Why do companies want to return to the office?

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122892764#Comment_122892764

I don't understand why you're asking about a building. (Singular).

martingriff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122893076#Comment_122893076

I forgot the s I am sorry I am sure you knew what I was asking. I was just wondering how much quicker what you do is then waiting for the call.

I will give you an example where I work we get 15 minute tea break in the morning. If in the office I have to wait for a lift then go up 6 floors, buy my coffee, sit and drink it, then again wait for the lift, go down 6 floors. 15 minutes turn in to 25 to 30.

While working from home it's 15 minutes. Go out press the kettle to boil and get my coffee.

martingriff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122892736#Comment_122892736

So your going to disregard people who had to do what I said just because you know some people.

This is a real world reality for a more people then you realise or you do and are just been awkward.

Also people are let go or companies close down and they have to go where the job is. It's not that easy to uproot and go with that job especially if you have a family, friends and own a house

LambshankRedemption

wfh may b fine for established employees but it makes bringing on new staff very difficult and is bad for innovation. If your job can be done 100% wfh then it is likely to be replaced by AI in the next few years.

What utter rubbish.

Former Former Former

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122893264#Comment_122893264

if you bought your coffee and brought it back to the office to drink, it would take the same amount of time as making it at home.

martingriff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122893396#Comment_122893396

Still waiting for the lift going down the lift. The drinking of the coffee is not the time waste. Also why would I want to have my break to relax and get away from my computer by been at my computer where I could be asked a question.

Same with going to a meeting. Getting the lift up to the meeting room. Waiting for everyone to get in (more small talk) then getting back. Again if doing it on Zoom. Click in have the meeting and just click off and back to work. Not a fan of full WTF but am in favor of hybrid

blue_blue

You seem to work so delinquently from home!! What an angel!

“oooh, the lift takes 2 mins to come”

“Oooooh, I can leavr a Zoom meeting in a click”

congrats. Your job will be outsourced

whiney baby

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122893466#Comment_122893466

martingriff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122893536#Comment_122893536

Nothing whiney just was a reply to how things can be done WTF as well as in the office. As for my job been outsourced that has been said as nauseam because of WTF has been done and the has not happened. If my job is ever outsourced (and I am sure it is looked at all the time) it will because the higher ups have decided to make bigger wealth by going to a low wage country

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122893264#Comment_122893264

My post was being sarcastic about the efficiency of walking to talk (communicate) to people instead of just ringing them. Particularly when they aren't all in the same building, or city for that matter.

I guess if we were in the same room or on video conference call you'd have seen me theatrically roll my eyes when I said it.

techman1

While you like to walk to someone's desk to ask a question, I hate anyone interrupting me while I am trying to focus on something, which is why I love working from home.

Again it's not just about you and your needs, it's also about the company, it is part of your job to help your colleagues especially new people. If you are being a selfish uncooperative person that is very obvious in an office environment but not so when WFH, because you can ignore the question or not go to the effort to answer it properly WFH. That is why most companies want people back in the office some of the time to cut out selfish uncooperative behaviour

Former Former Former

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122893466#Comment_122893466

honestly, how long does the lift take to come? 30 seconds? Give us a break.

Like, if people are determined to make a point by being disruptive, angry and uncommunicative when in the office, do they really think this is going to be good for their careers?

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122896268#Comment_122896268

Selfish behaviour is constantly interrupting people with drive by questions, or unplanned and hoc meeting simply because they are unable to be organised.

Flinty997

Likewise having no formal mentoring or training in a organisation and expecting people sitting near by to pickup the slack.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122896585#Comment_122896585

Or working off-site and not answering your phone.

The reason that many people get dootstepped in the office is because they don't respond to other methods.

Former Former Former

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122896607#Comment_122896607

These are the results of bad management and are not related to being in the office or WFH.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122896974#Comment_122896974

Which is the point that was made. There are poor communicators regardless where you are. Walk down to their desk and they are never there.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122897001#Comment_122897001

Which is exactly the point being made.

A leopard doesn't change their spots simply because they are in the office or at home. They'll find ways to do the same thing regardless where they are.

Not that it's matters. If the job wants you in the office they don't have to give a reason.

Hoboo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122859718#Comment_122859718

With absolutely no evidence to support that.

