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Reading the absolute claim in the title ("no benefits at all") makes me dismiss his opinion instantly. You can claim it's net negative, but not seeing anything

Reading the absolute claim in the title ("no benefits at all") makes me dismiss his opinion instantly. You can claim it's net negative, but not seeing anything positive probably just means you are a workaholic with no life and can't fruit a good debate about it.

FalconSensei 6y ago
Yeah, in my company we are seeing a lot of positive impacts, especially for those who live far from the offices, and are saving 10~15 hours a week from commuting. People can focus more on work, than spend time and energy commuting, and dreading the long commute home
- anotheryou 6y ago
  I totally can see negatives: - no water cooler talk and lunchs > bad for team spirit/work friendships - heated discussions going stale and ending up in resentment > easier to resolve in person when you get a good feeling for how the other feels (and interact about non-problematic things, e.g. the mentioned lunch together) - grabbing a busy person when you feel the time is right - harder to motivate yourself when you are on low-energy or stuck (And yet I think the positives even that all out)
  - FalconSensei 6y ago
    In the end, everything depends on the team and the person right? I would like going back to the office. I miss the espresso machine, the snacks, seeing people, playing boardgames after work. But that's because it's a 10 min. walk for me to go there. For some coworkers, it's a 1 hour drive each way, having to pay for parking, and needing to leave work no later than X because otherwise they have to pay extra. Also, I can concentrate more at home. In my previous job, I ended up moving to a small cubicle that was not being used, because I couldn't stand the noise of other people talking around me (had some loud speakers there).
ghufran_syed 6y ago
The “principle of charity” would suggest interpreting the title as “no net benefit”. FWIW I personally think that remote work is hugely beneficial to the employees - but I don’t have enough data to figure out what the net impact is on the employer
- anotheryou 6y ago
  I agree, but than I skimmed the article and he actually says it in a literal way too: "No. I don’t see any positives. [It is] is a pure negative."
kjakm 6y ago
I think it’s only a matter of time until people with opinions like his look like dinosaurs. I’ve seen companies where overall productivity has increased and management still want to get everyone back in the office. I’ve noticed there are a few types of people who want to go back: 1. People in more social roles (e.g. marketing) who spend the day working together, joking/laughing/being loud and disruptive. 2. Some management who don’t like spending entire days on zoom (understandable). 3. People who spend most of their time using company money on first class flights all around the world networking/visiting other offices. 4. Older people (50+) who will always believe in the magic benefits of being in the office and don’t want a huge lifestyle change this late in their careers. I think people either want to or don’t want to WFH for selfish reasons. Just like there have also always been people who don’t want to work from an office for selfish reasons. One option is not going to work for everyone and doing it halfway will not be good either. Do what’s best for the company. Execs need to look at the data - how is output? Morale? Finances? Employee turnover? If it’s improved move to full WFH if not, full office (with a little more flexibility now you know you can trust people).

FalconSensei 6y ago

Yeah, in my company we are seeing a lot of positive impacts, especially for those who live far from the offices, and are saving 10~15 hours a week from commuting. People can focus more on work, than spend time and energy commuting, and dreading the long commute home

anotheryou 6y ago
I totally can see negatives: - no water cooler talk and lunchs > bad for team spirit/work friendships - heated discussions going stale and ending up in resentment > easier to resolve in person when you get a good feeling for how the other feels (and interact about non-problematic things, e.g. the mentioned lunch together) - grabbing a busy person when you feel the time is right - harder to motivate yourself when you are on low-energy or stuck (And yet I think the positives even that all out)
- FalconSensei 6y ago
  In the end, everything depends on the team and the person right? I would like going back to the office. I miss the espresso machine, the snacks, seeing people, playing boardgames after work. But that's because it's a 10 min. walk for me to go there. For some coworkers, it's a 1 hour drive each way, having to pay for parking, and needing to leave work no later than X because otherwise they have to pay extra. Also, I can concentrate more at home. In my previous job, I ended up moving to a small cubicle that was not being used, because I couldn't stand the noise of other people talking around me (had some loud speakers there).

ghufran_syed 6y ago

The “principle of charity” would suggest interpreting the title as “no net benefit”. FWIW I personally think that remote work is hugely beneficial to the employees - but I don’t have enough data to figure out what the net impact is on the employer

anotheryou 6y ago
I agree, but than I skimmed the article and he actually says it in a literal way too: "No. I don’t see any positives. [It is] is a pure negative."

kjakm 6y ago

I think it’s only a matter of time until people with opinions like his look like dinosaurs. I’ve seen companies where overall productivity has increased and management still want to get everyone back in the office. I’ve noticed there are a few types of people who want to go back: 1. People in more social roles (e.g. marketing) who spend the day working together, joking/laughing/being loud and disruptive. 2. Some management who don’t like spending entire days on zoom (understandable). 3. People who spend most of their time using company money on first class flights all around the world networking/visiting other offices. 4. Older people (50+) who will always believe in the magic benefits of being in the office and don’t want a huge lifestyle change this late in their careers. I think people either want to or don’t want to WFH for selfish reasons. Just like there have also always been people who don’t want to work from an office for selfish reasons. One option is not going to work for everyone and doing it halfway will not be good either. Do what’s best for the company. Execs need to look at the data - how is output? Morale? Finances? Employee turnover? If it’s improved move to full WFH if not, full office (with a little more flexibility now you know you can trust people).