoying to travel thousands of miles only to work with a team that is 8 miles from my previous office.

I meant it in the non family, adventure in China way and work maybe late evening hours to 1:1 w/ the redmond team.

I had something similar happen to me when I was also at msft, I volunteered to go to Manila and Tokyo (since no one else wanted to go) and it was the same exact situation except to interface with same redmond team and barely any with the international office.

My lease was expiring, I didn't feel like renewing, I was home searching (wish I just bought something instead, this was 2015, so imagine the prices) and well I spent over 18 months living abroad with more than quarterly tickets home and I was not even mid 20's.

I loved it, but I 100% get it. If I had a family and truly deep network of friends and long term connections there, I would've probably said no, but I wanted to travel. Only downside was, it was Japan in Winter when I arrived. :)

Re: Employees are returning to the office to sit on zoom calls

#19

Post by xivzgrev »

Apocryphon wrote: post #3

Have any of the pro-RTO folks on HN experienced this phenomenon? There's definitely a contingent here who do not prefer remote work, curious to read what they think of going back into the office only to have to continue to call in order to collaborate with coworkers.

There’s something good about seeing people in person. Even if a 4 person mtg, 2 are on zoom but me and another are in the same room. It’s nice to be in the room with the other person, and talking.

I would prefer NOT to go into office, but I don’t think it’s totally pointless. Beyond what I mentioned above, it’s great for 1:1’s. Go for a walk with someone, or have a coffee.

My ideal would be to go in when I want, which would probably net out to 1-2x per month.

Re: Employees are returning to the office to sit on zoom calls

#20

Post by tootie »

chihuahua wrote: post #5

This reminds me of the time about 7 years ago when my team (in Redmond, WA) wanted to send me to Beijing for a year. I didn't agree so they sent someone else instead. He spent most of the year living in Beijing and working with a team in Bellevue, WA.

I once flew to Alberta, CA from New York to have a conference call with a team that was in another part of Alberta.
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