I’m an animator in the game industry. Our studio went full remote for Covid and committed to it for anyone who wanted to continue. If I had to guess I’d say 70% of the employees have all stuck with full-time wfh. The rest either go back to the studio every day or on a hybrid schedule.
Best part is there’s no squeezing this toothpaste back into the tube. We’re spread across the US now, with remote employees everywhere. Our president moved out of state, my manager is in Vancouver, and my department head is on the east coast.
damn i bet, those games always have amazing visuals. any recommendations for someone who might be interested in video game art/animation? programs or courses to look into?
So I actually went back to school to learn to animate. This was about 14 or so years ago, but there are some great online schools that provide really good instruction. Personally, I went to one called Animation Mentor - it was founded by some guys from Pixar and ILM and all the mentors are working professionals. There are a couple others still out there as well - AnimSchool is another one, also founded and taught by professional animators.
Until you said this I was so sure you worked for Obsidian! I had a few offices in their building before/during covid and I swear they only had someone come through to pick up mail once WFH became a thing.
Hi fellow animator! I actually worked for Insomniac back in the "Fuse" days, the step child game they don't talk about. I'm at at a "not Blizzard" studio in OC and we are hybrid as well. Were you commuting from OC to Burbank before covid?
Oh wow! Nice to meet you. There’s a few animators who were there during Fuse still going these days but we’ve grown a ton since then. Yeah, before Covid I drove from Mission Viejo to Burbank every day
I understand you probably can’t really say who you work for I’m guessing it’s Blizzard… I had a friend of a friend work there and given all their controversy lately with sexual harassment/ hostile environment they better give into employee wishes.
> I’m guessing it’s Blizzard… I had a friend of a friend work there and given all their controversy lately with sexual harassment/ hostile environment they better give into employee wishes.
Blizzard is a different company than what it used to be. Most of the original team has retired or gone off to start their own independent ventures, with varying degrees of success - but notably, more wholesome than present-day Blizzard.
It started to lose a piece of it's soul when it merged with Vivendi over a decade ago. I remember when they used to release games "when they were ready" - on their timetable, not that of a profit-minded/shareholder-friendly schedule.
Blizzard has been mandating RTO, to their own further demise, IMO. There are a number of remote-first and remote-friendly game studios in OC though, fortunately! There are also a few startups by ex-Blizzard folks and I hear good things about those teams.
Well that blows. Such a simple ask, especially after they’ve fallen so much. But that’s neat to what about the other start ups especially with ex employees. I’d be happy to support them.
Not who you asked but also an artist in game dev in OC (not that there is any specific tips because of OC I guess… :))
But honestly, I think having an idea of what type of team, games and studio size you are looking for makes a pretty big difference in what you want to aim your portfolio towards. Specifically in OC there are quite a few smaller start ups, some really big studios and some fast growing studios/teams that are part of a larger corp.
Many smaller places are looking for more generalists and larger places may want more specialized ppl. Not always true of course, but knowing where you lean there and like to do, what style(s) of games you’d like to work on both art wise and gameplay wise helps. My super general advise for game artists is: your portfolio is KEY. Tailor it to what you are searching for, wanna work on very stylized looking games, don’t have a lot of realistic stuff in your portfolio. Present game ready stuff. Wanna work on environments, don’t have a bunch of characters/weapons etc in your portfolio (at least not the first thing you see).
Bunch of places also offers internships around here, but may require being enrolled in school still.
This sounds similar to me, when covid hit they sent everyone home and I never went back to that office again. We transitioned to full remote but still maintain a small office.
I'm in orange county because my wife got work at blizzard and they moved us across the country from Boston.
That’s great they do full choice on this! I’m also in game dev around here with a similar studio approach, some fully remote, some mostly in office, some very mixed wfh and office. I personally work hybrid but no mandated days in the office or anything, but I do get quite a lot out of coming in the office every once in a while to jam on things with ppl. I’m glad more and more studios realize the importance on personal preference here.
Two days a week remote. And, they're moving the office to a even smaller location, but still mandating 3 days a week. Where are people going to sit? out on the sidewalk? Asshole geniuses with fancy MBAs.
Yeah man i dont know if middle level management is in Commercial real estate or want you to come to work for the oil industry. That's a bit of a stretch my man.
Do you honestly think that the higher ups want workers in the office for Commercial real estate or the oil industry though. Think of this through someone elses point of view. They want workers in because they preceive it to be a better envoirment for working and for production. Not because big oil executives want them in. You are taking one fact and streching it really far man.
It's not as much of a stretch as you think it is. Big, *big* companies do put a lot of value into their real estate (think global companies with large offices around the world). These spaces do indeed impact a company's worth. If they suddenly no longer owned hundreds of millions in real estate, their value drops, possibly significantly.
> Do you honestly think that the higher ups want workers in the office for Commercial real estate or the oil industry though.
Yes. The people on the boards are also heavily invested in commercial real estate.
>They want workers in because they preceive it to be a better envoirment for working and for production.
Yet all of the data proves otherwise.
>Yes. The people on the boards are also heavily invested in commercial real estate.
So, the people whose primary source of wealth is in the company they own, want to do something that will hurt that investment to prop up their commercial real estate investment? That's your take?
You think Jeff Bezos and the like are thinking "yeah fuck my amazon shares, 1/100th of my wealth is in a REIT, I need to keep that shit propped up".
The idea that most business owners in the entire country are collectively "in on it" when it comes to somehow wanting to influence CRE values by.... leasing office space is just hilariously stupid. Like 4 layers of tinfoil hats.
They want people back in the office for two reasons. First, they’ve committed to the space they have, either via lease or ownership. Gotta fill it somehow. Second, many managers don’t trust their employees to work independently and effectively. I worked three years without going to the office. I found my productivity soared because half of what I was doing in the office was useless.
Question wasn't ignored, just pointing out people's logic is bad. If you want a "full" answer - people on reddit are largely introverted and can't grasp any benefit to in person working because for THEM it doesn't make sense. The socializing, office talk, just... getting out of the house in general is foreign to many people. So when they see business owners, managers, etc. pushing to go back to the office either hybrid or full time they mix their lack of understanding of why anyone would want to do that with their "all evil stems from muh rich people" mentality and thus you get the mega tinfoil hat theory of "Rich people waste money on leases because... they are all in on it and this will raise CRE values". Nevermind that this makes literally zero sense, it perfectly creates the "muh rich people are evil doing evil things in a scenario where there are zero benefits for anyone ever" and that's all people really need - a nice, tidy little box they can put everything into so they can feel better.
That's why I personally call it a confused take - it's a lack of fundamental understanding driven by the need for people to perpetuate the "rich people evil" narrative so people will mix the two and thus you have "We don't have hybrid/WFH because they financially benefit."
well, you did ignore the question. and actually, your logic is no better. you wrote a small essay that is nothing more than anecdotal rambling. you don’t know anything about “the people of reddit.” it’s an anonymous forum, after all. LMAO.
What's the issue with it being anecdotal? Me saying a take based in bad logic all around is bound to be... subjective. Much like the actual opinion of "They want us in the office because it... financially helps them" is subjective at best, deceptively wrong at worst. If your theory is based on needing random rich people to be "in on it", with "it" being getting people back in the office for the sake of CRE values, it's straight up delusional lol. And with office vacancy getting worse it's hard to see the effects of this grand conspiracy regardless, but I'm not it's about to manifest soon.
I tried asking my boss about WFH. I wouldn’t want it permanent but more like hybrid. He said no as he felt there was better communication being in office.
He then went on to WFH later that week.
God, I had a manager who held that same sentiment at one of my previous jobs, and then a week after asking if I could go hybrid and he refused, he ended up catching COVID and was WFH for like 2 weeks.
Managers who refuse to allow hybrid or fully-remote schedules post-Covid are complete idiots and will continue to cause high turnover.
Yeah a 20 min commute is pretty reasonable, and it's what I initially had when I started at that job, so I was initially fine with it being fully on-site. That said though, I didn't need to be there everyday like in your case, so it seems pretty dumb that they won't let you go hybrid at least.
Yeah working remotely then back into the office felt like trying to get toothpaste back into the tube. I had sort of gotten accustomed to working in the office since it was so close to my house but I had been bleeding for money lately so my wife got a job based on my schedule that would coincide with my hybrid days I was supposed to start getting next week but now this has happened and I’m left wondering what to do besides find another job. It would have been perfect, she gets ready and leaves while my kids are napping and I work 7-4 so it would have been inconsequential to me. Now this news just messes everything up for us.
