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Facebook extends its work-at-home policy to most employees

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Re: Facebook extends its work-at-home policy to most employees

#261

Post by tayo42 »

totaldex wrote: post #213
tayo42 wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? I would think most tech related learning happens with out other people involved. Learning languages, self study, Stack over flow and simmiliar, reading books. Idk if junior employees need to coddled as much as people think. Maybe just the bottom doesn't cut it. Developing your knowledge on your own is a skill you need any way.

Perhaps, but this assumes that this information is available and accessible. Many engineering organizations don't have full documentation on institutional knowledge, and many things travel by word of mouth.

I think even experienced people struggle in that environment though. I don't think any junior engineer is truly a blank slate. You've usually had internships, unrelated jobs, made it through college where you develop skills to be resourceful and navigate unclear situations.

Re: Facebook extends its work-at-home policy to most employees

#262

Post by 1270018080 »

tayo42 wrote: post #184
magneticnorth wrote: post #12

I am really curious to see where we'll be in a year, two, three down the line wrt remote/office/hybrid work at major companies. This forced experiment has had some surprising outcomes about the effectiveness of remote workplaces, but working from home for only a year, in pandemic conditions, is clearly not the same as indefinitely in normal times. But there's reason to think that may go even better, not worse; I am r…

I wish society learned that there are things more important then corporate efficiency. Maybe optimizing for our quality of life should take precedence over squeezing out that last 10% of work effectiveness. I recently read Russel Bertrand's essay "In praise of idleness", he made this observation that work efficiency dropped during the world war but life still went on. This was from switching to production for the wor…

Europe seemed to have realized this a long time ago. Many Americans still make work much of their identity, and worshiping The Line (the stock market) is in direct conflict with labor rights.

Re: Facebook extends its work-at-home policy to most employees

#263

Post by carnitas »

torgian wrote: post #199
cletus wrote: post #189

Speaking as someone who now works remotely permanently, this has been... life-changing. So for 10 years I lived in NYC and--don't get me wrong--there are lots of things I liked about NYC but I'm so over the summers and the winters. Also bear in mind that I think NYC is infinitely better for most people to live in than the Bay Area. But I now live in Florida. It's about the 182nd day in a row where it's been 70-80F. S…

It’s possible if you become a contractor. That’s what I am now, and I have worked for two companies so far. I live outside the states now. But it does mean dealing with your own taxes, charging a higher rate to compensate for those taxes and other bills, etc. however, I’ve found that I can charge higher and the company can still save money simply because they don’t have to pay for things they would normally pay a per…

Seconded, please share. Do you make significantly more money than full time employee status?

Re: Facebook extends its work-at-home policy to most employees

#264

Post by esrauch »

tshaddox wrote: post #223
cletus wrote: post #189

Speaking as someone who now works remotely permanently, this has been... life-changing. So for 10 years I lived in NYC and--don't get me wrong--there are lots of things I liked about NYC but I'm so over the summers and the winters. Also bear in mind that I think NYC is infinitely better for most people to live in than the Bay Area. But I now live in Florida. It's about the 182nd day in a row where it's been 70-80F. S…

I've never lived or spent significant summer time in Florida or New York City, but your descriptions of summer weather sounded surprising to me. I looked up weather data, and Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa all get significantly hotter (4-7 degrees Fahrenheit higher average temperatures in the hottest part of summer), muggier, and cloudier in the summer. Only Miami is consistently windier in the summer than NYC. Is th…

Not op but have lived in Florida and NYC. I suspect the gap partially relates to the "constructed"/human/social aspects, and not the raw weather itself.

A NYC subway car without AC when it's 87 degrees outside is worse than 100° in Florida; Florida is a lot more effective AC, pools/lanais, open spaces.

Re: Facebook extends its work-at-home policy to most employees

#265

Post by HHC-Hunter »

A4ET8a8uTh0 wrote: post #260

My company has already started its effort to bring all of us back in. There are some exceptions, but it is not clear, who can get it, so it is the usual corporate free for all, which means basically what it always did.. if boss likes us you, they may bestow a favor upon you. Throughout the entire pandemic experience I have become noticeably more cynical, but I have to admit I did not see the ridiculous corporate prop…

>corporate propaganda 'sitting in traffic is good for you' coming. Wow, thank you for this comment, I've only sort of just realized this. Eye opening / Watershed moment.

