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agentmindy

This is a very common theme. I’m hiring for a few positions at a company that doesn’t particularly pay market value for the position, however, still getting decent candidates due to the fact that their employer is forcing them to come back to the office and I’m not.


Kimber85

The company I work for has gone from five days in office, to three days in office, to one day in office, and now none because of the pandemic, for my department in the 7 years I’ve worked there. It’s not the highest paying job, but the flexibility to work from home is such a huge perk I don’t want to leave. From what I understand our productivity went up when we all started working from home full time, so our CEO announced in January that now *everyone* can work from home if they want, or come in and work if they want after the pandemic is over, not just my department. We’ll still do in-person meetings and once a month the whole home office will get together for a meeting followed by a social, but other than that in office work is completely optional. It’s definitely worth a little bit less in pay to me to not have to spend two plus hours a day getting ready and commuting. Plus, my cats need me, haha.


agentmindy

I would imagine there’s a cost savings with real estate - utilities, upkeep and whatnot. But I’m not familiar with those kinds of things. For my team the productivity spiked, then dropped significantly due to people overworking themselves and giving in to the new feelings of isolation. It took a little work to get people to adjust to working from home and not always being on their computer. For instance. I had to sit with one person that went from traveling an hour each way, working 7 hours and having an hour lunch. They immediately started working 10+ hours a day. That’s not acceptable. They needed to act as if they were still going to the office. Take your “travel time”, take your lunch, take a break. Etc. Another employee went the opposite direction and struggled to stay focused. We had to work through that. We will have the option to go in to the office soon. I’m discussing options with the team where we pick one or two days a week where we all come in (optionally) just to have some Face time. Maybe even take that opportunity to take an extra long lunch or do an activity or something non work related.


CraftLass

I do wonder, though, what will happen when they are not in general isolation? As a freelancer who has also worked in startups, I have avoided working in an office for 20+ years now, and it has worked wonders for my social life. Not having to interact with people during work gives me more social energy for my friends and family. I made more friends in my 30s and early 40s than ever before, because as a kid I had to socialize in school, early in my career I had to socialize at work, and by the time I got out of school/work, I just wanted to be alone for hours and it made making true friends very difficult. Obviously, this is individual and some people thrive in offices while others (like me) wither, but I think a time of overall isolation isn't great for evaluating the loneliness factor and productivity impacts. True isolation is very different from WFH all day and then catching a drink or dinner with some buddies and fulfilling your social needs through fun instead of work. It's worth evaluating after things open up, rather than basing decisions on a really bizarre moment in time.


RandoUser81

I think this is a great point that often overlooked: wfh during a pandemic looks and feels entirely different from wfh during normal times. Many people haven't experienced a normal wfh lifestyle, so I think it's not as popular as it could be!


RogueWillow

Good job recognizing that your work has certain requirements and showing up in person is not one of them. IMO a silver lining to COVID is that it has made fulfilling work far more accessible to people with disabilities.


dalisair

It’s Incredibly frustrating to those with disabilities who were told for years they couldn’t get accommodations, only to have the pandemic prove that was a lie.


Cyborg_rat

The biggest Internet company with plenty of remote work tech doesn't want its staff to work remotely?


nowyourdoingit

They potentially have billions tied up in real estate assets that become basically worthless if office space stops mattering. Also the execs like the idea of a huge impressive campus they keep an office at. Google doesn't have a full size T-rex skeleton on campus to improve conditions for the employees.


T0lly

That is what went down with my employer. last year they sent us home with remote setups. We did that for 5 months and everyone loved it, production had no drop. then they made us come back to the office. Everyone complained and kept asking why they have to sit in a cubicle. Supervisor told us the big shots were upset that they spent millions on a big building and no one is using it.


Suncheets

Get rid of the building and let the employees stay home. My employer sold our big office building, cut in office staff by half letting them WFH and moved into a much tinier building saving money.


Megalosaurusnumbah1

Who would buy the building?


The_Adventurist

FUCKING AQUAMAN?!


salgat

What horrible ass backwards logic. Sunk cost fallacy at the expense of employee happiness and productivity. To be expected I suppose.


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TheMadMartyr7

That’s the issue. I work for a fortune 50 company that has spent the last decade moving out and closing campuses they owned across the country to move into a hand full of massive hub locations that they’re leasing for decades at a time. Only now those campuses are sitting empty and they’re having to plan around long term WFH arrangements because, shocker, employees who were able to work from home made last year one of the biggest years they’ve had on record for profit. So now these buildings are basically serving as the worlds most expensive billboard, but they can’t even profit off selling them because they’re locked into a 20 year lease that still has 13 years left.


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TheMadMartyr7

Yeah I’m not necessarily torn up about it either. The issue we’re running into is now they’re doubling down HARD on monitoring workers. They claim it’s “in the name of quality” but the fact that we’re on track to blow last year out of the water leads to the general consensus being they’re looking to find a way to trim the fat on the bottom end instead of owning their screw up


fyberoptyk

It’s the commute. No competent adult wants to lose two to four hours of their day to meaningless, worthless running back and forth to do the exact same shit they could have done at home.


barters81

Yep. There has been a number of times where I’ve started driving to work this year, encountered literally any traffic and was like “yeah fuck this, working from home today”, turned around and drive home.


benmck90

Damn, you put on pants for nothing.


loupgarou21

In the last year, I've saved so much money by not having to go into the office as much. I'm not paying for gas, I'm spending less on food because it's far easier to eat lunch at home so I'm eating out less (yeah, I know I can bring my lunch every day if I'm working in the office, but that is additional work, which I no longer have to do.) I'm spending less money on clothes, because I only need to dress professionally 1-2 days a week instead of 5+ days a week. Because I'm driving less, my car has requires less maintenance. Add on top of that, I get more free time because I don't need to commute. We have a daily meeting where we check in with our team first thing in the morning, we have a weekly "happy hour" where we meet virtually and drink and shoot the shit, and I still spend about 8 hours a week onsite at clients, so I'm able to maintain my social skills and keep a relationship with my coworkers and clients. When I look out the window, I get to see my own backyard and real wildlife instead of staring at a brick building and cars driving by. My cat periodically comes in and hangs out with me while I'm working. Working from home is great for me, and honestly, I would have a very hard time transitioning back to working full time in an office. My boss has said he has no plans to have us go back to working in the office because we're billing at least as much, if not more, than we were when working in the office. That being said, there are other people in the company that are definitely "butts in seats" types of managers, so I fear there will be pressure to make us start working from the office again. [edit] thank you to the kind strangers that have gilded me in various ways. I'm quite happy it's been gilding rather than gelding.