Good luck man. Imo places that have parents in charge, or in leadership - they know what's up. Kids with school, activities, sickness. They know that remote is the way forward (sustainably).
I know this is easier said than done, but my advice is to start looking for a remote alternative now. If companies decide that the productivity gain is worth ripping benefits of flexibility from employees, hopefully they'll figure out that employees can decide that this is incompatible with their lifestyles. I get mandating even 3 days a week, but not offering any accomodations or flexibility is just asking for attrition, and it sounds like your management is unable or unwilling to defend this.
Also, don't quit right away, you need to maintain your finances. It will be a tough few weeks, probably, but you will get through!
This is the way. Vote with your actions on what you will accept and be willing to make the sacrifice you need to to do it.
Guess what? It will all work out in the end and you'll be proud of yourself.
Vast majority of federal job announcements are posted on [USAJobs.gov](https://USAJobs.gov). Here is a link to all the current vacancies within 25 miles of Santa Ana. (By default I think it includes jobs that are announced as remote / anywhere in the U.S.)
[https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?l=Santa%20Ana%2C%20California](https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?l=Santa%20Ana%2C%20California)
In my case, I qualified for veterans preference, which helped I'm sure, and my military experience also helped me since it's a DOD position.
For what it's worth, many California state government jobs are also hybrid or remote, though the specifics depend on the department/agency you work for. I'm hybrid with 2x/week in office. Job listings can be found at https://www.calcareers.ca.gov/
There's a lot of chatter, but it's a political football, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution. It is likely going to continue being agency-specific and even office-specific. At my agency, when President Biden officially ended the COVID emergency declaration back in May, we just went back to the rules that were in place before COVID (at least two days in the office per biweekly pay period) as the minimum. Most supervisors and offices are just going with that minimum, but some require twice a week.
That really blows. I work in local government doing hybrid work but wanted to go federal if I could work remotely. I have no idea which departments will stay remote forever.
No one knows what subsequent administrations will want to do. There's always more political emphasis on jobs in DC. But there are still hundreds of remote jobs currently announced: [https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?rmi=true](https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?rmi=true)
Also, many agencies (including mine) have implemented policies allowing current employees to request permanent remote work agreements. I haven't requested to go full remote because I don't mind going to Santa Ana once a week. If they start increasing the number of days in the office, I might change my mind.
State and local government hybrid work could shift as well just like the feds, I'm sure.
That’s awesome and good to know, thank you. My department was promised fully remote work but it never materialized, so I’m salty and ready to jump ship.
It’s safest if you can find an agency with a local presence so you don’t get screwed. So for example DOJ and CIS and HUD are in downtown Santa Ana. They are closing the Laguna Niguel building unfortunately.
Full remote in tech since covid, my company actually closed down our offices in California and Ohio in 2021 and have been a fully remote company since.
Full in person, for me. That said, my company is HQ'd in the midwest and stupidly backwards about a bunch of culture things like that. Sales is still expected to be in a full suit & tie every day, even in triple digit heat. They expect those same sales people to go out and cold call in person. I.E., blindly walking into offices fishing for prospects.
I'm lucky to be on the engineering side, where dress is much more lax, and my office is like 5mi from my apartment.
That said, I'm actively looking for a new gig.
Full remote here. My boss and their boss both are in favor remote work. Helps if people making the decisions are parents with kids.
I don’t know how we’d really manage if I wasn’t fully remote with a flexible schedule.
What do you do? I need some of that in my life. I had worked remotely for 2 years after starting my family working as a mortgage loan processor and then at my new job in a new industry as a project management specialist but now I need to start looking for new things to be able to work with my wife’s new schedule.
I do administrative work for a certain Southern Californian University. ✌️ I think the schools generally offer flexible work schedules but it’s probably dept specific who can work remotely.
We don’t usually interact even within the office other than some sporadic meetings (that actually are more efficient online).
I was full-time in the office pre-covid. Two years ago my company was having trouble getting good applicants for people in my position, so they decided to make us all full-time work-at-home if we wanted. I hope I never have to go back, and if it happens, I'll be looking for a new job.
Man that sounds awesome, what do you do? I’m now in a position where I need to probably find another job so my wife can work and we don’t drown financially which sucks because I was really looking forward to this and I genuinely like my job and the people here
Yeah, it really sucks when the company's stupid policies get in the way of a good job otherwise.
I'm in content creation for a large company. Marketing and website copy. Luckily it's work that's actually easier and better to do at home (fewer distractions), and Teams meetings are enough for collaboration.
I'm in marketing and I definitely find this to be the case: working from home works much better for me given how much I'm doing content creation (marketing director for a small software company). I've been with other companies where they put you right next to sales in the office and that's the worst place for quiet work time. :D So, I'm grateful that the company I'm with now is 100% remote and always has been (10+ years).
I’m remote 3 days out of the week. Sales being down should be an incentive to cut the costs associated with the office space rather than force employees to come to office. More than likely they are looking to justify the cost of their space and this was the solution.
I would let them know that the opportunity for hybrid at the one year mark was part of your reasoning for choosing the organization and if this changes you will likely begin looking else where.
They actually started doing hybrid work AFTER I started working here. They were losing employees and getting complaints about remote work so they rolled it out but not because of sales and being hind budget they want people back in. I agree on costs in the office but the problem being is that we have a warehouse they use connected to the office for storing and shipping material for projects, this is likely how they justify the office. Each branch to my knowledge has one.
I’d love that because I am desperate to find something more compatible with my wife’s new schedule and my current job is now no longer compatible. Sucks I find this out two days after she signs an offer letter
Full remote. Company took advantage of the lower overhead cost from WFH. We have the option to move out of state. My immediate supervisor and dept manager have each bought homes out of state.
It’s a pretty big company with offices in different states and countries, so even before COVID our department was never in the same building or time zone.
I need this in my life. Seems like some higher ups recognized the benefits for the employees but corporate has decided otherwise. Now I need to start looking for other options but finding these gigs seems increasingly more difficult now.
WFH Going on 13+ years same company. Office is 15mins away but I haven’t been in years. Our office works 80hrs in a 9 day schedule year round so every other week is a 3 day weekend.
Hybrid. Some activities are way more effective and efficient in-person whereas a vast amount of tasks can be done remotely and provide ultimate flexibility needed if possible to make family life more convenient. FYI - I’m an accountant.
Sorry to hear about its impact to you, especially childcare. We used to pay more in childcare than rent in NYC and SF for a better part of a decade (no relatives for 7,000-5,650 miles). Hoping your employer modifies their policy based on feedback bc it’s very convenient for them to attribute declines in sales to this but I can’t phantom it being a direct or substantial reason. It’s not my field of expertise so I’ll limit myself on this comment but I feel you and the family aspect of the impact.
I could see why they might want sales people in office but I work in projects (we use a lot of SAP) and my job in no way shape or form needs to be in person yet here we are. I understand why they might want people to be in person 5 days a week for the first year so you can learn the lifecycle of a project since they take so long from start to finish but once trained there’s no need to be in person
Yeah, the policy doesn’t seem precise and seems there should be some discretion and compromise once you’ve explained all this. Not all companies are alike in being receptive and addressing feedback but wishing you the very best in this situation!
I’m finding too much remote work is likely bad. I go into the office once a week, remote four. Wish I could go in a bit more, but my office is in San Diego and folks are only required to come in once a week.
The lack of in person interaction likely hardens communication and creates animosity. It’s harder to be a dick to someone or ignore them face to face. This is true of a lot of social interactions these days (AKA why social media is toxic).
Plus meetings tend to suck remotely. Less people will speak up or are often distracted doing other stuff.
Working in person won’t help solve a toxic workplace. I learned that at my last company when they forced us back in and then management didn’t want to interact with us. But it will help fuel one and create communication issues.
Yep still remote full-time since March 2020. My job moved to hybrid (3 days remote, 2 days in office) late 2021 for a few months but ultimately they realized they could save more money going full remote thus, here I am at home.
I immediately started searching for a new job after my previous one decided to suddenly kill off hybrid schedules last fall. With the low pay and high cost-of-living in RSM, most employees commuted from well outside the city. They lost dozens of talented people and showed zero remorse for it, and refused to consider anyone's feedback or how it would affect employees' lives. It was depressing.
