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EA Pushes Full Return to Office, Effectively Ends Remote Hiring

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Re: EA Pushes Full Return to Office, Effectively Ends Remote Hiring

#31
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. I had a bizarre interview experience with them whereupon finishing the interview, the hiring manager emailed me once a week for about 4 or 5 weeks in a row asking if I was still interested. It was bizarre. How many times do I have to say yes? After the 4th or 5th time I just told them no, not any more.

Ghost jobs perhaps to test the market, inflate stats reported to regulators, and/or HR people justifying their jobs.

I don't think so. This was almost 15yrs ago before this was common. Also they wouldn't waste time asking if I was still interested after completing a full interview if it was just a ghost job.

Re: EA Pushes Full Return to Office, Effectively Ends Remote Hiring

#32

The problem is, they don't even let most people have actual offices at the office. Even if productivity is better this way, isn't there an advantage to being able to hire people from a wider geography, access to a larger talent pool? I read @paulg and other leadership type YC people support return to office as well. I recall startups competing for talent desperately. That was why silicon valley startups always had cr…

It's not complicated, they don't trust remote workers except for a few exceptional individuals.

Re: EA Pushes Full Return to Office, Effectively Ends Remote Hiring

#33
post #26
post #21

Are there any companies making the news that are going in the opposite direction? Allowing more flexible “hybrid”, or even full remote? I recently got an Amazon recruiter ping, but realized that they couldn’t pay me enough to commute into the city center. I’m not really looking, but if push came to shove, I would have to if the industry is really moving back to the office. Makes me real sad.

How do you want them to pump up real estate prices if people can work and live outside of city centers ? What are they going to do with all these gigantic towers ? Thinks about these poor mill/billionaires!

Who is "they"?

The companies bringing employees back to the office aren't typically the owners of these buildings not are they real estate investors.

Re: EA Pushes Full Return to Office, Effectively Ends Remote Hiring

#34
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you want them to pump up real estate prices if people can work and live outside of city centers ? What are they going to do with all these gigantic towers ? Thinks about these poor mill/billionaires!

Who is "they"? The companies bringing employees back to the office aren't typically the owners of these buildings not are they real estate investors.

Companies don’t lease month to month. Empty space is $$$$ out the door every month.

Re: EA Pushes Full Return to Office, Effectively Ends Remote Hiring

#35
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you want them to pump up real estate prices if people can work and live outside of city centers ? What are they going to do with all these gigantic towers ? Thinks about these poor mill/billionaires!

Who is "they"? The companies bringing employees back to the office aren't typically the owners of these buildings not are they real estate investors.

No, but many of them may have signed agreements that provided tax breaks for their office location.

Local businesses want humans near them.. that was the agreement, and the government wants that generated tax revenue.

Many of this big orgs are not "maintaining their side of the agreement" - hence pressure to return.. lest tax breaks get challenged.

Re: EA Pushes Full Return to Office, Effectively Ends Remote Hiring

#36
post #25
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> After the 4th or 5th time I just told them no, not any more. I hope that is the point where they sent the offer.

Nope! You would think so, but they just replied "okay, good luck". Like I said, just very bizarre.

Damn, I thought you had nailed it with the "no". Better luck next time!

Re: EA Pushes Full Return to Office, Effectively Ends Remote Hiring

#37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you care about your work enough that you're willing to come to the office every day (or even move cities/countries), then you'll be extremely engaged. Or extremely stupid (if for the same money you get WFH without the need to move to another city or even country and waste I don't know how many hours commuting, and spending most of your life in a space that you can't really adapt to your needs).

But you're precisely proving my point: If you're willing to go through all of that, you're super committed to that job! If you're committed for the right reasons or not ultimately doesn't matter, but it is a filter for candidates. Plus there are people who genuinely like working from an office full-time.

I see your point, but the risk is that instead of the most motivated ones you get the most desperate ones. It is not the same.

Re: EA Pushes Full Return to Office, Effectively Ends Remote Hiring

#38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who is "they"? The companies bringing employees back to the office aren't typically the owners of these buildings not are they real estate investors.

Companies don’t lease month to month. Empty space is $$$$ out the door every month.

The parent comment is specifically about the motivation for back to office being real estate prices.

Sunk cost fallacy may be a factor but it's not the same.

Re: EA Pushes Full Return to Office, Effectively Ends Remote Hiring

#39
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who is "they"? The companies bringing employees back to the office aren't typically the owners of these buildings not are they real estate investors.

No, but many of them may have signed agreements that provided tax breaks for their office location. Local businesses want humans near them.. that was the agreement, and the government wants that generated tax revenue. Many of this big orgs are not "maintaining their side of the agreement" - hence pressure to return.. lest tax breaks get challenged.

Those tax breaks offset the price of the office. The price off the office doesn't need a tax break if you don't have an office.

Frankly, the idea that there is any logical financial motivation (aside from an idea of increased productivity) for return to office is far fetched.

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