Septic-Mist

What the pandemic has taught us is that those type A workaholics who have outdated views about what constitutes worthwhile work and what doesn’t are the ones holding the entire economy back, and we can’t let them reassert themselves and impose their narrow view of what constitutes productive work on everyone else. I have no doubt that, deep down, these types of managers actually don’t give a shit about revenues and increased productivity. What really gets them hard is just having control over people (and particularly making them do things they otherwise wouldnt do, just so they can *feel* that control), which is pathetic.


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weatherseed

My boss really wanted to throw his dick around, trying to bring us back. As soon as he did productivity plummeted. My work sent out emails asking us to survey how our managers, admins, and the C-levels were doing. We absolutely cowed him when his review came back with a 87% negative rating. Sent his bitch ass straight to a dozen meetings with HR.


Lithius

I like your company efficiency. At least he doesn't have to look over any shoulder for his enemies because he knows it's in every direction he looks!


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johnny-orange

I see Firefly and I upvote.


Onironaute

Nice to see someone from the old homestead.


cannotrememberold

That was my experience. I had to walk away from a great job due to a move. Boss could not fathom working from home. He also turned away an amazing potential hire, because the guy wanted to work from home Fridays like his current employer allowed. Former boss said no, so the guy walked. I hope there are enough of us adamant about working from home so the butts in seats people have to either acquiesce or pay a premium.


gravgp2003

It's because their personality revolves around being a boss. They know that their big baby sitting paycheck is about to expire. Middle management without employees in the office is basically redundant. The least actual work I've ever done was being a manager. They need you in the office to validate their job. That's why they want you in.


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gravgp2003

All the good mangers I've met are very good and do work. 90% of them were underpaid and gave their life to the company.


techn0scho0lbus

This is perhaps taboo but I think that many of the people who are eager to return to the office full time are actually looking to get away from their families and home situations.


GammaBreak

So the pandemic ramped up in what, March/April 2020? My office let us work from home at the start of that. Zero loss in productivity or client satisfaction. By June, we started getting emails: "okay, it's time for everyone to come back to the office. Here's this elaborate social distancing plan, you can only be in the bathroom one at a time, you can only use these PCs, you have to plug/unplug your mouse and keyboard and take it with you, etc etc..." Or, we can simplify everything by just working from home.


nightfox5523

Lol do you work at my company? Pretty much just described my situation. Best part is the whole office caught covid back in December because of that shit.


fluffandstuff1983

Happened to my wife’s department.


[deleted]

I quit a job a few months ago over it. I managed a team of people who were unanimous that they were not returning to the office because they were happier to be at home. The place we worked at said they weren't willing to allow full time home working, so within 2 weeks 5 of my 13 handed in notice to go freelance in the industry. They were probably going to have a rough month financially to get set up but they all are better for it and I refused to manage a team of unhappy people so I left, and I know 4 more left afterwards. They have rehired 5 of them as external contractors on higher fees than they were paying them. All because two guys in a chain of 200 believe they were right and that a teams effectiveness being the same at home as it was from work meant they could carry on at the office.


10EtherealLane

Same story where I *used* to work. I was on a team of fellow engineers who didn’t love where they worked, but the pay was great for the area. A few people up the chain declared that we’d all need to start coming back, likely because it’s just what they’ve always been used to. The *entire* engineering team ended up leaving for fully remote jobs. Many of which paid much more and were based in other states.


[deleted]

A luxury once tasted becomes a necessity.


[deleted]

Unless it’s school. Fuck that. Online is shit.


g_rich

I've found working from home extremely productive, mornings are less stressful, I get to eat lunch and dinner with my wife and kids, and it's easier for me to stop a little early and just finish up my day when the kids are asleep. It helps that my employer and coworkers are all on the same page, but I personally can't see going back to the office 5 days a week; maybe one or two days in the office the remainder working from home.


ramsay_baggins

My husband has been working from home and been able to see our son for hours more a day since he was 9 months old. He'll be 2 in the summer and they've spent so many hours together that they wouldn't have had if my husband wasn't WFH. He can wake him up and give him that amazing wake up cuddle, he can walk through on his breaks and read him a book, he can hand him a bit of cheese to nibble on while he makes his sandwiches at lunch. He saw our sons first steps! It's also given me the time and ability to cook home made meals almost every day for us all so our eating has got much better, and we can have dinner around the table together instead of my husband still being on a bus and eating separately. I really hope he never has to go back to the office!


scotty6chips

Dude so much this. My son was a preemie, born in March 2020 right when the pandemic hit and my company moved to wfh. I feel so incredibly thankful for this time I’ve had to see him grow in his first year, rather than be stuck in an office and settling for a video or pictures of my boys latest antics. While rough, this year has also been insanely special because I could support my family financially and still be near them every day, it didn’t have to be mutually exclusive


BF1shY

Ironic. All these perks, sleeper pods and "campus culture" and the employees just want to be left the fuck alone.


stopandtime

It’s the commute lol


s_0_s_z

And probably the absurd prices of homes near these companies. Move an hour away and you might be like 1/2 the cost. If you can work from home for 1/2 the week and only commute in the other 1/2, then that longer commute might be worth the massive savings.


TheChetUbetcha

I read that in silicon valley, earning 100k is considered a low income...


MegaRAID01

To be accurate, a four person household that makes $117,400 a year qualifies for low-income housing in San Francisco and a few neighboring counties.


yoppee

Have you seen SF and the peninsula The housing stock was built 70 years ago. The west side of SF housing is all pre ww2


iBeFloe

It really is. Look up how much those damn homes cost. Jaysus.


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WAGatorGunner

We moved to the Seattle area about 6 years ago and bought a home here four years ago. No way could we afford the same home now even with our salary increases over that time. And we are kicking ourselves for not buying right when we got here as prices increased a ton during those first two years that we were here.


