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I've been doing WFH for 5 years and feel like the rest of the world just caught on. In addition to what you mention: - Control of food. No more bagels or carb

I've been doing WFH for 5 years and feel like the rest of the world just caught on. In addition to what you mention: - Control of food. No more bagels or carb dumping ground. No more limited food options. My own kitchen. - Control of equipment. Need a 4k monitor? Need a trackball? No approvals needed. - Control of ergonomics. Get exactly the chair you need. Get an electric height adjustable desk without going through facilities. - Control temperature. Never be too hot or cold. - So many great options for breaks. Walk down the street. Meditate in the garden. Play Beatsaber. Take a nap, naps are magic. - Control your lighting. Good color temperature and comfortable brightness make the space more relaxing and can aid sleep and wakefulness. - The ultimate corner office. Privacy and separate space that you can personalize to your heart's content. - Location flexibility. Work from a beach rental. Do a city-stay near a WeWork. Find a mountain cabin with high speed internet. Move to a new state without having to change jobs. - Finances. Live in a low tax state. Have an older car. Spend less on clothes, lunches, parking, gas, tolls. Live in cheaper square footage without worrying about what it does to your commute. - Stress. More emotional speration between you and your work. Relationships are through Zoom and require less emotional investment. Work forms less a part of your identity and changing it involves fewer changes to your daily routine. - Caffeine. With more tools to manage your wakefulness, less need to lean on the crutch of caffeine. For me, less caffeine means less alcohol as well. Other people are free to have their opinions that they don't like WFH or can't wait to get back into the office. For me, I really struggle to understand how you cannot love it. With total control of my environment, I can easily correct for minor downsides such as needing to maintain work-life balance and good social connections. After years of optimization, I have a better quality of life than our CEO. I'd be insane to give it up.

kat 5y ago
I liked how to worded "emotional separation" The reduction in my stress has been amazing, especially considering we've been in the middle of covid. My moods are way better regulated now. I'm no longer trying to ignore my angry office mate who's muttering under his breath. I didn't realize how much upset people influence my own mood. I thought I was good at ignoring angry people, but the action of ignoring took up a lot more energy than I previously thought. My biggest worry about back-to-office is how I'm going to managed my increased stress levels.
- dougmwne 5y ago
  I am the same way. I am very sensitive to the emotional states of the people around me. I think most people are. A stressful office environment was a pressure cooker where we stewed all day in each other's stress hormones. My stress was off the charts.
- blablabla123 5y ago
  Same, the whole elbow office politics is definitely much smoother. I had a few situations where a work colleague would try to convince me in joining his angry crusade when we had a call. But from home it's much easier to distance from that or just escape the call. No more people coming unannounced to me asking me for unreasonable work tasks. I will very likely switch if office presence becomes mandatory again.
Wowfunhappy 5y ago
> - Control of equipment. Need a 4k monitor? Need a trackball? No approvals needed. No approvals, but you have to pay for it. Prior to COVID, I used vacation time every summer to work at an academic summer camp for three weeks. Most of the other staff members—largely college students—had to go through this dumb supply request system whenever they wanted materials for an activity. I just ordered whatever I wanted off Amazon, which was expensive, but I figured I was technically on a sort of weird vacation, so screw it. My point being, you can make this trade-off in many workplaces. Working from home just normalizes it—and sometimes removes the choice.
- Apocryphon 5y ago
  Many workplaces are giving out home office stipends.
- leetrout 5y ago
  I’ve had places not allow personal equipment to be brought in so it wouldn’t be their fault if it was stolen. They would buy ergonomic things that could be justified though. I don’t miss that.
- dougmwne 5y ago
  In open office or hot desking environments, you really might not have the choice. My last office from 2015 on Market Street was all hot desk. You could not have any personal items left on the desk at the end of the day. The only way to get a standing desk was to get a doctor's recommendation and have an ergonomic consultant approve it. You could use whatever peripherals you could fit in a backpack. I now have an electric standing desk with memory settings, a cushioned standing mat, a great office chair that fits my back perfectly, a kneeling chair, a yoga ball, a stool, plants, original artwork, fidget toys, cozy lamps, excercise equipment, ergonomic keyboard and mouse, a large external display, the best video conferencing headset I could find, laptop and monitor height adjustable stands and probably a few other things as well. I changed jobs recently and didn't have to do anything but swap out the laptop.