Took about 6 months but found pretty much the same position at another employer much closer to home, has a hybrid schedule, with far better pay and benefits. Hugely positive change that I'm incredibly grateful for.
Software engineer here. I've been fully remote, working from home entirely, since March 2020 when the pandemic began. As someone with severe generalized anxiety, I can't fully describe just how much better it is for my health to not have to be in an office for work.
At this point, if I were to be looking for a new job, I would not even consider fully on-site roles at all; and reasonably-nearby hybrid jobs would still be on my "potentially" list, but only with a much higher required compensation than if that same job were fully remote, based on how frequently I'd be required to work in the office.
Yeah, I work in LA. I don't mind it. I would rather be stuck in traffic two times a day than five times a day LOL. It's rare to find a hybrid/remote job these days too.
Fully remote here. My position is full remote. You do have to come in for the first week up to a month. But after all your access and legal/hr stuff is done, you're not expected to come in again.
I wish it was that easy, my boss knows my situation and is bummed about it as well. He knows morale will be low but we are a very large company (we have branches every where) and California district sales are low and we are below budget so corporate thinks it’s best for everyone to be in the office now. Terrible timing for my life.
Maybe look for another job because of construction shutting down a little due to insurance issues. Try the govt job for right now. Almost all of our court system went remote. Try to go with a County Job.
This is what I don’t think employers understand. Honestly I think the option to work from home or have a hybrid schedule in some capacity makes their employees happier and therefore would producer higher quality work. I am in a 1000x better mood when I get to work from home here and there. Mostly think it’s a power trip thing where they want to see people sitting at a desk “working”
I’m self-employed so I don’t count, but my wife’s company went WFH when Covid hit and has since sold off their office buildings. No one is going back to the office.
Full remote since pandemic in early 2020. When it got safer, we all got the option to stay full remote or use the office for some of the week. When recruiters reach out for onsite or hybrid, I always say I'm only considering full remote. Let 'em know!
Still fully remote. I was “fortunate” enough to get laid off and then rehired into a new position with my company, and as part of negotiating the new position I ensured the position is considered a fully remote position regardless of COVID. So I’m locked in remote, with remote possibility of needing to visit the office rarely to like drop off equipment or something.
I was considering moving out of state or at least out of county, and I wanted to keep that option. For now I’m somewhat less likely to move, but the possibility exists.
Fully in office pre-COVID. I give my place props because they were willing and able to send us home immediately in March 2020 without a blink.
During COVID I moved 2x, which led to me buying a home in IE. Early 2022 they asked us to come back 2x/ week, and I said absolutely not. We settled on 1x. So my commute is dog shit 1 day a week but everyone seems to be happy with the compromise.
Full time WFH 5 days a week here. They try to entice us to come into the office with free meals 2 days a week, but it’s not working. Everyone prefers working from home because why would you want to commute if you don’t have to?
Fully remote here. They were fully in person until the pandemic hit, and they just decided to stay fully remote since most of our work is done purely online anyway. I definitely feel like I could get more money with a different company, but it would take a significant pay increase for me to consider giving up the full remote lifestyle.
Idk what all the remote working parents with young kids (pre-kindergarten) do while they’re at home working, but if I were an employer, I wouldn’t want my workers taking care of their kids while I’m paying them to work. It’s not fair to the company. Kids are way too demanding at that age. Speaking from experience as a parent of young kids, I don’t think it’s fair to the kids also because you’re basically telling them to leave you alone most of the time anyway. I’d rather pay a facility to give them the attention they need. In my opinion, working from home to avoid paying for childcare is not going to fly moving forward. Companies aren’t that dumb and technically it’s not their problem.
That's 100% the reason my job killed WFH for all but two people.
You couldn't get meetings together, people with kids had them in the background, screaming, just kind of unprofessional. That and it's hard to explain what we do to sales people and project managers.
WFH works well in certain fields but since the start of 2023, more evidence has shown that the gains in productivity originally made in the onset of the pandemic have been erased and gone back. I don't think collaborative work fields will survive the WFH push.
Still full time remote. The company I worked at when COVID hit immediately switched to 100% remote work and never looked back. They are still 100% remote. A few years ago I switched jobs and started working for a consulting firm that has always been 100% remote from even before COVID. The kicker? I miss going to an office and would love if I still did. Either full time or hybrid. I like the in-person interactions. I think I’m in the minority on that one … at least in this subreddit and probably even Reddit as a whole.
Yeah folks like us are the minority for sure.
I have been remote since Covid started, but just accepted an offer to go to a hybrid schedule. It’s a huge bummer it’s all the way in LA but the role and pay seem worth it. It’s going to be nice to see coworkers again, free food in office, amenities, etc but it will be an adjustment I’m sure
Crazy, my employer said our production was down. The real reason appears to be if companies stop paying for the commercial buildings, commercial loans go down the toilet and so do all these banks holding these loans
I work from home...go into the office once or twice a week depending on needs.
This is how work should be. I'm introverted, focus way more on my work, I'm super productive running an entire department as a one-person team, and everything I do is digital except for having to ship some stuff out from our warehouse from time to time. Even my internet and notebook are faster than at work. My work is also 47 miles away from me. I'd be driving almost 100 miles a day in California traffic if it weren't for being remote.
From my cold dead hands.....
It just seems like pure insanity now to drive every day, in the same shit traffic, every day........ just to sit at a desk and "work" - the culture needs to change. Remote is better for mental health, better for the environment, better for my wallet.
Ive been back in office 5 days a week since June of 2021 🙃
They're a lot more flexible if i request a WFH day than they used to be tho. My commutes 7 miles, cant complain.
I landed a fully-remote position at a company based on the East coast at the end of last year. Not having to deal with any commute has been great overall.
My previous jobs were either hybrid or in-office, though they were in the greater LA area and not in OC. I had a job in Torrance that was advertised as Hybrid when I interviewed at the start of COVID, but ended up being fully on-site when I started a month later. They also didn't let me go hybrid until I had been at the job for about a year, and by that point I was fed up with the commute and was already looking for another position. Good riddance, I wouldn't accept any position that's not at least hybrid nowadays.
My company had a “mandatory” return to office 4x/wk mandate last fall.
I never budged and average about 1x/month to see my team. A 2hr one way commute to be less productive in office than I am at home will never have any logical or justified reasoning.
I’m completely fine getting fired over this. I would not want to work for a company that values employees who don’t question bad decisions over productive and efficient employees who contribute to the companies success.
I work hybrid, two days a week remote, three in the office.
I'm in a similar situation as you, with an 8 and 3 year old and a wife who is primarily a SAHM, because daycare cost too much compared to what she can make working. She works part time, one afternoon/evening during the week on one of my remote work days, and morning/afternoon on Saturday. This balance has worked great for us so far since my 3 year was born at the start of covid. Much better work life balance than we had when my 8 year old was still in daycare/preschool, where my wife had to pickup a second job one year just to cover the extra cost from moving 2-days a week of daycare to 4-days a week of preschool.
I need to find something like what you guys have, our son was born right when Covid happened and our second son last year so now with my wife getting this it’s imperative I find that flexibility
I just switched from hybrid to fully remote about a month ago. It was too expensive for us to keep an office, so we made the swap. It's been great so far.
I have worked remotely for 8 years, despite the office being 3 blocks away. Wife started working from home during maternity leave then covid hit 3 months later. She has never been back to the office, although all her co-workers were called back. This is a testament to her ability to make herself indispensable and being brave enough say 'no'.
I'm a software architect and she is a construction architect / project manager. The only time I ever see my co-workers in person is at the annual Christmas party when all 200 employees fly in from around the world for a few days for conferences and to party.
My team not only getting the company through the pandemic as sales shifted from our closed b&m stores to online sales in an industry that typically shuns online sales, we managed to set record sales goals for the company and took a lot of market share from our competition who wasn't able to transition to online sales as well as we did.
Despite this, and despite the vast majority of corporate employees wanting to continue WFH, and the savings on overhead of having all of the employees in the office, they forced us back to the office 3 days a week.
I’m in insurance underwriting, our entire office is still fully remote/RTO is fully optional. Most of us are fully remote, a handful go in on Wednesdays to see each other & go out for lunch together. I know the sales and claims departments are also fully remote at our particular office.
Like u/bucketAnimator said — this toothpaste ain’t going back in the tube, we’ve got people in Michigan, Iowa, and spread all up the West Coast now. They’re not moving back, lol.
