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

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

#301

Post by tezzer »

dzhiurgis wrote: post #282
tezzer wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Several do, the few times I've gone into the office and done a little problem solving with the folks who were there, we accomplished like a week of work in an hour. There's something about putting heads together that's hard to replace. Some of our folks have always been ~90% remote and that's fine, but I think they're missing out on one of the joys of engineering.

IMO companies should pay less people like you as your preferences incur more costs. Alternatively you could hire a co-working hub if you prefer that, but such costs shouldn't be passed onto people who ARE able to control their emotions and work/life balance.

So instead I should personally shoulder the real estate and infrastructure costs of working from home? No thanks.

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

#302

Post by g051051 »

dzhiurgis wrote: post #285
VBprogrammer wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't see anyone mention, not only are you disrupting the person you have turned around to ask a question but likely 3-4 people in the immediate vicinity. Depending on your office layout and the loudness of your conversation maybe even more.

Now everyone wears $500 helicopter noise cancelling headphones and you have wait it out till they are done. I've got so used to them to get me to my zone I still use at home...

In our office, wearing headphones was viewed as not being a "team player", because it dissuaded people from interrupting you!

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

#303

Post by tezzer »

dzhiurgis wrote: post #283
Teknoman117 wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm in the same boat, and I pay a bit extra to live walking distance from my office. I detest working from home full time. It used to be a clear mental distinction between "this is my safe space where I don't worry about work" and "this is where I'm putting all of this time slice into work". I've done little personal development and I'm stressed all of the time because I don't feel comfortable at home anymore. I'm gl…

So then you'd be fine to pay a bit extra for a co-working hub.

I think that's an expense a company should be enthusiastic about paying- along with upgraded internet, sharing of power bills... maybe the occasional lunch delivery.

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

#304

Post by u801e »

benbristow wrote: post #44
toomuchtodo wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not a remote problem, that's a project management and communications problem. Physical proximity is no replacement for clearly communicated requirements/bug reports/product roadmaps as well as tribal knowledge (which should not be tribal but documented somewhere searchable and robustly accessible), but it makes a nice hack when everyone is required to be in the office.

Agreed on it being PM/Communications problems. Definitely easier in the office though. Another thing is that it's often harder to write your question/problem in text as a message, when in verbal communication it's a lot easier (personally, YMMV). But having to organise calls to get that verbal communication is a pain.

I actually have the opposite issue. That is, I find it easier to write my question down and communicate via text. Sometimes, connection issues, background noise (over video or in person) make it difficult to understand what others are saying.

Also, there may be things that were said, but I may not remember, so I'll have to ask again for the information. With text, you can always go back to those messages and re-read them.

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

#305

Post by u801e »

ghaff wrote: post #96
benbristow wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It feels a lot more natural if you're sitting right next to someone or just around the corner. You can peek and make an educated decision of whether they look busy or not. If it's a call it's a bit out of the blue. Maybe they don't have their headset around/plugged in, maybe they're doing something like eating or doing laundry. You just don't know because all you see is an activity status icon.

I pretty much never call anyone out of the blue. I'd almost certainly message them and ask them if we can have a quick call.

I have one coworker like that. It turns out that we're not able to schedule it until near the end of the day and it's just a simple question that could have been typed by them and answered by me far sooner had they typed the question instead of can we have a quick call.

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

#306

Post by dr-detroit »

tezzer wrote: post #129
mulmen wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

34% being unwilling to work in offices does not imply not the 66% prefer to work in offices. It is entirely possible (however unlikely) that 100% of people prefer to work remotely but that 34% demand it. You just can't infer anything about the preferences of the 66% based on the preferences of the 34%. Some jobs have to be done in person, sure. But some jobs don't. Personally the extra two hours a day and reduced str…

I'm a software engineer. I can do my job 100% remotely. I can't wait to get back to the office. I like in-person collaboration, and I really like having separation between my work life and my home life. This year has been torture.

Get a hobby? I wonder what % of people have this fetish for smelling their cowokers farts in the restroom.

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

#307

Post by dr-detroit »

g051051 wrote: post #302
dzhiurgis wrote: post #285

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now everyone wears $500 helicopter noise cancelling headphones and you have wait it out till they are done. I've got so used to them to get me to my zone I still use at home...

In our office, wearing headphones was viewed as not being a "team player", because it dissuaded people from interrupting you!

I dont think I could sleep okay tonight if I didn't think you were exaggerating about this my friend.

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

#308

Post by Thaxll »

duckfang wrote: post #181
Thaxll wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because working from home for 1year just sucks and it opened my eyes that it's not something I want to do if I have a choice, you miss so much on the social side.

I don't go to work to socialize. I go to work to make money. And if I had enough money, I wouldn't work for someone else at all. I socialize by going to conventions, events, clubs, parties; with people I want to be around.

Must be fun to be your co-worker. Work is the #1 place to socialize, you don't go to a club and start talking to random people.

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

#309

Post by jen20 »

benbristow wrote: post #105
ghaff wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I pretty much never call anyone out of the blue. I'd almost certainly message them and ask them if we can have a quick call.

I still feel sending a message for 'if we can have a quick call' is still similar to being out the blue. I feel like I'm putting pressure on someone at this time. Maybe it's just me/my personality.

> I feel like I'm putting pressure on someone at this time.

It is nothing like the imposition of requiring them to commute to an office to be interrupted at will.

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

#310

Post by nextlevelwizard »

mulmen wrote: post #179
nextlevelwizard wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you considered that the reason why you aren't missing face-to-face meetings is because everyone is forced to do full time remote? My team is really dreading the move to back to office, but I couldn't be happier. I get the nudge I need in the mornings to hit the gym again, I get cheap and healthy food during lunch with no effort on my part. And I get to see and interact with people who don't work in my team and I…

My team had two remote people before the pandemic and my company has global offices so including remote workers is already something we understand. I fully expect to have to go in to the office one or two days a week but the logistics are easier with remote meetings. There's no need to find an empty room, I don't have to take time to walk to your floor, etc. > I get the nudge I need in the mornings to hit the gym aga…

> You can't expect your coworkers to change their lives because you get a personal time-management or networking benefit.

But somehow you can expect your coworkers to change their actions because you want to be full remote in a company that does not enforce full remote?

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