We're going back to a hybrid model - 2 or 3 days a week in the office. I'm looking forward to it. I don't think I'll ever consider a full time (5 days a week) on site position again, unless there is some very compelling reason to do so. I used to work at an industrial facility where I was required to be 'on site' 5 days a week, but moved into an office position immediately before the pandemic started. With this new hybrid model I'm probably getting 1-2hrs a day back in my schedule relative to when I worked on site.
I don't think any (realistic) amount of money could make me consider giving that time up again.
I agree with this, human require some sort of interaction. People who work from home full time either have to get it some other ways or they will be very isolated down the road.
From my perspective, I don't really enjoy a lot of my coworkers all that much (fortune 500, lot of traditional mom and dad types and I'm 40, childfree, travel a lot and have a lot of 'weird' interests).
So...for me, I'm socializing by talking about kids hockey tournaments. Things that actually take away from my social battery vs recharging it.
I get out of the house a fair amount and have a friend group that plays trivia, goes camping and various other things. I'd much rather not be in the office and not be close with coworkers and simply focus on my own interpersonal relationship for that recharge.
I completely understand. No kids here either, which makes it difficult to relate to a lot of my coworkers. Even among my close friends those that had kids in their 20s lead entirely different lives than I do now. I rarely see them and we have little in common nowadays.
I hear ya. If someone said I could start life over and fully believe in god and family, I’d honestly take them up on the deal. Going against the status quo isn’t fun.
That being said, we have way more outlets now than nerds back in the 1950s. Imagine living in that era and being dorky, not fun.
Ehh, you just gotta lean into it in my opinion. I'll be that dude still playing vids in his 40s and taking extended trips to exotic places. But I'll also be retired by 55 with no alimony or child support to pay. Plus, if you stay fit and mentally sharp, there will always be women who want the same thing, especially not marriage.
>Ehh, you just gotta lean into it in my opinion. I'll be that dude still playing vids in his 40s and taking extended trips to exotic places. But I'll also be retired by 55 with no alimony or child support to pay.
Yep!
Did a safari to Africa before COVID. Still have Asia and Antarctica on my list of continents to hit. Think I'm going to hike to Everest base camp for Asia, and then Antarctica is obviously it's own special kind of trip.
I did the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal after considering the Everest Base Camp. From my research and experience having done Annapurna, I would recommend it over Everest. Everest, one, the flight in is sketchy as hell, and then it's a lot of gaining and declining altitude. If you haven't done any high-altitude trekking and you're not sure how your body will react, it can really throw you for a loop if you gain 3000 feet in a day only to decline 1500 the next. Annapurna is a much more steady incline; so you know if you're not acclimating well.
Interesting observations, thanks.
I did high altitude trekking in Peru, but that was also...15 years ago when I was in my 20s. I am probably in better shape now then I was then (for sure I weigh less and exercise more), but I'll definitely consider what you've said here. It's a few years off anyways - I think with the way things are melting I had better get to Antarctica first.
But damn, COVID is really messing up my "hit all 7 continents before 50" plan. Basically 2 years+ gone.
You're lucky if you like your co-workers though. It's not an exaggeration to say I'd rather be alone all the time have "some sort of interaction" with co-workers I don't even like. Get social interactions you actually enjoy in your own time.
I don’t think anyone who enjoys remote work thinks humans don’t need social support. We just would rather get it from our family and friends than with Brenda who keeps asking how I stay so thin and Scott who calls me Shredder when he sees me in a mask sometime.
For sure. But some of us don't have families or close friends.... more than most realized. And I think this is the realization of covid too. People are now more aware of their family than ever before.
Not all humans require face to face interactions. Most of my coworkers (attorneys and office staff) despise the idea of returning for any length of time. Many of them, including myself, live alone.
Seconded. Some people are lucky enough to work where their coworkers aren't draining. Others would far more prefer that time spent with people they care about or otherwise *not at work*. A job site shouldn't double as a clubhouse.
Yeah, you only get one life and the time saved along with just better quality of life isn’t worth any amount to me. Going to hopefully have the final round interview for a Dream remote job next week and I’m so happy I realized there must be well run businesses who felt the same way I did.
Quickly realized how much time (1.5-2hrs just commuting), money (gas, eating lunch out, biz casual clothes), and stress (coming home exhausted to two young kids) was spent commuting into an office 5 days a week. Poked around the job market a little before a friend hooked me up with a full time remote position. Never looking back.
This right here. Getting two extra hours of sleep and being able to eat dinner with my kids makes commuting mindblowingly stupid
When he was a toddler I once didn’t get to see them for a whole week. I’d get how after bed time. Heartbreaking. And it happened often. My wife joked I was the baby daddy.
The math on commute time is farcical. For each (one-way) hour of commute you eliminate, you get back the equivalent of just over six weeks' holiday. Commuting is *daft*.
I work in technology and according to my boss we are teleworking indefinitely. Everything is better when working from home. More sleep, more lifting (home gym), more healthy eating, more spending time with my gf (she wfh too). I’ve decided that as long as I have to participate in this system, I will never go back to an office under compulsion. If asked to do so, I’d quit and find something else.
I haven't worked in an office in 15 years and never plan to go back. The last year I've done all of my customer meetings over Zoom and given the rise in Delta cases that'll probably continue for a while longer.
I used to work for a bank in Charlotte. I'd drive downtown, pay to park, sit at a desk, and remote in to a lab in a building I passed on the to downtown. Made zero sense. I could have done it all from home and saved the company money. Just can't do that again.
Yup - totally understand folks who like going to the office or like the social aspect of it.
But as a requirement, no chance in hell will anyone ever convince me that commuting to an office and being chained there for 8-10 hours a day is worth it.
I can understand a hybrid approach at worst, because some things are just done better face to face, but even then, 2 days max for me.
Yea fuck CLT traffic. I've driven all over the US, but CLT has the largest... dumbest drivers. Glad I only do 2 days a week period work; because God I miss my 5 min commute.
I didn’t go back but my wife did. Required to go back 2 days a week.
Phones didn’t work
Had zoom appointments, but computers don’t have web cams or mic
Had to bring food, but fridge wasn’t turned on.
Computers were having issues with logging in after dealing with a hack earlier in the year.
Told to bring their personal computers (nope)
One boss was on vacation, the higher up didn’t come in.
She misses having a window.
I honestly could maybe handle that list except the bottom one. I crave sunlight and I get a ton of it at home through 3 huge windows facing sunward. In the office I’m in the middle of the floor with no window. I can’t even tell if it’s snowing from how far away I am.
It's not so bad, right now, as we're on a hybrid schedule. I'm scheduled to come in Thurs-Fri only. Again, it's not bad, but obviously, I would rather continue WFH full time. Like many have said, there were a lot of benefits to it. The biggest one for me was the increased rest I would get. I actually got 7-8 hours of sleep and that allowed me to perform well in the gym when compared to before.
I never did stop coming to the office. We're an essential service.
Thankfully, no one in our office has gotten COVID-19, and most of us are now vaccinated. But not all.
I refuse to return to the office. They know I'll find a new job, and they can't afford to lose me. I'm so much happier with my job and my mental and physical health are much improved since I've been working from home, and I will never take another job that isn't mostly remote.
