34% of remote workers would quit rather than return to full-time office work • Hacker News Board

Re: 34% of remote workers would quit rather than return to full-time office work

#191

Post by maxharris » Wed, Apr 07, 2021, 6:13 PM UTC

mandelbrotwurst wrote: post #33

Alupis wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or, perhaps they had a year to clearly see they're perfectly incapable of doing so. Not every office job is software engineering folks... Imagine trying to manage a warehouse remotely... or bounce ideas off each other in real time at a marketing agency... or any of the other normal jobs that thrive with in-person interaction. Not to mention, 34% is a minority... we can't force the other 66% to work remotely just beca…

Warehouse workers were never working remotely, they got laid off. Re: your last point: 1. That 34% would quit rather than return doesn’t mean the other 66% would prefer to, just that they might not quit over it. 2. It’s possible to employ both remote and on-site workers.

Warehouse workers were never working remotely, they got laid off.

That's not what this report by the BBC says https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54431056

Re: 34% of remote workers would quit rather than return to full-time office work

#192

Post by deedubaya » Wed, Apr 07, 2021, 6:13 PM UTC

I think the next lesson most companies will be learning is that hybrid can be the worst of both worlds. Remote employees will feel out-of-the-loop, in-office employees will feel like they have to jump through hoops to include their remote colleagues. In-office employees will feel like they can't collaborate because of random WFH from a teammate. Remote employees will feel like they're getting dragged into the office because a teammate scheduled an in-person meeting on a day they weren't planning on going into the office.

It's not impossible, but it is a lot harder to figure out than 100% of one or the other.

Re: 34% of remote workers would quit rather than return to full-time office work

#193

Post by auiya » Wed, Apr 07, 2021, 6:13 PM UTC

Anecdotally, my last employer irresponsibly forced most people to return to the office at the height of the 2nd wave. I opted to... not. And I picked up a WFH role instead with a much better salary. So far it's been the best career choice I've ever made.

Re: 34% of remote workers would quit rather than return to full-time office work

#194

Post by geodel » Wed, Apr 07, 2021, 6:14 PM UTC

Alupis wrote: post #13

User23 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Conversely, if an employer isn't willing to let employees do a job remotely after having had a year to see that they're perfectly capable of doing so, they clearly have no attachment to their employees.

Or, perhaps they had a year to clearly see they're perfectly incapable of doing so. Not every office job is software engineering folks... Imagine trying to manage a warehouse remotely... or bounce ideas off each other in real time at a marketing agency... or any of the other normal jobs that thrive with in-person interaction. Not to mention, 34% is a minority... we can't force the other 66% to work remotely just beca…

Well, I think it is about remote workers. For folks who have to be onsite like warehouse managers it is anyway not an option.

> we can't force the other 66% to work remotely

Yes, I think it is not going to happen. But management can force quite a few more than those who are themselves willing to work from home, if it can save some money.

Re: 34% of remote workers would quit rather than return to full-time office work

#195

Post by Black101 » Wed, Apr 07, 2021, 6:14 PM UTC

Until the time comes to quit.

When you live paycheck to paycheck, it isn't an easy decision...

Re: 34% of remote workers would quit rather than return to full-time office work

#196

Post by AlexCoventry » Wed, Apr 07, 2021, 6:15 PM UTC

Alupis wrote: post #13

User23 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Conversely, if an employer isn't willing to let employees do a job remotely after having had a year to see that they're perfectly capable of doing so, they clearly have no attachment to their employees.

Or, perhaps they had a year to clearly see they're perfectly incapable of doing so. Not every office job is software engineering folks... Imagine trying to manage a warehouse remotely... or bounce ideas off each other in real time at a marketing agency... or any of the other normal jobs that thrive with in-person interaction. Not to mention, 34% is a minority... we can't force the other 66% to work remotely just beca…

34% is a big chunk, though, and it makes sense to accomodate them on a deal-breaker, if possible. Doesn't mean everyone has to work remote, but for instance it might be sensible to make meetings remote-friendly by requiring everyone to connect through zoom, even if most of them are in the same room.

