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Google asks some employees to share desks amid office downsizing

cnbc.com

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Re: Google asks some employees to share desks amid office downsizing

#61

Post by masklinn »

Laaas wrote: post #43
flax wrote: post #34

When I was at Google (Kirkland), the offices were basically open-plan fishbowls. WFH was massively better. I once worked at a startup (pre-covid) that had an open-plan setup with a significant portion of people using standing desks. They provided one stool for 2 standing desks justifying it because "if you use a standing desk you should be standing most of the time". Pure cheapskate short-sightedness.

Well, that could be justified as maintaining the health of the employees by forcing one of two to stand up at any time.

It’s not like standing statically is good for your health either, and it can be easy to do that when focusing.

I hit that issue when I got my standing desk early during the pandemic, I tend to lock my knees when static and doing that for hours at a time was not good.

Re: Google asks some employees to share desks amid office downsizing

#62

Post by carom »

shmatt wrote: post #51
Insanity wrote: post #31

It seems like each day there's an article lately about reasons _not_ to work at Google. Sad to see how they went from an enviable place to work to a place to avoid these past years. (Although internally, things might be better than it looks from the outside of course)

I'd work from a toilet stall for a Google L6 comp band I doubt any Googlers actually care about this stuff

I used to say something similar to this but then I worked at Google. It turns out I care a lot more about working on interesting problems than I do about fat checks.

Re: Google asks some employees to share desks amid office downsizing

#63

Post by convolvatron »

Wonnk13 wrote: post #52

Not surprising, shit like this was happening pre-covid as well if you look for it.

after finally landing a job at Google after 8 months of back and forth I was pretty seriously disappointed to be assigned less than 20 square feet in the middle of a row of chairs that guaranteed someone would hit the back of my chair every couple minutes, and that I would be hard pressed to go to the bathroom without doing the same to the other 20 people in the row.

Re: Google asks some employees to share desks amid office downsizing

#64

Post by amethyst »

posharma wrote: post #41

Internally Google might be just fine, but optics are equally important in this industry. Before Sundar took over Google never went through bad PR. It's just an observation, not a dig at Google's affairs.

Success hides problems.

Re: Google asks some employees to share desks amid office downsizing

#65

Post by CydeWeys »

shmatt wrote: post #51
Insanity wrote: post #31

It seems like each day there's an article lately about reasons _not_ to work at Google. Sad to see how they went from an enviable place to work to a place to avoid these past years. (Although internally, things might be better than it looks from the outside of course)

I'd work from a toilet stall for a Google L6 comp band I doubt any Googlers actually care about this stuff

I'm a Googler who very much cares about having my own desk. I hate WFH because I find it to be miserable, strongly prefer WFO, and this would make WFO miserable too. I'm not gonna be miserable for 8 hours every day for any amount of money.

Re: Google asks some employees to share desks amid office downsizing

#66

Post by astrea »

amf12 wrote: post #13

I don't understand the negative sentiment with this. Do people expect employers to assign everyone a big desk, which is not completely open office and also have the flexibility to come to the office 1-2 days a week? I hope there are exceptions for people who come in everyday, but otherwise it's a win-win the way I see it.

The negative sentiment is in the being forced to return to office then, in the same stroke, diminishing the quality of the in-office experience.

Re: Google asks some employees to share desks amid office downsizing

#67

Post by [deleted] »

hprotagonist wrote: post #49

So Y.T.'s mom has clacked up the stairs in her black pumps and gone into her office, actually a large room with computer workstations placed across it in a grid. Used to be divided up by partitions, but the EBGOC boys didn't like it, said what would happen if there had to be an evacuation? All those partitions would impede the free flow of unhinged panic. So no more partitions. Just workstations and chairs. Not even…

[deleted]

Re: Google asks some employees to share desks amid office downsizing

#68

Post by manmal »

Laaas wrote: post #43
flax wrote: post #34

When I was at Google (Kirkland), the offices were basically open-plan fishbowls. WFH was massively better. I once worked at a startup (pre-covid) that had an open-plan setup with a significant portion of people using standing desks. They provided one stool for 2 standing desks justifying it because "if you use a standing desk you should be standing most of the time". Pure cheapskate short-sightedness.

Well, that could be justified as maintaining the health of the employees by forcing one of two to stand up at any time.

I‘m not sure standing 4+ hours a day has been established as healthy without exception. Long sitting is bad, sure; but switching things around ad libitum might be better than enforcing standing all the time.

Re: Google asks some employees to share desks amid office downsizing

#69

Post by lasereyes136 »

hprotagonist wrote: post #49

So Y.T.'s mom has clacked up the stairs in her black pumps and gone into her office, actually a large room with computer workstations placed across it in a grid. Used to be divided up by partitions, but the EBGOC boys didn't like it, said what would happen if there had to be an evacuation? All those partitions would impede the free flow of unhinged panic. So no more partitions. Just workstations and chairs. Not even…

Snow Crash for those that don't know: https://a.co/d/fXWqXr7
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