Working From Home Megathread

Frank Bullitt

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61269236

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118985812#Comment_118985812

Indeed. And WFH plays right into this, because staff can work any hours of the day or night with relative ease. It's easy to take calls with colleagues in Asia at 7am and in the USA at 8pm. Happy days.

I'm not convinced that companies which were "shocked" when a lifer left due to not keeping WFH were "shocked and dismayed". In some cases, it's likely to have been "shocked and delighted".

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118996137#Comment_118996137

In some cases, it's likely to have been "shocked and delighted".

I would say that this would be very much the minority, the "deadwood" know that they need to stay "under the radar" to stay employed, so complaining about being forced back to the office, is not an option for them.

Their loyalty will be at the minimum required to keep their jobs until retirement!

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118996137#Comment_118996137

No I don't agree with this. People were selling their souls to the US multinationals long before Covid arrived. The technology required to join a meeting or take a call at home isn't exactly new. People need to be able to set their own boundaries and competent managers should help if people are taking calls outside normal work hours. Every multinational plays lip service to work life balance but if an employee consistently reports excessive hours, competent managers are compelled to act. In Ireland at least. The question is whether people want to set these boundaries - some don't. They are addicted to the corporate dream and need to be seen 'going the extra mile'.

Asia is closer than you think. India is only 4.5 hours ahead. US ET is only 5 hours behind - plenty of opportunity for overlap. It's one reason Ireland is ideal for US companies. KL/Singapore are +8 but we it's still doable to have team meetings (e.g. KL 5pm). The collaboration and communication tools we have today existed long before Covid too.

This site is very useful. Meeting Planner – Find best time across Time Zones (timeanddate.com)

Re long-termers - of course it depends on whether the long terms are workhorses or journeymen. In tech companies long termers tend to have developed a huge amount of experience on whatever domain/solution they work it. That tacit knowledge makes them extremely valuable employees. The ones I mentioned were significant losses to their respective employers and there were counter offers.

Flaccus

My company opened offices today in Ireland. A big MN spread out globally but we were the first to open. The goal from high up is blended working. Attendance is up to each department head and no-one will be put under pressure to return. We have already had a survey and results vary from 1 to 3 days in the office which people want. Some want none. Our Dept. head has already said until there is an actual official WFH policy from HR people can come in if they want or stay at home. And after policy is in place (unknown when) how many days people do if any will be considered on an individual basis. I am interested in at most 1 day a week in the office but would prefer zero. Also our actual manager who looks after the day to day is in a different time zone and is in favor of everyone staying put if they want. I can't complain really. Been WFH since March 2020 like a lot of people and company just issued us new PC's. As we are 100% software based and teams are spread out physically, I cannot think of any benefits to being in the office.

Sunny Disposition

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119011419#Comment_119011419

I’d be interested to know what benefits do the management see in it? It seems strange to go to the expense of renting a premises unless you see significant value in it. For the next few years at least it’s going to be near impossible to get people to do office jobs without offering at least 40% remote work.

Flaccus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119011758#Comment_119011758

I guess they are just easing people into the idea of going back to the office and are introducing a WFH policy at some point which each manager will be able to decide on how many days to bring people in. It's probably going to take a while and will be reviewed along the way. From what I can tell there has been little uptake so far in returning to the office but some people see that as a benefit and are happy to go in.

a_squirrelman

So I'm home again after my two mandatory days in the office this week. We have to go in on Mondays for "socialising" and the second day is up to ourselves.

Monday was an absolute waste of time where I got almost nothing done, Tuesday afternoon I managed to get some things done after all the early birds went home (start early, leave early).

So it looks like Wed - Fri will be busy going forward as I catch up on things I should have done Mon - Tue. I might try to figure out what day the least amount of people are in the office and use that as my second day.

Young_gunner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119013966#Comment_119013966

Sums up why the office is doomed really

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119014374#Comment_119014374

amazing how people claim they are so productive at home but cant get anything done in an office environment...

storker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119014562#Comment_119014562

There's nothing amazing about it. Open plan with distractions and interruptions and ringing phones all round vs a private quiet space with longer lengths of time in order to actually get stuff done and a phone that only rings when it's for you. Brilliant.