  - bobthepanda 5y ago
Mauricebranagh 5y ago
So your buying a "4k Monitor" and office equipment for your employer - how generous. Or are you renting them access to your equipment :-)
- dougmwne 5y ago
  It is my equipment. I am not buying it for them, I am buying it for me. My health, my back health, my eye health, my wrist health, and my comfort are 100% worth the investment. I don't expect any company to take care of my health for me. I take care of it myself. Are you renting your company access to your car when you drive in? If so, I guarantee you spend more than I do.
  - bradlys 5y ago
    Most people can do this in their office. Unless you’re hotswapping (uncommon in my experience) then you can just bring whatever equipment you want in. We had plenty of people do that at all the jobs I’ve worked at.
    - unsui 5y ago
      I don't think this is accurate. Some professionals, notably those whose work culture encourages self-determination, can be allowed to bring in their own hardware or request custom hardware. These are usually the outliers, rather than the norm (and in fact, this is often advertised as a "perk" of being employed at that particular place). The vast majority of corporate environments are rather locked down and standardized, understandably, with one-size-fits-all or a set menu of tech provisions, depending on role (e.g., designers often get larger screens than accountants). Even as a developer, I had to fight for larger screens for my team, as IT saw no inherent need for larger screens beyond what they initially provisioned. Contrast that with my WFH setup, with my 3-monitor setup on a 7-foot standing desk...
      - bradlys 5y ago
        Okay? But I’ve never been in an office or seen one where they banned bringing in your own equipment. Even in places that had the set menu for different roles. If you had some stuff you wanted to bring in, go for it.
cfontes 5y ago
I've worked from home for 3 years, than office for 2 and now back to home because of COVID and I moved to another continent. I have some points on the not good column - If you have kids, it is hard to focus sometimes, specially small ones. - Sometimes your SO forgets you are not "Home" and this also can be bad, as it can create stress between you 2. - I miss software design sessions with my team, we would go thru issues 2x faster being together. - Onboarding new team members is a lot harder and they feel less part of the "team" Last one is building culture remotely is a skill a handful of people have, until now at least. So this also becomes a mess... For me the perfect balance is to be at the office once a week.
- selykg 5y ago
  > Sometimes your SO forgets you are not "Home" and this also can be bad, as it can create stress between you 2. Simple solution, put a sign on the door that indicates you are working and only to interrupt if it's important. You can still set boundaries here without it being an issue. Be creative, talk it out with your SO. This can help when kids get old enough to understand as well, but admittedly won't work with small children. > miss software design sessions with my team, we would go thru issues 2x faster being together. I think this is something that can be solved with software but it'll take some time to develop workflows that work for everyone. Talk to your team to try to find ways you can optimize. > - Onboarding new team members is a lot harder and they feel less part of the "team" This comes down to the culture, which is your last part. You can help new members feel included in simple ways. Or simply include them in decisions and discussions is helpful. Really it's the same as when you're working in the same location. You just have to be proactive about including someone that you're not seeing. This is more on you and less on the new person.
  - antman 5y ago
    > Simple solution, put a sign on the door Who said anything about a door? We dont have two spare rooms really.