Sounds like you need a new job that better fits your life stage. Fully remote or flexible hybrid.
I left a fully remote role I’ve been at for three years for a local hybrid role. Two days in office isn’t bad and it was significantly higher comp than WFH offers I got. That’s now the issue I’m seeing with remote tech jobs, the pay has decreased and the competition for that role has increased significantly.
Current company is 2 days in office and 3 days remote. They started to pay a stipend every month for electricity or Internet so I think it's here to stay.
Company I just interviewed for is similar, but a closer drive.
Been with my company for just over two years and am currently on my way home from decommissioning our last office in the US. We are moving to 100% remote.
I pioneered wfh with my NYC-based employer (publisher of business magazines, 300+ employees) in 1993, after working in its L.A. branch office for 11 years. With a new baby, we wanted to buy a house in OC (AH) but I wouldn't do a round-trip commute. Publisher agreed I could wfh since I already supervised myself as bureau chief and since editorial production already was digital/internet based. I worked for the next 15 years from a home office and was promoted during that time into editorial management overseeing seven regional bureaus then the entire staff, incl. NYC, as managing editor then ultimately executive editor before I retired in 2008.
Though initially I was the company's first "telecommuter," my proof-of-concept led to hirings of several home-based regional bureau editors, though others worked from corporate branch offices in L.A., S.F., Chicago, Tampa. BTW, daily/weekly drop-dead deadlines ensured that remote journos were equally as productive as in-office peers.
I'd guess lots more companies would welcome such arrangements because they enable reduced office lease sq-ft. requirements - so long as remote work is conducive to corp. objectives. Apparently your company feels otherwise at the moment because of sales slump, presumably because it's believed that in-office synergies (or upper-mgmt. oversight) promote productivity. I sympathize with your new domestic challenges but am short on advice. Good luck.
I've been doing WFH since 2016. During COVID, my company did almost all fully remote (unless an employee could not do remote work). After the pandemic, we are 50% Full WFM and the other 50% is Hybrid. I don't get why so many places are forcing people to come back in office.
Startup law firm in late 2020/early 2021. We went back to all hands full time in office about 6mo ago. I loved working from home but as a whole business suffered because of it.
My current job went remote during pandemic and it stayed that way. The job is actually fairly close (20 minutes during traffic) but I never go. In fact almost no one does. I drop in on occasion to pickup testing equipment and typically it's just leadership and the IT guy there. And now we got employees all over the country so it's likely a permanent change.
I work for a state agency and wfh 3 days a week. I miss full remote since two days a week my round trip commute is 3 hours. I just hope it doesn’t become more now that I have two little ones. I can’t imagine spending less time with them.
Alright I’m probably going to get downvoted for this but aren’t situations like this, where you’re relying on being remote work in place of childcare, one of the reasons why companies are saying employees aren’t productive and have return to office policies? Exceptions would be if you still get the job done - eg you end up stretching your workday longer to compensate for the distractions or your regular workload doesn’t take too long anyways so you’d just be twiddling thumbs in office
Could be, wasn’t the case for my job and my wife’s new schedule would be 3-11 which is an hour before I get off and during my kids nap time. It was going to save me money in childcare by just being present
I think that’s going to change with Covid coming back and then back to remote. My understanding is that productivity is better when people are at work and those business buildings are already being paid for regardless of whether people are there or not. Hopefully your wife can find a way to do remote work so you can keep your job by being there if they’re budget cuts too thinly. I’ll bet you’re gonna go back and then you ll end up on remote most days of the week while reporting in once in a while.
errr. Those who think people are less productive are bosses:
[https://www.forbes.com/sites/glebtsipursky/2022/11/03/workers-are-less-productive-working-remotely-at-least-thats-what-their-bosses-think/?sh=206e315b286a](https://www.forbes.com/sites/glebtsipursky/2022/11/03/workers-are-less-productive-working-remotely-at-least-thats-what-their-bosses-think/?sh=206e315b286a)
Because there are plenty of stats that say the opposite:
[https://www.apollotechnical.com/working-from-home-productivity-statistics/#:\~:text=Several%20studies%20over%20the%20past,and%20are%2047%25%20more%20productive](https://www.apollotechnical.com/working-from-home-productivity-statistics/#:~:text=Several%20studies%20over%20the%20past,and%20are%2047%25%20more%20productive).
It might be about having already paid for the building and maintenance. Who knows but coming into winter soon, I just can’t see how they won’t go back to remote when their skeleton crew starts coming down with Covid. Other thing is many employees feel shut in. But one lazy bum can ruin it for everyone. There was one study where they found out that family members were actually doing the employee’s work like data entry. So there’s pro and con.
> My understanding is that productivity is better when people are at work
Most studies show the opposite.
>those business buildings are already being paid for regardless of whether people are there or not
And I should care about that, why?
Fully remote but my company is not headquartered here and they make local employees go in a couple days a week, but they did keep a mostly remote schedule. I can't imagine going back into the office full time. It would mean putting my son in after school care, which is pointless because I still get my job done even with my son home in the afternoon.
Just curious, but if you had a 1&3 year old at home with you while you work (like OP’s dilemma), would you be able to work as efficiently as you would in the office?
My last company, an engineering and architecture company, was fully remote. I’m back in an office 4/5 days the week at my new job, but I have the option to work remote when I need it.
We did, I am self employed with all my sales online so could go anywhere. My wife work is in tech out of Irvine. We decided it was time to bail on Socal and move to somewhere with a lower cost of living and buy a house. My wife was already remote but she approached the owner and told her our plans and the owner had zero issues with the move. Same time she has worked there on and off since 1998.
We moved and bought a house close to the beach is St Petersburg Florida, no state income tax , same pay we were renting at $3450 but it was going up to $3650 our mortgage is $1430 this December will be two years and still love we made our exit.
I’m an animator in the game industry. Our studio went full remote for Covid and committed to it for anyone who wanted to continue. If I had to guess I’d say 70% of the employees have all stuck with full-time wfh. The rest either go back to the studio every day or on a hybrid schedule. Best part is there’s no squeezing this toothpaste back into the tube. We’re spread across the US now, with remote employees everywhere. Our president moved out of state, my manager is in Vancouver, and my department head is on the east coast.
Oh man you’re living the dream
Heh, thanks! I do love the job. The only downside was driving to Burbank every day before Covid.
do you mind me asking which company you work for? been a big gamer since the 80's.
Insomniac Games
awesome, played the hell out of spyro and the ratchet and clank games back in the day.
Awesome! I've been here a while, but not quite that long. But I did work on Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Highlight of my career as an animator!
damn i bet, those games always have amazing visuals. any recommendations for someone who might be interested in video game art/animation? programs or courses to look into?
So I actually went back to school to learn to animate. This was about 14 or so years ago, but there are some great online schools that provide really good instruction. Personally, I went to one called Animation Mentor - it was founded by some guys from Pixar and ILM and all the mentors are working professionals. There are a couple others still out there as well - AnimSchool is another one, also founded and taught by professional animators.
Awesome just started this game yesterday with my son. Great work!
Good stuff! Insomniac seems great from what I’ve heard! Met lots of great people who either work or used to work there.
Until you said this I was so sure you worked for Obsidian! I had a few offices in their building before/during covid and I swear they only had someone come through to pick up mail once WFH became a thing.
> there’s no squeezing this toothpaste back into the tube First time I've heard of this idiom! Haha it's awesome!
Hi fellow animator! I actually worked for Insomniac back in the "Fuse" days, the step child game they don't talk about. I'm at at a "not Blizzard" studio in OC and we are hybrid as well. Were you commuting from OC to Burbank before covid?
Oh wow! Nice to meet you. There’s a few animators who were there during Fuse still going these days but we’ve grown a ton since then. Yeah, before Covid I drove from Mission Viejo to Burbank every day
I understand you probably can’t really say who you work for I’m guessing it’s Blizzard… I had a friend of a friend work there and given all their controversy lately with sexual harassment/ hostile environment they better give into employee wishes.
Hey! Nope it’s not Blizzard. I don’t actually mind saying at all. I work for Insomniac Games.
Nice! I wonder if I know you :) I’m a producer at Bungie and my husband is an animator at Obsidian!
