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Working from home is powering productivity

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Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#471
post #375

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The solution to this conundrum is to give people a choice. Except that if most choose full time remote, then those who favour hybrid (like me) or RTO have their choice made for them wrt collaboration and the other reasons given in the parent comment, so unfortunately, no, that's not really a solution.

If most people choose full time remote if given the option then it's pretty selfish to demand they all go to the office because you prefer it.

Its not as simple as a democratic choice, that was my point. Work isn't like that.

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#472

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The solution to this conundrum is to give people a choice. Except that if most choose full time remote, then those who favour hybrid (like me) or RTO have their choice made for them wrt collaboration and the other reasons given in the parent comment, so unfortunately, no, that's not really a solution.

A bunch of reluctantly-at-the-office coworkers isn't going to be the collaboration utopia you're hoping for. If you end up with an empty office because everyone chose WFH, switch companies. Eventually things will balance out, with people in companies that have the right balance for them.

Many positives to remote work, but an improvement in collaboration and team ethos is hardly one of them!

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#473
yes, working from home is one of the great solutions if you want a work-life balance. In my country, the term work from home became popular when the pandemic hit at the beginning of 2020, and til now several company (mostly tech, blockchain, and finance) still doing it. But honestly, if you asking about productivity working from the office is still a better choice.

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#474

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Companies need to make money. High performers will go to companies that make tons of money, even if relo to Sahara is needed

Sure but it's often a cycle right, the high performers go to innovative companies that create lots of money. The companies that make lots of money then end up being softer & more extravagant with their employee (ahem, GOOG and a lot of Mag7/FAANG) until some equilibrium point where they're so soft they lose their edge. Then a new up&comer rises and the cycle repeats.

Exactly. So, we need to make those companies more successful:)

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#475
post #432

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As a business owner however, the question is: what is best for the business? It is very simple: you need best people. In tech industry, people are smart, they know how to optimize things, and they rarely believe in "company values" bullshit. You can choose from a limited talent pool. If you give yourself and them a choice, including the WFH option, you statistically increase your chances of finding the best people.…

> It is very simple: you need best people Would that it were so simple! But are you saying this from your experience hiring for teams that execute well? > you statistically increase your chances of finding the best people Do you have statistics proving this? Please share data. > they rarely believe in "company values" bullshit Are you honestly saying that in all the interviews you've attended, you never ask and you'v…

> And if the question was asked the answer had nothing to do with the company's mission? That's amazing

No offense, are you being for real? Do you think a single employee gives even the faintest of a fuck about the company's mission?

Everyone bullshits it. We all know, and understand, that when you're asked questions like that you say what people want to hear.

People work for exactly one thing, money. The trick is making the money in the least expensive way - expenses being time, energy, and health. It's all fun going to an office 5 days a week until you're old, fat, and your smoking habit has caught up to you. And now what? You die feeling like you did the last 30 years of your life: shit.

Who will remember you? I won't. Your coworkers won't. The company as a whole won't. And what did you gain?

Everything in life is a game of cost analysis. If you're not prioritizing yourself and your own cost analysis, you're a sucker. There're people making more money than you, who are MUCH happier, who work less, and are healthier. Do you want to continue a life of jealousy and self-hatred? Or, will you demand better for yourself? Ultimately, nobody else cares, so you don't have to bother answering. This is just food for thought.

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#476
post #420

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>As a business owner however, the question is: what is best for the business? I would guess having employees that feel valued for their productivity and contributions would be what is best for the business, no?

> I would guess having employees that feel valued […] would be what is best for the business, no? It depends. I think what's best for a business is having employees who want to win and want the business to win, as a primary goal. It's not really easy to make an adult feel valued because individuals have very different motivations and personalities, so good feelings as a goal is a shifting target. Of course, if it wer…

Sure. Employees feeling valued is necessary but not sufficient. Workers most focused on "winning" will have higher salaries (it's what they're optimizing) so just hire over priced people and ensure your employees are all "winners".

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#477
post #432

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It is very simple: you need best people Would that it were so simple! But are you saying this from your experience hiring for teams that execute well? > you statistically increase your chances of finding the best people Do you have statistics proving this? Please share data. > they rarely believe in "company values" bullshit Are you honestly saying that in all the interviews you've attended, you never ask and you'v…

> And if the question was asked the answer had nothing to do with the company's mission? That's amazing No offense, are you being for real? Do you think a single employee gives even the faintest of a fuck about the company's mission? Everyone bullshits it. We all know, and understand, that when you're asked questions like that you say what people want to hear. People work for exactly one thing, money. The trick is ma…

> Everyone bullshits it. We all know, and understand, that when you're asked questions like that you say what people want to hear.[…] Ultimately, nobody else cares, so you don't have to bother answering. This is just food for thought.

You sound very young or very jaded. That's unfortunate.

As for "Everyone does X", I'll remind you of the saying that "A thief always thinks everyone is trying to steal from him."

You wrote a long ass reply just to express your miserabalist nihilist world view. When you find yourself doing that online or in real life, just get therapy because while it might seem normal and sane to you, it's an unhinged and unhealthy state of mind. :-(

P.s. If you have time for a break, do watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi or The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness for insights on how others found meaning in the work they do daily.

