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Working from home is powering productivity

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Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#281

Post by simonbarker87 »

J_Shelby_J wrote: post #276
jandrewrogers wrote: post #260

I think a lot of people are talking past each other. I’ve mostly WFH since long before the pandemic, in many different capacities at many companies. A lot of people have tunnel vision and the reality is more nuanced than most allow. For IC work that requires minimal collaboration, WFH is often more productive. Fewer interruptions, more focus. However, when the role requires detailed collaboration and regular interact…

This is a good comment and I had to think about it for a minute. I do agree with you in practicality, but I also think in person works because most people flat out can’t or won’t take the time to communicate effectively in writing. Put them in a room and they’re suddenly forced to do it. But that said, just because most people can’t effectively communicate and instead use async communications like slack zombies is no…

For the vast majority of human existence the majority of communication was done verbally and in person.

We’ve never communicated this much with text and most of that increase has probably come in the past, what, 20 years?

I think rather than people being lazy/inept it’s more a case of our brains struggling to adapt to a way of communication that is thousands of years newer than speech.

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#282

Post by nine_zeros »

ants_everywhere wrote: post #197
nine_zeros wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And even at the BigTech companies who claim to have "parallel" technical promotion tracks that don't involve people management, And the promotion to upper technical levels involves - once again - larger influence over people as opposed to technical growth.

It seems reasonable that eventually it's easier to parallelize instead of having a single unit just do more stuff.

There is nothing that states that career progression must be a pyramid which creates the lack of bottleneck and parallelization.

We could have many parallel units and yet each unit can keep making technical progress.

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#283

Post by vbezhenar »

jandrewrogers wrote: post #260

I think a lot of people are talking past each other. I’ve mostly WFH since long before the pandemic, in many different capacities at many companies. A lot of people have tunnel vision and the reality is more nuanced than most allow. For IC work that requires minimal collaboration, WFH is often more productive. Fewer interruptions, more focus. However, when the role requires detailed collaboration and regular interact…

It might be efficient to work 60 hours week. Doesn't mean we should agree to it. Remote work improves quality of life. I don't care about company KPI or efficiency, I care about my own well-being first and foremost, as long as I have a choice. Companies should adapt and if it means that their efficiency will decrease, so be it.

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#284

Post by borski »

giraffe_lady wrote: post #279
novok wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of adult ADHD diagnoses came from the pandemic because a lot of people were suddenly without the structure of an office and became adrift and unproductive. The office provided body doubling, some executive functioning, some help with time blindness, a prosthetic environment and more and now they had to make it themselves without any direction while suffering from poor executive functioning. It was not good for…

> A lot of adult ADHD diagnoses came from the pandemic because a lot of people were suddenly without the structure of an office and became adrift and unproductive. The office provided body doubling, some executive functioning, some help with time blindness, a prosthetic environment and more and now they had to make it themselves without any direction while suffering from poor executive functioning. Well, and now we h…

I don’t think parent meant it as a negative thing. Those are all good things.

It is undeniably true, though, that the pandemic forced a lot of people to do a lot of self-analysis and reflection.

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#285

Post by itohihiyt »

dublinben wrote: post #215
itohihiyt wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I did I can't see it. You'll have to forgive my ignorance for assuming we were talking WFH instead of remote working. I got confused when it stated work from home instead of remote working. Either way "some companies" ain't mine, and I'm not being out of pocket for work.

>and I'm not being out of pocket for work. Are you paid for the time spent commuting? Are your transportation expenses fully reimbursed?

That's a definite false equivalence.

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#286

Post by austinjp »

novok wrote: post #234
throwaway918299 wrote: post #52

I am literally at least 10x when I work from home. I have ADHD and through years of discipline, cultivating my workspace to suit my needs, and hard work I can be productive most of the day in the zone without (much) sidetracking. Literally impossible for me to do in the modern software dev sweatshop. I also make more money, can spend more time with my family because I don’t commute, and plenty of other positives. I l…

A lot of adult ADHD diagnoses came from the pandemic because a lot of people were suddenly without the structure of an office and became adrift and unproductive. The office provided body doubling, some executive functioning, some help with time blindness, a prosthetic environment and more and now they had to make it themselves without any direction while suffering from poor executive functioning. It was not good for…

Just to add (as I'm sure the contributors are aware) parent comment and grandparent comment are both true.

It would be nice if wfh wasn't such a polarised issue.

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#287

Post by wiether »

jandrewrogers wrote: post #260

I think a lot of people are talking past each other. I’ve mostly WFH since long before the pandemic, in many different capacities at many companies. A lot of people have tunnel vision and the reality is more nuanced than most allow. For IC work that requires minimal collaboration, WFH is often more productive. Fewer interruptions, more focus. However, when the role requires detailed collaboration and regular interact…

I totally agree with the core of your comment since that's exactly what I'm telling people when we have discussions around the topic.

But I'm surprised how truer and truer this part sadly is :

> I think a lot of people are talking past each other. I’ve mostly WFH since long before the pandemic, in many different capacities at many companies. A lot of people have tunnel vision and the reality is more nuanced than most allow.

Your comment was at the top so I read it first. Then I browsed through the other threads and... Yes, that's quite sad.

It's just simple empathy. You know what's good for you/what you want, that doesn't mean everybody should live their life the same way.

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#288

Post by itohihiyt »

albedoa wrote: post #255
itohihiyt wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I did I can't see it. You'll have to forgive my ignorance for assuming we were talking WFH instead of remote working. I got confused when it stated work from home instead of remote working. Either way "some companies" ain't mine, and I'm not being out of pocket for work.

[flagged]

If it's silly and pedantic to assume we're talking about the thing plainly stated in both the title and body of the article, then yes I am.

Now if you're actual stance is that when someone says WFH you include all remote work then we are clearly talking about two different things. In which case it should be plainly stated. As it stands it just seems to me you were moving the goalposts.

For clarity WFH when I say it means a type of remote work where you work from you home. You can set up as many straw mans as you want but this it what I've been discussing from the start.

Ultimately WFH is a matter of opinion. I don't like it, you do; and that's fine.

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#289

Post by wiether »

hackernewds wrote: post #258
mgfist wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a mental separation kind of thing. When I've had jobs where I work at an office, I am able to mentally leave work at work. When I've worked from home, I struggle to do that and end up thinking about work when showering or doing dishes.

before covid, you had this 9 to 5 separation where people were required to come in so they basically did, and after they left they would just sometimes even leave the laptops at work during covid you took afternoon naps. so then this liberty also traded for you to work other odd hours with a get-it-done-when-you-can mentality outside the 9 to 5 post covid now? the employers want to have their cake and eat it too; whe…

> during covid you took afternoon naps

We didn't went through the same COVID period I'm afraid.

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#290

Post by nython »

throwaway918299 wrote: post #52

I am literally at least 10x when I work from home. I have ADHD and through years of discipline, cultivating my workspace to suit my needs, and hard work I can be productive most of the day in the zone without (much) sidetracking. Literally impossible for me to do in the modern software dev sweatshop. I also make more money, can spend more time with my family because I don’t commute, and plenty of other positives. I l…

Any tips or reading you would recommend about organizing the workspace to improve focus? I recently switched from a self-imposed 5 days in the office (obscenely short commute, homeschooled kids) to a mostly WFH arrangement (the commute to the new office is two hours each way) and despite having an office with a door lock at home, my productivity could be better.
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