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Dreaded commute to the city is keeping offices mostly empty

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Re: Dreaded commute to the city is keeping offices mostly empty

#71

Post by wollsmoth »

loloquwowndueo wrote: post #62
wollsmoth wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There aren't any meeting rooms at your office? I think every place I've been, even the startups had some kind of conference call mic setup on the table, although I don't think every place had a cam. It's possible for the "room" to join the call and those who must join over video.

A conference room full of people is a nightmare for remote meetings - audio quality is horrendous and it’s very hard to make out what people in the speakerphone setup are saying. Everyone having their own headset makes for a much better experience for everyone. Unless the meeting is primarily in person with a few remote participants - then those get left out and have trouble catching up. Hybrid remote doesn’t work -…

I haven't had that experience but I'm sure quality setups don't come cheap. Actually... the polycom setups don't seem that expensive.

Idk, I guess I haven't experienced major issues with that personally.

Re: Dreaded commute to the city is keeping offices mostly empty

#72

Post by Clubber »

timr wrote: post #59
Johnny555 wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you want to make big advances in your career and/or compensation, getting a new job will get you there faster. Advancing within a company is almost always a very slow process with minimal rewards - you get to move to a new salary band, but that doesn't result in a big jump in salary.

Sure. But there are other steps that matter on the way. Want to get on the interesting project, which lets you put the big accomplishment on your resume? Want to get more responsibility, which lets you tell the recruiter that you've done the $essential_thing they're seeking for that better job? It always helps to be visible, even if your long-term plan is to job hop into infinity (though I have to say this as another…

>Want to get on the interesting project, which lets you put the big accomplishment on your resume?

Smart managers pick the best people if the project is important, they certainly won't pick a mediocre developer just because he shows up in the office every day. Attendance is no replacement for hard work and aptitude, unless you are in high school.

>It always helps to be visible

It does, but filling a seat in a cube isn't the best way. The best way is to solve business problems.

>It's a notably programmer-since-2012 phenomenon to assume that leaping from place to place will result in a monotonic increase in your salary and/or prestige forever and ever.

I don't think anyone thinks it's forever. There's certainly a cap to how much you can earn as a software developer/engineer/architect/x working for someone. There are exceptions where you can negotiate some equity or percentage of revenue, but you almost certainly can't do that outside the initial offer phase. In other words, you won't get it at the company where you are already employed; the negotiation window is most likely closed forever.

I doubled my salary 2x from 1998-2001. Then the dot bomb happened, but it's not a new phenomenon. Companies that hire for x amount only give y% when giving out raises. It's pretty close to inflation. The trick to having a larger salary is to get hired with a larger salary, full stop.

I wish it wasn't that way, I usually like staying at a company for a while, but as long as traditional raises are 2-5%, that's what the hiring market wants.

Re: Dreaded commute to the city is keeping offices mostly empty

#73

Post by colpabar »

the_only_law wrote: post #55
BlargMcLarg wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>There's enough background noise in the open office that I keep headphones on most of the time while I'm at my desk. I still don't get how we as a species went "this is fine". The complete loss of audiovisual privacy is such an immense drain. I'll buy the "being close together works better" argument, but I still can't grasp how that offsets all the distractions in the modern office.

I used to keep the clip as a joke, because I was constantly going into the office early so I could get some work done before the constant chatter. https://youtube.com/shorts/4whlr2dVDws?feature=share

I really wish stuff like this was illegal. It's so disgusting to wait at someone's house just to harass them every single day, celebrity or not.

Re: Dreaded commute to the city is keeping offices mostly empty

#74

Post by kibwen »

colechristensen wrote: post #65
angarg12 wrote: post #23

All of my career I prioritized short commutes, which led to living in tiny apartments (as small as 25 sqmt) within a short commute from work. When Covid hit we had just moved to a new 1 bed flat and were paying our highest rent yet, but hey, 15 minutes commute! When it became evident we were in for the long haul we started looking to move again. We ended up moving to a 3 bed house with garden in a tiny village close…

Everyone on HN who loves urban density should read things like this. Quality of life cooped up in a dense urban setting, especially with a family, is awful. There's so much space in the world, we don't need to pack ourselves in tiny urban centers near "tech hubs" at all.

I grew up with one parent in the burbs and the other in the boonies, and today I live in a city and I'll never go back to anywhere that isn't eminently walkable. I don't value space, I value proximity to lots of people. I'm happy that WFH allows people who value the opposite to vacate the cities that make them miserable in order to free up room for people who crave density.

Re: Dreaded commute to the city is keeping offices mostly empty

#75

Post by asdff »

Steltek wrote: post #57

As the exception that proves the rule, I missed my commute terribly and its absence was having a negative impact on me. However, I have a 30 minute bicycle commute, which I think changes everything. The daily exercise, change of scenery, and fresh air made all the difference in the world. I'm probably more productive for my employer at home but I feel way better as a human being when I commute in. When WFH, there wer…

I hated my old commute but I still liked the idea of a commute. So now I walk around my neighborhood for 15 mins or so with a mug of coffee and that's my commute. Maybe for you, you can try and simulate a bike commute by riding a fixed route around your neighborhood every morning.

Re: Dreaded commute to the city is keeping offices mostly empty

#76

Post by asdff »

colechristensen wrote: post #65
angarg12 wrote: post #23

All of my career I prioritized short commutes, which led to living in tiny apartments (as small as 25 sqmt) within a short commute from work. When Covid hit we had just moved to a new 1 bed flat and were paying our highest rent yet, but hey, 15 minutes commute! When it became evident we were in for the long haul we started looking to move again. We ended up moving to a 3 bed house with garden in a tiny village close…

Everyone on HN who loves urban density should read things like this. Quality of life cooped up in a dense urban setting, especially with a family, is awful. There's so much space in the world, we don't need to pack ourselves in tiny urban centers near "tech hubs" at all.

To be fair there is a lot more to do in urban centers. I felt cooped up in less dense places, that's why I moved away from there and into a denser place with no shortage of things to do throughout the year.

Re: Dreaded commute to the city is keeping offices mostly empty

#78

Post by asdff »

The workplace is going to a hybrid schedule soon which I am not too pleased about, but I'm going to be considering my commute as working time versus personal time this go around. I'll leave for work at 9am and aim to be home from work by 5pm. This seems more logical than having me front the free time for commuting if its something my employer is demanding of me anyhow. If they would prefer to not pay for commuting hours they could just have me go back to a remote schedule, but no longer am I giving these hours to my employer for free.

Re: Dreaded commute to the city is keeping offices mostly empty

#79

Post by recursive »

Johnny555 wrote: post #6

That's one reason for sure, but even if my house was a 10 minute walk from the office, I'd still rather only go in for meetings. At home I have my own private office with a nice view. I have a nice set of speakers and can play any music I like. If I want to go for a walk, I'm in a quiet suburban neighborhood with hiking trails nearby. The kitchen is always stocked with snacks I like plus freshly prepared healthy lunc…

It's exactly reversed for me. I have a nice private office at work and snacks and it's next to a nice path and all that.

Re: Dreaded commute to the city is keeping offices mostly empty

#80

Post by nightski »

Steltek wrote: post #57

As the exception that proves the rule, I missed my commute terribly and its absence was having a negative impact on me. However, I have a 30 minute bicycle commute, which I think changes everything. The daily exercise, change of scenery, and fresh air made all the difference in the world. I'm probably more productive for my employer at home but I feel way better as a human being when I commute in. When WFH, there wer…

Makes no sense. Just go out and bike. I've been WFH for 10+ years and I do this all the time.
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