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#478
post #477

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And if the question was asked the answer had nothing to do with the company's mission? That's amazing No offense, are you being for real? Do you think a single employee gives even the faintest of a fuck about the company's mission? Everyone bullshits it. We all know, and understand, that when you're asked questions like that you say what people want to hear. People work for exactly one thing, money. The trick is ma…

> Everyone bullshits it. We all know, and understand, that when you're asked questions like that you say what people want to hear.[…] Ultimately, nobody else cares, so you don't have to bother answering. This is just food for thought. You sound very young or very jaded. That's unfortunate. As for "Everyone does X", I'll remind you of the saying that "A thief always thinks everyone is trying to steal from him." You wr…

It's not miserabilist or nihilist. I'm a very happy person and there's a lot I care about. My family, my partner, my friends, and the memories and experiences I live. I care about the ones who love me and the things we do together.

I don't care about work because I'm not pathetic. Ultimately when you inevitably die you won't remember meetings, or cubicles, or water cooler talk. And that's really the big idea. Who do you want to be? What do you want to spend your care on? And, who will care? I can tell you right now - not a single person in your life who matters gives a single fuck about what you do at work. So WHO are you performing for?

And, to be clear, everyone does bullshit it at work. I have genuine interactions constantly when I'm out. Never at work. It's corporate America, everything is at least a little off, a little filtered. I'm not the first one to make the observation. To me, it's obvious, so if you're not seeing it, you might be socially deficient.

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#479
post #477

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Everyone bullshits it. We all know, and understand, that when you're asked questions like that you say what people want to hear.[…] Ultimately, nobody else cares, so you don't have to bother answering. This is just food for thought. You sound very young or very jaded. That's unfortunate. As for "Everyone does X", I'll remind you of the saying that "A thief always thinks everyone is trying to steal from him." You wr…

It's not miserabilist or nihilist. I'm a very happy person and there's a lot I care about. My family, my partner, my friends, and the memories and experiences I live. I care about the ones who love me and the things we do together. I don't care about work because I'm not pathetic. Ultimately when you inevitably die you won't remember meetings, or cubicles, or water cooler talk. And that's really the big idea. Who do…

> I don't care about work because I'm not pathetic.

I honestly don't know who you're trying to convince. The lady doth protest overmuch me thinks. Perhaps you're hoping I'll collapse under the sheer weight of your tedious prose and say, actually, you're right, my work 'tis sound and fury signifying nothing after all, you're so right?

> Ultimately when you inevitably die you won't remember meetings, or cubicles, or water cooler talk. And that's really the big idea.

That's actually a small and pathetic idea because, unless you've made a groundbreaking discovery in neuroscience, I'm sure no one remembers anything after they die. People who mistake useless ideas for profound insights definitely need therapy. That's called delusion.

> Who do you want to be?

I want to be someone who does great work.

> What do you want to spend your care on? And, who will care? I can tell you right now - not a single person in your life who matters gives a single fuck about what you do at work.

I'm genuinely sorry no one in your life cares about what you spend most of your week doing. That's really tragic.

But even if I were in your shoes and no one cared, that's irrelevant. I care! and in the calculus of existence, my opinion of myself is what matters.

> So WHO are you performing for?

It's actually you who is performing, or rather affecting, a rather tired brand of cynicism. Incidentally, cynical people tend to perform worse than average in cognitive tests so …

But seriously, your talking to a man who was trained by Opus Dei. We believe that any work whatsoever is a sacrament which we offer to God, and so that imbues even the most trivial janitorial work (which I have done in the past) with deep significance. And that's even before I go on a long spiel about how I love my work and what I'm doing is literally what I dreamt of doing as a boy.

But good luck to you, friend. To each his own. It's your life, you're living, not mine. I wish you well.

Re: Working from home is powering productivity

#480
post #432

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It is very simple: you need best people Would that it were so simple! But are you saying this from your experience hiring for teams that execute well? > you statistically increase your chances of finding the best people Do you have statistics proving this? Please share data. > they rarely believe in "company values" bullshit Are you honestly saying that in all the interviews you've attended, you never ask and you'v…

> Would that it were so simple! But are you saying this from your experience hiring for teams that execute well? I oversimplified it not to stray away from the main topic but actually they need to have very specific features like the willingness to collaborate, the ability to communicate when the time is right, being technically proficient and so on. > Do you have statistics proving this? Please share data. Let A be…

> Let A1 be the subset of people who would be fit for the job from the set A, and B1 be the subset of people who would be fit for the job from the set B. From the basic properties of real numbers one can infer that A1 + B1 is at least equal to B1.

This is a deeply frustrating response. I asked if you have any data to back up your claims. Recall "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence".

Instead you give me the kind of thing that people who don't study mathematics think a mathematical proof looks like.

It's certainly not real world empirical data. Your response is worse than useless in this context.

What's even more frustrating is that your "proof" clearly shows that you only recently learnt about real numbers. (Why would you use real numbers for a countable set? Why would real numbers be a useful way of counting discrete humans? How many real numbers are there between any 2 real numbers?)

So you've just learnt about real numbers and you're probably a teenager. Then why are you saying random things to strangers on the internet and pretending to know what you're talking about?

This makes me so sad.

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