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How many of those are quite aware that if they don't choose, they're on the chopping block? So far I've known exactly two people who actually want to return to

How many of those are quite aware that if they don't choose, they're on the chopping block? So far I've known exactly two people who actually want to return to the office more than just like once in a while for fun, regardless of what they tell their boss. And one shouldn't count much because she also is going to retire shortly. I'm pretty sure I'm an outlier but not a "no really it's 60%" outlier.

solipsism 5y ago
Google has never had a chopping block. And your speculations are wild. But hey, at least you have those two anecdotes.
- tdeck 5y ago
  The Google equivalent of a chipping block in most cases is not getting promoted. But Google has a very level-focused culture and many Googlers are highly motivated to keep getting promotions, so the incentives are there.
  - solipsism 5y ago
    The Google equivalent of a chipping block in most cases is not getting promoted Do tell, given what you know about the Google promotion process, how a choice to work remotely would translate to a decreased likelihood to be promoted (and, importantly, to an unfair degree)?
    - yamellasmallela 5y ago
      If you don't get promotions you lose certain stock grants which greatly reduces your pay The entire system is a scam and built specifically to keep you at google and drinking the kool aid
      - solipsism 5y ago
        You're misinformed. Please stop spreading misinformation.
        tdeck 5y ago
        That's not entirely untrue. Even if you do get promoted, the four year cliff is real. I got promoted and still experienced a substantial loss in total comp at year 4, with good performance and what seemed to be typical refresh grants.
        UncleMeat 5y ago
        But that’s the opposite of what the post said. The cliff is real and happens regardless of promo because everybody gets refreshes every year regardless of promotions.
    - tdeck 5y ago
      Realized I have a typo from relying too heavily on auto-correct. Sorry about that. I worked at Google for four years. I've seen many people I know basically "play it safe" by making conservative decisions in order to minimize the likelihood of hurting one's promo chances. Despite all the talk about this, nobody really knows for sure what will affect their promo. For example, people will stay on a team they hate rather than risk "resetting the promo clock". There is also a general understanding that being outside the Bay Area hurts your career growth. Given these tendencies and the fact that people who work remotely often find themselves more isolated than their in-office colleagues, I fully expect that people will hesitate to adopt remote work if they're not in the majority.
      - solipsism 5y ago
        * There is also a general understanding * Got it. So when it was asked, "how many know they're on the chopping block if they work remotely" and it was redefined to ask "how many know their chances for promotion might be affected by working remotely?"... The answer is "almost everyone". Many people will happily choose to work remotely, even if it makes promotion harder, because that's a good trade-off for them. Exactly like people will happily work from other offices. So what's the problem?
        tdeck 5y ago
        Do you realize I am not the person who wrote the original "chopping block" comment? I'm just adding context here based on my experience. I don't understand why your tone in this thread is so hostile.
        solipsism 5y ago
        It's kind of strange to wander into a conversation, and then balk at the fact that people expect your contributions to be relevant to the conversation.
tdeck 5y ago
I would like to continue working from home, as I've found it allows me to better align my time with my priorities and to be more productive. Since I'm in a great relationship and keep up with friends, I don't feel isolated. I don't miss the 2 hours of commuting on the N each day. I didn't expect any of this to be the case - I thought WFH would make me depressed and lonely. That said, I know many people who really miss being in the office, including many former colleagues at Google. Some of them have kids, while others need the social aspect of in office culture. I really believe that at least half the company wants to work from an office. That makes me wonder what happens with the other half. Having part of a team work remotely isn't ideal for those people - they end up being left out of things. On the other hand, it doesn't really make sense to just forget everything we've learned from the last year of remote work and force a big percentage o people back to a situation where they're less productive. I suspect though that the latter is exactly what will happen to some extent based on Google's own statement, which is a shame. But we all have to give things up for work and many Googlers would be very reluctant to leave.
- slavapestov 5y ago
  > Some of them have kids, Who takes care of the kids while they’re at the office though?
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - vineyardmike 5y ago
    Teachers usually.

solipsism 5y ago

Google has never had a chopping block. And your speculations are wild. But hey, at least you have those two anecdotes.

tdeck 5y ago
The Google equivalent of a chipping block in most cases is not getting promoted. But Google has a very level-focused culture and many Googlers are highly motivated to keep getting promotions, so the incentives are there.
- solipsism 5y ago
  The Google equivalent of a chipping block in most cases is not getting promoted Do tell, given what you know about the Google promotion process, how a choice to work remotely would translate to a decreased likelihood to be promoted (and, importantly, to an unfair degree)?
  - yamellasmallela 5y ago
    If you don't get promotions you lose certain stock grants which greatly reduces your pay The entire system is a scam and built specifically to keep you at google and drinking the kool aid
    - solipsism 5y ago
      You're misinformed. Please stop spreading misinformation.
      - tdeck 5y ago
        That's not entirely untrue. Even if you do get promoted, the four year cliff is real. I got promoted and still experienced a substantial loss in total comp at year 4, with good performance and what seemed to be typical refresh grants.
        UncleMeat 5y ago
        But that’s the opposite of what the post said. The cliff is real and happens regardless of promo because everybody gets refreshes every year regardless of promotions.
  - tdeck 5y ago
    Realized I have a typo from relying too heavily on auto-correct. Sorry about that. I worked at Google for four years. I've seen many people I know basically "play it safe" by making conservative decisions in order to minimize the likelihood of hurting one's promo chances. Despite all the talk about this, nobody really knows for sure what will affect their promo. For example, people will stay on a team they hate rather than risk "resetting the promo clock". There is also a general understanding that being outside the Bay Area hurts your career growth. Given these tendencies and the fact that people who work remotely often find themselves more isolated than their in-office colleagues, I fully expect that people will hesitate to adopt remote work if they're not in the majority.
    - solipsism 5y ago
      * There is also a general understanding * Got it. So when it was asked, "how many know they're on the chopping block if they work remotely" and it was redefined to ask "how many know their chances for promotion might be affected by working remotely?"... The answer is "almost everyone". Many people will happily choose to work remotely, even if it makes promotion harder, because that's a good trade-off for them. Exactly like people will happily work from other offices. So what's the problem?
      - tdeck 5y ago
        Do you realize I am not the person who wrote the original "chopping block" comment? I'm just adding context here based on my experience. I don't understand why your tone in this thread is so hostile.
        solipsism 5y ago
        It's kind of strange to wander into a conversation, and then balk at the fact that people expect your contributions to be relevant to the conversation.

tdeck 5y ago

I would like to continue working from home, as I've found it allows me to better align my time with my priorities and to be more productive. Since I'm in a great relationship and keep up with friends, I don't feel isolated. I don't miss the 2 hours of commuting on the N each day. I didn't expect any of this to be the case - I thought WFH would make me depressed and lonely. That said, I know many people who really miss being in the office, including many former colleagues at Google. Some of them have kids, while others need the social aspect of in office culture. I really believe that at least half the company wants to work from an office. That makes me wonder what happens with the other half. Having part of a team work remotely isn't ideal for those people - they end up being left out of things. On the other hand, it doesn't really make sense to just forget everything we've learned from the last year of remote work and force a big percentage o people back to a situation where they're less productive. I suspect though that the latter is exactly what will happen to some extent based on Google's own statement, which is a shame. But we all have to give things up for work and many Googlers would be very reluctant to leave.

slavapestov 5y ago
> Some of them have kids, Who takes care of the kids while they’re at the office though?
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- vineyardmike 5y ago
  Teachers usually.