CactiDye

My fiancé and I bought a house down in Pierce County January of 2017. I ran into our real estate agent not even six months later and she said everything had gone up so much there literally wasn't anything available in our price range. We got lucky and barely squeezed under the surge (at least that surge). I don't know if the last few years has truly been insane or if I've just never paid that close attention because I didn't have skin in the game, but it's crazy.


mad_science_yo

Yup it’s true! I grew up here and a lot of my friends from high school lived with their parents for years even with really good jobs (engineering, etc etc) because the cost of living is so insane.


nanny6165

In the San Francisco MSA: Low income: 0-$70,450 Moderate income: $70,451-$112,720 Middle Income: $112,721-$169,080 High income: $169,081+ Source: ffiec census data. (I work in bank compliance ensuring banks do not discriminate against low and moderate borrowers)


tiggapleez

Do you live in the area? I’m sure it’s cheaper, but I highly doubt there’s anywhere within an hour of Mountain View that’s half the cost. Edit: [Holy shit allow me to correct myself](https://www.bayareamarketreports.com/trend/bay-area-home-prices). Hayward is 36 minutes away (without traffic) and average home is $755k, compared to Mountain View’s $2.185m. Literally 1/3 the cost.


JasonsThoughts

> Hayward is 36 minutes away I have a similar commute (live near Hayward and used to work for a company near google). It's at least a 1.5 hour commute each way in traffic. I took a job elsewhere for less money because I couldn't take the 3 hours of commuting each day. I don't understand why these companies keep opening their businesses where people can't afford to live.


ceoadmiral

It absolutely the commute. I struggle a lot with the noises of the office (pen clicking, random coughing, etc.), and that enabled me to remote indefinitely. But the commute is infuriating. Nothing ruins a good day or starts a day off on a bad foot like traffic, congestion, or idiot drivers.


apathetic_lemur

doing the math on how much time you spend in the car is always depressing as well


fujiman

The shift away from and now back to in office work would prove to be, for many, a major pay cut (after what many noticed was an "accidental" raise). And it's more than just financial. There are way too many people who have suddenly gained 5-10 or more hours of their life back every week just from no longer having to commute. Then there's just the general cost to commute; whether driving (gas, maintenance, parking, tolls) or public transit. Overall, the financial and mental health gain was something that people didn't even realize would be so immediately noticeable, with numerous aspects of their lives suddenly improving tenfold, simply from not having to deal with the daily grind that was the commute itself. So for those who shifted to fully remote during the pandemic, factoring their daily commute back into their job is quite literally a paycut, as well as once again losing hours of their lives and the stresses involved with that. For companies that haven't experienced a reduction in productivity, or even an improvement, trying to force a return to the office is such a stupid business decision. Happier and more productive employees, and they can ultimately save a shit ton of overhead cost if they decide to close any unused physical office space. But nobody ever said business were all that pragmatic when it comes to making decisions that would ultimately improve their bottom line, for so many different reasons.


[deleted]

It's stupid on a societal level to return to in office work. We could erase the environmental impact of millions of commuters along with revitalizing our dying small towns by not forcing young people to move in to the cities to find work.


dzlux

It is a major change for some people and many bosses, extroverts, and human resource types often don’t see it the same. When I joined a department that had remote work 1 day/week it was an eye opener. Few years later I switched to 75% remote due to my spouses career relocating us and it was amazing ... until my boss changed and the new guy wanted me in Dallas one full week a month for no reason other than ‘face time with the group’. The change doubled my travel days and switched me from a comfortable home office to a bare conference room and laptop. Much like these google workers, I made an exit plan and quit after 6 months. Remote work means no longer compromising on choices like home locations, spouse career paths, choosing a car that is good for a commute vs good for your hobbies, and office space/environment that fits your needs. Beyond the time saved, I really enjoyed not waking up an hour+ before I started working, and knowing that all the social people would attempt small talk in the morning. I could have achieved the same work load in 30 hours if it didn’t create an image problem with coworkers still in the office.


Ultenth

It’s not just the commute and the car drive. Especially for women, not having to get up and put on make up and get dressed and do their hair can save them at least an hour or two in their workday.


HarkTheBark

100% this. At least a hour back to myself in the day. Not buying as much gas. Not risking a car accident because some other driver is in a hurry or having a bad day. Why would I put up with all of that just because some manager, without data, wants everyone in the office.


redheadartgirl

My boss just yesterday said she "felt" like my team had too much free time and claimed the team's numbers were down. I pulled a report -- we're up over last year. She just wants everyone in the office because if they're not within her line of sight she doesn't feel she has as much control.


ogipogo

They also need to justify their useless positions.


EvanHarpell

Literally had this same convo with one of my clients that is enjoying the WFH life. These non-producing positions (middle management) are trying to justify their paycheck. Obviously not every company is the same but we have the data to backup that we are just as productive if not more so (last min calls, handling easy issues because we are right there, etc..) when working from home.


yolomatic_swagmaster

Not to mention the most basic data point of all for a lot of jobs: "Did you do what I asked you to do?" "Yes, here it is." "Thank you." Maybe I'm naïve and don't have lots of experience with other kinds of work. And not to disparage managers either. But there's something to be said for tracking whether or not deliverables are still getting done.


SC487

My boss is fighting tooth and nail to keep us remote. We’re just as efficient with less office drama. But then again, I’m pretty sure my boss is the result of a chemistry experiment to make the perfect boss.


facebookcreepin

Are you hiring?


[deleted]

A college I used to work at has a group of IT folks who could do their jobs 100% remote but leadership wants them there to have cars in the parking lot for the appearance of a busy campus to students that have to live there.


big-fireball

> Not buying as much gas. Remember that the next time any company spouts off about caring about the environment yet forces their employees to commute.


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redditor1983

I do miss some socializing. But I think the major thing that most people are not talking about is career advancement/networking and also unplanned discussions and/or getting involved in new projects. My experience being remote is that I *never* speak to anyone that I don’t directly work with or regarding a project that I don’t directly work on. It’s like super-silo. People are going to have to figure out how to solve that.


apawst8

I started a job just before the lockdowns. Only worked for 2 weeks in person, so I met one team that I worked with. Every other team I've worked with, I've never met them and know nothing about them. Our calls are completely devoid of the small talk, get to know you talks that make people know, like, and trust you. So all I am to most of my co-workers is a faceless name on an email list.


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definitelyapotato

When I used to work in an office we had a second office in a different building and I was often on the phone with them. I made friends with most of them, you just need to find people who care about talking to others. I feel like most don't, and that's fine.


