Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices • Hacker News Board

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#281

Post by rorykoehler » Thu, Feb 22, 2018, 2:39 AM UTC

gambiting wrote: post #5

nathanaldensr wrote: post #2

They want an office that matches their personality. And apparently, that means beer on tap and lots of it. The office looked like the lobby of a hipster hotel. Over the next few weeks, we showed up each day and tapped away on MacBook Airs to the sounds of Portuguese house music and old-school hip hop piped in through speakers. (“Rap is urban, and so is WeWork,” the company explains online. “But more profoundly, the c…

I can't imagine worse environment for a tech job than the one where you have music playing out of speakers. Also - working on your laptop? Without proper monitors and upright sitting position? Nope, thank you.

I got an ipad pro (larger one) and a clamp so I can use it as a second monitor at eye level anywhere. I do get a few funny looks from time to time but considering how much time I spend travelling it's been a worthwhile investment.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#282

Post by meddlepal » Thu, Feb 22, 2018, 2:40 AM UTC

Yhippa wrote: post #107

LandR wrote: post #27

I work in a shared office / coworking space. We have 3 desks in a large open plan office with a kitchen area. It's about 10 feet from my desk. Most of the time it's just me from our company as the other devs work from home or work out the main office. My experience of working in this shared space: * It's noisy. I mean really noisy, noise cancelling headphones are a must. Like I said the kitchen area is near my desk,…

Your experience mirrors exactly the ones I've had at a WeWork on the East Coast of the US. Ours was cleaner but amenities we were paying for were randomly missing or not working. I gave up talking to people after a while. Nobody seemed particularly interested in socializing in the common areas which in retrospect I understand and I got some abrasive reactions from just trying to start conversation. Perhaps they were…

Northeast, Mid-Atlantic or Southeast coast? Speaking as a Northeast native... cold shoulder / people avoidance is cultural.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#283

Post by chimpburger » Thu, Feb 22, 2018, 2:44 AM UTC

turc1656 wrote: post #210

Am I the only one who has grown to absolutely despise the term "creative" when used as a type of worker/employee? As in, for example (from the article) "members of the creative class" and "young creative types". Makes my skin crawl for some reason. I envision a bunch of people who stand around smelling each other's farts like they are at a wine tasting. I realize this comment isn't really productive and doesn't reall…

It is quite pretentious.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#284

Post by jpindar » Thu, Feb 22, 2018, 3:07 AM UTC

tribune wrote: post #10

"People don't buy products, they buy better versions of themselves." $500/month is a lot of money for a chair at a noisy table. On the other hand, $500/month is easier to stomach if it comes with the feeling of being successful.

$500 a month? Daaaamn I'm in the wrong business.

Would anyone like to rent a private office in walking distance of beautiful Hampton Beach, NH? (Price negotiable.)

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#285

Post by skellera » Thu, Feb 22, 2018, 3:19 AM UTC

ExactoKnight wrote: post #190

silverbax88 wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You show me any company with beer on tap, and I'll show you a company that I will run over if we are competing against each other.

Ah, said like a classic startup bro who really doesn't realize how badly he's getting screwed on equity yet. Such brash optimism and such little appreciation for the pleasures of life beyond winning.

Some people have different views of what work should be. Don’t need to start name calling.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#286

Post by flamtap » Thu, Feb 22, 2018, 3:25 AM UTC

rdiddly wrote: post #169

ramphastidae wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Drinking at work is one of the absolutely worst traits of tech. Not only is it totally unprofessional, but things like ‘Friday beers’ are actually presented by companies as a benefit, and you face major social and professional consequences for not participating. It’s obscene.

You know what I don't like about "Friday beers" in the workplace? It's not the beers. It's the fact that it's a company-scheduled and company-sanctioned event. The company is trying to (pick your favorite interpretation)... ...paternalistically manage our social lives ...tone-deafly intrude on them ...desperately be a part of them ...co-opt something cool and make it corporate ...do the adult equivalent of turning ch…

>So we can talk shit about the management and people we don't like!