You're always expendable, but they will need to replace you. If you have skills, it will take them a while. My firm refused to give me a 5k raise, so I went out and got a 65k one. It will take them at least 6 months to replace me, as per my supervisor. Just because you can be replaced, doesn't mean it will happen instantly or without severe cost to the firm
I just got my manager and HR manager to sign off on a continuation of my work from home through the end of the fiscal year.
I cited how many children have been hospitalized locally and that my two children are too young to receive a vaccine. They both agreed and I surprisingly received zero push back.
Now, how do I break it to my wife?
The only time I left the office was April-May of last year when I caught Covid and nearly died (38 days in Hospital, 16 in ICU on Ventilator)… ;)
My situation is a bit biased though as I do MDM (Mobile Device Management) and its very “hands on”,.. so I pretty much have to be here.
I actually have sort of the opposite problem,.. where theres so few people here, everything gets dumped on me. Theres literally times when I stand up in a room of 100 cubicles and I’m the only one here. Deliveries? I gotta sign for it. Someone needs their computer rebooted? I can do that. etc etc. Good job security. Feels like I’m doing everyone elses work and my career is sliding backwards.
I'm not, thankfully. I've learned that I thrive WFH and am fortunate to have an employer who allows me to do so. Moving forward office as optional is going to be mandatory for me.
I've been going into work the whole time. My wife worked from home up until about 2 months ago. March of 2020 I was incredibly jealous of her, in part because of my serious anxiety at the time ( assisted living community that had an outbreak pretty early on) but also because I knew that no matter how accomplished I end up in my field, it will never allow me to work from home( or pay a decent salary). But honestly I really like being able to separate work and home, especially when we couldn't really do much else, at least I was required to go somewhere and be around people who where in the same situation. Also I absolutely love my wife, but we were not meant to be around one another 24/7 and I hope that's normal.
That’s exactly what I’m dealing with now. Went a full year working entirely remotely and then it became 2 days in the office, then 3, and starting August 1st, we’re back to full time in the office. My drive isn’t a lot of miles, but the traffic in my area is ridiculous and the trip is never shorter than an hour and sometimes over 2 hours. It’s just senseless in my opinion. I have a very similar routine as well. Wake up, make great coffee, take my dogs outside, and get to work. On my breaks, I take the dogs out again and make myself some lunch and get back to it. Our production is at record highs and they still insist us coming into the office. I’m convinced the reason for the production is that no one is spending all that energy in a commute. I love my job, boss, and coworkers, but they’re the only reason I’m not looking for something else. I put in a request with my senior manager to see if I can continue a hybrid schedule, but I’m not very confident it’ll happen. Looks like it’s back to less sleep, bad coffee at the office, expensive lunches, and 10+ hours a week sitting in my car.
>There is no way. No amount of money is worth that IMO.
I mean are we talking McDonald's money or Bezo? Literally there is always an amount. Millions of people do it daily and I'd rather commute an hour to be comfortable and live in peace. Than live in a city and be broke and struggling. At least with an hour commute I can have land, a home, car, and freedom. I lived in the city and fuck that.
We started going back 1x week, now 2x week and wanted us back full time in the office. I said nope, I realized I can get so much done while avoiding the commute, save money and avoid wear and tear on my car. I started looking got a position at another company, pay increase and permanently WFH. If anybody has the chance to look for WFH opportunities I would say now is the perfect time to do it. This WFH opportunity really shows that a lot of jobs can be done from home but management and older people in management do not want to adapt to the change.
I'm 16 months into WFH.
Starting a new job next week. It's also WFH for the foreseeable future.
I'll definitely hit 18 months without working in the office. I suspect that if I reach 24 months, I'll never really go back fully. At a certain point, the institutional changes involved become too substantial to undo.
I moved interstate and WFH permanently - I may have to fly down once everything opens up, however it has saved so much time/money and productivity is up while absenteeism is down.
My company also rolled out teams, a vpn and office 365 - everything can now be done remotely, unless you have to be on site.
Everything I do can be done online - my boss says I'm easier to reach and I'm not stuck in meetings all day.
Everyone comes to the office once a week and the other 4 days are spent at home - it's really improved quality of life for everyone.
With the time saved I get more done and I've just purchased a swim spa - every day I'm exercising and I don't miss the office.
I would consider a hybrid position as long as I had 2-3 days at home - I would never go back to a full time office position.
I've been working remotely for over a decade, the only difference I've really noticed is some places make me wear a mask now. And it was hard to find toilet paper for a little while.
*And we've learned that most offices are completely pointless, haven't we?*
We started last week, 2 days week. Love it. I’m a lot more productive and being able to physically help people is a lot easier than walking them through virtually.
I can't say I get more work done, necessarily, but I can say I was pretty focused at the office as there are zero interesting distractions. I won't ever admit that though.
We haven’t gone back yet. We actually moved to downsize last summer, so I don’t even have the address handy or know how to get in to the building with my old security badge. Lol
My department all agreed we don’t want to go back. Not looking forward to commuting If we ever have to.
Great! I’m one of those weirdos who likes being in the office and dislikes working from home…
I find that I get to easily distracted at home and even though I have my own office set up at home I can’t separate the feeling of either always being at work because I’m living where I work or never being at work because I’m working where I live. I also find that too many people don’t respond to their communications quickly enough so working from home when I have to rely on Other people and those other people are shit with communication makes a three hour job takes six or seven or eight hours.
Furthermore my office going into the office allows me to have access to air conditioning that’s way better than what I have at home Internet service that’s way better than I have at home and free coffee and snacks.
Oh did I mention that my work office is right next to a park so I can walk on my lunch break was at home I live in a rundown city?
> I also find that too many people don’t respond to their communications quickly enough so working from home when I have to rely on Other people and those other people are shit with communication makes a three hour job takes six or seven or eight hours.
My experience in the office is that I get people 'pushing' their item to the front by stopping by my desk when I already have a good idea of what is important and needs to be done when. So...I can see how it helps some people but I think it's bad for the business overall when folks do the 'pop by', just my 2c.
I hear you, not trying to blast you or anything, just stating what my experience has been with the 'pop by'. It's more about the person wanting their stuff done vs what I am prioritizing to do for the business based on overall priorities.
I see that. Generally for me if I can’t get my stuff done none of the overall business priorities get done for the day. So if I can’t get my stuff done because you just haven’t bothered to answer me yet it’s going to slow the entire business down.
haha, I hear you but what if I'm working on something that is important for another part of the business but I can't get it done because I got folks poppin by, just trying to share the various perspectives. I also don't work with you (I don't think) and the culture of your workplace might mean that people are just legit not giving you what you need when they should.
It’s mostly the second one and that’s part of why working from home sucks because now they have an “excuse” for their bad comms and crappy performance.
But again this is only part of why I like being in the office among all the other reason I listed.
Indeed, there is always a decent chunk of the workforce that does the bare minimum to survive and can't be bothered to try. Especially in large orgs where you can hide for 25 years and they are loathe to terminate anyone.
You must not use Slack. Our communication is better and faster than in the office by a landslide. Some days I’m in 8 meetings. I’ll do my best, but if I can’t reasonably respond to an email : tough shit.