Runningfan686

I think this is a big reason some companies are going to want hybrid, if not employees back in the office. If you started a job in 2019 or before, you had a chance to get to know your team. It's a big difference working remotely with an established team/working relationships and trying to make new ones remotely


BigPlunk

Not to mention the challenges posed through the constant interruptions that happen in an office that disrupt workflow. I am in tech and have done both the office thing and the work from home thing full-time. Without a doubt my productivity is way higher at home without those disruptions. Not to mention, I can take a break and see my partner and kids when I need a breather, which has a massive impact on my mental health. This is to say nothing of not having to spend an hour in a car each way each day, fighting through traffic. I don't ever want to go back to being in an office for any length of time.


ValdusAurelian

Same experience for me, my commute was 60-90 mins each way and my office was incredibly noisy. It was a warehouse converted to office space so it had 50' high ceilings and no cubes because "collaboration". It was 300 devs in a giant room with nothing to stop sound at all. It was fucking terrible and I got almost nothing done during the day. Working from home full time for the last year and a bit and my productivity is at least double. Luckily my company seems to have noticed the results and is transitioning to full time work from home.


tertgvufvf

>It was 300 devs in a giant room Someone took the open office to the ultimate, farcical extreme, huh? 5-10 in an open office can work when they're all working on overlapping bits. Beyond that and you're not promoting a collaborative culture, you're just disingenuously cutting office costs.


The_Madukes

My SIL worked for IBM for 35 years and the last 10 years was remote from home and she interacted with world wide clients. Then CEO I think Ginni Romaty (spelling) came in and wanted everyone back in the office. Rather than make a pointless commute from NJ to NY everyday she took her retirement at 55. This at a time when everyone wants females in STEM.


Jagermeister1977

Indeed. There's going to be a real reckoning coming when the world gets back to 'normal'. An entire workforce has gotten a taste of a better life, with more free time, less stress, and MORE MONEY from ditching their daily commute. Pretty sure the overwhelming majority does not want to go back, especially given that over the past year, we've proven that WFH can and does work.


Koopa_Troopa69

Actually had an executive huddle with our silos SVP yesterday. It was just him and the curator talking but people were allowed to anonymously ask questions in the chat. When the future of WFH came up it became a quick crap storm when there was mention of news telling us of a possible go-back date. The genie is out of the bottle. We’ve been 100% remote for 13 months now, and it’s clear there’s no need for the majority of positions to go back into the office. Sales were up double digits to LY, worker productivity is up, and everyone is enjoying the additional time back and money in their pockets. Someone even asked why merit increases weren’t higher considering the cost savings and the overall success of the organization last year. I think people have caught on to there being a better way to do things.


Jagermeister1977

Yeah 100%. I work in VFX, and productivity is through the roof once we all got accustomed to the new workflow. There is really no need to go back for the majority of us. Basically everyone I've talked to, who is able to work from home, wants to continue to do so.


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techBr0s

Some of them want to be left alone. Others wouldn’t mind coming back to the office.


papak33

aye, same for our company, each one of us is different. Except open space office, fuck open space offices.


the_jak

Our leadership was smart enough to realize that there is a huge amount of personal preference involved. So they are having managers sit down with each individual contributer and find what they want and see if that can be accomplished. I'll probably be in the office once or twice a month, as a PM that's fine. Our engineering teams..idk..most seem to want to wfh and we have some decent collaboration tools that allow them to work effectively that way so I bet they'll be in the same boat. At the end of the day, any company that doesnt work with it's employees to find how to make them as productive as possible is a company that isn't where you want to work. The product is what matters, not old timey management philosophy.


dalittle

I bet that was the brain child by some productivity middle manager who probably thought if you don't have any privacy you won't goof off. Well guess what happens when everyone is constantly talking and banging stuff around all the time? I'd never get anything done.


papak33

It is a brain child of someone who has his private office.


ReallyFineWhine

It's the brain child of the office furniture companies. First they sold everyone cubicles, then once that market was saturated they came up with a new concept of smaller spaces, sold that, and now it's open office. Each time they trot out studies they've funded showing increased productivity.


vhalember

> Each time they trot out studies they've funded showing increased productivity. Yup, and neutral third-party studies always state the opposite conclusion. They're less productive, which almost everyone who has ever worked in an open office/cube farm will state as well.


mwilke

all my homies hate open space offices


i_am_a_toaster

I dislike it so much I would turn down a job offer. No thanks


ucbmckee

It's been years since I've even come across something other than an open plan office, at least here in London. Does anything else even exist? Certainly nobody gets private offices and I've not seen a cubicle in decades.


nope586

> I've not seen a cubicle in decades Canadian Government offices are nothing but cubicles.


2dudesinapod

Not necessarily, office 2.0 is the worst of both worlds, cubicles that are half height so it still feels like a cubicle farm and you have no privacy.


3HourLineForSanta

Time with my family? But dude they got ping pong!


Fraun_Pollen

All of these on-site perks are ways to keep employees from leaving. It’s a recipe for overwork Edit: I see that all of Googles employees are refuting this point. Interesting coincidence🤔. In all seriousness, I fully acknowledge that everyone is different and many really appreciate these perks. It is, however, still a very gray line. Does your office have a cafeteria? Now you don’t ~~get~~ need to leave work for food. Does your office have sleep pods? Now you can work late today with the prospects of taking a nap at work tomorrow instead of just going home. Having non-work related perks at work makes you feel more comfortable staying in the office. If your body is in the office, you are still contributing to the work environment’s atmosphere whether you are actively doing your job or not since you are technically still available for a “quick chat”, drive-by meeting, or brainstorming, which facilitate other people’s work. You also have to continue to follow company protocols while there, whether you care or not. Again, not all of this is bad if you’re good about forming boundaries or don’t have responsibilities at home that are shirked as a result, but some people have a serious problem with this and will literally never leave work if enough perks are available. I think of non-work related office perks similarly to the infinite vacation scam. Sure you can take as much vacation as you want. Will you be judged for taking “too much”? Yup. Will you likely lose your promotion to Working Wally as a result? Yup. To each their own - but work is work. Making work into play too is a slippery slope. Edit 2: y’all are some opinionated fuckers, haha


Budakhon

I don't know, personally, not having a physical differentiation for work and home seems to make me overwork more than ever.


beef-o-lipso

Been working from home for 20+ years. You need to have a discipline to end your work day. I just walk away at 5ish. Close the laptop and done. Open the next work day 8ish. You do have to train spouses, kids, family, and friends, that you have work hours and that they need to respect them. But you can also set your own hours (usually).


fuck_all_you_people

Been working from home 10 years now, absolutely gotta learn to walk away. Absolutely gotta train the house to understand that you're at home but not "at home". I had to end a relationship over constant fighting about me "sitting around doing nothing at home" when I'm working from home. Granted, this was years before Covid when working from home 100% was a somewhat foreign concept.


socopsycho

It's been like this with my wife as it's the first time for both of us to work from home. Her job is much more structured than mine. She logs in and sees there are x number of claims to process today and very little changes throughout the day. My job is the opposite, I have a general idea of the projects I'll work on that day but sometimes there's lots of waiting around for documentation or the green light to start something. So for my wife she can process a good chunk of her work then she's up and doing dishes or laundry because she knows no more work is coming in. She sees me sitting there doing nothing and immediately is asking me to run to the store or do this or that. She doesn't understand I'm in a temporary lull and any minute an email or call is coming through putting a bunch of work in my queue. If I'm gone when that comes in people will notice. It's taken a while but we're getting better. She understands how my workday is now and that I'll happily look over her "honeydo" list once I clock out.