Heh, at my last job we always went out to a pub for some burgers and beer on Fridays. 75% of the conversation revolved around exactly this. I found it an important way to decompress and let off steam.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#287

Post by Mountain_Skies » Thu, Feb 22, 2018, 3:31 AM UTC

gregmac wrote: post #140

btbuildem wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The kitchen area, despite being an office staffed with supposed professionals, is always a mess. How does this happen? It's a common space, so it's nobody's. Especially in an environment like that, a collection of separated individuals

All it takes is one person to really mess it up. It's kind of like breaking the ice -- the barrier to actually making the area go from "clean" to "not clean" is much higher than just making it go from "messy" to "slightly messier". In an office with a dozen or more people there's a pretty high chance there's at least one person who is lazy, "too important" and/or "too busy" to clean up after themselves.

When my company moved into a new building, there was a problem with employees leaving dishes in the sink, not wiping up spills, etc. One of our coworkers wrote a letter to 'Dear Abby' who responded in her column. That column was clipped out and posted in the break areas. A bit passive aggressive maybe but it was incredibly effective.

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#288

Post by rosege » Thu, Feb 22, 2018, 3:31 AM UTC

ShorsHammer wrote: post #269

Artemis2 wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory might be an interesting read.

Also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons > a shared-resource system where individual users acting independently according to their own self-interest behave contrary to the common good of all users by depleting or spoiling that resource through their collective action.

I'm going to throw another link out there and suggest its worth charging a little more and having cleaning staff https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division_of_labour

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#289

Post by Axsuul » Thu, Feb 22, 2018, 3:52 AM UTC

josephjrobison wrote: post #50

LandR wrote: post #27

I work in a shared office / coworking space. We have 3 desks in a large open plan office with a kitchen area. It's about 10 feet from my desk. Most of the time it's just me from our company as the other devs work from home or work out the main office. My experience of working in this shared space: * It's noisy. I mean really noisy, noise cancelling headphones are a must. Like I said the kitchen area is near my desk,…

100% agree that there is a lot less of the cross-pollination of companies as they kind of advertise. At the WeWork I'm at, it's a mix. You can be friendly and talk to other people if you try. If you don't try it's not going to happen. As far as productivity, I'm a full 50%+ more productive at the coworking space vs being at home. And compared to a coffee shop, it's about the same price and a lot more convenient to ha…

How much do you pay for your WeWork space where it's about the same as a coffee shop?

Re: Why It’s So Hard to Actually Work in Shared Offices

#290

Post by fragmede » Thu, Feb 22, 2018, 4:05 AM UTC

az123zaz wrote: post #267

This narrative seems to be common these days about WeWork: - it has a high valuation - nobody there really works - everyone there is a stupid startup that won't pan out - WeWork is a scam In the past, I've worked at fortune 50 companies in private office, at startups in open office, rented space personally at various coworking spaces, and currently rent a hot desk in a WeWork in Brooklyn. Where I work, on any given w…

There's a (currently) $20 billion valuation on the line, expect to see quite a lot more press (positive and negative) in 2018 as they press towards an IPO.

It's not about "trashing the unicorn" (eg, Dropbox has managed to keep negative press to a minimum). It's that there's yet to be anything substantive that examines what people are doing that isn't "a stupid start up that won't pan out" that justify paying $350/mo for a desk, when a coffee shop will do.

The prejudice is not that that your "stupid start up that won't pan out" won't, err, pan out, but that eventually the entire industry will collapse and we'll all have to go back to doing serious work at serious jobs. No more getting paid to make a dating app for people with dogs with a floppy left ear.

Despite evidence to the contrary, WeWorks isn't selling office space, they're selling convenience and a lifestyle (two things people are willing to pay a premium for). If you've got an niche business with revenue that lets you afford $350/mo, and you're getting value out of WeWorks, good for you! Keep that niche your secret though.