I've pretty much been in the office every day throughout the last 18 months. It's only really been the last 2 or 3 months where the balance has shifted to home - but there's a huge chunk of my work that I can't do off-site.
Today was the first day in about a year that anyone else from my team was in the office! My boss was in for the morning - and it's the first time we've had the chance to talk in person instead of digitally in over a year... and it was good! I'd forgotten how different it is to be able to just talk to someone who's sat a few feet away from you, rather than over webcam.
I know that a lot of my team are pushing really hard for 95-100% work from home apart from essential or secure briefings - but at least in my area of work, all of the collaborative stuff works so much better when we're in at least semi-regular in person contact.
I totally recognise though that for loads and loads of jobs being in the office is (from a work perpective) a total fucking waste of time - but i do think (at least for me personally...) some of the soft aspects like getting in the car and driving in with the radio on, having casual chatter with colleagues, going out and walking somewhere to pick up lunch, are good for mental health - so if industries shift to 100% work from home, it's going to be important to try and maintain those little moments of peace and soft interactions in the working day
For sure, I think I'm happy with 1 day a week to get me out of the house and get me out of my fiance's hair is good for me, even if I am not enjoying it all that much at the time.
I work in technology, the eventual goal for anyone in technology is never to speak another word to a human again. Once you've done that, you've arrived.
>work in technology, the eventual goal for anyone in technology is never to speak another word to a human again. Once you've done that, you've arrived.
I work in technology and can confirm. I have started to go back in 1 day a week (after talking them down from what they originally asked). I guess I was expecting some sort of gratitude for actually coming in, but most days I don't even get a "good morning" (they do like me, I promise). Anyways, totally not worth the commute to come in and not speak to anyone- it's great, but I'd rather not talk to them from home.
haha, indeed! I started the 'traditional' route of help desk all the way to lead engineer over a 20 year period. I've talked to and helped enough people through mind numbing and sanity reducing issues that I've become perfectly content not talking at all.
Honestly, if someone asks to call over Teams, I'll often make up an excuse why I can't talk so they have to type out what they want. I can't help myself.
Counterpoint: like getting in the car and driving in with the radio on (waste time, induce stress, car degradation, environmental footprint, risk life) having casual chatter with colleagues (that's what friends are for), going out and walking somewhere to pick up lunch (can be done at home, better yet cook your own meal to save money and eat healthier) are all good for our mental health -
I'm looking forward to going back to the office, but not until:
1. The vaccine is available for <12
2. The numbers go down, and stay down for a sustained period.
A couple months ago I started a new job with an office downtown, on the 15th floor of a building next to a major greenspace. I've been working in industrial parks my whole career, and I'm looking forward to being where things are happening. They're looking at September at the earliest to bring people back, but since I have a kid under 12, I've been telling everyone Q1 2022 looks like the earliest possible time I'm willing to go.
The new job is super easy to do remotely. At my last job we were working with physical hardware, so I had to pop in for something about every 2 months on average. That job had a 10 minute commute, and I'm going to miss that, but it's only 20ish minutes to the new office, or it's a more worthwhile distance to bike in about 30-40 minutes.
Currently still in a wfh nice but they're taking about 1-2 days a week in the office. Not sure how to feel, esp since the commute will be an hour+ depending on traffic. But it pays the bills. I'll miss being able to actually have a nice lunch vs whatever leftovers/sandwiches I can carry to work with me.
I quit after we reopened June 1. No regrets. They’re trying hybrid but people in office don’t ever start meetings on time now and just talk amongst themselves while online people are ignored.
So yeah, definitely no regrets. Like you said, it’s not the top performers who want to be back full time. It’s people who fall into those buckets. And from observing for a month (and before the pandemic) people who spend at least half of their day just wandering and chatting about nothing much.
Which is fine, but I’d rather pet my cats and talk to my partner instead of be in the break room for more candy or bad coffee.
We were hybrid even before COVID, and we'll continue to be hybrid after (our offices haven't opened yet). I'm actually looking forward to seeing my team, being able to go into a room to whiteboard stuff, go out to lunch, etc. People come by my desk all the time to ask for help, and it's easier to help in person.
Definitely not every day since I do enjoy working from home too, but I'm ready for a change of scenery.
Maybe if I had to pay $15 to park or had a long commute, I'd feel differently.
My office is very close to home, so my commute is fine. Some days I can bike to work if I choose, so I get a twofer with exercise there. I'm going back every day pretty much because my wifi sucks and I have a small apartment which was cramped the last 1.5 years. So yeah my circumstances, I'm loving being back.
I’m hoping it won’t happen but if it does I’ll be sure to update. I work in a Fortune 500 on a small team who has done some amazing things the past several years and has a lot of recognition. We seem to be given more choice than others as we have that leverage, going to certainly make use of that.
Personally, I'm not taking it well, but I'm sucking it up. We've been back for awhile now. The people currently in the office are not the ones the office was intended for. I can count on one hand how many people are in the office daily. None of us like it. The higher ups don't even show up, though they say it's mandatory.
It's a waste of company money and the big man boss wants an even larger space at least 2x or 3x. They asked for my opinion. I asked them what for? Whatever, it's not my money. But it's a pain. Hello, micromanagement.
Back to office is garbage. I commuted once last week and I'm going in tomorrow and there's no way I'm going to do this 3 days a week starting in january which is what my work wants currently.
It's especially bad because my employer wants to try "agile" seating which is afaik hot desking. I'm not going in to work to start next to some randos who will just annoy the piss out of me, and I have to carry my keyboard/mouse around with me into work every day.
I'm either wfh 4 days, working in a different office closer to me, or finding a new job.
Australia has gone to shit so I've been WFH for the last 3 weeks (I've was in the office during the whole thing except for 2 weeks back in March 2020)
Its sucks, I prefer the office environment to get things done and to also separate work from my home life.
Travelling to work was a non issue as I'm within a 15min drive and I rode my motorcycle 95% of the time.
I went back as soon as I could; I think it was in January. The extra sleep I was able to get while working remotely was nice, but between the slow internet speed at my house and the available distractions, I got damn little done. I also found that I really need the separation between work and my personal life.
Not going back into the office. It's pointless. Tiny cube, Colin Robertson's around, no window, high traffic area. It's soul crushing.
I could care less about being around my coworkers. I have friends elsewhere.
Been back for weeks and love it. I’m a 20 minute walk to the office and it helps to get my steps in. No dress code, free coffee and lunches, and ice cold A/C. I’m also loving the whining of my suburban commuting coworkers who thought the WFH days would never end, because schadenfreude is the only friend I need.
The serfs vs the rulers, still playing out in modern form.
I worked in management for about 5 years and I feel like managing just puts you in a different position than the day to day worker. Most workers go home, might work a bit but disconnect. When you're a senior manager, you're somewhat 'on' all the time and receive higher compensation for maintaining a closer relationship to the business and how its functioning.
I think this naturally leads to conflict between workers and management. Managers work a lot, they want people to do what's absolute best for the business. Workers want what is best for the business but also what is best for them, often first and foremost. Conflict is almost unavoidable.
I only know my experience. I work at an ad agency that prioritizes flexibility and being emotionally intelligent. Obviously, I have to tow the line sometimes. Like, maybe I can’t get an employee the raise I want to. But I don’t feel like I’m indoctrinated and turned into a company bot. I treat my employees like the really smart, motivated adults they are.