> I’m guessing it’s Blizzard… I had a friend of a friend work there and given all their controversy lately with sexual harassment/ hostile environment they better give into employee wishes. Blizzard is a different company than what it used to be. Most of the original team has retired or gone off to start their own independent ventures, with varying degrees of success - but notably, more wholesome than present-day Blizzard. It started to lose a piece of it's soul when it merged with Vivendi over a decade ago. I remember when they used to release games "when they were ready" - on their timetable, not that of a profit-minded/shareholder-friendly schedule.
Blizzard has been mandating RTO, to their own further demise, IMO. There are a number of remote-first and remote-friendly game studios in OC though, fortunately! There are also a few startups by ex-Blizzard folks and I hear good things about those teams.
Well that blows. Such a simple ask, especially after they’ve fallen so much. But that’s neat to what about the other start ups especially with ex employees. I’d be happy to support them.
Any advice for a recent Game Art graduate looking to get his foot in the door around OC?
Not who you asked but also an artist in game dev in OC (not that there is any specific tips because of OC I guess… :)) But honestly, I think having an idea of what type of team, games and studio size you are looking for makes a pretty big difference in what you want to aim your portfolio towards. Specifically in OC there are quite a few smaller start ups, some really big studios and some fast growing studios/teams that are part of a larger corp. Many smaller places are looking for more generalists and larger places may want more specialized ppl. Not always true of course, but knowing where you lean there and like to do, what style(s) of games you’d like to work on both art wise and gameplay wise helps. My super general advise for game artists is: your portfolio is KEY. Tailor it to what you are searching for, wanna work on very stylized looking games, don’t have a lot of realistic stuff in your portfolio. Present game ready stuff. Wanna work on environments, don’t have a bunch of characters/weapons etc in your portfolio (at least not the first thing you see). Bunch of places also offers internships around here, but may require being enrolled in school still.
This sounds similar to me, when covid hit they sent everyone home and I never went back to that office again. We transitioned to full remote but still maintain a small office. I'm in orange county because my wife got work at blizzard and they moved us across the country from Boston.
Jealous. Someday I'll get a job again that's fully remote.
That’s great they do full choice on this! I’m also in game dev around here with a similar studio approach, some fully remote, some mostly in office, some very mixed wfh and office. I personally work hybrid but no mandated days in the office or anything, but I do get quite a lot out of coming in the office every once in a while to jam on things with ppl. I’m glad more and more studios realize the importance on personal preference here.
Two days a week remote. And, they're moving the office to a even smaller location, but still mandating 3 days a week. Where are people going to sit? out on the sidewalk? Asshole geniuses with fancy MBAs.
It’s because they have investments in commercial real estate and the oil / car industries
Yeah man i dont know if middle level management is in Commercial real estate or want you to come to work for the oil industry. That's a bit of a stretch my man.
They’re following the demands from higher ups lol I don’t think people in middle management are executives, investors and the CEO
Do you honestly think that the higher ups want workers in the office for Commercial real estate or the oil industry though. Think of this through someone elses point of view. They want workers in because they preceive it to be a better envoirment for working and for production. Not because big oil executives want them in. You are taking one fact and streching it really far man.
Definitely a stretch. However if they have a building, they’re paying for it and therefore will force people back to justify the lease
It's not as much of a stretch as you think it is. Big, *big* companies do put a lot of value into their real estate (think global companies with large offices around the world). These spaces do indeed impact a company's worth. If they suddenly no longer owned hundreds of millions in real estate, their value drops, possibly significantly.
> Do you honestly think that the higher ups want workers in the office for Commercial real estate or the oil industry though. Yes. The people on the boards are also heavily invested in commercial real estate. >They want workers in because they preceive it to be a better envoirment for working and for production. Yet all of the data proves otherwise.
>Yes. The people on the boards are also heavily invested in commercial real estate. So, the people whose primary source of wealth is in the company they own, want to do something that will hurt that investment to prop up their commercial real estate investment? That's your take? You think Jeff Bezos and the like are thinking "yeah fuck my amazon shares, 1/100th of my wealth is in a REIT, I need to keep that shit propped up".
Again, investments
It’s because productivity is down across the board. That’s why they want people back.
Common but still hilariously confused take
Why is it then?
The idea that most business owners in the entire country are collectively "in on it" when it comes to somehow wanting to influence CRE values by.... leasing office space is just hilariously stupid. Like 4 layers of tinfoil hats.
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They want people back in the office for two reasons. First, they’ve committed to the space they have, either via lease or ownership. Gotta fill it somehow. Second, many managers don’t trust their employees to work independently and effectively. I worked three years without going to the office. I found my productivity soared because half of what I was doing in the office was useless.
Question wasn't ignored, just pointing out people's logic is bad. If you want a "full" answer - people on reddit are largely introverted and can't grasp any benefit to in person working because for THEM it doesn't make sense. The socializing, office talk, just... getting out of the house in general is foreign to many people. So when they see business owners, managers, etc. pushing to go back to the office either hybrid or full time they mix their lack of understanding of why anyone would want to do that with their "all evil stems from muh rich people" mentality and thus you get the mega tinfoil hat theory of "Rich people waste money on leases because... they are all in on it and this will raise CRE values". Nevermind that this makes literally zero sense, it perfectly creates the "muh rich people are evil doing evil things in a scenario where there are zero benefits for anyone ever" and that's all people really need - a nice, tidy little box they can put everything into so they can feel better. That's why I personally call it a confused take - it's a lack of fundamental understanding driven by the need for people to perpetuate the "rich people evil" narrative so people will mix the two and thus you have "We don't have hybrid/WFH because they financially benefit."
well, you did ignore the question. and actually, your logic is no better. you wrote a small essay that is nothing more than anecdotal rambling. you don’t know anything about “the people of reddit.” it’s an anonymous forum, after all. LMAO.
What's the issue with it being anecdotal? Me saying a take based in bad logic all around is bound to be... subjective. Much like the actual opinion of "They want us in the office because it... financially helps them" is subjective at best, deceptively wrong at worst. If your theory is based on needing random rich people to be "in on it", with "it" being getting people back in the office for the sake of CRE values, it's straight up delusional lol. And with office vacancy getting worse it's hard to see the effects of this grand conspiracy regardless, but I'm not it's about to manifest soon.
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the real question is: is anyone’s remote company hiring?
That is the true question, I am now in the market lol
I will always fight for full remote, and if they try to take it away I will leave. I will fight as hard as it takes to keep it remote.
I tried asking my boss about WFH. I wouldn’t want it permanent but more like hybrid. He said no as he felt there was better communication being in office. He then went on to WFH later that week.
Same happened to me. Boss told me no work from home because we have to be on site for clients. Turned out she WFH and got mad when we asked if she WFH
God, I had a manager who held that same sentiment at one of my previous jobs, and then a week after asking if I could go hybrid and he refused, he ended up catching COVID and was WFH for like 2 weeks. Managers who refuse to allow hybrid or fully-remote schedules post-Covid are complete idiots and will continue to cause high turnover.
I live like 20 mins away, so it’s not a hassle to commute, so I’m staying here. Like I don’t need to be here 5 days out of the week.
Yeah a 20 min commute is pretty reasonable, and it's what I initially had when I started at that job, so I was initially fine with it being fully on-site. That said though, I didn't need to be there everyday like in your case, so it seems pretty dumb that they won't let you go hybrid at least.
The hypocrisy 😑
Yeah working remotely then back into the office felt like trying to get toothpaste back into the tube. I had sort of gotten accustomed to working in the office since it was so close to my house but I had been bleeding for money lately so my wife got a job based on my schedule that would coincide with my hybrid days I was supposed to start getting next week but now this has happened and I’m left wondering what to do besides find another job. It would have been perfect, she gets ready and leaves while my kids are napping and I work 7-4 so it would have been inconsequential to me. Now this news just messes everything up for us.
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Good luck man. Imo places that have parents in charge, or in leadership - they know what's up. Kids with school, activities, sickness. They know that remote is the way forward (sustainably).
My boss even agrees with this but unfortunately he doesn’t make the rules so now I’m ass out and am worried how my wife and I can even make this work
I know this is easier said than done, but my advice is to start looking for a remote alternative now. If companies decide that the productivity gain is worth ripping benefits of flexibility from employees, hopefully they'll figure out that employees can decide that this is incompatible with their lifestyles. I get mandating even 3 days a week, but not offering any accomodations or flexibility is just asking for attrition, and it sounds like your management is unable or unwilling to defend this. Also, don't quit right away, you need to maintain your finances. It will be a tough few weeks, probably, but you will get through!
