looking pretty good papa
Ask HN: How is the remote vs in-person trend looking?
141–150 of 243 posts
Re: Ask HN: How is the remote vs in-person trend looking?
#142For some reason, I have in my mind September when we're going to see a lot more RTO of at least 3 days a week. Also in my mind, companies that are either smaller or have a good idea of what they need their people to do are the ones that are going to be able to thrive and provide full-remote work. BigCo's are probably going to continue to push for in-person as they are unable to determine what they need from their peo…
BigCos need to justify the expenditure of maintaining an office, and the office culture that goes with it: all those over staffed meetings, the HR and management roles that exist primarily to facilitate in-office culture, the facilities staff and so forth.
A non trivial amount of BigCo roles and expenses are simply unnecessary when the physical office no longer exists.
And all those people in those roles will advocate strongly for in office work in order to defend their jobs.
Re: Ask HN: How is the remote vs in-person trend looking?
#143This doesn't quite answer your trend, but personal anecdote: I recently switched jobs, and as part of my job interview process, I was pretty firm about only looking for companies that were working at least part of the week in the office. I just really thrive on in-person work. Fast forward a few weeks... and I ended up taking a job with a startup that was fully remote. I loved their product, loved the founders, loved…
I'm happy for you! Out of curiosity, did your current housing situation provide the space for a comfortable and productive home office, or is this unexpected development putting pressure on your housing situation? (If you're part of a trend, that has implications for preferred housing layout and square footage. And, of course people in different housing situations should be expected to respond differently to fully-re…
I had been working from home for a year and a half already in a very comfortable WFH setup, and knew I would have one going forward.
That, obviously, makes a huge difference: I didn't need an office to work in, I just wanted one.
Re: Ask HN: How is the remote vs in-person trend looking?
#144I just don't understand why some people are so keen on making in-person or hybrid work, it won't in the long run because you are competing with companies that doesn't have the overhead of an office, HR, logistics etc. This is the new normal , you either accept it or keep trying to go back to what will never be going forward. I also don't really believe people claiming they are losing productivity in WFH, its most lik…
> I also don't really believe people claiming they are losing productivity in WFH, its most likely that they were never productive to begin with and its becoming magnified.
Often such comments frame their productivity in terms of impromptu discussions, or over-staffed meetings. I suspect they're the sort of people who feel jointly productive so long as they're engaged with the productive people during the process. Y'know, the sort destined for middle management. ;)
Re: Ask HN: How is the remote vs in-person trend looking?
#145Earlier quoted context omitted.
I live in a 48sqm apartment and never even thought about this. I work usually either from my little desk and kneeling chair in my bedroom or my couch. My remote coworkers at different levels have all kinds of stuff in their backgrounds - pets, kids, books, walls, posters, clutter, paintings, and thinking back I have not once found myself judging them negatively _or_ positively for it. A candidate judging your house i…
I judge people who still live in tiny apartments in downtown cores after 2 years of lockdowns and remote work. I don't want coworkers who are so stalwarts they stick with a bad plan for years. Get out of the city.
I don't think you need to worry - those people probably don't want a presumptuous grump judging their living choices as a coworker either :)
Re: Ask HN: How is the remote vs in-person trend looking?
#146Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think you missed the part where the parent said that they were going into the office _by choice_ every day anyway. You are demanding that they quit just because the company doesn't make it optional? There seems to be a hard-core "WFH or nothing" contingent here that refuse to acknowledge that a great many people prefer and even thrive working in a typical office environment.
I don't think I've ever seen an argument from the hardcore "WFH or nothing" contingent saying that nobody should be allowed to work in an office if that's what they prefer. But I have seen arguments from the hardcore "Butts in chairs or nothing" contingent refusing to acknowledge that a great many people thrive outside a typical office environment and may be even more productive that way.
That's the big difference between the camps. The vocal WFH people by and large only want the option to work remote or not. The vocal WFO people want to return to the office and make everyone else return to the office, too.
Re: Ask HN: How is the remote vs in-person trend looking?
#147Earlier quoted context omitted.
Trying different providers and even different routers helped me. Wi-Fi is less reliable generally.
Many of us don't have a choice of different providers. And while I agree that WiFi in particular may not be as good as a wired connection, many people also don't have an Ethernet jack near where they work at home. (I do personally next to where I take my calls.)
I've actually had good luck with an "ethernet over power" device in my WFH setup.
eg https://www.amazon.com/Powerline-Ethernet-Adapter-Extender-T...
but in general, yes, I agree, I have had problems with network connectivity in my WFH setup that are very difficult to do something about, and which are very frustrating to all involved, it is a problem.
Re: Ask HN: How is the remote vs in-person trend looking?
#148I am a Scala software engineer currently looking for a new position. Nobody is offering remote, and two of the prospects explicitly told me that remote is no longer allowed.
We at commercetools have remote Scala roles open both in Europe and the US (EST timezone only, though): https://commercetools.com/careers/jobs
Re: Ask HN: How is the remote vs in-person trend looking?
#149I desperately want to work in an office again, but there are effectively no opportunities to do so. The companies doing in-office around here are outfits like Dish Network, that everyone knows are terrible employers. Like it or not, the software labor market is now nationwide, and remote is the rule rather than the exception. I don't know how long that will last, as I see very obvious negatives to remote for creative…
Would coworking or being a regular at a cafe help?
Not for me. Coworking and cafes scratch the "I need to get out of my apartment" itch, but what I really value about in-person work is the collaboration and relationship-building with teammates that is not otherwise possible or easily achieved.
I'm not sure if other people (particularly here on HN) can even relate to this, but working is a lot like everything else in life for me. I'd rather see my therapist in person than over Zoom. I would rather hang out with my friends than FaceTime them. And I would rather be in an office with people than Slacking and Zooming. I like being able to pull someone into a meeting room with a drawing board and explain ideas. I love small talk. These are things that are not easily replicable via telephony.
Some companies do the 'one day per week in office", or "we have an office space you can use if you want to" but this doesn't solve my problem either. What I want only works if everyone else is cooperating. In the meantime, I have found that working remotely or alone in a big office building, which I do most days, is making me unhappy. But there just aren't any other options.
Re: Ask HN: How is the remote vs in-person trend looking?
#150Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not OP, but I'm a manager that's 100% WFH at this point. I had a spare bedroom to devote to the workspace, and that's been a lifesaver, since (for me) part of maintaining WLB has been the ability to physically change spaces as a way of reinforcing that I'm no longer in "work mode" before/after certain times. Even without a separate room, having a dedicated work area might be a good idea to help with that balance…
Yep, I look forward to upgrading my housing at some point, for these great reasons and more..
Buy a smart bulb for your WFH desk. Pick a color (example: bright white) that you only use when you are working. you might not notice anything at first, but after a while it really helps with shifting your mentality into or out of work mode very quickly. Very helpful at the start of a busy day, or the end of a rough day.
Source: I did WFH for about 2 years before the pandemic in a 1 bedroom apartment that I shared with someone