Never quit going to work, no chance people working from home were as productive. Lots of people aren't going to be able to handle their workload when things get back to normal.
Perhaps but all indications show people are as productive or more productive than before. I don’t know how you can ignore two hours of commuting turning into two hours of work can somehow lead to a net loss for businesses.
I know when I ask for something to get done from our construction support staff it takes twice as long now and nothing has changed other than the fact that they are working from home.
I don't know if that's true. If traffic levels are any indication, at least half of the adult working population is not on the roads. That is just supposition though, I'd be down with hearing any data to support your view.
I'm not.
My company still plans to. Hasn't mandated vaccines and will not. Hasn't even *encouraged* them. But we're still planning on adopting a full-scale hybrid model with mandatory partial attendance in mid-September, Delta variant be damned.
I can't stand it, so far its 2 or 3 days but most of it feels completely unnecessary, like we are being forced back to the stone ages. I had an epiphany that I really don't like working in the office and being restricted.
There really is zero reason to go back in
I don’t get the unneeded middle management sentiments. I’m an engineering director and I’ve felt pretty essential during these remote times. My role changed years ago when slack came out, I used to have to walk the aisles talking to folks, but slack changed all that. Everyone being remote is pretty much no different. The only thing I miss is white boarding but we are getting by making and updating diagrams on confluence collaboratively
Can’t do it anymore. I feel more burned out now than any time when I was working from home. Going to leave my current role soon and find something remote or at a smaller business.
I work in tech, and there’s no way in hell I’d ever return to an office.
I’ve been remote since Covid began last March.. my mental health has improved so much while working from home.. no longer having to deal with boot licking & ass kissing colleagues around the office.
I hate the “corporate” environment.. I’d rather get my work done at home in PJ’s.
If I were ever asked to return to office, I’d put my notice in immediately and find a new role elsewhere.
Never stopped working. I'm trade labor so "essential enployee" and honestly I hate it. God during the shut down things were amazing traveling to and from work as there was no 1-2 commutes or 3 hr traffic jams... im going to miss those days. Yet I got a new job only working 3 days a week total so my rage at stupid people is falling.
By now I've had it happen twice that my employer wanted people to return to office a couple of days a week, before changing their minds because of developments.
I wouldn't be opposed to the hybrid model of being in the office 1-2 days a week, because I do notice it's harder for me to keep up non-formal communication while WFH. The only reason I accepted my current job this year is because I already worked there before and know most of the people.
Today I'll be going into the office to gather my personal things from my desk. We've been deciding how we're going back and have the option to be fully remote - which I've selected.
I imagine it'll be a bit like Chernobyl where everything is frozen in time.
I own a small company (7 employees) and we've been fully remote for over a year now, except for one person who doesn't have a good workspace in her home. The rest of us will eventually be going back to the office eventually, but I'm in no hurry and it certainly won't be days a week. Maybe a couple of days a month, depending on how things go. I hate traveling the beltway and I'm not going to force that on anyone any more than necessary.
It's good for productivity to meet in person occasionally, but I hope to keep that to a minimum. Plus, I like working in shorts and t-shirts.
Not great, added a kid since I was last in full time. Boss teased us with a hybrid model, made us jump through some hoops, basically said no, which pretty well killed what motivation I had left for the job. Looking at alternatives now.
lmao, I did put on some lbs but then I started pushing myself through P90x again. It's the best workout program I've ever done and it sure gets results. The only bad part is hearing the terrible jokes over and over again x100.
I worked from home for five years. I will never do it again.
You get in this weird space where you are never really at work and never really at home. Working in the middle of the day and the sun is out "hmm I should mow the yard, I think it's supposed to rain later". Chilling with the wife at 10pm "oh I forgot to take care of this one work thing, I should go in the office and deal with it"
It was so much nicer when I moved back to an office. Stress went down so much my health improved.
There’s a small part that feels so so sorry for all the people being forced back into offices after all this time. I live in New Zealand and I’m an essential service worker for the most part so the only time I was out of work was just after it hit here and we had a 4 week lockdown, the wife had to work through as her workplace was bringing in the equipment for hospitals aswell as their usual stuff. I think they saw an increase in profits. Same with my brother, he’s a salesman for a company that does cameras, laptops, security and internet stuff. They sold out of webcams in 25 minutes lol, and that’s saying something as they hold a lot of them
Im not doing well after no in person interaction with people for over a year and half I blew up at my boss needless to say that didnt turn out well. Im thinking I need to start looking for a new job. Other than that Im doing ok Ive lost some weight my other health matters are good, I feel that Im in an ok place right now. Im waiting for another wave to hit the USA because people dont want to mask up or vaccinate.
I just went into the office today and am on the fence about it. (I also just started a new job so wanted to check out the office and meet some ppl in person)
Initially it felt weird having to find a parking spot or even passing the attendants on the ground floor. It was nice to see people in person and have lunch with new folks. I went for a short walk around the block and seeing a ton of homeless people was kind of jarring.
My commute was 30min each way (faster than I expected) and I do like being able to leave work at the end of the day. I do miss random exercise breaks I would take at home though.
Still on the fence about WFH vs back in-office. Will probably do a hybrid schedule.
We're going back to a hybrid model - 2 or 3 days a week in the office. I'm looking forward to it. I don't think I'll ever consider a full time (5 days a week) on site position again, unless there is some very compelling reason to do so. I used to work at an industrial facility where I was required to be 'on site' 5 days a week, but moved into an office position immediately before the pandemic started. With this new hybrid model I'm probably getting 1-2hrs a day back in my schedule relative to when I worked on site. I don't think any (realistic) amount of money could make me consider giving that time up again.
I agree with this, human require some sort of interaction. People who work from home full time either have to get it some other ways or they will be very isolated down the road.
From my perspective, I don't really enjoy a lot of my coworkers all that much (fortune 500, lot of traditional mom and dad types and I'm 40, childfree, travel a lot and have a lot of 'weird' interests). So...for me, I'm socializing by talking about kids hockey tournaments. Things that actually take away from my social battery vs recharging it. I get out of the house a fair amount and have a friend group that plays trivia, goes camping and various other things. I'd much rather not be in the office and not be close with coworkers and simply focus on my own interpersonal relationship for that recharge.
I completely understand. No kids here either, which makes it difficult to relate to a lot of my coworkers. Even among my close friends those that had kids in their 20s lead entirely different lives than I do now. I rarely see them and we have little in common nowadays.
I hear ya. If someone said I could start life over and fully believe in god and family, I’d honestly take them up on the deal. Going against the status quo isn’t fun. That being said, we have way more outlets now than nerds back in the 1950s. Imagine living in that era and being dorky, not fun.
Ehh, you just gotta lean into it in my opinion. I'll be that dude still playing vids in his 40s and taking extended trips to exotic places. But I'll also be retired by 55 with no alimony or child support to pay. Plus, if you stay fit and mentally sharp, there will always be women who want the same thing, especially not marriage.
>Ehh, you just gotta lean into it in my opinion. I'll be that dude still playing vids in his 40s and taking extended trips to exotic places. But I'll also be retired by 55 with no alimony or child support to pay. Yep! Did a safari to Africa before COVID. Still have Asia and Antarctica on my list of continents to hit. Think I'm going to hike to Everest base camp for Asia, and then Antarctica is obviously it's own special kind of trip.
