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Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

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Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#111

Post by Raphmedia »

ryandrake wrote: post #19
reificator wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If this is the future of tech work, then I guess I'd better find another career--perhaps gardening or wood-working? Exactly. I can't imagine working in an environment like that. You don't want to hear me playing Smooth by Neil Cicierega[1], and I don't want to hear you playing rap. A work environment is not the place to be playing music for everyone around you. Constant generic music is the worst part of retail, an…

Also alcohol flowing at work? I’m no teetotaler but isn’t that a recipe for trouble? Assuming we’re not just talking about sharing a few beers after hours. I’ve worked with people who drank on the job to the point where they were working totally shitfaced, and it’s not pretty. If they’re meeting with other teams or customers, they’re going to be an embarrassment, and if they’re checking in code... let’s not even go t…

I've been to many "beer flowing" companies and every time it was reserved for the Friday extra paid break. Those taps are there to offer quality beer at a low cost during happy hour on Friday when there's no more work to be done for the day.

I find it hard to believe that any company would allow daytime drinking.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#112

Post by creator_lol »

Try sharing a completely open office concept with 250 people on one floor, it's a joke. Now that I have worked in both a office with walls and this open office concept I can see that people get much more work done in a cubical with walls or an actual office where you can close a door and focus.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#113

Post by BoorishBears »

NathanCH wrote: post #67
bajablast wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Drinking Beer takes the edge off the massive amounts of adderall pumping through my veins after working 15 hours straight

Kill your body, make profit for company.

And yourself. Lots of people kill their bodies for a lot less than what a software developer makes.

Not that it makes it alright that anyone has to do that, but I keep that in mind so I don’t lose perspective.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#114

Post by Nadya »

Raphmedia wrote: post #111
ryandrake wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also alcohol flowing at work? I’m no teetotaler but isn’t that a recipe for trouble? Assuming we’re not just talking about sharing a few beers after hours. I’ve worked with people who drank on the job to the point where they were working totally shitfaced, and it’s not pretty. If they’re meeting with other teams or customers, they’re going to be an embarrassment, and if they’re checking in code... let’s not even go t…

I've been to many "beer flowing" companies and every time it was reserved for the Friday extra paid break. Those taps are there to offer quality beer at a low cost during happy hour on Friday when there's no more work to be done for the day. I find it hard to believe that any company would allow daytime drinking.

Where I work we have beer on tap. People are free to drink whenever and the occasional person will grab a beer with their lunch but peer pressure and not wanting to be drunk while at work means most people won't drink during work hours and it's used mostly after-hours or on weekends.

If it ever became a problem or someone got shitfaced I'm sure we'd see restrictions put into place quite quickly.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#115

Post by Raphmedia »

sneak wrote: post #77
ryandrake wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also alcohol flowing at work? I’m no teetotaler but isn’t that a recipe for trouble? Assuming we’re not just talking about sharing a few beers after hours. I’ve worked with people who drank on the job to the point where they were working totally shitfaced, and it’s not pretty. If they’re meeting with other teams or customers, they’re going to be an embarrassment, and if they’re checking in code... let’s not even go t…

Drinking in general is a really bad idea. I use it as a good and clear signal for who not to associate with, personally and professionally. I am all for having more opportunities for drunkards to expose themselves.

So, if I were to invite you home and offer you a glass of Glenmorangie (Scotch) or Suntory (Japanese Whiskey), that would make me a drunkard? What about a nice glass of finely aged wine? Please, don't limit your worldview to stereotypes...

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#116

Post by akx »

iamben wrote: post #100
LandR wrote: post #27

I work in a shared office / coworking space. We have 3 desks in a large open plan office with a kitchen area. It's about 10 feet from my desk. Most of the time it's just me from our company as the other devs work from home or work out the main office. My experience of working in this shared space: * It's noisy. I mean really noisy, noise cancelling headphones are a must. Like I said the kitchen area is near my desk,…

Anecdotal reply, hot-desking at WW in central London. * Some days noisy, some days very quiet. I have great headphones, but find myself more productive than when I worked at home. People are noisy, but generally the 'hum' is a sensible level, and it's only really irritating if someone is on Skype and conversing without headphones in (I'm not sure why that's more annoying that overhearing a face to face conversation,…

> I'm not sure why that's more annoying that overhearing a face to face conversation, but it definitely is

My guess (and personal experience) is that it's because the frequency response of the speakers is so tinny and thin compared to what you'd expect a regular face-to-face conversation to be, your brain keeps being distracted by it? Same with people "listening to" music by keeping headphones on their desk on full blast...

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#117

Post by dalyons »

izacus wrote: post #97
dalyons wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is 100% the truth. I don’t know why it’s so hard to recognize different people have different working preferences, there’s no absolute correct arrangement. HN (rightfully) shoots down “anecdata”, but on this issue everyone’s fine with a sample size of 1? don’t just shout your preferences at everyone else, it turns these threads into useless repetitive noise.

Probably because research dating back to 1980s (see Peopleware) shows that shared offices are objectively less productive and result in less happy workforce?

It’s been awhile since I read it, so correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought peopleware was advocating for the same as the GP - mixed spaces that suit the individual preferences of teams/individuals.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#118

Post by vl »

nathanaldensr wrote: post #2

They want an office that matches their personality. And apparently, that means beer on tap and lots of it. The office looked like the lobby of a hipster hotel. Over the next few weeks, we showed up each day and tapped away on MacBook Airs to the sounds of Portuguese house music and old-school hip hop piped in through speakers. (“Rap is urban, and so is WeWork,” the company explains online. “But more profoundly, the c…

Notice that you have two excellent start-up ideas here:

* Shared gardening start up. * Shared space for wood-working start up (ok, these already exist).

If developed properly, both are great acquisition targets for WeWork.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#119

Post by coldcode »

nathanaldensr wrote: post #2

They want an office that matches their personality. And apparently, that means beer on tap and lots of it. The office looked like the lobby of a hipster hotel. Over the next few weeks, we showed up each day and tapped away on MacBook Airs to the sounds of Portuguese house music and old-school hip hop piped in through speakers. (“Rap is urban, and so is WeWork,” the company explains online. “But more profoundly, the c…

If you play music in the office, count me out. I am a musician, if I hear music my brain will focus on that and forget coding. I can deal with talking and stuff but not music.
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