Google asks some employees to share desks amid office downsizing

Post by whiplash451 » Thu, Feb 23, 2023, 9:06 PM UTC

posharma wrote: post #87

VikingCoder wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google never went through bad PR before Sundar? Sunday became CEO on August 10, 2015. Google+ was launched in 2011. (And the "real name" policy was a PR disaster.) Google Reader was shut down in 2013. (You can hardly find a PR disaster that people in the tech world complain about more.) Google, Apple, Intel, Adobe had an anti-poaching agreement that finally got settled in 2015, but they were getting bad press before…

There were a lot of other good things going that masked these. The recent "PR botch ups" are creating more damage. The most famous e.g. is reacting to ChatGPT's hype and rushing to do a demo and then messing it up. It wasn't so much messing up the demo that caught they eye; it was how Google rushed/reacted to do it esp. when Google is considered to be at the forefront of AI. Again, optics. Besides Sundar hasn't come…

Post by haunter » Thu, Feb 23, 2023, 9:11 PM UTC

scarface74 wrote: post #105

CydeWeys wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a Googler who very much cares about having my own desk. I hate WFH because I find it to be miserable, strongly prefer WFO, and this would make WFO miserable too. I'm not gonna be miserable for 8 hours every day for any amount of money.

How is WFH miserable and if it is, it’s your home, can’t you make it more comfortable?

Post by whiplash451 » Thu, Feb 23, 2023, 9:13 PM UTC

vechagup wrote: post #27

Macha wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google is also one of those companies pushing for RTO though, from what I understood.

RTO is barely being pushed for. They said "you should come to the office these 3 days", but almost no one did and no manager seems to care.

Post by KyeRussell » Thu, Feb 23, 2023, 9:17 PM UTC

Laaas wrote: post #43

flax wrote: post #34

When I was at Google (Kirkland), the offices were basically open-plan fishbowls. WFH was massively better. I once worked at a startup (pre-covid) that had an open-plan setup with a significant portion of people using standing desks. They provided one stool for 2 standing desks justifying it because "if you use a standing desk you should be standing most of the time". Pure cheapskate short-sightedness.

Well, that could be justified as maintaining the health of the employees by forcing one of two to stand up at any time.

Post by scarface74 » Thu, Feb 23, 2023, 9:17 PM UTC

gwoplock wrote: post #120

scarface74 wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is WFH miserable and if it is, it’s your home, can’t you make it more comfortable?

Not OP, but for me, it's the isolation. I wouldn't quite call it miserable unless I can't go out. I lasted only a few days into WFH for COVID before I went to live with my parents until I was forced back to the office. Just a few weeks ago I was snowed in for a week and I was about to crawl up the walls.