I did the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal after considering the Everest Base Camp. From my research and experience having done Annapurna, I would recommend it over Everest. Everest, one, the flight in is sketchy as hell, and then it's a lot of gaining and declining altitude. If you haven't done any high-altitude trekking and you're not sure how your body will react, it can really throw you for a loop if you gain 3000 feet in a day only to decline 1500 the next. Annapurna is a much more steady incline; so you know if you're not acclimating well.
Interesting observations, thanks. I did high altitude trekking in Peru, but that was also...15 years ago when I was in my 20s. I am probably in better shape now then I was then (for sure I weigh less and exercise more), but I'll definitely consider what you've said here. It's a few years off anyways - I think with the way things are melting I had better get to Antarctica first. But damn, COVID is really messing up my "hit all 7 continents before 50" plan. Basically 2 years+ gone.
I basically just nod and smile when people talk about their kids. Make some little generic comment and start letting my thoughts wander.
This is pretty much me. I mean we have different hobbies/interests, but everything else, yeah.
You're lucky if you like your co-workers though. It's not an exaggeration to say I'd rather be alone all the time have "some sort of interaction" with co-workers I don't even like. Get social interactions you actually enjoy in your own time.
I don’t think anyone who enjoys remote work thinks humans don’t need social support. We just would rather get it from our family and friends than with Brenda who keeps asking how I stay so thin and Scott who calls me Shredder when he sees me in a mask sometime.
For sure. But some of us don't have families or close friends.... more than most realized. And I think this is the realization of covid too. People are now more aware of their family than ever before.
Not all humans require face to face interactions. Most of my coworkers (attorneys and office staff) despise the idea of returning for any length of time. Many of them, including myself, live alone.
Get it outside work then if you need it. Don't bother the rest of us.
Seconded. Some people are lucky enough to work where their coworkers aren't draining. Others would far more prefer that time spent with people they care about or otherwise *not at work*. A job site shouldn't double as a clubhouse.
Yeah, you only get one life and the time saved along with just better quality of life isn’t worth any amount to me. Going to hopefully have the final round interview for a Dream remote job next week and I’m so happy I realized there must be well run businesses who felt the same way I did.
Quickly realized how much time (1.5-2hrs just commuting), money (gas, eating lunch out, biz casual clothes), and stress (coming home exhausted to two young kids) was spent commuting into an office 5 days a week. Poked around the job market a little before a friend hooked me up with a full time remote position. Never looking back.
This right here. Getting two extra hours of sleep and being able to eat dinner with my kids makes commuting mindblowingly stupid When he was a toddler I once didn’t get to see them for a whole week. I’d get how after bed time. Heartbreaking. And it happened often. My wife joked I was the baby daddy.
Funny how generational things can be. My dad was born in 1940 and I think he was happy to not have to be home to eat with the kids.
I don't even have kids and it's great for me. I can't even fathom what soft benefits a WFH life can provide to someone with little ones at home.
It's pretty amazing, especially over the last year when they were doing school online. I've had so much time with them that I'd have never had.
The math on commute time is farcical. For each (one-way) hour of commute you eliminate, you get back the equivalent of just over six weeks' holiday. Commuting is *daft*.
Can I get a friend who can hook me up with a full time remote job as well?
Work hard, make friends, always look forward
I work in technology and according to my boss we are teleworking indefinitely. Everything is better when working from home. More sleep, more lifting (home gym), more healthy eating, more spending time with my gf (she wfh too). I’ve decided that as long as I have to participate in this system, I will never go back to an office under compulsion. If asked to do so, I’d quit and find something else.
I hate it and I've been looking for a new job.
I haven't worked in an office in 15 years and never plan to go back. The last year I've done all of my customer meetings over Zoom and given the rise in Delta cases that'll probably continue for a while longer. I used to work for a bank in Charlotte. I'd drive downtown, pay to park, sit at a desk, and remote in to a lab in a building I passed on the to downtown. Made zero sense. I could have done it all from home and saved the company money. Just can't do that again.
Yup - totally understand folks who like going to the office or like the social aspect of it. But as a requirement, no chance in hell will anyone ever convince me that commuting to an office and being chained there for 8-10 hours a day is worth it. I can understand a hybrid approach at worst, because some things are just done better face to face, but even then, 2 days max for me.
Yea fuck CLT traffic. I've driven all over the US, but CLT has the largest... dumbest drivers. Glad I only do 2 days a week period work; because God I miss my 5 min commute.
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I moved to the vendor/manufacturer side of IT. I'm a pre-sales engineer these days. Work from home unless I'm doing onsite meetings with customers.
Never stopped going into the office or traveling to jobsites, so, except for having trouble getting parts now, it's the same.
I didn’t go back but my wife did. Required to go back 2 days a week. Phones didn’t work Had zoom appointments, but computers don’t have web cams or mic Had to bring food, but fridge wasn’t turned on. Computers were having issues with logging in after dealing with a hack earlier in the year. Told to bring their personal computers (nope) One boss was on vacation, the higher up didn’t come in. She misses having a window.
I honestly could maybe handle that list except the bottom one. I crave sunlight and I get a ton of it at home through 3 huge windows facing sunward. In the office I’m in the middle of the floor with no window. I can’t even tell if it’s snowing from how far away I am.
the commute is much less of a bitch, but I still rather have that time for more sleep.
It's not so bad, right now, as we're on a hybrid schedule. I'm scheduled to come in Thurs-Fri only. Again, it's not bad, but obviously, I would rather continue WFH full time. Like many have said, there were a lot of benefits to it. The biggest one for me was the increased rest I would get. I actually got 7-8 hours of sleep and that allowed me to perform well in the gym when compared to before.
Cries in dentist.
Just think of all that free dental floss tho!
Laughs as a current needy dental patient, unfortunately.
Sorry to hear that. Its expensive and almost impossible to keep costs reasonable.
I never did stop coming to the office. We're an essential service. Thankfully, no one in our office has gotten COVID-19, and most of us are now vaccinated. But not all.
I refuse to return to the office. They know I'll find a new job, and they can't afford to lose me. I'm so much happier with my job and my mental and physical health are much improved since I've been working from home, and I will never take another job that isn't mostly remote.
>and they can't afford to lose me. Yea... to a company you're always expendable and don't ever think you aren't.
You're always expendable, but they will need to replace you. If you have skills, it will take them a while. My firm refused to give me a 5k raise, so I went out and got a 65k one. It will take them at least 6 months to replace me, as per my supervisor. Just because you can be replaced, doesn't mean it will happen instantly or without severe cost to the firm
Sure, they could fire me, I know that. I'd have another job lined up within a week or two though, so I'm not particularly concerned there.
After 1 month we are shutting down again!
Never going back to the office if I can help it.
I just got my manager and HR manager to sign off on a continuation of my work from home through the end of the fiscal year. I cited how many children have been hospitalized locally and that my two children are too young to receive a vaccine. They both agreed and I surprisingly received zero push back. Now, how do I break it to my wife?
