Can't tell if this affects Github employees as well? I was under impression that they don't actually have offices to “return to”.
Github is exempt and will be remote first
Microsoft is officially sending employees back to the office
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Re: Microsoft is officially sending employees back to the office
#42The only thing I hated worse than going into the office was our remote employees, who never seemed to be available when you needed them, had their status set to Away (or wouldn't respond for hours if they were green). It was a privilege, people abused it, and now it's over. And managers were the worst offenders.
And yet here you are, perpetuating the “crabs in a bucket” mentality that continues to be a blight on our industry.
A manager who’s not doing their job and is never reachable can be pretty demoralizing. That same manager would probably not be great in person either, but at least you’d know where to find them.
As long as a company is able and willing to move out or correct low performers quickly, remote work is fine.
Re: Microsoft is officially sending employees back to the office
#43Well, they picked the right time - soft job market, AI takeovers, slumping economy … they could probably demand to mulch employees and people would just put up with it.
Re: Microsoft is officially sending employees back to the office
#44Microsoft: Microsoft updates flexible work expectations to three days a week in the office https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45183560 Verge: Microsoft Mandates a Return to Office https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45184017 Geekwire: Microsoft sets new RTO policy, requiring employees in the office 3 days per week https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45184032
> Microsoft updates flexible work expectations to three days a week in the office Of all the "voices" I'd like to be able to do, corporate shitspeak is definitely the top one.
Re: Microsoft is officially sending employees back to the office
#45The only thing I hated worse than going into the office was our remote employees, who never seemed to be available when you needed them, had their status set to Away (or wouldn't respond for hours if they were green). It was a privilege, people abused it, and now it's over. And managers were the worst offenders.
Interesting. I've been remote for 5 years across three different companies, and if anything I've had the opposite experience: my remote coworkers are far more responsive than my on-site coworkers, who are always in meetings, in transit, having in-person chit chat, or taking a break.
And remote workers are available for much longer hours than the office workers or comparing to the old times when everybody was in the office.
Re: Microsoft is officially sending employees back to the office
#46Terrible. Especially given that the Seattle area has terrible traffic and also issues with safety on public transportation (like many other cities in America). What is the point exactly of getting workers into an office just so they can be on Zoom calls (or Teams, in this case)? This seems a lot like what Amazon was accused of - a way to shake out some workers and get them to quit when they cannot rearrange their lif…
Remote work means traffic congestion gets better and also helps solves the affordable housing crisis, as people can then choose to live in areas with a lower cost of living but further away from the inner city.
Re: Microsoft is officially sending employees back to the office
#47The only thing I hated worse than going into the office was our remote employees, who never seemed to be available when you needed them, had their status set to Away (or wouldn't respond for hours if they were green). It was a privilege, people abused it, and now it's over. And managers were the worst offenders.
I have a more nuanced take here. For low performing or junior employees, remote work was generally a terrible thing that led to less productivity (and more managerial overhead). For strongly performing employees with obligations at home, there were many who preferred working at home. I fall more into the latter camp (at least I hope so) and, given I've only worked in nice offices with catered lunches, gyms, video gam…
How would one go about making a policy that rewards high performance with remote work permit?
Re: Microsoft is officially sending employees back to the office
#48The only thing I hated worse than going into the office was our remote employees, who never seemed to be available when you needed them, had their status set to Away (or wouldn't respond for hours if they were green). It was a privilege, people abused it, and now it's over. And managers were the worst offenders.
This is the issue. Too many people take the absolute piss with it. On the opposite end of the spectrum you have people who don't switch off and put in a lot of extra hours essentially picking up the slack. I'm finding a lot more people (both at work and amongst friends) who are desperate to avoid speaking on calls or turning their video on because it makes them nervous. Probably healthier for everyone to just be in the office.
Re: Microsoft is officially sending employees back to the office
#49Having to sit in the car, train, or even walking can be seen as a punishment when the 80% to 890 of your work is done sitting by yourself in front of a computer.
At the office there where those who clearly wanted to minimize human interactions and people who thrived and performed better when interacting with others.
And then there is liminal spaces (Severance) the place where hope and creativity comes to die.
"There must be someway out of here."
Re: Microsoft is officially sending employees back to the office
#50Microsoft: Microsoft updates flexible work expectations to three days a week in the office https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45183560 Verge: Microsoft Mandates a Return to Office https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45184017 Geekwire: Microsoft sets new RTO policy, requiring employees in the office 3 days per week https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45184032
> Microsoft updates flexible work expectations to three days a week in the office Of all the "voices" I'd like to be able to do, corporate shitspeak is definitely the top one.
I have updated the expectations. Pray I do not update them further...