Swiss companies must pay share of rent for employees working from home • Hacker News Board

Re: Swiss companies must pay share of rent for employees working from home

#261

Post by dahu2004 » Tue, May 26, 2020, 5:24 AM UTC

dahfizz wrote: post #234

throwaway2048 wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If inflation is 10% a year for 100+ years you are going to have bigger problems than the rent 130 year old person is paying.

I chose that number for easy math. The point is that rent grows less than half as quick as inflation, which is definitely unsustainable.

That is if you don't renovate nor modernise the building at all. It is an incentive for landlords to keep the building up to date. In your corner case scenario, an outdated 100 years old apartment would be pretty lame and worth its fair price of "almost free".

Re: Swiss companies must pay share of rent for employees working from home

#262

Post by derefr » Tue, May 26, 2020, 4:36 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #187

derefr wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine if you will: a condo building that's designed as a mixed residential/commercial space, where there are apartment units, and office units that are free-to-use for anyone with an apartment there. And the office units are pre-furnished.

Now you're essentially paying for a co-working space (whether you use it or not or whether there's always a space available) through some combination of higher unit prices and condo fees. Wouldn't it make more sense for those who need/want a work area outside their apartment to get a co-working space?

The idea here isn't that you want a work area outside your apartment. The idea is that you'd ideally want an extra room in your apartment to serve as a home office, but you are willing to time-share it with other people to make it cheaper than the cost of an actual additional room for your exclusive use. But you still get to wander over there in your house slippers, just like a dorm kitchen.

Re: Swiss companies must pay share of rent for employees working from home

#263

Post by vidarh » Tue, May 26, 2020, 6:23 PM UTC

manigandham wrote: post #252

vidarh wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My workspace cost me money to furnish, and it permanently takes up part of my house. I don't personally mind as software development is a large part of my hobbies as well so I'd have that dedicated space irrespective of my job, but for a lot of people the need for a dedicated work space is tied to their job, and not something they'd otherwise need. Whether or not it's a net saving vs. transport costs really depends o…

Are people really creating dedicated spaces? What happened to all those people who were in coworking spaces and cafes where they really had nothing more than a desk and a chair? I think the developer perspective can cloud the fact that the overwhelming majority just have a laptop and a place to put it for their "workspace".

I think people quickly will realise that if they're working at spaces like that full time in front of a laptop they'll soon be dealing with neck strain, back pain and all kinds of issues. I've worked with "just a laptop and a place to put it" and it can work for a while, but it's an awful full time replacement.

There's little that is special about software development from that point of view.

"All those people" who are in cafes really are a tiny little fraction of workers, and most co-working spaces I've been to have a wide variety of proper office environments because unsurprisingly a lot of people need a proper environment to get work done.

Everyone whose house I've seen who works from home more than every now and again has had a dedicated space.

Re: Swiss companies must pay share of rent for employees working from home

#264

Post by llampx » Wed, May 27, 2020, 10:38 AM UTC

dahfizz wrote: post #192

sdfx wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A trend that started already in a lot of companies a couple of years ago and will only be accelerated by Covid. Many places do overbook desks in offices right now and have flex-tables without fixed assigned workers. Seems fair to think about compensating employees for the costs that are being pushed to their side.

I don't understand what costs are pushed on me when I WFH. I already need a place to live and an internet connection. What else is there?

One can work from the couch or living room table in a pinch, but if you need privacy, or the contract mandates a certain level of confidentiality (like other people not being able to see the screen, or having to lock paperwork away) you will want to invest in a separate room for work.

Also, at least in Germany, not sure about Switzerland, you can only write off the rent, taxes-wise, for a separate office room with a door. You can't write off a desk in a room used for other purposes or a space in a hallway.

Not to mention if you have roommates or a spouse and kids.