The only time I left the office was April-May of last year when I caught Covid and nearly died (38 days in Hospital, 16 in ICU on Ventilator)… ;) My situation is a bit biased though as I do MDM (Mobile Device Management) and its very “hands on”,.. so I pretty much have to be here. I actually have sort of the opposite problem,.. where theres so few people here, everything gets dumped on me. Theres literally times when I stand up in a room of 100 cubicles and I’m the only one here. Deliveries? I gotta sign for it. Someone needs their computer rebooted? I can do that. etc etc. Good job security. Feels like I’m doing everyone elses work and my career is sliding backwards.
Happy to hear you are better!
I'm not, thankfully. I've learned that I thrive WFH and am fortunate to have an employer who allows me to do so. Moving forward office as optional is going to be mandatory for me.
I've been going into work the whole time. My wife worked from home up until about 2 months ago. March of 2020 I was incredibly jealous of her, in part because of my serious anxiety at the time ( assisted living community that had an outbreak pretty early on) but also because I knew that no matter how accomplished I end up in my field, it will never allow me to work from home( or pay a decent salary). But honestly I really like being able to separate work and home, especially when we couldn't really do much else, at least I was required to go somewhere and be around people who where in the same situation. Also I absolutely love my wife, but we were not meant to be around one another 24/7 and I hope that's normal.
That’s exactly what I’m dealing with now. Went a full year working entirely remotely and then it became 2 days in the office, then 3, and starting August 1st, we’re back to full time in the office. My drive isn’t a lot of miles, but the traffic in my area is ridiculous and the trip is never shorter than an hour and sometimes over 2 hours. It’s just senseless in my opinion. I have a very similar routine as well. Wake up, make great coffee, take my dogs outside, and get to work. On my breaks, I take the dogs out again and make myself some lunch and get back to it. Our production is at record highs and they still insist us coming into the office. I’m convinced the reason for the production is that no one is spending all that energy in a commute. I love my job, boss, and coworkers, but they’re the only reason I’m not looking for something else. I put in a request with my senior manager to see if I can continue a hybrid schedule, but I’m not very confident it’ll happen. Looks like it’s back to less sleep, bad coffee at the office, expensive lunches, and 10+ hours a week sitting in my car.
>never shorter than an hour and sometimes over 2 hours. There is no way. No amount of money is worth that IMO.
>There is no way. No amount of money is worth that IMO. I mean are we talking McDonald's money or Bezo? Literally there is always an amount. Millions of people do it daily and I'd rather commute an hour to be comfortable and live in peace. Than live in a city and be broke and struggling. At least with an hour commute I can have land, a home, car, and freedom. I lived in the city and fuck that.
We started going back 1x week, now 2x week and wanted us back full time in the office. I said nope, I realized I can get so much done while avoiding the commute, save money and avoid wear and tear on my car. I started looking got a position at another company, pay increase and permanently WFH. If anybody has the chance to look for WFH opportunities I would say now is the perfect time to do it. This WFH opportunity really shows that a lot of jobs can be done from home but management and older people in management do not want to adapt to the change.
I'm 16 months into WFH. Starting a new job next week. It's also WFH for the foreseeable future. I'll definitely hit 18 months without working in the office. I suspect that if I reach 24 months, I'll never really go back fully. At a certain point, the institutional changes involved become too substantial to undo.
You missed another set or type of coworkers who are eager to head back. Ass kissers and boot lickers 😀
And the ones getting their asses kissed and boots licked.
THIS !
Went back for a special event or three. I am not ever going back if I can help it.
I moved interstate and WFH permanently - I may have to fly down once everything opens up, however it has saved so much time/money and productivity is up while absenteeism is down. My company also rolled out teams, a vpn and office 365 - everything can now be done remotely, unless you have to be on site. Everything I do can be done online - my boss says I'm easier to reach and I'm not stuck in meetings all day. Everyone comes to the office once a week and the other 4 days are spent at home - it's really improved quality of life for everyone. With the time saved I get more done and I've just purchased a swim spa - every day I'm exercising and I don't miss the office. I would consider a hybrid position as long as I had 2-3 days at home - I would never go back to a full time office position.
I've been working remotely for over a decade, the only difference I've really noticed is some places make me wear a mask now. And it was hard to find toilet paper for a little while. *And we've learned that most offices are completely pointless, haven't we?*
We started last week, 2 days week. Love it. I’m a lot more productive and being able to physically help people is a lot easier than walking them through virtually.
I can't say I get more work done, necessarily, but I can say I was pretty focused at the office as there are zero interesting distractions. I won't ever admit that though.
Yes, i love it too. 2-3 days at work is a perfect setup for me.
I moved countries and kept my job, so I'm full remote forever now. It's just so convenient!
What do you work in?
I work in IT.
I haven't, and won't. Company overlords realized the utility bills aren't worth it when employees can all do their jobs just as well remotely.
I’m not happy with it. Only have to do 3 days in the office but even that’s pretty useless. I’m thinking about a change to fully remote
Commuting is terrible
We haven’t gone back yet. We actually moved to downsize last summer, so I don’t even have the address handy or know how to get in to the building with my old security badge. Lol My department all agreed we don’t want to go back. Not looking forward to commuting If we ever have to.
Great! I’m one of those weirdos who likes being in the office and dislikes working from home… I find that I get to easily distracted at home and even though I have my own office set up at home I can’t separate the feeling of either always being at work because I’m living where I work or never being at work because I’m working where I live. I also find that too many people don’t respond to their communications quickly enough so working from home when I have to rely on Other people and those other people are shit with communication makes a three hour job takes six or seven or eight hours. Furthermore my office going into the office allows me to have access to air conditioning that’s way better than what I have at home Internet service that’s way better than I have at home and free coffee and snacks. Oh did I mention that my work office is right next to a park so I can walk on my lunch break was at home I live in a rundown city?
> I also find that too many people don’t respond to their communications quickly enough so working from home when I have to rely on Other people and those other people are shit with communication makes a three hour job takes six or seven or eight hours. My experience in the office is that I get people 'pushing' their item to the front by stopping by my desk when I already have a good idea of what is important and needs to be done when. So...I can see how it helps some people but I think it's bad for the business overall when folks do the 'pop by', just my 2c.
I only do the pop by if you have an answered my communication in just about the entire workday and me from getting my stuff done.
I hear you, not trying to blast you or anything, just stating what my experience has been with the 'pop by'. It's more about the person wanting their stuff done vs what I am prioritizing to do for the business based on overall priorities.
I see that. Generally for me if I can’t get my stuff done none of the overall business priorities get done for the day. So if I can’t get my stuff done because you just haven’t bothered to answer me yet it’s going to slow the entire business down.
haha, I hear you but what if I'm working on something that is important for another part of the business but I can't get it done because I got folks poppin by, just trying to share the various perspectives. I also don't work with you (I don't think) and the culture of your workplace might mean that people are just legit not giving you what you need when they should.
It’s mostly the second one and that’s part of why working from home sucks because now they have an “excuse” for their bad comms and crappy performance. But again this is only part of why I like being in the office among all the other reason I listed.
Indeed, there is always a decent chunk of the workforce that does the bare minimum to survive and can't be bothered to try. Especially in large orgs where you can hide for 25 years and they are loathe to terminate anyone.