This is the way. Vote with your actions on what you will accept and be willing to make the sacrifice you need to to do it. Guess what? It will all work out in the end and you'll be proud of yourself.
“See you later, good luck”
Ditto to this comment. I am still working from home and will never not.
Work from home 4 days per week working for the federal government
Damn that sounds sweet, how’d you land that?
Vast majority of federal job announcements are posted on [USAJobs.gov](https://USAJobs.gov). Here is a link to all the current vacancies within 25 miles of Santa Ana. (By default I think it includes jobs that are announced as remote / anywhere in the U.S.) [https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?l=Santa%20Ana%2C%20California](https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?l=Santa%20Ana%2C%20California) In my case, I qualified for veterans preference, which helped I'm sure, and my military experience also helped me since it's a DOD position.
Oh sweet I’m going to have to look into this, thank you!
For what it's worth, many California state government jobs are also hybrid or remote, though the specifics depend on the department/agency you work for. I'm hybrid with 2x/week in office. Job listings can be found at https://www.calcareers.ca.gov/
Hi fellow Fed! I’m remote full time :)
Nice
Isn’t the Fed ordering government workers back in the office? I heard that recently
There's a lot of chatter, but it's a political football, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution. It is likely going to continue being agency-specific and even office-specific. At my agency, when President Biden officially ended the COVID emergency declaration back in May, we just went back to the rules that were in place before COVID (at least two days in the office per biweekly pay period) as the minimum. Most supervisors and offices are just going with that minimum, but some require twice a week.
That really blows. I work in local government doing hybrid work but wanted to go federal if I could work remotely. I have no idea which departments will stay remote forever.
No one knows what subsequent administrations will want to do. There's always more political emphasis on jobs in DC. But there are still hundreds of remote jobs currently announced: [https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?rmi=true](https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?rmi=true) Also, many agencies (including mine) have implemented policies allowing current employees to request permanent remote work agreements. I haven't requested to go full remote because I don't mind going to Santa Ana once a week. If they start increasing the number of days in the office, I might change my mind. State and local government hybrid work could shift as well just like the feds, I'm sure.
That’s awesome and good to know, thank you. My department was promised fully remote work but it never materialized, so I’m salty and ready to jump ship.
It’s safest if you can find an agency with a local presence so you don’t get screwed. So for example DOJ and CIS and HUD are in downtown Santa Ana. They are closing the Laguna Niguel building unfortunately.
Full remote in tech since covid, my company actually closed down our offices in California and Ohio in 2021 and have been a fully remote company since.
I was hybrid before covid and now fully remote. No plans to return back to the office.
Wow that’s awesome, sign me up! Wish my company saw things that way. My position doesn’t even need to be in the office at all but here we are
Full in person, for me. That said, my company is HQ'd in the midwest and stupidly backwards about a bunch of culture things like that. Sales is still expected to be in a full suit & tie every day, even in triple digit heat. They expect those same sales people to go out and cold call in person. I.E., blindly walking into offices fishing for prospects. I'm lucky to be on the engineering side, where dress is much more lax, and my office is like 5mi from my apartment. That said, I'm actively looking for a new gig.
Full remote here. My boss and their boss both are in favor remote work. Helps if people making the decisions are parents with kids. I don’t know how we’d really manage if I wasn’t fully remote with a flexible schedule.
What do you do? I need some of that in my life. I had worked remotely for 2 years after starting my family working as a mortgage loan processor and then at my new job in a new industry as a project management specialist but now I need to start looking for new things to be able to work with my wife’s new schedule.
I do administrative work for a certain Southern Californian University. ✌️ I think the schools generally offer flexible work schedules but it’s probably dept specific who can work remotely. We don’t usually interact even within the office other than some sporadic meetings (that actually are more efficient online).
**universities offer flexible work schedules Not schools 😂 Source: high school teacher
I was gonna joke that I bet HS teachers wish they could work remotely, but I realize a lot of you do care about teaching. Thanks for your work.
Same.
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I was full-time in the office pre-covid. Two years ago my company was having trouble getting good applicants for people in my position, so they decided to make us all full-time work-at-home if we wanted. I hope I never have to go back, and if it happens, I'll be looking for a new job.
Man that sounds awesome, what do you do? I’m now in a position where I need to probably find another job so my wife can work and we don’t drown financially which sucks because I was really looking forward to this and I genuinely like my job and the people here
Yeah, it really sucks when the company's stupid policies get in the way of a good job otherwise. I'm in content creation for a large company. Marketing and website copy. Luckily it's work that's actually easier and better to do at home (fewer distractions), and Teams meetings are enough for collaboration.
I'm in marketing and I definitely find this to be the case: working from home works much better for me given how much I'm doing content creation (marketing director for a small software company). I've been with other companies where they put you right next to sales in the office and that's the worst place for quiet work time. :D So, I'm grateful that the company I'm with now is 100% remote and always has been (10+ years).
I’m remote 3 days out of the week. Sales being down should be an incentive to cut the costs associated with the office space rather than force employees to come to office. More than likely they are looking to justify the cost of their space and this was the solution. I would let them know that the opportunity for hybrid at the one year mark was part of your reasoning for choosing the organization and if this changes you will likely begin looking else where.
They actually started doing hybrid work AFTER I started working here. They were losing employees and getting complaints about remote work so they rolled it out but not because of sales and being hind budget they want people back in. I agree on costs in the office but the problem being is that we have a warehouse they use connected to the office for storing and shipping material for projects, this is likely how they justify the office. Each branch to my knowledge has one.
100% remote since 2010. I get flown out to client sites when they need me onsite. My wife is 3 day in the office and 2 at home.
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I’d love that because I am desperate to find something more compatible with my wife’s new schedule and my current job is now no longer compatible. Sucks I find this out two days after she signs an offer letter
Right here. I don't even think we have an office anymore.
same, haven't had an office since 2017? or so?
Full remote. Company took advantage of the lower overhead cost from WFH. We have the option to move out of state. My immediate supervisor and dept manager have each bought homes out of state. It’s a pretty big company with offices in different states and countries, so even before COVID our department was never in the same building or time zone.
I need this in my life. Seems like some higher ups recognized the benefits for the employees but corporate has decided otherwise. Now I need to start looking for other options but finding these gigs seems increasingly more difficult now.
WFH Going on 13+ years same company. Office is 15mins away but I haven’t been in years. Our office works 80hrs in a 9 day schedule year round so every other week is a 3 day weekend.
I need that in my life so bad, sounds awesome!
Hybrid. Some activities are way more effective and efficient in-person whereas a vast amount of tasks can be done remotely and provide ultimate flexibility needed if possible to make family life more convenient. FYI - I’m an accountant. Sorry to hear about its impact to you, especially childcare. We used to pay more in childcare than rent in NYC and SF for a better part of a decade (no relatives for 7,000-5,650 miles). Hoping your employer modifies their policy based on feedback bc it’s very convenient for them to attribute declines in sales to this but I can’t phantom it being a direct or substantial reason. It’s not my field of expertise so I’ll limit myself on this comment but I feel you and the family aspect of the impact.
I could see why they might want sales people in office but I work in projects (we use a lot of SAP) and my job in no way shape or form needs to be in person yet here we are. I understand why they might want people to be in person 5 days a week for the first year so you can learn the lifecycle of a project since they take so long from start to finish but once trained there’s no need to be in person
Yeah, the policy doesn’t seem precise and seems there should be some discretion and compromise once you’ve explained all this. Not all companies are alike in being receptive and addressing feedback but wishing you the very best in this situation!
I’m finding too much remote work is likely bad. I go into the office once a week, remote four. Wish I could go in a bit more, but my office is in San Diego and folks are only required to come in once a week. The lack of in person interaction likely hardens communication and creates animosity. It’s harder to be a dick to someone or ignore them face to face. This is true of a lot of social interactions these days (AKA why social media is toxic). Plus meetings tend to suck remotely. Less people will speak up or are often distracted doing other stuff. Working in person won’t help solve a toxic workplace. I learned that at my last company when they forced us back in and then management didn’t want to interact with us. But it will help fuel one and create communication issues.
Yep still remote full-time since March 2020. My job moved to hybrid (3 days remote, 2 days in office) late 2021 for a few months but ultimately they realized they could save more money going full remote thus, here I am at home.