Re: 34% of remote workers would quit rather than return to full-time office work

#197

Post by silicon2401 » Wed, Apr 07, 2021, 6:15 PM UTC

eptcyka wrote: post #173

benbristow wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard enough in software engineering IMHO. What used to be swivel in your chair and ask a colleague or going to whoever you need to speak to is now * Send a Slack message/email and wait an arbitrary amount of time for a response. * Organise a Skype/Teams/whatever call in a few hours time and feel guilty about it, as it feels rude to just ring someone as they could be occupied or busy. I spend a stupid amount of t…

Why is it rude to send a PM but not rude to demand attention via physical presence?

It is rude to demand attention via physical presence, it's just normalized by a history of in-person work and extroverts who can't realize that not everybody enjoys or needs in-person interactions

Re: 34% of remote workers would quit rather than return to full-time office work

#198

Post by Closi » Wed, Apr 07, 2021, 6:15 PM UTC

mulmen wrote: post #115

abduhl wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It sounds like you want to be a contractor, not an employee. I would imagine that your job description, if it exists, includes language such as "teamwork," "mentoring," and "problem solving" and does not include language such as "siloed," "completely independent," and "unanswerable to anyone."

> I would imagine that your job description, if it exists, includes language such as "teamwork," "mentoring," and "problem solving" Yes, all of those things are true and I do all of those things. I am speaking specifically about interrupting a coworker who is doing productive work. > "siloed," "completely independent," and "unanswerable to anyone." I didn't say anything about this. Respecting your coworkers time does…

> "As my coworker you have no right to my time, at all. Certainly not on-demand. You are in no position to prioritize my time, especially in the context of you finishing your task. You are blocked by whatever you are blocked by. Solving your problems is your problem. Not mine."

What part of this statement says 'team player' to you?

The whole part about working as a team-player is that solving their problems is your problem, because it is the teams problem.

What you are describing is being assigned a list of stuff and working on it independently, then not helping anyone else unless it's convenient for you. This is colloquially called 'not being a team player'.

Re: 34% of remote workers would quit rather than return to full-time office work

#199

Post by dokem » Wed, Apr 07, 2021, 6:15 PM UTC

aroundtown wrote: post #132

Give me a dedicated office with a door that can shut, allow me to commute during off-peak rush hours, and raise my pay or shorten my work hours for the same rate... then we will talk about coming back in. Currently: I have an dedicated office at home, I can shut my door and work when I need to be distraction free. I don't have my head pinched by headphones for hours, and I can work in silence like I prefer. No cowork…

I switched to a job where I have an office for the first time and it really makes me question HTF open layouts have cough so much traction among employees. I think there was a push away from 'boring' offices and now no one even remembers or knows what having an office is like. I also don't buy the idea that there is really any hindrance to collaboration or casual socialization around the office. And no more packing up all my shit and finding some meeting room I need to schedule through an app just to whiteboard with a co-worker without bugging everyone.

Re: 34% of remote workers would quit rather than return to full-time office work

#200

Post by citizenkeen » Wed, Apr 07, 2021, 6:15 PM UTC

mulmen wrote: post #74

benbristow wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just asking this as a talking point. Does a quick interruption that unblocks me and allows me to continue working outweigh allowing you to finish your thing first? Because maybe you're unblocked but I'm blocked by you now, and the thing that's actually blocking me. So only 1 person is able to work.

> Does a quick interruption that unblocks me and allows me to continue working outweigh allowing you to finish your thing first? No, absolutely not. As my coworker you have no right to my time, at all. Certainly not on-demand. You are in no position to prioritize my time, especially in the context of you finishing your task. > Because maybe you're unblocked but I'm blocked by you now, and the thing that's actually bl…

If someone says "Hey, you got a minute?" and you can't handle that five second interruption and you aren't comfortable saying "How about in half an hour?", that speaks more to you than others.