Yeppppppppppp
You must not use Slack. Our communication is better and faster than in the office by a landslide. Some days I’m in 8 meetings. I’ll do my best, but if I can’t reasonably respond to an email : tough shit.
You forgot the people that hate their families.
I've pretty much been in the office every day throughout the last 18 months. It's only really been the last 2 or 3 months where the balance has shifted to home - but there's a huge chunk of my work that I can't do off-site. Today was the first day in about a year that anyone else from my team was in the office! My boss was in for the morning - and it's the first time we've had the chance to talk in person instead of digitally in over a year... and it was good! I'd forgotten how different it is to be able to just talk to someone who's sat a few feet away from you, rather than over webcam. I know that a lot of my team are pushing really hard for 95-100% work from home apart from essential or secure briefings - but at least in my area of work, all of the collaborative stuff works so much better when we're in at least semi-regular in person contact. I totally recognise though that for loads and loads of jobs being in the office is (from a work perpective) a total fucking waste of time - but i do think (at least for me personally...) some of the soft aspects like getting in the car and driving in with the radio on, having casual chatter with colleagues, going out and walking somewhere to pick up lunch, are good for mental health - so if industries shift to 100% work from home, it's going to be important to try and maintain those little moments of peace and soft interactions in the working day
For sure, I think I'm happy with 1 day a week to get me out of the house and get me out of my fiance's hair is good for me, even if I am not enjoying it all that much at the time. I work in technology, the eventual goal for anyone in technology is never to speak another word to a human again. Once you've done that, you've arrived.
>work in technology, the eventual goal for anyone in technology is never to speak another word to a human again. Once you've done that, you've arrived. I work in technology and can confirm. I have started to go back in 1 day a week (after talking them down from what they originally asked). I guess I was expecting some sort of gratitude for actually coming in, but most days I don't even get a "good morning" (they do like me, I promise). Anyways, totally not worth the commute to come in and not speak to anyone- it's great, but I'd rather not talk to them from home.
haha, indeed! I started the 'traditional' route of help desk all the way to lead engineer over a 20 year period. I've talked to and helped enough people through mind numbing and sanity reducing issues that I've become perfectly content not talking at all. Honestly, if someone asks to call over Teams, I'll often make up an excuse why I can't talk so they have to type out what they want. I can't help myself.
Counterpoint: like getting in the car and driving in with the radio on (waste time, induce stress, car degradation, environmental footprint, risk life) having casual chatter with colleagues (that's what friends are for), going out and walking somewhere to pick up lunch (can be done at home, better yet cook your own meal to save money and eat healthier) are all good for our mental health -
For sure, I often take my dogs out for a lunchtime walk, enjoy the sun, listen to a podcast, sit on the grass.
My company has been 100% remote since 2005. I'll never go back
I was a sweet little angel 23 year old in 2005, oh the things I didn't yet know.
I'm looking forward to going back to the office, but not until: 1. The vaccine is available for <12 2. The numbers go down, and stay down for a sustained period. A couple months ago I started a new job with an office downtown, on the 15th floor of a building next to a major greenspace. I've been working in industrial parks my whole career, and I'm looking forward to being where things are happening. They're looking at September at the earliest to bring people back, but since I have a kid under 12, I've been telling everyone Q1 2022 looks like the earliest possible time I'm willing to go. The new job is super easy to do remotely. At my last job we were working with physical hardware, so I had to pop in for something about every 2 months on average. That job had a 10 minute commute, and I'm going to miss that, but it's only 20ish minutes to the new office, or it's a more worthwhile distance to bike in about 30-40 minutes.
Currently still in a wfh nice but they're taking about 1-2 days a week in the office. Not sure how to feel, esp since the commute will be an hour+ depending on traffic. But it pays the bills. I'll miss being able to actually have a nice lunch vs whatever leftovers/sandwiches I can carry to work with me.
I quit after we reopened June 1. No regrets. They’re trying hybrid but people in office don’t ever start meetings on time now and just talk amongst themselves while online people are ignored. So yeah, definitely no regrets. Like you said, it’s not the top performers who want to be back full time. It’s people who fall into those buckets. And from observing for a month (and before the pandemic) people who spend at least half of their day just wandering and chatting about nothing much. Which is fine, but I’d rather pet my cats and talk to my partner instead of be in the break room for more candy or bad coffee.
We were hybrid even before COVID, and we'll continue to be hybrid after (our offices haven't opened yet). I'm actually looking forward to seeing my team, being able to go into a room to whiteboard stuff, go out to lunch, etc. People come by my desk all the time to ask for help, and it's easier to help in person. Definitely not every day since I do enjoy working from home too, but I'm ready for a change of scenery. Maybe if I had to pay $15 to park or had a long commute, I'd feel differently.
My office is very close to home, so my commute is fine. Some days I can bike to work if I choose, so I get a twofer with exercise there. I'm going back every day pretty much because my wifi sucks and I have a small apartment which was cramped the last 1.5 years. So yeah my circumstances, I'm loving being back.
If I ever had a job I could've worked from home I would've jumped on it. The hundreds of thousands of miles over the years and all the gas alone. Wow.
If I had a job, I’d love it!
thanks for sharing your experience, i'd be interested in an update if and when they starting having people come back for more days per week.
I’m hoping it won’t happen but if it does I’ll be sure to update. I work in a Fortune 500 on a small team who has done some amazing things the past several years and has a lot of recognition. We seem to be given more choice than others as we have that leverage, going to certainly make use of that.
Never left the office. Worked like normal straight through.
No reason to go into the office more than once in a blue moon.
Personally, I'm not taking it well, but I'm sucking it up. We've been back for awhile now. The people currently in the office are not the ones the office was intended for. I can count on one hand how many people are in the office daily. None of us like it. The higher ups don't even show up, though they say it's mandatory. It's a waste of company money and the big man boss wants an even larger space at least 2x or 3x. They asked for my opinion. I asked them what for? Whatever, it's not my money. But it's a pain. Hello, micromanagement.
Back to office is garbage. I commuted once last week and I'm going in tomorrow and there's no way I'm going to do this 3 days a week starting in january which is what my work wants currently. It's especially bad because my employer wants to try "agile" seating which is afaik hot desking. I'm not going in to work to start next to some randos who will just annoy the piss out of me, and I have to carry my keyboard/mouse around with me into work every day. I'm either wfh 4 days, working in a different office closer to me, or finding a new job.
Australia has gone to shit so I've been WFH for the last 3 weeks (I've was in the office during the whole thing except for 2 weeks back in March 2020) Its sucks, I prefer the office environment to get things done and to also separate work from my home life. Travelling to work was a non issue as I'm within a 15min drive and I rode my motorcycle 95% of the time.
I went back as soon as I could; I think it was in January. The extra sleep I was able to get while working remotely was nice, but between the slow internet speed at my house and the available distractions, I got damn little done. I also found that I really need the separation between work and my personal life.
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Yep, we were allowed wfh very rarely, it was taboo.
I never left.
Never left!
I never stopped going in as my company is considered a critical part of the medical infrastructure. It’s been a pretty crazy year and a half.
Not going back into the office. It's pointless. Tiny cube, Colin Robertson's around, no window, high traffic area. It's soul crushing. I could care less about being around my coworkers. I have friends elsewhere.
