So it's completely unbelievable that working from home makes some people (some, not all) slacking instead of working? I believe in remote work but it's not just for everyone like so many people seem to believe. I'm a living example of a dysfunctional remote worker.
Working from home doesn't make you slack off. You make you slack off. Own up to your own decisions. While I don't want to flame you or attack you personally, I probably wouldn't want to work with someone with your attitude on either a distributed team or in an office.
I was full-time WFH for 6 wonderful years. I was happy, my productivity was off the charts, I was saving tons of money because I didn't have to spend it on my car and clothes, I had extra time that I wasn't wasting on my commute, etc. Then, we had a big shake-up. A bunch of senior people left, and new "leadership" came in to "transform" our workplace. All WFH was cancelled in our division (in spite of still being off…
> The big boss said "a 15 minute fact-to-face is better than a multi-day email chain" I can't believe that people who are so out of touch with reality are still given so much responsibility at companies which they effectively unknowingly misuse to make everyone's life miserable. There's nothing wrong about a multi day email chain. Sometimes it's the best communication tool, because non-critical/important things can b…
I haven't found any mode of communication that's as effective for building trust as face-to-face interaction. Video conferencing, email, tickets, etc. all work well for the "Let's make a decision on this issue" or "Let's get this specific thing done" use-case, but it's much harder to actually get to know someone and build trust over those mediums. That's unfortunate, because trust between people on a team is a huge force multiplier for getting things done.
What I hate is being lonely. They're shutting down our offices for cost savings. As such I've basically been straight work from home. Working from home reminds me of the isolation of being homeschooled. I love having the flexibility to work remote on certain days, for example when I need to bang out a bunch of code. But, having a place to interact with people is invaluable for me. I imagine countless others feel the…
Try working outside of your home, perhaps in a co-working space or coffee shop.
How anyone can do productive work developing software in a coffee shop, presumably on a laptop, is completely beyond me.
Many would for sure like a private office! But, there are big advantages of remote work over private offices: 1. Lower cost to the company. Private offices are expensive to build and maintain. 2. Less commute time to the employee. Private offices still require commuting which impacts the environment and the employees personal time. 3. Job flexibility. Home workers have (or will have) more options for employment. 4. N…
> 1. Lower cost to the company. Private offices are expensive to build and maintain. You're just pushing that cost to the employee. Are you paying them the amount saved, to furnish their own private offices? Or are you just penalizing the worker to save a buck? > 3. Job flexibility. Home workers have (or will have) more options for employment. I have not seen this. Most companies still don't offer remote work. > 4. N…
> 5. Maintain ties to community. What does this mean?
I have gotten to know my neighbours from nearby houses much better after starting to work remotely, because I spend much more time on the nearby park.
Elephant in the room: how many of these people would prefer it to having a private office ? Strangely, this article/survey/infographic never mentions that option. I'd prefer remote work, too, over sitting in an open floorplan office, but I'd much prefer an actual office to either one. The easy "why" is: despite all the drawbacks, a lot of us will do pretty much anything to get out of an open floorplan.
I think this is exactly it. Offices are prettier than ever and also less conducive to work than ever. I bet most people would choose an office with actual quiet workspaces -- even full-height cubicles! -- given that commutes were also reasonable.
Many would for sure like a private office! But, there are big advantages of remote work over private offices: 1. Lower cost to the company. Private offices are expensive to build and maintain. 2. Less commute time to the employee. Private offices still require commuting which impacts the environment and the employees personal time. 3. Job flexibility. Home workers have (or will have) more options for employment. 4. N…
#6 might be the only real chance the US has of having less divisive politics. Moving the upper middle class and wealthy out of cities could change the game entirely by making the political extremes less concentrated geographically.
rural broadband would need to be improved for this to work in general.
> The big boss said "a 15 minute fact-to-face is better than a multi-day email chain" I can't believe that people who are so out of touch with reality are still given so much responsibility at companies which they effectively unknowingly misuse to make everyone's life miserable. There's nothing wrong about a multi day email chain. Sometimes it's the best communication tool, because non-critical/important things can b…
I haven't found any mode of communication that's as effective for building trust as face-to-face interaction. Video conferencing, email, tickets, etc. all work well for the "Let's make a decision on this issue" or "Let's get this specific thing done" use-case, but it's much harder to actually get to know someone and build trust over those mediums. That's unfortunate, because trust between people on a team is a huge f…
And this is why you have occasional gatherings. To help establish trust and a better sense of community. Every remote position I've held has had at least a yearly get-together for just this reason.
Many would for sure like a private office! But, there are big advantages of remote work over private offices: 1. Lower cost to the company. Private offices are expensive to build and maintain. 2. Less commute time to the employee. Private offices still require commuting which impacts the environment and the employees personal time. 3. Job flexibility. Home workers have (or will have) more options for employment. 4. N…
> 1. Lower cost to the company. Private offices are expensive to build and maintain. You're just pushing that cost to the employee. Are you paying them the amount saved, to furnish their own private offices? Or are you just penalizing the worker to save a buck? > 3. Job flexibility. Home workers have (or will have) more options for employment. I have not seen this. Most companies still don't offer remote work. > 4. N…
This just goes to show you how path dependent things are. I have been given an equipment budget for home office (not to mention the cost savings of no commute), and I have also had relocation expenses covered for multiple moves, including international.
Try working outside of your home, perhaps in a co-working space or coffee shop.
How anyone can do productive work developing software in a coffee shop, presumably on a laptop, is completely beyond me.
I have ADHD. I used to be the same as you. Now that it's treated I can write code in a busy cafe. I too didn't understand how people could be productive in a cafe. But apparently all our minds work differently (that's totally non-sarcastic, I'm always amazed at how hard empathy is)!
>white noise over the speakers I'm fine with open spaces, but this would be the final straw for me
I know it seems crazy, but I've been in several offices that had this. It most cases it worked well and I never noticed it until it would occasionally quit working. The offices where it's worked best were not open, though. They had thin doors/walls and a small speaker (also doubled for the fire alarm/etc) in the ceiling of each office. The white noise was unnoticeable until it was off or you really looked for it. The…
Our ventilation system seems like it's purposely loud enough that you can't hear someone clipping their nails. I
like it a lto. It's not white noise and easy to ignore.