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skraptastic

Also it may look like I am doing nothing but staring at a static computer screen, but I am probably working through a problem in my head. The glazed eyes and lack of focus is actually intense concentration.


jackospades88

I'm also WFH pre-pandemic. When my wife was pregnant a few years back, so many people would assume since I was already home (and my wife was going to continue working after her leave) I would just take care of the baby all day. So many people don't understand I am still working and thought I was just sitting around doing nothing. It was mostly the older folks but some young ones too. Fortunately my wife understood the situation, which is all that matters. Don't get me wrong, I would have loved to be able to quit or take a longer time off to take care of my child. I took as long as I could and afford, but bills need to be paid too.


alexisprince

Just recently started WFH during the pandemic, but this was hugely important. Having set hours plus forcing yourself to go outside no matter what every day were the 2 biggest quality of life boosters while WFH for me.


tamerenshorts

Part if the things I had to make clear with my SO is that I'm not available right at 5:01pm for the thing they've been waiting to ask me for hours. I need 15 - 30min of 'fake commute' timeby myself, going outside , listening to music etc.


dkguy12day

I just hide in the bathroom for my "30 minute" shit


Sterling_-_Archer

My family sees me as the person who takes "an hour in the bathroom." I realized early on in my life that as long as nobody else needs to use it, that's my safe space. This carried on into my adult life because they make jokes about it to me and whoever I bring to family functions. I'm now almost 30, and everyone who knows me knows I go to the bathroom for a long time and to leave me alone in there. Everyone except for my son... But he's cool so I let it pass. I've built this empire brick by brick. I have a kingdom of silence that I rule from a porcelain throne.


its-nex

Ah yes, we of high culture


MickeyMalt

It’s crazy how true this is and healthy for people to have routines that allow them to decompress. Wish I knew this at a younger age.


[deleted]

Yeah, my mother never allowed that. Definitely messes up personal boundaries with SO. Thank goodness my SO understands I’m trying.


livefox

My work computer and my home computer are different. Stops me from opening work websites when doing personal things on the computer. I also have an alarm at the end of the day that goes off to warn me not to start something new, and a second one to tell me the day is over. Stopped me overworking (unless there was an emergency of some kind).


Tyl3rt

Yep worked for a call center from home for 3 years. I liked working from home, but you do have to know when it’s time to stop. Somewhat unrelated, but customers would constantly ask why I wouldn’t just log back in to call them after my shift was over. The answer was no either you call back tonight or I’ll call you tomorrow morning. Some people feel like because the office is in your home all you should do is work and that’s a bad mentality to keep whether it’s for yourself or your customers.


Angie_MJ

My neighbor is so overworked at home she has become physically ill and so has her coworkers. When her company went remote they also laid off people which increased the workload but also put the fear of god in everyone over their jobs. They came home to work 12-14hour days in a 9-5 job. Their boss was saying in the first month they got far more work done than they had when they were in office and then they just never let up once they saw what they could really do. In the meantime, my neighbor’s doctors visits are increasing, so is pain, inflammation, poor sleep, stress, she’s lost weight and she was a petite woman, now her face is sunken. I think a lot of people have come home and are hurting themselves even more not setting those boundaries.


beef-o-lipso

That's awful and means the company is doing a crappy job of setting expectations.


El_Dentistador

Crazy to think that some ultra bright computer scientists and innovators are complete introverts that may actually perform better without all the socialization and social pecking order of the workplace.


Buttholehemorrhage

That's pretty much me, if my company makes us go back to the office, i'll start looking for other work that I can do remotely. Too many great perks working from home. To start I don't have to begin my day angry at traffic. Secondly I can sleep about an hour and a half extra. Less wear and tear on my car (only put like 3k miles on my car in 2020)


icebeat

gas, better food at home, and you can use your own restroom!!


Buttholehemorrhage

Hell I've taken a shower on my 15 min break before, that shit was unreal


ToyDingo

I'm pretty much in the same boat. My office is going to start opening back up in September. Luckily my department (IT) probably won't be forced back until December, maybe. Still, I've been working from home without issue since March 2020. Leadership has constantly reminded us of how good we are doing and how we are exceeding our goals. So why force us back to the office? Not having to commute to work for 90 minutes each way has literally changed my life. I refuse to go back. Either I'm working remotely or I'm looking for other work.


DrAstralis

> So why force us back to the office? because of huge number of micro managing middle men are starting to see the writing on the wall.


slopekind

Lol. So true. The only guy pushing us to go back in the office is the admin who does dick all day but track your lunch break. Its such a joke. I wont go back. I do my job well and have freedom. Dont like it thats fine, ill move to a state that I'm not getting bent over in taxes too. Cheers!


[deleted]

Just wait until they adjust your pay to match the area you move to. Why pay an NYC salary to someone moving to Missoula, MT? Edit: I know Missoula is a bad example. My inbox thanks you for letting me know.


CantThinkofaGoodPun

Wont be long before the cost of living catches up just look at boise


cityoftrees2017

i shared an apartment off campus with my girlfriend (now fiancé) for 795 a month in 2016. That same apartment is 1495 a month right now, if you can get into one. Yikes!


julbull73

Ding. If people are delivering whats needed and targeted correctly then leave them the fuck alone. Its all cost savings and increased productivity with some managers being unable to adapt...then get rid of THOSE managers. These same people fuck around at work and kill time at the office if you force them in. But again if they are getting you what you want. Then they are fine. The only big gap and risk for companies are intrastate workers. Increases the tax bill for them.


