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I Miss Working from the Office

roguelazer.com

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Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#71

Post by iso947 »

Roritharr wrote: post #22

I simply can't afford enough space at home for a comfortable working environment in addition to enough space for the kids. I'd have to move MUCH farther away from the city (think 1 hour of driving), to get a space where this would work, I've been looking into it for the last 3 months, but so is everyone else, meaning the price where there is broadband available is skyrocketing in my area. In general the pandemic has…

So the company was subsidising your lifestyle by paying for expensive real estate. They should be able to offer a pay rise if the same work is being done but they don’t need the office space.

Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#72

Post by Aeolun »

bamboozled wrote: post #10

Thing I miss are: * Having someone clean my works space. My house gets dirtier now and I’m forever cleaning it, doing dishes. * The distinction between the beginning and end of my work day. * Having free space in my house. * Off the cuff dinner and drinks with colleagues. * No lag meetings and whiteboard sessions. * Having intervals apart from my family actually felt healthy, although we have adapted to being around…

> When someone of greater rank than me in an inconvenient time zone wants to have a meeting with me involved, I have to attend. I’ve practically lost all my mornings from 6am - 9am, 3-4 days a week.

I don’t understand this situation. If this happens I reject the meeting invite, and later see it rescheduled (if my attendance was mandatory).

Is there a different way this happens?

Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#73

Post by intricatedetail »

Smaug123 wrote: post #33
intricatedetail wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems like a communication issue. Why would you need a video call to ask a question? Problem is that people are used to verbal communication and lack skills to convey a message in writing. When worked in remote first company it was a non issue, rarely had to go on a video call. We had social calls often, but work stuff easily worked out over text. It is also about culture - we had a codebase very well documented a…

It's not quite entirely about culture - I do think that a synchronous call with someone provides better opportunities to detect their unknown unknowns, because you get to see their thought process as they formulate the question. Obviously one can get by without it, but I think this is one of the places where the lack of serendipity actually does hit a little. Once someone has fewer unknown unknowns, though, the act o…

Now that you mention it, most of the video calls could have been replaced by a rubber duck. We would do calls for junior devs so they could watch a senior working on a problem and ask questions then to learn their thought process. They found it helpful.

Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#74

Post by diegocg »

It seems that what he misses most is socialisation. This seems to me the root of the great divide in these discussions, some people love socialising, others not so much.

I have read anti-office posts claiming the opposite of what he says: they feel more productive because they can focus on their job without people bothering them.

Age seems to be a factor too. Married couples don't need so much socialisation (although the post seems to be an exception) and remote work helps to take care of children.

Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#75

Post by Aeolun »

josefrichter wrote: post #24

Interestingly, I don't know anybody who misses the office. We're all techies and designers and nobody complained. We do miss having a beer after work every now and then, but we don't miss the office itself at all.

I don’t miss the office when everybody is there, but going in now, when there’s only 10 people in the 200 person floor is glorious.

All amenities and none of the negatives.

Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#76

Post by pracer »

rbg246 wrote: post #56
deadlyst0rm wrote: post #5

Most people when they say they miss the office they mean missing dragging everyone with them to the office. You were in the office weren't you? Stay there then and have all the space you want :D I for one will never go back to the office.

I do agree with your sentiment I think unfortunately the people who want to work from the office require everyone else to be there too - to make it the office. I don't begrudge their attitude but hopefully there is just a split in companies between remote companies and on prem companies.

That's my impression too. People talking about the benefits of the office are actually complaining of not having everyone around (either to have social aspect or to what they call "casual collaboration" which reduces to being able to interrupt at any time.

Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#77

Post by Roritharr »

iso947 wrote: post #71
Roritharr wrote: post #22

I simply can't afford enough space at home for a comfortable working environment in addition to enough space for the kids. I'd have to move MUCH farther away from the city (think 1 hour of driving), to get a space where this would work, I've been looking into it for the last 3 months, but so is everyone else, meaning the price where there is broadband available is skyrocketing in my area. In general the pandemic has…

So the company was subsidising your lifestyle by paying for expensive real estate. They should be able to offer a pay rise if the same work is being done but they don’t need the office space.

The company still has to pay for the office space for three years, I know because I was part of negotiating that at end of 2019.

We're a small company with healthy finances, but the salary increase necessary to offset the higher rent requirements in this housing market, due to the heavy tax burden would amount to an increase in absolute numbers nearly a third of what we pay for in rent for the whole business, and that's just for me.

Seeing it from both sides is mind-boggling to say the least.

Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#78

Post by iso947 »

StavrosK wrote: post #58
cghendrix wrote: post #8

Not sure I’m following his gripes with slack. Been remote for a couple years now with slack as my only tool for communications (with the exception of a handful of times I’ve used email or called my manager on the phone) and it’s been just fine for me.

You probably just haven't used anything better. Even email is better than Slack for work-related stuff. I greatly prefer Zulip, I've written up why here: https://www.stavros.io/posts/seven-tips-great-remote-culture...

Your view is that email is better than slack. OP has experience with email and judges slack to be better. Neither are “right” or “wrong”

I find Slack is better than Skype For IM. I find zoom the best for face to face meetings and screen sharing (slack doesn’t seem to have a “share this window” option), but slack for starting a quick call and for asynchronous comms, and things like changes and alerts. Email for comms outside the company.

Use whatever tool makes you work well.

Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#79

Post by enriquto »

I feel really miserable working from home. Cannot get anything done.

1. Main problem is lack of social interaction. I now realize most of my work projects started in casual coffee conversations with people from other groups. Now there's nothing like that, and planned meetings never work that way.

2. Also, I really miss my commute. I had 15km of bike lanes in the forest every day, that were essential to reset my mind and start thinking about the new day. In the evening, the way back home was a useful disconnect.

Re: I Miss Working from the Office

#80

Post by crispyporkbites »

Aeolun wrote: post #72
bamboozled wrote: post #10

Thing I miss are: * Having someone clean my works space. My house gets dirtier now and I’m forever cleaning it, doing dishes. * The distinction between the beginning and end of my work day. * Having free space in my house. * Off the cuff dinner and drinks with colleagues. * No lag meetings and whiteboard sessions. * Having intervals apart from my family actually felt healthy, although we have adapted to being around…

> When someone of greater rank than me in an inconvenient time zone wants to have a meeting with me involved, I have to attend. I’ve practically lost all my mornings from 6am - 9am, 3-4 days a week. I don’t understand this situation. If this happens I reject the meeting invite, and later see it rescheduled (if my attendance was mandatory). Is there a different way this happens?

Yup, it doesn’t get rescheduled and you slowly lose influence and find yourself working on things you hate, getting bad reviews and eventually getting fired/leaving because you hate your job
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