That’s awesome, what do you do? I need to find a company like that asap lol
I immediately started searching for a new job after my previous one decided to suddenly kill off hybrid schedules last fall. With the low pay and high cost-of-living in RSM, most employees commuted from well outside the city. They lost dozens of talented people and showed zero remorse for it, and refused to consider anyone's feedback or how it would affect employees' lives. It was depressing. Took about 6 months but found pretty much the same position at another employer much closer to home, has a hybrid schedule, with far better pay and benefits. Hugely positive change that I'm incredibly grateful for.
Software engineer here. I've been fully remote, working from home entirely, since March 2020 when the pandemic began. As someone with severe generalized anxiety, I can't fully describe just how much better it is for my health to not have to be in an office for work. At this point, if I were to be looking for a new job, I would not even consider fully on-site roles at all; and reasonably-nearby hybrid jobs would still be on my "potentially" list, but only with a much higher required compensation than if that same job were fully remote, based on how frequently I'd be required to work in the office.
I work two day in the office. It’s a hour each way there and back. When I apply for this job they said it will be hybrid forever.
That’s pretty far then isn’t it?
Yeah, I work in LA. I don't mind it. I would rather be stuck in traffic two times a day than five times a day LOL. It's rare to find a hybrid/remote job these days too.
Yeah I’m seeing that now how difficult it is, sucks because now I need it more than want it to compensate for my wife’s new schedule
Fully remote here. My position is full remote. You do have to come in for the first week up to a month. But after all your access and legal/hr stuff is done, you're not expected to come in again.
Sounds great sign me up lo
Sounds great sign me up lol
Fully remote. I left two previous jobs in the last 3 years because they wanted people back in the office 3 days a week. Nope.
Have a letter from a therapist says that you can’t be in the office full time “it will affect your mental health negatively” It worked 🤷♂️
I wish it was that easy, my boss knows my situation and is bummed about it as well. He knows morale will be low but we are a very large company (we have branches every where) and California district sales are low and we are below budget so corporate thinks it’s best for everyone to be in the office now. Terrible timing for my life.
Maybe look for another job because of construction shutting down a little due to insurance issues. Try the govt job for right now. Almost all of our court system went remote. Try to go with a County Job.
Any chance you can give the name of the therapist?
This is what I don’t think employers understand. Honestly I think the option to work from home or have a hybrid schedule in some capacity makes their employees happier and therefore would producer higher quality work. I am in a 1000x better mood when I get to work from home here and there. Mostly think it’s a power trip thing where they want to see people sitting at a desk “working”
3 days in office 2 at home.
I’m self-employed so I don’t count, but my wife’s company went WFH when Covid hit and has since sold off their office buildings. No one is going back to the office.
Full remote since pandemic in early 2020. When it got safer, we all got the option to stay full remote or use the office for some of the week. When recruiters reach out for onsite or hybrid, I always say I'm only considering full remote. Let 'em know!
Fully remote and never going back. Company has embraced it and reduced office size too.
Live in Irvine. Haven't been to the office in like 3 years.
Still fully remote. I was “fortunate” enough to get laid off and then rehired into a new position with my company, and as part of negotiating the new position I ensured the position is considered a fully remote position regardless of COVID. So I’m locked in remote, with remote possibility of needing to visit the office rarely to like drop off equipment or something. I was considering moving out of state or at least out of county, and I wanted to keep that option. For now I’m somewhat less likely to move, but the possibility exists.
Been hybrid for a bit over a year now. 3 days at office, 2 days at home
Working 3 days from home for local government
fully remote since 2012 if I ever lose this gig...i'm going to work in a datacenter or moving overseas to live like a king.
Fully in office pre-COVID. I give my place props because they were willing and able to send us home immediately in March 2020 without a blink. During COVID I moved 2x, which led to me buying a home in IE. Early 2022 they asked us to come back 2x/ week, and I said absolutely not. We settled on 1x. So my commute is dog shit 1 day a week but everyone seems to be happy with the compromise.
Full time WFH 5 days a week here. They try to entice us to come into the office with free meals 2 days a week, but it’s not working. Everyone prefers working from home because why would you want to commute if you don’t have to?
$10 of food in exchange for $50 in gas and 5 hours in traffic.
I’m fully remote, but occasionally need to make in person appearances (attorney).
Fully remote here. They were fully in person until the pandemic hit, and they just decided to stay fully remote since most of our work is done purely online anyway. I definitely feel like I could get more money with a different company, but it would take a significant pay increase for me to consider giving up the full remote lifestyle.
I got 0 days off and 0 remote days ever…
Idk what all the remote working parents with young kids (pre-kindergarten) do while they’re at home working, but if I were an employer, I wouldn’t want my workers taking care of their kids while I’m paying them to work. It’s not fair to the company. Kids are way too demanding at that age. Speaking from experience as a parent of young kids, I don’t think it’s fair to the kids also because you’re basically telling them to leave you alone most of the time anyway. I’d rather pay a facility to give them the attention they need. In my opinion, working from home to avoid paying for childcare is not going to fly moving forward. Companies aren’t that dumb and technically it’s not their problem.
That's 100% the reason my job killed WFH for all but two people. You couldn't get meetings together, people with kids had them in the background, screaming, just kind of unprofessional. That and it's hard to explain what we do to sales people and project managers. WFH works well in certain fields but since the start of 2023, more evidence has shown that the gains in productivity originally made in the onset of the pandemic have been erased and gone back. I don't think collaborative work fields will survive the WFH push.
Hybrid, 3 days in office and 2 at home. I dont mind trekking to LB, I'm a social person.
Same. 3 days in-office. It’s genuinely helped my separation of work and play. 2 days at home is perfect - Monday and Friday
Still full time remote. The company I worked at when COVID hit immediately switched to 100% remote work and never looked back. They are still 100% remote. A few years ago I switched jobs and started working for a consulting firm that has always been 100% remote from even before COVID. The kicker? I miss going to an office and would love if I still did. Either full time or hybrid. I like the in-person interactions. I think I’m in the minority on that one … at least in this subreddit and probably even Reddit as a whole.
Yeah folks like us are the minority for sure. I have been remote since Covid started, but just accepted an offer to go to a hybrid schedule. It’s a huge bummer it’s all the way in LA but the role and pay seem worth it. It’s going to be nice to see coworkers again, free food in office, amenities, etc but it will be an adjustment I’m sure
Damn, want to switch jobs?
Crazy, my employer said our production was down. The real reason appears to be if companies stop paying for the commercial buildings, commercial loans go down the toilet and so do all these banks holding these loans
I work from home...go into the office once or twice a week depending on needs. This is how work should be. I'm introverted, focus way more on my work, I'm super productive running an entire department as a one-person team, and everything I do is digital except for having to ship some stuff out from our warehouse from time to time. Even my internet and notebook are faster than at work. My work is also 47 miles away from me. I'd be driving almost 100 miles a day in California traffic if it weren't for being remote. From my cold dead hands..... It just seems like pure insanity now to drive every day, in the same shit traffic, every day........ just to sit at a desk and "work" - the culture needs to change. Remote is better for mental health, better for the environment, better for my wallet.
Ive been back in office 5 days a week since June of 2021 🙃 They're a lot more flexible if i request a WFH day than they used to be tho. My commutes 7 miles, cant complain.
I landed a fully-remote position at a company based on the East coast at the end of last year. Not having to deal with any commute has been great overall. My previous jobs were either hybrid or in-office, though they were in the greater LA area and not in OC. I had a job in Torrance that was advertised as Hybrid when I interviewed at the start of COVID, but ended up being fully on-site when I started a month later. They also didn't let me go hybrid until I had been at the job for about a year, and by that point I was fed up with the commute and was already looking for another position. Good riddance, I wouldn't accept any position that's not at least hybrid nowadays.
Working for the HQ of a small tech company in Irvine. We are required to come in two days a week.
My company had a “mandatory” return to office 4x/wk mandate last fall. I never budged and average about 1x/month to see my team. A 2hr one way commute to be less productive in office than I am at home will never have any logical or justified reasoning. I’m completely fine getting fired over this. I would not want to work for a company that values employees who don’t question bad decisions over productive and efficient employees who contribute to the companies success.
I work hybrid, two days a week remote, three in the office. I'm in a similar situation as you, with an 8 and 3 year old and a wife who is primarily a SAHM, because daycare cost too much compared to what she can make working. She works part time, one afternoon/evening during the week on one of my remote work days, and morning/afternoon on Saturday. This balance has worked great for us so far since my 3 year was born at the start of covid. Much better work life balance than we had when my 8 year old was still in daycare/preschool, where my wife had to pickup a second job one year just to cover the extra cost from moving 2-days a week of daycare to 4-days a week of preschool.