It very depends on the role and company, but putting aside physical work, high collaboration departments and places of innovation, and looking solely at the majority of office type jobs, there is no evidence to support it yet an abundance to reject it.

Hoboo

The clever companies will always use it as an incentive to attract the best. And talent is the one of the greatest competitive differentiators.

Unskilled roles tend to require hands on supervision and support so that is unlikely to change.

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122897185#Comment_122897185

so all the top talent will be working fully remotely?

Ray Palmer

I read through this whole thread and there are obviously people who don't like others working from home and resent them for it. The whole idea that once you WFH means you can easily replaced makes no sense. Suddenly skills and knowledge mean nothing because the lack of needing an office space is ridiculous. Then you have AI will replace you because WFH which is utter nonsense as being in the office won't change that. AI is interesting and will replace certain workers but excel exists and the amount of people that can't use it beyond simple functions is staggering.

I changed jobs last year and clients don't want us onsite because they don't have the room. Resources are from other countries so it makes no sense. I was WFH for 2 days a week before covid and what it actually showed was how many stupid quick meetings we had because certain people would not fill in details in Jira/Azure. As I was working from home instead of talking over desks I just marked them as insufficient info and we started getting figures for people not doing the job and then were able to address it. Productivity went up.

I was in a taxi the other day and the driver said things were getting better and as soon as everyone is made go back to the office he will be back to normal. He claimed ALL office workers are already being forced to go in 3 days a week. He didn't believe me that I only was asked to go in one day a week and that it was very lax along with my wife not needing to go in at all. Sounded a lot like people here saying companies don't like it and will force everyone back into the office but no sign of it changing for most people I know.

dulpit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122897221#Comment_122897221

No, but it can be a differentiator. Our company recently started a return to office approach. It's a slow approach (1 day a week if you live within 100km, 1 day a month if you are outside that) but we've already lost some very very good people because of this directive. They prefer to work from home 100% of the time. And some of these people would have gone into the office multiple times when needed with no issue - the problem people have is the mandated nature of it. Before we implemented return to office, we had days in the office for certain specific events, and nobody ever minded going in those days. There was a reason to it, and work got done. But dragging people into the office to tick a box irks a lot of people. And if they are talented enough and want to, they'll walk.

Flinty997

We could post numbers all day.

75% of the Fortune 100 operate on a hybrid work schedule.
In addition, latest CSO Census findings also show that nearly a third of Ireland's workforce, or around 750,000 employees, worked from home at least one day a week.

Won't matter though.

blue_blue

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122897154#Comment_122897154

You think Amazon, one of the most capitalist companies in the world, is bringing back their employees full time because it will lead them to losing money?

I've some magic beans for you if so.

Companies don't have to give you a reason or publish their data.

Here's a recent analysis that looks at coders in tech companies who WFH and are MIA: https://www.404media.co/are-overemployed-ghost-engineers-making-six-figures-to-do-nothing/

dulpit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122897485#Comment_122897485

Are they going to make more money with them on site? Or is it just about control? This is the company who keeps very close track of how long people take for breaks and results in their delivery drivers having to urinate in the vans to meet the expected delivery times.

Sunny Disposition

One thing I’ve always found interesting is that it is portrayed as an employer v employee thing. In reality it’s a case where the two interests meet.

Maybe huge companies like Dell or Microsoft don’t mind v much paying for office space, but I’m sure in the long term they don’t want to do that. Bit for almost all companies the difference is massive if you can close your offices. It’s obviously better to embrace the change and deal with issues as they arise than to stick with offices.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122897485#Comment_122897485

That article includes coders who are in the office. Its also makes inferences "like might work multiple jobs" that its can't actually get (AFAIK) from the data it claims to be using.

Amazon was laying off workers long before RTO and also from all over.

FishOnABike

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122897485#Comment_122897485

It will save places like Amazon redundancy payments as people who prefer more flexible remote or blended work arrangement leave voluntarily towork for a new, more flxible employer. It's no secret that some companies are using return to office as a means to reduce their workforce while avoiding redundancy payments.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122897629#Comment_122897629

Some will say its not about money, its about reducing head count.

Trampas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122896974#Comment_122896974

Do you include the 20 minutes disturbing cost when you get doorstepped? At least with teams etc you can finish your task before replying to them. To many people assume if you don’t answer in a second you’re doing nothing but really you’re finishing something which doesn’t happen when someone just walks over to you while at a desk in the office