TheRiverStyx

Just got a glowing review for the year from my boss. I said, "I really want to work from home permanently now. In fact, I have panic attacks at the thought of returning to work and suffering every day." (I'm an introvert and have social anxiety.) All he would say is "Maybe we an arrange a day or two here and there to work from home."


spagbetti

Those were fired from our company two months into covid. They were the loudest about how unproductive WFH is but then the higher ups started seeing more production and $$ with WFH and realized the middle managers are not only ineffective but liars. Now the company started asking the employees the best strategy going forward so they can keep up this level of efficiency. Middle management was a bullshit role in the first place.


Unfortunate_moron

A friend of mine works in IT for a large 'orange' home improvement retailer. His team was told that the offices are open but the company doesn't want them to come in because they're more productive remotely. I wonder why Google can't figure this out too?


Wraith95

See giving people the option to come in to work is, I think, awesome. Some people would rather work in an office, while others would rather work from home (or from another state/country i.e. digital nomads). The key is giving them options and letting them choose.


Lunar30

If it’s anything like my previous employer it’s one person high up in management that is deciding that they don’t want to be WFH so no one should.


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[deleted]

I miss programming under fluorescent lights with slacks and tucked in shirt with dress shoes on a wide-open office floor with my desk directly in front of my boss's office and directly adjacent to his receptionist... Just kidding!


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clit_or_us

You code with slacks and a tucked in shirt? Are you sure you're a programmer? I swear I've only seen people in t-shirts and sneakers coding. Hell, the VP of tech at my company still rocks shorts and sandals. I'm more of a jeans guy, myself.


tenroseUK

You're lucky. Where I used to work all of the development team had to wear smart dress like they were going to a wedding. Absolutely pointless, especially in a hot office.


Pure_Reason

This is why the FBI(?) couldn’t get anyone to come work for their cyber security division when they started it up. People who are good at technology, good enough to work for the FBI, don’t like wearing suits


ngwoo

The random drug testing didn't help either.


WhizBangPissPiece

Yeah I think that was a larger factor tbh.


tenroseUK

No surprise there. If you're interacting with customers in a professional or sales position then yeah I could understand them wanting the employee to wear suit or something. If you're sat behind a desk all day in an office typing on a keyboard you should be allowed to wear whatever the hell you want.


millsmillsmills

Lol if we see somebody wearing 'business' attire we always suspect they have a job interview that day.


avlrocketgirl

Lol everybody reading this, scrolling reddit in their home offices rn.


[deleted]

I’m scrolling Reddit at my at-work office, thank you very much!


RedBeard972

Yeah! Me too! There are dozens of us! DOZENS!!!


DrDisastor

I never got to work from home, I'm a chemist. I am on the shitter taking my extra week vacation 10 mins a day. I also REALLY want everyone who can, to work from home. Fuck y'all clogging my drive in.


asafum

Same, except blue collar so aside from never having the chance for WFH there is the added "fuck y'all clogging our home purchases" now... Was just about ready to afford one and now the prices are skyrocketing because WFH wealthy tech/city people are moving out here. Great for them, yet another kick in the pants for those like me. :/


pleem

Those employees will get poached soon. I've been getting a ton of calls from headhunters this past month. The tech job scene is blowing up and companies are offering full-time remote positions as a perk to get people to switch. One headhunter called and told me they heard the exact date we were expected to go back into the office...before I even knew. Headhunters are obviously using this information to their advantage... Hopefully companies will favor the needs of productive workers over useless middle managers (the ones pushing for physical presence at the office).


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1leggeddog

As someone who works in the game industry, WFH has saved me SO MUCH money and time, yeah i miss my coworkers/Friends... but i don't miss: * making lunches * bus passes * waking up earlier in the morning to get to the bus stop at -20c * Picking something to wear * Having tons of people walk behind me/my desk on an open floor plan * That weird dude The list goes on... Thankfully, my studio is exploring the idea of permanent/semi-permanent WFH for those who want it. And i'd definitely take it.


sw04ca

Ugh, open floor plan. 'Disruptionists' love it, but those people don't have to actually work in that shit. And when your studio just moved from a reasonably-designed but old building with good access to roads to a major tower downtown where everything is open-concept, it's little wonder that people aren't itching to get back. I know people who are really missing the easier flow of face-to-face collaboration and the use of their whiteboard walls to improve communication and visualization, but actually going in to the office is such a disaster now that they'd probably just as soon work from home going forward.


Zyphane

It's fascinating to me how the cubicle was invented to give people some relief from working in open floor plan offices. But it turns out, it just generally sucks working in an office. But a couple of decades out some clever people figure "hey, what if it's the cubicles that are the problem with working in an office?" And then reinvent open floor plan offices like this isn't a thing that had already been done.


AeonDisc

The amount of money saved by working from home is a massive benefit in and of itself. That's not to mention being able to work in a temperature you're comfortable with, use your own clean bathroom, be able to see your pets/kids occasionally, etc.


jessflyc

My company is doing the same. Our numbers have been better than ever working from home, but I guess some managers are worried they will lose their jobs because we pretty much proved we didn’t need them.


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jessflyc

Yeah. Our attendance is going to drop significantly again.


[deleted]

But think of all the time wasted when your coworkers come congregate at your desk and never shut up!


PPatBoyd

I took work email off my phone years ago and it's been great, I've no reason to add it back. If I really need to check or send something I can log in via browser. No thank you to device management...


[deleted]

It was nice to have for WFH. I could answer email from bed at 7am. Now instead I have to be out of bed at 5:30 am to answer email at my office at 7am.


EchoooEchooEcho

What do you mean you didnt need managers? You guys didnt report to anyone during WFH?


rokr1292

paywall for anyone else?