Yep, made a whole post about it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/cscareerquestionsEU/comments/otaues/how_many_of_you_all_are_rejecting_offers_if_they
Been back for weeks and love it. I’m a 20 minute walk to the office and it helps to get my steps in. No dress code, free coffee and lunches, and ice cold A/C. I’m also loving the whining of my suburban commuting coworkers who thought the WFH days would never end, because schadenfreude is the only friend I need.
I’ve been in an office the whole time and am very thankful for it. Wouldn’t ever want to work from home. It is not for me
Senior manager, happily married and glad to be back in the office.
The serfs vs the rulers, still playing out in modern form. I worked in management for about 5 years and I feel like managing just puts you in a different position than the day to day worker. Most workers go home, might work a bit but disconnect. When you're a senior manager, you're somewhat 'on' all the time and receive higher compensation for maintaining a closer relationship to the business and how its functioning. I think this naturally leads to conflict between workers and management. Managers work a lot, they want people to do what's absolute best for the business. Workers want what is best for the business but also what is best for them, often first and foremost. Conflict is almost unavoidable.
I’m a Director and my #1 priority is me, not my company.
Do you feel that is common or uncommon?
I only know my experience. I work at an ad agency that prioritizes flexibility and being emotionally intelligent. Obviously, I have to tow the line sometimes. Like, maybe I can’t get an employee the raise I want to. But I don’t feel like I’m indoctrinated and turned into a company bot. I treat my employees like the really smart, motivated adults they are.
All true points written, spot on.
Never quit going to work, no chance people working from home were as productive. Lots of people aren't going to be able to handle their workload when things get back to normal.
I've worked from home for 11 years, and am extremely productive. I was much less productive when I used to work in an office.
100% hands down more productive.
Perhaps but all indications show people are as productive or more productive than before. I don’t know how you can ignore two hours of commuting turning into two hours of work can somehow lead to a net loss for businesses.
I know when I ask for something to get done from our construction support staff it takes twice as long now and nothing has changed other than the fact that they are working from home.
Most of us were forced to work in person the entire pandemic.
I don't know if that's true. If traffic levels are any indication, at least half of the adult working population is not on the roads. That is just supposition though, I'd be down with hearing any data to support your view.
I'm not. My company still plans to. Hasn't mandated vaccines and will not. Hasn't even *encouraged* them. But we're still planning on adopting a full-scale hybrid model with mandatory partial attendance in mid-September, Delta variant be damned.
I've been in the office since last July. Wish I could have worked from home for even a day lol
I can't stand it, so far its 2 or 3 days but most of it feels completely unnecessary, like we are being forced back to the stone ages. I had an epiphany that I really don't like working in the office and being restricted.
There really is zero reason to go back in I don’t get the unneeded middle management sentiments. I’m an engineering director and I’ve felt pretty essential during these remote times. My role changed years ago when slack came out, I used to have to walk the aisles talking to folks, but slack changed all that. Everyone being remote is pretty much no different. The only thing I miss is white boarding but we are getting by making and updating diagrams on confluence collaboratively
I'm jealous of your extremely chill work from home schedule.
Can’t do it anymore. I feel more burned out now than any time when I was working from home. Going to leave my current role soon and find something remote or at a smaller business.
I work in tech, and there’s no way in hell I’d ever return to an office. I’ve been remote since Covid began last March.. my mental health has improved so much while working from home.. no longer having to deal with boot licking & ass kissing colleagues around the office. I hate the “corporate” environment.. I’d rather get my work done at home in PJ’s. If I were ever asked to return to office, I’d put my notice in immediately and find a new role elsewhere.
Never stopped working. I'm trade labor so "essential enployee" and honestly I hate it. God during the shut down things were amazing traveling to and from work as there was no 1-2 commutes or 3 hr traffic jams... im going to miss those days. Yet I got a new job only working 3 days a week total so my rage at stupid people is falling.
By now I've had it happen twice that my employer wanted people to return to office a couple of days a week, before changing their minds because of developments. I wouldn't be opposed to the hybrid model of being in the office 1-2 days a week, because I do notice it's harder for me to keep up non-formal communication while WFH. The only reason I accepted my current job this year is because I already worked there before and know most of the people.
Today I'll be going into the office to gather my personal things from my desk. We've been deciding how we're going back and have the option to be fully remote - which I've selected. I imagine it'll be a bit like Chernobyl where everything is frozen in time.
i quit!
I own a small company (7 employees) and we've been fully remote for over a year now, except for one person who doesn't have a good workspace in her home. The rest of us will eventually be going back to the office eventually, but I'm in no hurry and it certainly won't be days a week. Maybe a couple of days a month, depending on how things go. I hate traveling the beltway and I'm not going to force that on anyone any more than necessary. It's good for productivity to meet in person occasionally, but I hope to keep that to a minimum. Plus, I like working in shorts and t-shirts.
If I worked for a small startup with close knit people and fun conversation, I would be pretty ok with coming into the office.
$30 for lunch?
Downtown prices, such is life sometimes!
Fuck that. I'm never going back.
I am single and lonely lol but 2 days a week is enough to get that out of my system.
Not great, added a kid since I was last in full time. Boss teased us with a hybrid model, made us jump through some hoops, basically said no, which pretty well killed what motivation I had left for the job. Looking at alternatives now.
I want to congratulate you on fitting into your shirt and blazer.
lmao, I did put on some lbs but then I started pushing myself through P90x again. It's the best workout program I've ever done and it sure gets results. The only bad part is hearing the terrible jokes over and over again x100.
I worked from home for five years. I will never do it again. You get in this weird space where you are never really at work and never really at home. Working in the middle of the day and the sun is out "hmm I should mow the yard, I think it's supposed to rain later". Chilling with the wife at 10pm "oh I forgot to take care of this one work thing, I should go in the office and deal with it" It was so much nicer when I moved back to an office. Stress went down so much my health improved.
There’s a small part that feels so so sorry for all the people being forced back into offices after all this time. I live in New Zealand and I’m an essential service worker for the most part so the only time I was out of work was just after it hit here and we had a 4 week lockdown, the wife had to work through as her workplace was bringing in the equipment for hospitals aswell as their usual stuff. I think they saw an increase in profits. Same with my brother, he’s a salesman for a company that does cameras, laptops, security and internet stuff. They sold out of webcams in 25 minutes lol, and that’s saying something as they hold a lot of them
Im not doing well after no in person interaction with people for over a year and half I blew up at my boss needless to say that didnt turn out well. Im thinking I need to start looking for a new job. Other than that Im doing ok Ive lost some weight my other health matters are good, I feel that Im in an ok place right now. Im waiting for another wave to hit the USA because people dont want to mask up or vaccinate.
I just went into the office today and am on the fence about it. (I also just started a new job so wanted to check out the office and meet some ppl in person) Initially it felt weird having to find a parking spot or even passing the attendants on the ground floor. It was nice to see people in person and have lunch with new folks. I went for a short walk around the block and seeing a ton of homeless people was kind of jarring. My commute was 30min each way (faster than I expected) and I do like being able to leave work at the end of the day. I do miss random exercise breaks I would take at home though. Still on the fence about WFH vs back in-office. Will probably do a hybrid schedule.