4 ms·

Clearly downward? If you don't have to work at an office in the Bay Area why would you continue paying $3K/mo in Rent or praying your startup has a good exit so

Clearly downward? If you don't have to work at an office in the Bay Area why would you continue paying $3K/mo in Rent or praying your startup has a good exit so you can pay $1M cash for a starter house?

exmadscientist 6y ago
Not clear at all. Effective WFH requires a bigger house, which would tend to favor remote areas. But partial WFH, where you're still in the office ~1 day/week on average, will push for _both_ larger and closer housing.
- bradleyjg 6y ago
  An hour and a half commute five days a week is a brutal grind. Once a week it doesn’t sound so bad.
  - ghaff 6y ago
    Definitely. The Bay Area is a bit tougher to get out of really expensive housing depending upon where you work. But I'm (at rush hour) something like 90 minutes out of Boston whether driving or rail/subway. And housing is, if not depressed Midwest cheap, pretty reasonable in many towns that far out. That is, as you say, pretty brutal daily--which I never really had to do even when I worked in the city. But it's only a mild PITA once a week or so.
  - Mvandenbergh 6y ago
    Not to mention that if you're in a day a week for specific meetings (vs it being your "office" the expectations about when you will arrive there are different. You may be able to travel during quieter hours which can be faster and less stressful.
- pmiller2 6y ago
  I WFH "effectively" in an 800 sq foot apartment. If I didn't have a dog, I could probably do so in less space.
  - jfim 6y ago
    How many people are in that 800 square feet though? If it's not shared with anyone else but the dog, it's a pretty large space.
    - pmiller2 6y ago
      You don't know how big the dog is. ;) In all seriousness, what would it matter if I shared that space with 1 or 2 additional people?
      - ghaff 6y ago
        It matters in that you ideally want a private office.
        pmiller2 6y ago
        There’s a difference between “effective” WFH and “ideal” WFH. I was stating I’m able to work “effectively.” Besides, I don’t even get a private office at work, so, why should it matter much?
edmundsauto 6y ago
Friends who works at FAANGs say their employers made it clear they would adjust comp downwards if employees were to transfer to new locations during WFH. (hasn't happened yet, but it sounds like that's what would happen if their employees moved to WFH from elsewhere). The calculation as to whether or not that's worth it would depend on the specifics.

exmadscientist 6y ago

Not clear at all. Effective WFH requires a bigger house, which would tend to favor remote areas. But partial WFH, where you're still in the office ~1 day/week on average, will push for _both_ larger and closer housing.

bradleyjg 6y ago
An hour and a half commute five days a week is a brutal grind. Once a week it doesn’t sound so bad.
- ghaff 6y ago
  Definitely. The Bay Area is a bit tougher to get out of really expensive housing depending upon where you work. But I'm (at rush hour) something like 90 minutes out of Boston whether driving or rail/subway. And housing is, if not depressed Midwest cheap, pretty reasonable in many towns that far out. That is, as you say, pretty brutal daily--which I never really had to do even when I worked in the city. But it's only a mild PITA once a week or so.
- Mvandenbergh 6y ago
  Not to mention that if you're in a day a week for specific meetings (vs it being your "office" the expectations about when you will arrive there are different. You may be able to travel during quieter hours which can be faster and less stressful.
pmiller2 6y ago
I WFH "effectively" in an 800 sq foot apartment. If I didn't have a dog, I could probably do so in less space.
- jfim 6y ago
  How many people are in that 800 square feet though? If it's not shared with anyone else but the dog, it's a pretty large space.
  - pmiller2 6y ago
    You don't know how big the dog is. ;) In all seriousness, what would it matter if I shared that space with 1 or 2 additional people?
    - ghaff 6y ago
      It matters in that you ideally want a private office.
      - pmiller2 6y ago
        There’s a difference between “effective” WFH and “ideal” WFH. I was stating I’m able to work “effectively.” Besides, I don’t even get a private office at work, so, why should it matter much?

edmundsauto 6y ago

Friends who works at FAANGs say their employers made it clear they would adjust comp downwards if employees were to transfer to new locations during WFH. (hasn't happened yet, but it sounds like that's what would happen if their employees moved to WFH from elsewhere). The calculation as to whether or not that's worth it would depend on the specifics.