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When working from home is toxic

morgan.zoemp.be

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Re: When working from home is toxic

#71

Post by ghaff »

xwdv wrote: post #2

You know what we need? Something that is the equivalent of a blue check mark for remote workers. The check mark would mean that this worker has a home office setup that meets or exceeds standards for remote work. The certification process can be handled by a neutral third party. The standards would be stringent, a laptop on on some corner desk wouldn’t quality. You must have a room with a door that can be closed IMO.…

I didn't downvote. But so long as I'm getting my work done--and barring any specific strict security requirements--I don't see how it's any of my employer's business whether I have an A+ office setup or if I'm working from my kitchen table (both of which I do).

Re: When working from home is toxic

#72

Post by ghaff »

sillysaurusx wrote: post #4
xwdv wrote: post #2

You know what we need? Something that is the equivalent of a blue check mark for remote workers. The check mark would mean that this worker has a home office setup that meets or exceeds standards for remote work. The certification process can be handled by a neutral third party. The standards would be stringent, a laptop on on some corner desk wouldn’t quality. You must have a room with a door that can be closed IMO.…

I actually agree with you. I don't think it needs to be strictly enforced. I think most people just don't realize how terrible their WFH setup is; they don't give it a moment's thought. I've observed that they either feel they can't change it, or they put up with distractions, or they don't worry about setting boundaries, or the equipment is subpar compared to the office. Having a checklist would at least get people…

It's not rocket science. In an ideal world, people probably have a dedicated room, a good adjustable chair that fits them, good lighting for video, temperature control, ergonomic keyboard setup, etc. Sure you can write all that down on a page. Maybe make a video. But a lot of people just don't have that space and there's nothing they can easily do about it.

Re: When working from home is toxic

#73

Post by Hamuko »

long_time_gone wrote: post #63
dukeofdoom wrote: post #55

To me the home office wins out by a lot: Small cubicle with no window near by is a common office situation. Lack of exposure to sun disrupts the circadian rhythm. Vs Sitting next to a window at home. Many Office AC systems don't filter the air from pollutants adequately. Cheap office carpets tend to have all kinds of chemicals that off gas. No way to open a window to get fresh air. Vs the typical home office with a w…

==Sitting prolonged times in a chair, and not being to take a bathroom break for long times.== Your office doesn’t let you use the restroom?

One of the best things about working at home has been that I've never had to queue for the toilet.

Re: When working from home is toxic

#74

Post by 29athrowaway »

If you work from home that means you are free to move anywhere you want, like a more affordable place that meets your needs.

Once you are living in a place with enough space, working from home is much healthier experience than going to an office, provided that you invest in your home office and keep your home clean.

If you take all the money that you spent yearly on transportation to the office and invest it in a home setup, you'll have a pretty neat home office in no time. There are many YouTube videos with ideas for home office decorations.

Re: When working from home is toxic

#75

Post by fartcannon »

stank345 wrote: post #69
fartcannon wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My experience with offices is literally the exact opposite. They're like high school full of corporate nonsense, cheerleading and other childish behaviours. My work from home life, with my beautiful wife and child at arms reach, is a miracle.

Yeah, my office isn't really like that. It's quite quiet (more so than I would like if I'm being honest). The culture is engineering-biased and not bro-y. It's also a B Corp, so for profit but with a mission. I think that helps create a positive work environment since coworkers self-select as people who want to have a positive social/civic/environmental impact and generally are thoughtful and respectful people. Hones…

Sounds nice.

Video calls are as pointless as the requirement for face time. If your team members require constant vigilance to be effective, you need to get a new team. If your manager requires face time, your manager needs to reconsider what their purpose is.

Re: When working from home is toxic

#76

Post by fartcannon »

cortesoft wrote: post #67
sillysaurusx wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The moment I posted the comment, I was like, "Crap, forgot about kids." Yeah. Our solution was to install a lock. Are you in a situation where you can do the same thing? The lock happened to be to our basement, which isn't exactly a nice place to work in. But it was effective. A lockable side room might make all the difference.

Our house doesn't have any extra rooms for an office. My office is the corner of the living room. There is nothing to lock.

If you're permitted to WFH indefinitely, you can move somewhere cheaper and buy a larger home for the same or lower price.

Re: When working from home is toxic

#77

Post by dukeofdoom »

Hamuko wrote: post #73
long_time_gone wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

==Sitting prolonged times in a chair, and not being to take a bathroom break for long times.== Your office doesn’t let you use the restroom?

One of the best things about working at home has been that I've never had to queue for the toilet.

Some people have really nice toilets at home, that will wash their behind. Not many offices have ones that do that. So you end up sitting in your own excrement for 8 hours. The life style bump up from that, is worth it.

Re: When working from home is toxic

#78

Post by ghaff »

fartcannon wrote: post #76
cortesoft wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Our house doesn't have any extra rooms for an office. My office is the corner of the living room. There is nothing to lock.

If you're permitted to WFH indefinitely, you can move somewhere cheaper and buy a larger home for the same or lower price.

Many people like living where they are for reasons in addition to it's close to an office. And most of them will have an option to go into an office as was the pre-pandemic case although it may not be the same experience any longer for better or worse.

Re: When working from home is toxic

#79

Post by CarelessExpert »

probably_wrong wrote: post #21

> My concern with such a chart is that not everyone has a home office that looks as good as a traditional workplace. In addition, interruptions happen at home too and chatting with coworkers is not a problem per se. I wish every person arguing for or against home office would open their comment detailing what their home setup looks like. As someone living in an apartment with no backyard and a small desk placed in th…

I couldn't agree with you more.

In contrast to a lot of folks, I have a dedicated office with a door on the second floor of my (small) home whose purpose is to be a work space. The noise levels are decent. The ergonomics are better than what I have at the office. I have a window that lets in lots of natural light. In every way it's superior to my office work space.

And while I use it on the weekends for personal stuff, during the week it's work only.

When I'm working, the door is typically shut and folks in the house know not to interrupt, which eliminates distractions.

As a result, the separation between work and home life is easy: I shut everything down and leave the room.

When it comes to avoiding mental fatigue and overwork, for me that's just a matter of discipline: I have hard cutoffs for number of hours works, and there are no exceptions.

Ironically, for some of the complaints in this article, things are actually better for me.

I'm far less sedentary as, without the commute, I have far more time to go for walks, go touring on my bike, etc. In fact, I've never felt more connected to nature and my local community since I'm experiencing so much more of the outdoors and the amenities nearby. My wife and I have even started getting into casual birding together.

I'm also less likely to suffer from distractions since I don't have random people coming by to talk to me.

Really, the only thing I can empathize with is the lack of face time and socializing, but if I went back to the office part time (say, 1-2 days a week), I think that'd fill that need.

So, as always, it really depends. The problem with the pandemic, as so many have pointed out, is that it forced people to start working from home, often in far from ideal circumstances. So it's no great surprise that many people found the experience inferior to their corporate workplace.

Re: When working from home is toxic

#80

Post by xwdv »

samhuk wrote: post #25
xwdv wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A company can still hire unverified workers though if they want.

But that doesn't address the issue that there would be a legal way for companies to discriminate based on your wealth, regardless if they do it or not. "filter for applicants with a remote office" is virtually 1-to-1 with "filter for middle/upper class applicants", which of course is unacceptable according to our modern view on social mobility and egalitarianism.

But not illegal.
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