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Google mandates workers back to Silicon Valley, other offices from April 4

reuters.com

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Re: Google mandates workers back to Silicon Valley, other offices from April 4

#591

Post by nthj »

mortehu wrote: post #586
idontwantthis wrote: post #532

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand why people get so upset about slack messages. Do you get berated by your boss if you don't reply immediately? At my company, we send messages when we need help, but the expectation is that the reply comes at the convenience of the person being asked.

If you don't answer a Slack message immediately, how to you remember to answer it later? It's not like email where you can archive threads that are done. Instead chats (i.e. channels, private messages or threads) with unanswered questions look exactly like other chats. This assumes some messages are urgent and some are not, and that you can't know which is which until you open the chat and thus mark it as read.

Slack has saved messages. I use this as an inbox/todo list. Any message that takes longer than two minutes to reply to, I move to my actual todo list and un-save the message.

Re: Google mandates workers back to Silicon Valley, other offices from April 4

#592

Post by mangodrunk »

librish wrote: post #84

I think anyone who's claiming that remote work has been "proven" to be better or worse is wrong. There are some studies but they use estimations and proxies, carrying the same flaws as doing performance reviews based on lines of code. We've proven that the big tech companies can go fully remote and not completely crash and burn, that's about it. Some people love the lack of commute and less semi-forced hanging out, s…

How can you say they're wrong when that is their experience. I certainly do think working remote has been better for me and for my teams. It is proven in the productivity and happiness of those that I work with.

We've proven that companies/organizations can go fully remote and thrive.

If you like working on site, good for you. Many don't like it, and are less productive working on site.

You made a bunch of baseless claims.

Re: Google mandates workers back to Silicon Valley, other offices from April 4

#593

Post by throwaway1777 »

chaps wrote: post #573
idontwantthis wrote: post #532

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand why people get so upset about slack messages. Do you get berated by your boss if you don't reply immediately? At my company, we send messages when we need help, but the expectation is that the reply comes at the convenience of the person being asked.

Yes. When the pandemic started this, a boss berated someone in the main channel for not responding within 5 minutes. Incidentally he accidentally posted porn in the slack.. and never made a deal out of it from then on.

Lmao. Do you actually like working somewhere like that? Why not quit?

Re: Google mandates workers back to Silicon Valley, other offices from April 4

#594

Post by ceras »

heavyset_go wrote: post #559
erosenbe0 wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are no firm answers. Consider health effects. Some of my colleagues struggled to maintain their health without their daily walks to the train, or just overworked themselves adapting to remote meetings and tools. Others are physically and mentally much healthier after substituting extra sleep, exercise, or preparation of healthy meals for the commute time.

There's absolutely nothing stopping those people from choosing to go on daily walks.

Something is stopping them, otherwise they'd do it. Even if that's purely psychological, that's no less real to them, and the outcomes are clear.

A close analogy might be weight loss: "nothing" is stopping anyone from eating less, yet most Americans eat more than they should.

Re: Google mandates workers back to Silicon Valley, other offices from April 4

#595

Post by felideon »

mortehu wrote: post #586
idontwantthis wrote: post #532

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand why people get so upset about slack messages. Do you get berated by your boss if you don't reply immediately? At my company, we send messages when we need help, but the expectation is that the reply comes at the convenience of the person being asked.

If you don't answer a Slack message immediately, how to you remember to answer it later? It's not like email where you can archive threads that are done. Instead chats (i.e. channels, private messages or threads) with unanswered questions look exactly like other chats. This assumes some messages are urgent and some are not, and that you can't know which is which until you open the chat and thus mark it as read.

You either mark it as unread if you are going to get to it as soon as you wrap you what you're currently doing, or you click "More actions" and select a "Remind me about this" option.

Re: Google mandates workers back to Silicon Valley, other offices from April 4

#596

Post by biztos »

icedistilled wrote: post #206
kbos87 wrote: post #110

I work for a large tech company based on the east coast. My partner works for another large tech company. We are both mid-level managers at companies that seem to be taking a pretty dramatically different approach. My company: - Started with a strong in-office culture - Communicated to managers that all employees now have a choice between being fully remote, hybrid, or in-office; there’s never a mandate to be in pers…

>Mandated return to work date 3 days/week minimum unless you’ve transitioned to remote This is what bugs me about the hybrid set up. If the company onboarded a lot of permanent remotes and also doesn't have people sync up the in office days, then there is no point of going into the office. It's the worst of both worlds.

Speaking only for myself, if I had a company office in my city I would go to it three-four days a week — even if my colleagues were all working elsewhere. (Assuming I can define my hours and commute by public transit or cheap taxi.)

I was remote for 13 years and I definitely missed the option of the office, though not the mandate of it.

So in my biased opinion the hybrid model is to keep people like me happy. And my bet is these will eventually become the new senior management, comfortable with remote but happy in the office, just like the current managers who set up the hybrid thing for similar reasons for themselves.

Doesn’t help people like me who can’t do the jobs they want in the cities they want without being remote, but I think we’re a pretty small minority.

Re: Google mandates workers back to Silicon Valley, other offices from April 4

#597

Post by MattGaiser »

zionic wrote: post #474
MattGaiser wrote: post #460

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My old company is this way. You can work from any of several offices, but work from the office you must. So even when I went in, I never dealt with team members.

CIG? Lol

AltaML, haha

Re: Google mandates workers back to Silicon Valley, other offices from April 4

#598

Post by taylodl »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #443
ignu wrote: post #432

I'd prefer to work an environment where I can't get interrupted synchronously by someone wanting their problem resolved that moment. Also, one thing with those in person interactions is you have no artifact of the interaction. Slack or tickets are great for documenting how decisions are made. But ultimately, I have no desire to waste an extra 5 to 10 hours of my life just driving back and forth to sit at a different…

> I'd prefer to work an environment where I can't get interrupted synchronously by someone wanting their problem resolved that moment. FWIW, I found synchronous interruptions to be more of a problem when remote. Too many people used Slack messages or video calls for everything because it was only a click away, as opposed to having to get up and walk over to someone’s desk > Also, one thing with those in person intera…

Do you think the Slack interruptions are going to stop when you return to the office? You must not be familiar with how people work.

Re: Google mandates workers back to Silicon Valley, other offices from April 4

#599

Post by redisman »

dymk wrote: post #348
blinded wrote: post #255

I predict more startups as people don't want to go back to offices in cities riddled with crime and homelessness.

I'm never walking down 3rd and Pike again if I can help it.

It’s like 10x worse than before the pandemic too. One side of the street is a permanent homeless encampment / shooting up spot and I get more second hand meth smoke than vape juice walking down it these days.

Re: Google mandates workers back to Silicon Valley, other offices from April 4

#600

Post by redisman »

deviation wrote: post #555

What's so special about April 4? Expedia Group has also mandated a start back at the office from this day... An email announced it to us about a month ago.

First monday of April I guess? Our company went back to hybrid the first Monday of this month already
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