Re: Facebook extends its work-at-home policy to most employees

#267

Post by bradleyjg »

er4hn wrote: post #208
minsc__and__boo wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>It's worth noting that this doesn't enable a true digital nomad lifestyle if that's what you want. This isn't that hard to circumvent with a mailing address. The real blocker has been pre-covid management not being comfortable with 100% remote.

State taxes are generally not something you want to circumvent. Ps - great baldurs gate 2 ref in your username :)

In the digital nomad case you aren’t circumventing state or federal taxes. By saying you are in, say NC, when you are really in Thailand, Croatia, or Costa Rica depending on the time of year—-you are paying more taxes then you’d owe, not less.

Leaving aside timezones, which you could adjust to if you wanted to, the real issue is that your employers can’t be sure it’s complying with Thai, Croatian, and Costa Rica law and doesn’t want to be the effort in to figure out how to be sure.

Re: Facebook extends its work-at-home policy to most employees

#268

Post by tshaddox »

ehsankia wrote: post #238
tshaddox wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never lived or spent significant summer time in Florida or New York City, but your descriptions of summer weather sounded surprising to me. I looked up weather data, and Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa all get significantly hotter (4-7 degrees Fahrenheit higher average temperatures in the hottest part of summer), muggier, and cloudier in the summer. Only Miami is consistently windier in the summer than NYC. Is th…

Imo focusing on weather is overrated. I worked in the bay area for 3 years, and year the constant weather is cool but for me, far more important is where my friends, family and the things I want to be near are. A nice house, cool activities, vibrant community and stores, etc. Not saying those things are in NYC, there's many other great cities, but I definitely wouldn't pick a place just for the weather.

The importance of weather obviously depends greatly on what you like to do, namely how much time you like to spend outside!

Re: Facebook extends its work-at-home policy to most employees

#269

Post by felideon »

cletus wrote: post #227
majormajor wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But I now live in Florida. It's about the 182nd day in a row where it's been 70-80F. Sure it's humid and that may sound weird after the comment about NYC summers but NYC summers are a special kind of hell beyond the heat and humidity. Here there's usually a breeze. I've been here 6 months and I don't even use the AC. You're comparing FL winters to NYC summers? I'm not sure exactly where you are in FL, but... in mos…

Well it's June now. We're pretty close to what summer is. For the record, I'm in the Miami area. I think it's a little cooler here than some places more inland and upstate. Or maybe I'm imagining things. But what a difference the trade winds make (to me at least). Like I said, it's June and I'm still not using the AC. I just open up my house and enjoy the breeze. Some people, particularly up north, like the have thei…

Heh. Report back in August.

Re: Facebook extends its work-at-home policy to most employees

#270

Post by nkozyra »

cletus wrote: post #243
nkozyra wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But I now live in Florida. It's about the 182nd day in a row where it's been 70-80F. What part of Florida? It generally starts hitting 90 in May most of the state and stays there into November. I've lived in NYC and yes, January-March can be tough and a few weeks in September are awful but Florida is just oppressively hot for six+ months of the year. The worst part is it doesn't cool down at night so you don't even…

Miami. I'm not sure it's hit 90F hit but it's definitely hit 85-88F. So close. I'm not sure how much hotter it'll get but I'm all about it still. I've thought about why this is. Not commuting I think is a big part of it. So the weather doesn't have to bother me if I don't want it to. Like I literally don't have to go anywhere. I think the trade winds are a big factor too. Hot, humid and still is a special kind of hel…

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but you said:

> It's about the 182nd day in a row where it's been 70-80F.

And this is simply untrue (according to Weather.com and Weather Underground). I mention this because there's this big push (I'm sure you've noticed) among tech/VCs/Miami govt to paint a very rosy picture of Miami as an alternative to Silicon Valley.

Every day this week is expected to be 86-89. And to folks not from Florida ... that's HOT in Florida. I've lived in NYC, I've lived in Austin, I've lived in "Hotlanta" ... there's nothing like a Florida hot. And unless you're right on the water, it feels ... like much more.

The last week in January this year had 4 days above 80. The last week in February every single day was over 80 and two days over 85. In 2018 my NYC-based company decided to come to Orlando in the last week of February. Five of the seven days were OVER 90!

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