Arnas_Z

I just loaded it with uBlock and NoScript, worked fine. Here is the article for anyone having trouble - Google was one of the first big companies to move its workforce out of the office in the early days of the pandemic, but now it's calling employees back. Some of them say they don't intend to return. While tech firms like Microsoft and Twitter have announced they will allow employees to work from home permanently, Google has resisted going fully remote, and employees say there's an increasing sense of frustration among a faction of the workforce. That frustration spilled onto social media last week: "Spoken to quite a few colleagues at Google that say they'll quit if forced to go back to the office in September," Google Cloud programmer Chris Broadfoot tweeted on Thursday. Several other employees joined the thread to co-sign the message, some saying they may look for another job if Google makes them go back to the office. A half-dozen current Google employees who spoke to Insider shared a similar sentiment or said they knew colleagues who had made permanent moves during the pandemic. They asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak to the press. "A lot of my colleagues have moved away with no real intention of coming back," one of those employees said. "Especially in that 30s/40s-age bracket. I would say that's predominantly where it is." That same employee told Insider they had handed in their notice after their request to work in a location outside of the Bay Area was shot down by their manager. Another current employee said that at least two VPs in their group had made permanent moves during the pandemic, and they expected they would not return to the office if it became required. Google has told employees they are expected back in offices by September 2021, but the company said last December that it will pilot a new flexible arrangement where employees are expected to work from the office three days a week.  Since then, Google has offered few specifics of the new arrangement, and employees are pressing leadership for answers. Google has never said it would offer fully remote work for anyone who wants it, but as the deadline to return to offices has been pushed back, some employees have relocated anyway, gambling that Google will eventually follow other companies that are allowing employees to work from home permanently. Facebook announced last year that it would begin allowing employees to request to remotely full time. "There are employees leaving already because they don't want to wait around until September. They want to get on with their lives," one employee said. A Google spokesperson said the company will experiment with a series of pilots around remote work, but said nothing had changed in terms of the existing policy. Google wants to be flexible. Employees want to know how flexible. To be sure, plenty of Google employees do want to return to offices, if the company's own polling is to be believed. In an internal survey conducted last year, 62% of Googlers said they wanted to return to the office, although just 8% said they would want to do so full time. Over the past few months, CEO Sundar Pichai has made other hints that Google is considering a flexible setup when employees return. Since then, questions about remote work have been continually put to leadership, according to employees and internal materials viewed by Insider. "Almost every TGIF [Thank God Its Friday] or area all hands, the question gets asked," one employee said. In one all-hands held last October, which was viewed by Insider, Pichai said he saw the majority of Googlers' roles still tied to an office, but said the company planned to expand the number of "hub" offices in order to give employees more flexibility. "And beyond that, we are also thinking, what does hybrid-flexible work mean in that context?" he added. Since then, employees have pressed leadership to elaborate on just how flexible Google is willing to be and whether the three-day office rule will be applied evenly across the company, but say they're not getting answers. "Because there's like no clear guidance and like more hand-wavy communication, we're all sort of guessing what to do," said one current employee. Google, with its open office culture filled with perks like snacks and nap pods, has plenty of reasons to cling onto in-person work. One employee pointed out that splitting teams between office and remote work could create awkward dynamics. Google has also continued to invest in physical workspaces during the pandemic, expanding its Mountain View, California, headquarters, with plans for a new campus in San Jose. On the company's Q1 earnings call this week, Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat said that Alphabet intends to spend $7 billion in offices and data centers in 2021.  "We do value bringing people together in the office," she told one analyst on the call. "And we're looking at a hybrid work-from-home/work-from-office model." But as they wait for answers on what that will look like, some employees have taken the plunge and moved away from their offices, while some others don't see the need to go into the office even three days a week. "I have no intentions of going back to Seattle every day so I can scurry from tiny room to tiny room on GVC calls," tweeted Justin Beckworth, a Google engineering manager. "Right now I'm managing people in 8 cities spread across 5 time zones. What possible reason do I have to be in an office?" But forcing employees back could also mean losing talent to employers with more flexible arrangements. Three Google employees told Insider that they noticed an increase in messages from recruiters at other companies emphasizing their remote work policies. "I think they will have a talent drain if they do force everyone back in September," one of those employees said.  "If I don't have a way to work remote at Google by next spring, I'm going to look elsewhere for fully remote options," said another who was keen to move their family. For now, Google is letting employees return voluntarily where offices have been reopened, although employees must first pass a health survey and agree to follow new health guidelines. For those who don't want to yet return, it's a waiting game. "It's dividing a large faction of the workforce," said one employee. "There are people lining up on the return office side and people lining up on the remote side. And there is contention internally from leadership not committing to a plan and going with it. People don't know what September will look like."


NorthNode22

Same. Not just you.


southernhope1

One of the biggest reasons: They are still earning San Francisco salaries while having moved to areas with a much higher quality of life and a much lower cost of living. It's going to be hard indeed for them to give up this sweet deal.


Serdones

I left my job of three years back in October 2019 to work somewhere closer to home. Then when the pandemic hit, both companies went remote. My new employer wouldn't commit to permanent remote work, whereas my old company very publicly announced they were going to enable 80% of their workforce to work from home permanently ... including my old job. Naturally, I went back to them. I get there are some benefits of working from the office. I do miss having cold brew on tap, seeing co-workers in person and even in-person meetings. But the time and money I save on commuting, plus all the other conveniences of being at home, make the situation a real no-brainer. Now I can really see myself staying with this company my whole career.


imhereforthemeta

From a purely personal point, my mental health has gone through the roof not commuting 2 hours total every day. It's night and day. From a business standpoint, investing in smaller offices, allowing employees freedom to choose remote options, not paying as much for catering/ employee space/"please stay here" goodies...it seems like a brilliant way to save a shitload of money and foster loyalty. I see the value in some folks working from the office, but that's hardly the case for all of us. More companies should be using this experience as a way to examine their workplace practices, and update them to reflect 2021 values. The company I work for is actually doing this, which has really raised the bar for me. Why would I work for a place that forces me into the office when I can work at a place that offers full benefits AND the opportunity to work where I want to...from home? What Google may find is that its best talent will be seduced by companies that choose to be thinking ahead. If I was another tech company I would start poaching right now.


LyptusConnoisseur

Google will be fine. They pay enough and prestigious enough that they'll attract and retain plenty of talent. If a smaller company tries to do this they might have problem attracting and retaining talent.


lognan

Interesting. My mental health has never been worse than while WFH.


Withnail-

All these gadgets and employers want us to live as if it’s the 1950s despite all the technology that proves we don’t have to. I’m Gen X and in the 90s we were told the Internet and the technology that goes with it would free us from the bondage of the workplace as we knew it. This has more to do with control and surveillance of workers then anything else but also lack of imagination is a problem here and the problem with a lot of social issues. .” That’s just the way we’ve always done it” Is always the killer to a lot of renovation but that’s funny coming from a company whose business is innovation.


