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This assumes that the only place a remote worker can work from is their home. There is nothing more detrimental to a person's psyche. Cafes and coworking spaces

by chpmrc 8y ago

This assumes that the only place a remote worker can work from is their home. There is nothing more detrimental to a person's psyche. Cafes and coworking spaces are the most obvious and effective solution to this problem. I made countless friends while working remotely and a good 90% of them I met in a coworking space (and the so called "digital nomad" community is made of some really awesome people). Plus you have the option to change coworking space if you don't like the people, the coffee, the wallpapers or whatever. You can't do that with a traditional office (or it would be reaaally hard to justify).

baddox 8y ago
I don’t think it’s very detrimental if you have a separate room or area of your home that is only used for your remote work.
- chpmrc 8y ago
  That surely helps but at the end of the day it depends on your personality. Some people can go a lot longer working completely alone (e.g. if you have a family), others prefer working in a more social environment (e.g. solo travellers), at least occasionally. I definitely prefer the latter.
  - bmelton 8y ago
    I've worked exclusively remotely for a number of years, and while I tend to prefer it, there are times where I miss the hustle and bustle of an office place. For those occasions, I've always just relocated to either a coffee shop (or similar) or a co-working space with drop-in rates. If you're extremely rural, or those aren't options, I don't know what to tell you.
    - chpmrc 8y ago
      This is exactly what I said...?
enraged_camel 8y ago
I got a 3 monitor setup at home, which basically quadrupled my productivity. I now work from coffee shops only if I’m doing “shallow work” - lots of small tasks, none of which requires deep thinking. For example if I need to answer a bunch of emails I’ll do that from a coffee shop.
- prawn 8y ago
  I think this is a great balance and something I'm interested in trying more. I have three displays at home and four displays at my co-working space desk, but I'm interested in periodically using a local pub for sessions of 2-3 hours to do single-screen work over a beer. e.g., dealing with emails, invoicing, etc.
  - rorykoehler 8y ago
    How can you work and drink at the same time?
    - vertex-four 8y ago
      Generally speaking, two beers over two hours with a meal is not going to push most people even to being a bit tipsy.
    - prawn 8y ago
      Ballmer Peak! https://xkcd.com/323/ https://xkcd.com/323/ But seriously, how would it be a problem? In the afternoons, we often have a beer at our desks while working. I often work at night after having a drink at dinner or in the afternoon after lunch at the pub. Having a pint beside the laptop while answering emails or working on a side project or making content changes for a client wouldn't be especially difficult or problematic. I've worked for myself for 20 years (http://www.isaacforman.com.au/ http://www.isaacforman.com.au/) so there are rarely issues with time and place of work either. I'm mostly anchored to my desk because I like the room to move of four displays.
      - rorykoehler 8y ago
prawn 8y ago
Agree completely. The power of remote work is not just avoiding your commute and working in pyjamas, but being free to choose your environment. You could work for a company based in a big, expensive city, but live hours away in a smaller town. Or perhaps your partner works in a regional area, but you can take a tech job from afar rather than be limited by the local market.
Thrymr 8y ago
> This assumes that the only place a remote worker can work from is their home. There is nothing more detrimental to a person's psyche. That is rather hyperbolic. Many remote workers do fine working from home. Others do not. Not all people are the same. Any of us can think of things that are "more detrimental to a person's psyche" for nearly all individuals.
- ASalazarMX 8y ago
  For example, coworkers who use the bathroom and just rinse their hands. That is worse for my psyche than working from home.
  - eanzenberg 8y ago
    Is there something filthy on your junk? Better get it clean than keep dirtying your hands
    - mmt 8y ago
      But, see, the way to get it "clean" is by washing ones hands regularly with soap and warm water (ideally before touching it [1]). Really, though, you're making the (likely false) assumption that ones "junk" is the only thing touched in the restroom. You're also ignoring the potential for aeresolized bits of feces sprayed by commercial flush mechanisms. None of this adds up to "filthy" per se, but hand washing is one of the best disease spreading preventions we know of. Personally, if they're not going to wash I'd rather someone not go anywhere near the sink after using the restroom instead of also touching the fixtures and giving the bacteria on their hands a drink of water. [1] I once worked in a building with a dentist who washed both before and after.
      - inertiatic 8y ago
        I always do both and it feels extremely weird to see people not actually do it. In between bathroom breaks at work I've touched my desk, keyboard, smartphone screen, perhaps adjusted my shoes, perhaps shook someones hand. By that time, hands already feel filthy enough to not want to touch myself anywhere before washing.
smt88 8y ago
I work alone from home and love it. I can have quiet/nap time when I need it, make my own food, and spend time with my dog. I'm very social and love spending time with people, but work isn't my outlet for that. I find that friends in an office end up decreasing my productivity and causing me to have less free time for friends, family, and relaxation.
inertiatic 8y ago
There are, factually, things more detrimental to a person's psyche. There's also a good chunk of people actively seeking that because of their personal characteristics (psyche?).
innocentoldguy 8y ago
This hasn't been my experience. I have worked remotely for years and I don't miss the open-office environments in the least. For me, nothing is more detrimental to my psyche and health than an open-office environment. I guess we all have different needs.