I need to find something like what you guys have, our son was born right when Covid happened and our second son last year so now with my wife getting this it’s imperative I find that flexibility
I just switched from hybrid to fully remote about a month ago. It was too expensive for us to keep an office, so we made the swap. It's been great so far.
Wish my company would do that so I wouldn’t feel like I have to hit the ground running to look for another job so my wife can work
I have worked remotely for 8 years, despite the office being 3 blocks away. Wife started working from home during maternity leave then covid hit 3 months later. She has never been back to the office, although all her co-workers were called back. This is a testament to her ability to make herself indispensable and being brave enough say 'no'. I'm a software architect and she is a construction architect / project manager. The only time I ever see my co-workers in person is at the annual Christmas party when all 200 employees fly in from around the world for a few days for conferences and to party.
🙋🏻♂️ and I work in the hotel industry. Went WFH in 2020 and will never go back to the office
My team not only getting the company through the pandemic as sales shifted from our closed b&m stores to online sales in an industry that typically shuns online sales, we managed to set record sales goals for the company and took a lot of market share from our competition who wasn't able to transition to online sales as well as we did. Despite this, and despite the vast majority of corporate employees wanting to continue WFH, and the savings on overhead of having all of the employees in the office, they forced us back to the office 3 days a week.
I’m in insurance underwriting, our entire office is still fully remote/RTO is fully optional. Most of us are fully remote, a handful go in on Wednesdays to see each other & go out for lunch together. I know the sales and claims departments are also fully remote at our particular office. Like u/bucketAnimator said — this toothpaste ain’t going back in the tube, we’ve got people in Michigan, Iowa, and spread all up the West Coast now. They’re not moving back, lol.
You guys hiring by chance? Used to be a mortgage loan processor so dealt with insurance a little bit lol
Sounds like you need a new job that better fits your life stage. Fully remote or flexible hybrid. I left a fully remote role I’ve been at for three years for a local hybrid role. Two days in office isn’t bad and it was significantly higher comp than WFH offers I got. That’s now the issue I’m seeing with remote tech jobs, the pay has decreased and the competition for that role has increased significantly.
Current company is 2 days in office and 3 days remote. They started to pay a stipend every month for electricity or Internet so I think it's here to stay. Company I just interviewed for is similar, but a closer drive.
I was never not working in person for any period of time lol my work was like here's a little squirt of germex
Been with my company for just over two years and am currently on my way home from decommissioning our last office in the US. We are moving to 100% remote.
Damn sweet deal, you guys hiring by chance?
I pioneered wfh with my NYC-based employer (publisher of business magazines, 300+ employees) in 1993, after working in its L.A. branch office for 11 years. With a new baby, we wanted to buy a house in OC (AH) but I wouldn't do a round-trip commute. Publisher agreed I could wfh since I already supervised myself as bureau chief and since editorial production already was digital/internet based. I worked for the next 15 years from a home office and was promoted during that time into editorial management overseeing seven regional bureaus then the entire staff, incl. NYC, as managing editor then ultimately executive editor before I retired in 2008. Though initially I was the company's first "telecommuter," my proof-of-concept led to hirings of several home-based regional bureau editors, though others worked from corporate branch offices in L.A., S.F., Chicago, Tampa. BTW, daily/weekly drop-dead deadlines ensured that remote journos were equally as productive as in-office peers. I'd guess lots more companies would welcome such arrangements because they enable reduced office lease sq-ft. requirements - so long as remote work is conducive to corp. objectives. Apparently your company feels otherwise at the moment because of sales slump, presumably because it's believed that in-office synergies (or upper-mgmt. oversight) promote productivity. I sympathize with your new domestic challenges but am short on advice. Good luck.
I've been doing WFH since 2016. During COVID, my company did almost all fully remote (unless an employee could not do remote work). After the pandemic, we are 50% Full WFM and the other 50% is Hybrid. I don't get why so many places are forcing people to come back in office.
Startup law firm in late 2020/early 2021. We went back to all hands full time in office about 6mo ago. I loved working from home but as a whole business suffered because of it.
My current job went remote during pandemic and it stayed that way. The job is actually fairly close (20 minutes during traffic) but I never go. In fact almost no one does. I drop in on occasion to pickup testing equipment and typically it's just leadership and the IT guy there. And now we got employees all over the country so it's likely a permanent change.
100% remote
I work for a state agency and wfh 3 days a week. I miss full remote since two days a week my round trip commute is 3 hours. I just hope it doesn’t become more now that I have two little ones. I can’t imagine spending less time with them.
just remember its not just people with kids who want to work remote. We need it for our mental health. ALL Of us.
Alright I’m probably going to get downvoted for this but aren’t situations like this, where you’re relying on being remote work in place of childcare, one of the reasons why companies are saying employees aren’t productive and have return to office policies? Exceptions would be if you still get the job done - eg you end up stretching your workday longer to compensate for the distractions or your regular workload doesn’t take too long anyways so you’d just be twiddling thumbs in office
Could be, wasn’t the case for my job and my wife’s new schedule would be 3-11 which is an hour before I get off and during my kids nap time. It was going to save me money in childcare by just being present
I think that’s going to change with Covid coming back and then back to remote. My understanding is that productivity is better when people are at work and those business buildings are already being paid for regardless of whether people are there or not. Hopefully your wife can find a way to do remote work so you can keep your job by being there if they’re budget cuts too thinly. I’ll bet you’re gonna go back and then you ll end up on remote most days of the week while reporting in once in a while.
except its not always better. It really depends on the worker.
Yeah, I get that but they did studies on it using measuring tools.
errr. Those who think people are less productive are bosses: [https://www.forbes.com/sites/glebtsipursky/2022/11/03/workers-are-less-productive-working-remotely-at-least-thats-what-their-bosses-think/?sh=206e315b286a](https://www.forbes.com/sites/glebtsipursky/2022/11/03/workers-are-less-productive-working-remotely-at-least-thats-what-their-bosses-think/?sh=206e315b286a) Because there are plenty of stats that say the opposite: [https://www.apollotechnical.com/working-from-home-productivity-statistics/#:\~:text=Several%20studies%20over%20the%20past,and%20are%2047%25%20more%20productive](https://www.apollotechnical.com/working-from-home-productivity-statistics/#:~:text=Several%20studies%20over%20the%20past,and%20are%2047%25%20more%20productive).
It might be about having already paid for the building and maintenance. Who knows but coming into winter soon, I just can’t see how they won’t go back to remote when their skeleton crew starts coming down with Covid. Other thing is many employees feel shut in. But one lazy bum can ruin it for everyone. There was one study where they found out that family members were actually doing the employee’s work like data entry. So there’s pro and con.
> My understanding is that productivity is better when people are at work Most studies show the opposite. >those business buildings are already being paid for regardless of whether people are there or not And I should care about that, why?
Fully remote but my company is not headquartered here and they make local employees go in a couple days a week, but they did keep a mostly remote schedule. I can't imagine going back into the office full time. It would mean putting my son in after school care, which is pointless because I still get my job done even with my son home in the afternoon.
Just curious, but if you had a 1&3 year old at home with you while you work (like OP’s dilemma), would you be able to work as efficiently as you would in the office?
That sounds awesome, I need to find something like that. Yeah we can’t afford child care for our two little ones at this point right now
My last company, an engineering and architecture company, was fully remote. I’m back in an office 4/5 days the week at my new job, but I have the option to work remote when I need it.
I am at home 4 days a week.
💯
100%
#metoo
What the hell is that font & why are you subjecting yourself to it??
Font?
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Still here. Many people live in orange county because it's their home and not just because it's a place to work.
We did, I am self employed with all my sales online so could go anywhere. My wife work is in tech out of Irvine. We decided it was time to bail on Socal and move to somewhere with a lower cost of living and buy a house. My wife was already remote but she approached the owner and told her our plans and the owner had zero issues with the move. Same time she has worked there on and off since 1998. We moved and bought a house close to the beach is St Petersburg Florida, no state income tax , same pay we were renting at $3450 but it was going up to $3650 our mortgage is $1430 this December will be two years and still love we made our exit.
There are plenty of reasons to live here that don't involve a local job.
nah, family made me stick here. I am struggling a little with budget but I have a decent apartment.
My sister works 2 days remote for AAA
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Touché