The only amazing part is that some people seem unable to figure this out.

a_squirrelman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119014700#Comment_119014700

This. Along with the mandatory socialising, team coffee from 10 till nearly 11.30 then lunch all together from 12 till after 1. I'd rather just be left alone :D

One colleague said she prefers the office and will be there at least 3 days a week and I say let them at it. The mandatory stuff is just very annoying.

PokeHerKing

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119014562#Comment_119014562

Lol - I know your bias made you think this was a 'gotchya' moment but in fact it's the exact opposite. Just think about it a little bit. Kind of like wondering why students study in the library and not the canteen..

FlubberJones

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119014700#Comment_119014700

So prior to the pandemic, there was very little done in the office because of these oh so terrible distractions people couldn't filter out and actually work.

Flinty997

I can work in either. NC earphones.

Either the home or office can be noisy so it's not like one is always better than the other.

All still making the mistake of judging productivity from appearance rather than actual metrics.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119014562#Comment_119014562

To be fair many employers reported higher productivity throughout the Covid WFH period. I saw the metrics in my own company and they showed the same. Granted the productivity improvements declined but we are still up by double digit percentages across both development and support on pre 2020 levels. Hence they said we do not have to go back to the office until Sept 2022 and only after a consultation process to decide the options. Full-time WFH will certainly be an option.

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119014700#Comment_119014700

There is, people worked in offices for decades, now all of a sudden no one can get anything done in an office.

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119015257#Comment_119015257

i stopped reading at Lol.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119015290#Comment_119015290

Open plan offices have their advantages and disadvantages. Is that really news to anyone.

FlubberJones

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119015338#Comment_119015338

Apparently they are incompatible with working..... as I sit on one and type... and even get things done (not Boards related)

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119014700#Comment_119014700

how many people have a private quiet space to work from home in, i do, but almost everyone else i speak to is in a spare bedroom, i.e. in the same house that their kids and partner are in, so to say its a quiet private space with no distractions versus the office isnt universally the case.

Also i find you end up on far more teams calls that arent directly relevant to you as people want to keep communication lines open and keep people informed on projects as they cant pick it up informally.

PokeHerKing

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119015335#Comment_119015335

I aint surprised Gramps.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119015343#Comment_119015343

Often open plan offices have meeting rooms and offices with doors etc. Which suggests they are indeed incompatible with some activities.

FlubberJones

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119015376#Comment_119015376

OMG... HOLD THE FRONT PAGE.... Yes, that's why they are called meeting rooms... they are for meetings

Flinty997

If I create a noisy open plan office at home does that solve the issue? : )

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119015378#Comment_119015378

OMG I've had meetings in peoples offices.

I should tell them they no longer have an office.

storker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119015349#Comment_119015349

If a spare bedroom isn't in use, then it's a private space where work can be done in peace and quiet. The clue is in the word "spare". My "office/man cave" is just a bedroom with no bed in it, instead having a desk, printer, filing cabinet, bookshelves etc. Yes, family members may interrupt from time to time, but with nowhere near the destructive regularity of semi-constant in-office interruptions.

The organisation I work for hasn't in the last two years displayed any incontinent use of Teams or Zoom. The same meetings as before tend to happen happen with the same frequency for the same reasons. A few phone calls a day suffices to keep lines of communication open for chat or updates, and this is still much less intrusive than having it happen all around you in a noisy office.

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119015374#Comment_119015374

nor am I.

storker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119015290#Comment_119015290

Nice job missing the point. It was more difficult to get work done in the same time you can get the same work done at home. This really isn't a difficult concept. This is one of the reasons many companies report productivity increases during the WFH period. Fresher, happier employees are a factor too, but apparently happier employees = more productive employees is still news to some people. 🙄

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119015475#Comment_119015475

destructive regularity, or is it you just prefer interruptions by family members?