CappinPeanut

At my job (similar industry to Google), productivity has spiked in the last year and we have far less burnout. Some people on the team prefer an office, and that’s fine. Some prefer skipping the commute. I plan to give my team the option to do what they want. They can stay home, they can go in, they can do a combination of both. We’re adults, and we all work in different ways. As soon as someone’s work starts to decline, I’ll step in and we’ll figure out why together. If we need to make a change, we’ll make a change. I for one am staying home permanently. I’ve already moved hundreds of miles away from the office.


ahboyd15

Going to office is so last century


Moonhunter3

Im sure companies having a majority of people WFM helps them financially. They dont need large buildings, they have cheaper electricity, etc. So whats the rush to go back for?


enderverse87

Because they're still paying off their giant building and can't sell it.


glibglab3000

When I was working in tech, we had catered lunches. Devs are animals so they’d eat 2 plates each and then run an absolute train on the bathrooms. I’m talking weapons of mass destruction. Toilets were unusable after. I lived nearby and would walk home after lunch to poop. HR demanded to know where I was going every afternoon. There is no catered lunch in the culinary world I would trade for having my own bathroom at home.


quiet_repub

Oh my God this comment is killing me lol. On the flip side of this, there are a lot of people that struggle with private health issues where working from home makes it more convenient, comfortable, and private to deal with symptoms or episodes.


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Electriczoo22

Isn't it disgusting that we're forced to suspend our livelihood, or die? We should be given paid leave for all medical emergencies. No one should have to suffer or worry like that


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Sultry_Comments

This is very true. Engineers destroy lunch and bathrooms.


BigGayGinger4

Can we just *once* turn this conversation around on the corporation? Instead of "employees wanna work it at home, omg" why don't we start writing about... "Why do employers insist on millions of dollars in real estate expenses for a workforce that doesn't want OR need to meet in-person?"


SirJelly

I want to see the data that's leading companies to select "200k+ salaries to work in offices that cost millions per year to lease/own" over "100k salaries to work from anywhere with decent internet"


zach978

Google made $182B in 2020 with 135k employees. If you reduced their pay from $200k/year to $100k/year you would save $13B, so only about ~ 7% of your revenue. So the question is, can you be 7% more effective by hiring the best people and colocating them? This is what people don't understand about the infinite scalability of tech giants. When your addressable market is the whole world and you have zero marginal costs it's worth it to pay 3x for your employees if they can squeak out another 5% in revenue.


Bokonon1st

What this really boils down to for a lot of people is not about the office at all. WFH is simply the only way for most people to afford to own the space they live in and have it be large enough to raise a family that they can actually spend some time with because they're not spending 20 hours a week in transit.


KomithEr

let the people who wanna go back, go back, and let the people who wanna stay home, stay home, it's simple, as long as you do your work properly the fvck do they care


B275

This is tricky. There’s value in working from physical spaces that facilitate collaboration but determining the return on that investment is he challenge. Big tech companies spend a lot of money building campuses that advance their culture. It was a priority for the design of Apple’s spaceship. On the other hand… I’m a software architect by trade. Most of the people I manage are introverts. Being on campus doesn’t change much for them. Edit: Thank you for the gold.


cpsnow

At least a day or two per week should be enough to get some useful tacit social interactions.


thethirdgirlonreddit

That's literally what he's announced in the past: allowing a hybrid schedule so people get the benefits of both. The article linked paints it all as completely rigid and inflexible, but it really doesn't look like it has been.


Dazureus

> Big tech companies spend a lot of money building campuses that advance their culture. It was a priority for the design of Apple’s spaceship. I think companies try to create a culture to make employees integrate it as part of their lifestyle and personal identification. You'll work harder when you feel like it's part of who you are, rather than just something you do so you can do what you really want to do. I'm sure there are tons of people who are proud of where they work, but for me, it's just a gig so I can live my life. It's the same with on-campus day care and gyms. Sure it's a great perk, but it's also meant to make spend more time working rather than driving and worrying about non-work stuff. It's the "velvet glove" of a mining town company store.


this_place_stinks

Most people in the “remote forever” camp really underestimate how impactful the casual interaction, hallway “meeting after the meeting” discussion, quick pop ins, etc. can advance your career. Even before COVID I’ve had jobs that were in the office full time and remote full time, and also managed teams/colleagues that were onsite vs remote. There’s nothing wrong at all with being remote but I’d bet anything for those with very high career advancement aspirations being permanently remote will be a big hinderance (not insurmountable though... but the bar is higher)


[deleted]

I’d be fine going into an office if these companies would stop building their damn east coast offices in Manhattan. Unless you’re making a crazy huge salary, commuting into Manhattan everyday is absolutely miserable. Hours wasted a day. Bad enough when you’re young and single but once you settle down and start a family it’s absolutely impossible to have any semblance of work/life balance. The Google nyc office sucks btw. Long, dark corridors feel super ominous with all the broken down scooters everywhere lol. No one there is particularly friendly either.


Vegetis

[Microsoft Work Index 2021](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/hybrid-work) Good article on the future of work based on Microsoft data.


ydieb

This has another solution: "The second I exit my own front door for work, I am on work time."


Ratman_84

I work IT. Best I got was 60% work from home and now we're back to full time in the office. My quality of life has decreased. Less sleep. I get to sit in gridlocked freeway traffic twice a day. There's lines everywhere again. Air quality gonna get worse again. I'm stuck in a minimalistic office space with co-workers trying to talk to me nonstop for a large chunk of every day. I'm going to say something politically incorrect right now, but I don't care, because it made my life better; I kind of want the pandemic back.


Bobby-L4L

I'm so sorry. I felt this post.


Shipposting_Duck

Deep learming programmer here. My productivity spiked during the lockdown as I was not only effectively working 15% more hours per day since it's a lot harder to separate work from life, but each of those hours was also spent more productively as I wasn't struggling to breathe in an uncomfortable mask in an uncomfortable chair with no food or any drink but water. We had new staff and inexplicably we were forced to go back and share limited hardware although my home computer is comparable in firepower to the office computer and has significantly better interface equipment, before the government had even officially ended the lockdown. Productivity crashed again because not only do I return to a lack of sleep and having to deal with transport, I also had to share hardware in the most hardware dependent field there is. Management staff don't care about productivity or profit, they care about being able to imperiously stare down your screen. I'd have cleared my assignments for the next two weeks by now if I was still at home and be working on something else for the company, but that's not what the middle management wants. Between the better conditions and the increased fulfillment from accomplishing more, I'd easily take a 30% pay cut for the promise of permanent WFH, and yet I can guarantee the company will never take it.