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US offices are sitting empty – business owners will have to adapt

theguardian.com

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Re: US offices are sitting empty – business owners will have to adapt

#61

Post by gumby »

TeffenEllis wrote: post #5

I’ve been a remote engineer for over a decade, but only recently switched to a hybrid schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays. IMO, these two days are effectively useless for any kind of productive technical work. There are simply too many visual distractions, interruptions, and a complete lack of comfort in an office. …But I do enjoy these in-office days for what they make up for in remote work: Face to face chats; Real…

> I’m especially grateful that our cofounders understand why we should actually be at the office, and that any expectation of “being more productive” is nothing more but a polite fiction.

I presume the interactions and such you describe increase your net productivity, much as taking the time to study something does. Neither show up directly in Taylorist metrics like “PRs closed”

Re: US offices are sitting empty – business owners will have to adapt

#62

Post by akira2501 »

BenFranklin100 wrote: post #52
akira2501 wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Getting the most out of talented people requires reasonable compromise.

Are most talented people misanthropes?

Is it actually misanthropic to be annoyed with bad smells and physical disruptions in an office? In particular, as part of an effort to be undistracted and to make as much value from their own labor as is possible? I think just showing up to work means you are likely _not_ a misanthrope.

Further, would applying mean spirited labels out of misplaced hyperbole do anything to change or to help the situation?

Re: US offices are sitting empty – business owners will have to adapt

#63

Post by conductr »

Animats wrote: post #23
softwaredoug wrote: post #4

It’s weird going to downtown SF these days. Everyone seems from out of town. Or if they live nearby, just downtown for their teams onsite. It’s like a decrepit city district that exists for the sole purpose of flying people in to meet in person. Less a thriving center for tech. More a default place for leadership to get everyone together. Obviously the vicious cycle of nimbyism, lack of affordability, and homelessnes…

> exists for the sole purpose of flying people in to meet in person. Less a thriving center for tech. More a default place for leadership to get everyone together. Right. In which case you may as well meet at an airport hotel with good meeting rooms. Maybe there is a market for that. Repurpose under-utilized indoor malls as business conference centers where teams meet once or twice a week. Malls have plenty of space,…

My teams use small hotels for this. Doesn’t have to be a convention center hotel but most hotels you can rent a meeting space. Out of town guests just need to walk up to their rooms when meetings adjourn. But likely we’ll be hosting a team dinner too somewhere in the vicinity

Re: US offices are sitting empty – business owners will have to adapt

#65

Post by bluecheese452 »

latchkey wrote: post #22
lotsofpulp wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lower the rent.

Easier said than done. Limited space == Higher rent. People are downvoting me, but not really understanding what I'm saying. Even if there is more empty space, what is happening is that landlords are leaving them empty, which keeps the rents higher because there is still limited effective availability. They aren't going to rent to a small business because they don't want to get locked into a 5-10 year lease on a smal…

That is the point right? There isn’t limited space as evidence by those areas sitting empty.

Re: US offices are sitting empty – business owners will have to adapt

#66

Post by cududa »

In my city, an office building was converted to an apartment. The windows don’t open, given it’s an old apartment building.

The AC has been out for two weeks. Not at all saying we should let office buildings stay vacant, just, never considered how much it would suck to not be able to open windows.

https://fox8.com/news/unbearable-residents-in-lakewood-high-...

Re: US offices are sitting empty – business owners will have to adapt

#67

Post by errantmind »

BenFranklin100 wrote: post #38

They neglect one of the biggest ways we can revitalize downtown areas: build lots of new homes on underdeveloped properties. Not only will this drive demand for downtown office space, it will provide foot traffic for small businesses. It also shortens commutes and is good for the environment.

This depends on other conditions being good as well, like being bike/pedestrian friendly and reasonably safe. There's no amount of new homes they could build that would revitalize Houston's downtown because it sucks. Most of the people I know who live and work inside the loop go out of their way to avoid downtown. I live adjacent to downtown and haven't been there for anything, including events, for years.

Re: US offices are sitting empty – business owners will have to adapt

#68

Post by eek2121 »

TeffenEllis wrote: post #5

I’ve been a remote engineer for over a decade, but only recently switched to a hybrid schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays. IMO, these two days are effectively useless for any kind of productive technical work. There are simply too many visual distractions, interruptions, and a complete lack of comfort in an office. …But I do enjoy these in-office days for what they make up for in remote work: Face to face chats; Real…

Our company does regular meetups throughout the year. No need for a hybrid schedule really. We are all located throughout the US. The company pays for all expenses for those that choose to visit on site. This is without limits or restrictions. It STILL costs them less than maintaining a large office in a popular metro area. I see my coworkers a total of maybe 4x a year. We also have regular 'shoot the shit' Zoom meets. That is honestly enough interaction for me.

As an autistic person with ADHD, office environments are 'difficult' to say the least. Thankfully I've been fully remote for about a decade as well. Wouldn't go back, and thankfully I don't need to. There are plenty of remote jobs available and I don't see that changing short of some type of short-sighted government regulation.

Smaller companies have realized that office space and the infrastructure to support it is a huge money sink compared to just having employees work from home.

Re: US offices are sitting empty – business owners will have to adapt

#69

Post by lotsofpulp »

latchkey wrote: post #58
evilduck wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Space may be limited but it's not utilized. In my local metro's business district around 60% of storefronts are sitting vacant and yet rent for these spaces is still astronomical. And it's been that way since 2020. The push for a return to the office is a clear cash grab.

That's because we are in a game of chicken right now.

I think it is because property (specifically land value) taxes are far too low.

The under taxation of land results in land owners squatting on it without doing anything that society benefits from.

Re: US offices are sitting empty – business owners will have to adapt

#70

Post by BenFranklin100 »

errantmind wrote: post #67
BenFranklin100 wrote: post #38

They neglect one of the biggest ways we can revitalize downtown areas: build lots of new homes on underdeveloped properties. Not only will this drive demand for downtown office space, it will provide foot traffic for small businesses. It also shortens commutes and is good for the environment.

This depends on other conditions being good as well, like being bike/pedestrian friendly and reasonably safe. There's no amount of new homes they could build that would revitalize Houston's downtown because it sucks. Most of the people I know who live and work inside the loop go out of their way to avoid downtown. I live adjacent to downtown and haven't been there for anything, including events, for years.

A reason downtown Houston may “suck” is because there are too few homes and thus it becomes a wasteland on the weekends and evenings. Mixed use districts with high density of residential will draw in stores, nightlife venues, and restaurants. It will also drive demand for bike and mass transit.

Moreover, there are many urban downtowns that don’t “suck’, such as Boston and NYC that are still facing a challenging commercial real estate market. Additional residential in this metros will be quickly snapped up and drive demand for nearby offices.

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