Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Employers, why do you want us back in the office?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

811–820 of 921 posts

Re: Ask HN: Employers, why do you want us back in the office?

#811

Post by rendaw »

65 wrote: post #342

I'm in my 20s. I live alone in a city where I don't know anyone. Remote work destroyed my mental health. All I wanted was to be able to go into an office and talk to a real life person. I would go weeks at a time not talking to a single person in real life. I don't think people understand the plight of the young office worker until they've experienced the torture of solitary confinement. Day in, day out. All alone. I…

While my reaction isn't the same as yours, I'm in roughly the same position. You didn't mention it so I wanted to ask, have you tried going to coworking spaces? That seems like a solution for the "let the people who want to work at home work at home, let people who want company have company" issue... I haven't myself yet so I'm curious.

Re: Ask HN: Employers, why do you want us back in the office?

#812

Post by p1esk »

TheCleric wrote: post #738
pxue wrote: post #718

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OK. i'll give another example. I played WoW for a good 8 years everyday through high school and college, became great friends with some of the people I played the game with. When I finished school, I hung up my WoW character and said good bye to my friends in the game. Although I no longer keep in touch with any of them, those were some of the best 8 years of my life and I am truly fond of the memories I made playing…

I think the larger point is if you can walk away from a relationship after 8 years without an attempt to keep in touch, you're not friends.

What is your definition of a friend?

Re: Ask HN: Employers, why do you want us back in the office?

#813

Post by andyish »

This is the area my startup is in (hybrid working) and i've been exposed to work practices and decisions at several hundred companies. Unsurprisingly, the common theme is that it's a massive culture shift. You're looking at breaking something that's been the norm for a LONG time, and almost breaking it overnight.

I've spent quite a while trying to formulate a response that covers everything but it's a deeply complex subject and touches on physical space constraints, employee development, cost (both to employee and employer), speed of decisions and response, and (all) employee wellbeing.

For every positive, there's a negative and if people aren't sure what to do I think they just default to what they're familiar with and knee-jerk back to what was the norm.

I think we're only getting started with remote working, my feeling is that there will always be office only companies (in the same way there's always been remote only companies). And the most common will be 'remote first' model where you can work where-ever you want but you're expected to attend certain meetings in the calendar in person.

Re: Ask HN: Employers, why do you want us back in the office?

#814

Post by lionkor »

I would love a fully remote job (currently looking, in Germany), and I understand that, for some people, the office is the place to meet others and socialize. I like socializing, but I have my wife, cats, and after work hours I have online friends who I do online projects with.

I understand the loneliness, and I've certainly been there, but learning to find people and things to do outside of work is the key to "surviving" a remote job.

Re: Ask HN: Employers, why do you want us back in the office?

#815

Post by Gigachad »

MattPalmer1086 wrote: post #803
AussieWog93 wrote: post #676

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>People still live together More and more people are staying with their parents because they can't afford to move out. >people still go to school together More and more people are doing online/remote learning. During the pandemic, all learning went remote and it ruined childrens' social skills. >people still have interests out of work Less and less of these out-of-work interests involve regular, face-to-face social i…

The housing issue I will give you. The Covid related ones are not dismantling the places young people meet, that was a public health emergency that will not continue forever. If people are choosing not to meet in person now, that is also not dismantling the places people meet. That is a choice. I know that the isolation of Covid has had a terrible effect on young people's mental health and I do not want to diminish t…

>If people are choosing not to meet in person now, that is also not dismantling the places people meet. That is a choice.

We are seeing a whole generation miss out on social connections, reporting mass loneliness and depression. You can't just hand wave that away "they made a choice". If an individual does something, its a choice, if an entire generation does something, its the environment that changed.

Re: Ask HN: Employers, why do you want us back in the office?

#816

Post by UntwistedApple »

65 wrote: post #342

I'm in my 20s. I live alone in a city where I don't know anyone. Remote work destroyed my mental health. All I wanted was to be able to go into an office and talk to a real life person. I would go weeks at a time not talking to a single person in real life. I don't think people understand the plight of the young office worker until they've experienced the torture of solitary confinement. Day in, day out. All alone. I…

I'm in my early twenties and still studying, but working as well, for around 15hours a week. Fully remote. Much worse, the only human interaction I have during this time is a weekly 30min team meeting.

It's two days a week for me. Mostly alone, just sitting in my bedroom and working on my own tiny project.

I'm lucky because I do have social interaction in the university, but I feel just how much of any job-related motivation this kills. If I would be full time amployed, this would be driving me into a depression as well.

I'm sure that you will be able to find some nice people to hang out with and talk to.

Re: Ask HN: Employers, why do you want us back in the office?

#817

Post by Orzelius »

65 wrote: post #342

I'm in my 20s. I live alone in a city where I don't know anyone. Remote work destroyed my mental health. All I wanted was to be able to go into an office and talk to a real life person. I would go weeks at a time not talking to a single person in real life. I don't think people understand the plight of the young office worker until they've experienced the torture of solitary confinement. Day in, day out. All alone. I…

I recently moved into a share house and extremely recommend the experience. I think it would help with what you seem to be dealing with. Best of luck!

Re: Ask HN: Employers, why do you want us back in the office?

#819

Post by josefrichter »

GiorgioG wrote: post #53
josefrichter wrote: post #2

Not an employer. But I believe most employees simply put in less hours when working from home, and most employers aren't very good at rewarding people for their results, not their hours.

> But I believe most employees simply put in less hours when working from home What do you have to back up your belief? I work from 8-6 on most days +/- 30 minutes. Lunch is a walk downstairs, grab something and eat it at my desk. That's pretty typical of the group of engineers I've been working with remotely on/off for the past 15 years. I don't think we're exceptional in this regard.

Just personal observations. I've worked with a bunch of larger clients and there were many people whose output over long periods of time was minuscule. Hard to measure when I was not their superior, so take it as just a feeling.

Re: Ask HN: Employers, why do you want us back in the office?

#820

Post by jtode »

65 wrote: post #342

I'm in my 20s. I live alone in a city where I don't know anyone. Remote work destroyed my mental health. All I wanted was to be able to go into an office and talk to a real life person. I would go weeks at a time not talking to a single person in real life. I don't think people understand the plight of the young office worker until they've experienced the torture of solitary confinement. Day in, day out. All alone. I…

Can't really type here but: I feels ya.
Post reply on HN