by chpmrc 8y ago

baddox 8y ago

I don’t think it’s very detrimental if you have a separate room or area of your home that is only used for your remote work.

chpmrc 8y ago
That surely helps but at the end of the day it depends on your personality. Some people can go a lot longer working completely alone (e.g. if you have a family), others prefer working in a more social environment (e.g. solo travellers), at least occasionally. I definitely prefer the latter.
- bmelton 8y ago
  I've worked exclusively remotely for a number of years, and while I tend to prefer it, there are times where I miss the hustle and bustle of an office place. For those occasions, I've always just relocated to either a coffee shop (or similar) or a co-working space with drop-in rates. If you're extremely rural, or those aren't options, I don't know what to tell you.
  - chpmrc 8y ago
    This is exactly what I said...?

enraged_camel 8y ago

I got a 3 monitor setup at home, which basically quadrupled my productivity. I now work from coffee shops only if I’m doing “shallow work” - lots of small tasks, none of which requires deep thinking. For example if I need to answer a bunch of emails I’ll do that from a coffee shop.

prawn 8y ago
I think this is a great balance and something I'm interested in trying more. I have three displays at home and four displays at my co-working space desk, but I'm interested in periodically using a local pub for sessions of 2-3 hours to do single-screen work over a beer. e.g., dealing with emails, invoicing, etc.
- rorykoehler 8y ago
  How can you work and drink at the same time?
  - vertex-four 8y ago
    Generally speaking, two beers over two hours with a meal is not going to push most people even to being a bit tipsy.
  - prawn 8y ago
    Ballmer Peak! https://xkcd.com/323/ https://xkcd.com/323/ But seriously, how would it be a problem? In the afternoons, we often have a beer at our desks while working. I often work at night after having a drink at dinner or in the afternoon after lunch at the pub. Having a pint beside the laptop while answering emails or working on a side project or making content changes for a client wouldn't be especially difficult or problematic. I've worked for myself for 20 years (http://www.isaacforman.com.au/ http://www.isaacforman.com.au/) so there are rarely issues with time and place of work either. I'm mostly anchored to my desk because I like the room to move of four displays.
    - rorykoehler 8y ago

prawn 8y ago

Agree completely. The power of remote work is not just avoiding your commute and working in pyjamas, but being free to choose your environment. You could work for a company based in a big, expensive city, but live hours away in a smaller town. Or perhaps your partner works in a regional area, but you can take a tech job from afar rather than be limited by the local market.

Thrymr 8y ago

> This assumes that the only place a remote worker can work from is their home. There is nothing more detrimental to a person's psyche. That is rather hyperbolic. Many remote workers do fine working from home. Others do not. Not all people are the same. Any of us can think of things that are "more detrimental to a person's psyche" for nearly all individuals.

ASalazarMX 8y ago
For example, coworkers who use the bathroom and just rinse their hands. That is worse for my psyche than working from home.
- eanzenberg 8y ago
  Is there something filthy on your junk? Better get it clean than keep dirtying your hands
  - mmt 8y ago
    But, see, the way to get it "clean" is by washing ones hands regularly with soap and warm water (ideally before touching it [1]). Really, though, you're making the (likely false) assumption that ones "junk" is the only thing touched in the restroom. You're also ignoring the potential for aeresolized bits of feces sprayed by commercial flush mechanisms. None of this adds up to "filthy" per se, but hand washing is one of the best disease spreading preventions we know of. Personally, if they're not going to wash I'd rather someone not go anywhere near the sink after using the restroom instead of also touching the fixtures and giving the bacteria on their hands a drink of water. [1] I once worked in a building with a dentist who washed both before and after.
    - inertiatic 8y ago
      I always do both and it feels extremely weird to see people not actually do it. In between bathroom breaks at work I've touched my desk, keyboard, smartphone screen, perhaps adjusted my shoes, perhaps shook someones hand. By that time, hands already feel filthy enough to not want to touch myself anywhere before washing.

smt88 8y ago

I work alone from home and love it. I can have quiet/nap time when I need it, make my own food, and spend time with my dog. I'm very social and love spending time with people, but work isn't my outlet for that. I find that friends in an office end up decreasing my productivity and causing me to have less free time for friends, family, and relaxation.

inertiatic 8y ago

There are, factually, things more detrimental to a person's psyche. There's also a good chunk of people actively seeking that because of their personal characteristics (psyche?).

innocentoldguy 8y ago

This hasn't been my experience. I have worked remotely for years and I don't miss the open-office environments in the least. For me, nothing is more detrimental to my psyche and health than an open-office environment. I guess we all have different needs.