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80% of bosses say they regret earlier return-to-office plans

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Re: 80% of bosses say they regret earlier return-to-office plans

#551

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Open offices are the literal reason (after commuting/traffic) that I no longer want to go into the office. My work doesn't require a ton of person:person engagement and it's much easier for me to just zone out in my own headspace to do it. When I was required in the office, I would just wear headphones to avoid distractions, but I would have to deal with 2-3hrs of driving/day on top of it. This meant that my employer…

> When I was required in the office, I would just wear headphones to avoid distractions Sometimes I just want silence. Not music, not $color noise. I also get itchy ears after wearing headphones for hours on end, and noise canceling headphones give me a headache… or, you know, I could work wherever I prefer, with little to no commute, and an office arranged how I like it.

Cheaper noise cancelling headphones would make me nauseous, however I got the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones with 8 external mics to sample the surrounding noise and it was a game changer, super high quality, no more nausea.

Re: 80% of bosses say they regret earlier return-to-office plans

#552
post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When I was required in the office, I would just wear headphones to avoid distractions That doesn't work for everyone. Some offices are louder than headphones and some people come around tapping your shoulders regardless.

Totally agree. It is also bad for your hearing to have to wear loud headphones all the time to drown out a loud work environment. Your ears do wear out.

Good active noise cancelling headphones mean you can listen to music at quieter volumes than you normally would.

Re: 80% of bosses say they regret earlier return-to-office plans

#553

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When I was required in the office, I would just wear headphones to avoid distractions Sometimes I just want silence. Not music, not $color noise. I also get itchy ears after wearing headphones for hours on end, and noise canceling headphones give me a headache… or, you know, I could work wherever I prefer, with little to no commute, and an office arranged how I like it.

Cheaper noise cancelling headphones would make me nauseous, however I got the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones with 8 external mics to sample the surrounding noise and it was a game changer, super high quality, no more nausea.

I tried the Bose something something and it gave me pressure headaches and a feeling of having a clogged nose.

Re: 80% of bosses say they regret earlier return-to-office plans

#554

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I think people often underestimate the role of ego in this kind of stuff. Hell, it can even be used as a philosophical razor: Never attribute to necessity that which is adequately explained by egomania.

Trouble is, one's superior's egomania is one's necessity. By the time it reaches lowly me, it's a bunch of arbitrary stuff I had to conform to that I can't even understand fully.

It do be like that sometimes :)

Re: 80% of bosses say they regret earlier return-to-office plans

#555

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uh? WFH benefits a whole lot of people: - The people who need to stay home to take care of their children and family members. - The companies who can't find [good] enough local talent, or can't afford them. - The people who can't find jobs locally and cannot move, due to financial, familial, environmental, or other reasons. - People with diverse needs who require a flexible schedule and safe space. - People who live…

You're right, I left out a lot of life situations that could benefit. Let me be a little more specific: - if you're young you probably want to be around others to learn from. - if you're not well established, you want others to know you and see your impact. - if you're struggling financially or to find a job, you probably don't want to compete with the whole world for basic employment (especially against low cost of…

The young people I know hate going into the office, it's all the older folks that want to go in. I've been almost entirely remote since I've graduated and haven't missed being in person at all. I've developed my skills more being left alone and having time to read and learn on my own than I ever have being forced to sit in an office and struggle to be productive. I'm absolutely not established, but I've had no issues convincing others of work of my impact. You simply need to take writing seriously and learn how to communicate your work.

Companies are just learning they have terrible onboarding processes and documentation. Turns out those things are important and being in-person is an expensive and poor quality bandaid.

Re: 80% of bosses say they regret earlier return-to-office plans

#556

I understand the merits of WFH and in-person work. One thing that is however funny is the guilt tripping used by employers who have this straw-man version of a lazy WFH employee, and more so, employers who have a delusion that their workplace is important enough that people need to sacrifice a large portion of their lives just for the opportunity to be there in person. 90% of jobs aren't people's "passions" and have…

Ass-in-seat mentality is a product of the arrogance of asshats.

In other news: office workers should unionize, or at least work together to demand WfH.

Re: 80% of bosses say they regret earlier return-to-office plans

#557

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>it's still the result of human action, it's purposeful and intentional. Orcheastras imply a conductor, a central figure with the score to direct their symphony to play. 1000 conductors means there is no conductor. Each one may have a purpose and intention, but a conspiracy implies... well, conspiring. That isn't a conspiracy, it's a mob. Even if somehow the symphony manages to make a melody out of the madness, it's…

You are doing incredible mental contortions to avoid acknowledging the concept of a cartel. When OPEC raises global oil prices, that's the result of a collective, negotiated action, and a conspiracy.

I'm simply invoking Hanlon's razor. I've seen enough of the sausage to acknowledge that 95% of these "top brass" are just making it up as they go along.

Re: 80% of bosses say they regret earlier return-to-office plans

#558
post #48

I understand the merits of WFH and in-person work. One thing that is however funny is the guilt tripping used by employers who have this straw-man version of a lazy WFH employee, and more so, employers who have a delusion that their workplace is important enough that people need to sacrifice a large portion of their lives just for the opportunity to be there in person. 90% of jobs aren't people's "passions" and have…

I find it funny that when people were required to be home, employers talked about what great productivity they were getting with people at home. Then when it isn't required anymore, they want everyone back in the office for...productivity. My guess is that most employers really have no way to measure if an employee is being productive or not so managers are just reporting what makes them look good...and now we are ba…

Satisfied employees are more productive, unsatisfied ones are less productive.

Consult complete, that will be $10000

Re: 80% of bosses say they regret earlier return-to-office plans

#559
post #466

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Phones and social networks are so heavily used because they are addictive.

Hence that defeats the social animal myth if our minds can be captured by something inherently non human

No it doesn't, false dichotomy. Addiction can coexist with socialising, see pubs for evidence of that. Also, the instincts that drive us to be sociable may also make aspects of social networks enticing. In the same way that desire for sex drives porn use. We can not always tell the difference between artificial experience and real.

Re: 80% of bosses say they regret earlier return-to-office plans

#560
Now that I'm working from home I voluntarily go to a co-working space. Interestingly, it has an open-office plan for the basic membership (although you can pay 6x and get a private office if you want). I find that I really like going there and I can concentrate fairly easily if I'm in that gear. The problem with working from home is that although you can have a private office with a really nice set-up, you really are completely by yourself. I am single and do not have roommates or pets, so it is just me and the furniture here. That's fine for a while, but there is something nice about just having other people walk past you once in a while.
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