    - vineyardmike 5y ago
jes5199 5y ago
I actually went through really severe caffeine withdrawal last year, it turns out that the always-ready coffeepot at our coworking space was keeping me way, way more caffeinated that I could reasonably do at home I also spent the year stressed out by the endless stream of Slack messages, eating poorly, forgetting to take breaks, and slumped on a couch rather that bothering to use my nice ergonomic chair, so, YMMV
- jonnycomputer 5y ago
  Same here. Was always popping and using my boss's espresso machine. Now its 1 cup a day. Before, it was 1 cup, and then 3-4 espressos.
nonameiguess 5y ago
The other thing I don't see mentioned enough is the impact on disabled people. Thanks to spine issues, I can't comfortably drive. That has limited me to either working where a train line goes or at the same place with my wife where I can carpool with her as a passenger. WFH is one of the most freeing things that has ever happened to me. It not only frees me to work anywhere, but it also means I don't need to take as frequent breaks. I used to have to work at places that could accommodate my need to lay down to decompress several times a day, and that meant I couldn't do any actual work during that time. At home, I can much more easily keep working from bed when sitting or standing gets too painful.
- wayoutthere 5y ago
  Not just disability — basically everyone in every marginalized group is doing better working from home. My queer friends are thriving in this environment. You don’t have to code switch online to the same degree you do in real life, and it gave people time to consider the cognitive and emotional toll that code switching takes. Like, I’m trans and have kept it hidden most of my career. It’s always been hard on me, because I have to carefully curate my image because if I don’t I opened myself to discrimination if people could tell. I started a new job during the pandemic and went full-on “fuck it” mode and I couldn’t be happier. Joined the LGBT ERG and helped organize some of the younger trans people at my company into pushing for expanded healthcare benefits (I don’t need them personally, but they will). I don’t think I would have found the energy to do any of this if I was also worried about how I was being perceived by others — all that energy would have gone into creating an illusion that’s acceptable to the people who do my reviews and sign my paychecks.
  - anonu 5y ago
    What is code switching? I know what it means in the context of being bilingual. But I don't think I understand what you're saying here...
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
ravenstine 5y ago
- Exercise! In my home office, I've got pushup stands, a pull-up bar, suspension straps, an ab roller, yoga mat, resistance bands, and some dumbells that I use in those moments while something is compiling. No back pain for years and I'm in great shape. If I did this in an office, I'd get endless remarks and cocked eyes, eventually being told by a superior that my "coworkers find that a little weird". (i.e. stop doing that)
- weasel_words 5y ago
  I do this too! It's especially great when I'm starting to doze but don't want a full nap...I can hop up and do a set of whatever. After that, I'm good to go!
- Guest42 5y ago
  Same here, when the gyms closed I immediately bought the equipment I use and it made for a much better work experience and home experience as there is the extra time from not going to the office or the gym. It’s also more peaceful to exercise in quiet rather than get blasted by loud ads all the time.
- tomjakubowski 5y ago
  This is a cultural thing that varies a bit. It wouldn't be unusual to spot workout equipment at or around an engineer's desk in sports and fitness tech.
criddell 5y ago
I loved working from home because it allowed me more time with my dog. His need to be taken outside occasionally was a perfect reminder for me to take a break. Plus, the light snoring coming from under my desk was super comforting. While I was more productive at home, I think that came at a cost to others that I work with. Every interruption that I avoided while WFH is a slowdown for somebody I work with. I'm back in the office again but I'm hoping that I can one day arrange to work from home most days and only occasionally come into the office.
raducu 5y ago
I love WFH because I don't have to put up with politics crap. Also I realized how conscientious I am compared to other people and the message trail means I have peace of mind about stuff that's not my fault. And I love that some people are forced to hold in their verbal diarrhea and have to think before writing messages.
vanviegen 5y ago
Yes, working from home can be very comfortable if you invest in comfort. But for me, comfort isn't everything. I'd rather be a bit less comfortable if it means being able to feel part of something nice. I really like being among people, experiencing things together. For me, that feeling easily outweighs comfort. Then again, my work is a 10m walk from my house, and I have quite a bit of influence on how our work environment is shaped - so that may be easy for me to say.
- Florin_Andrei 5y ago
  > I really like being among people That's what the local pub is for.
  - throwaway98797 5y ago
    ah, yes. the smart healthy option.
ilaksh 5y ago
I've been doing WFH for the better part of ten years. So beat you. Lol. But it is kind of vindicating seeing people everywhere start to have the same philosophy. It makes me hopeful that other good things may catch on in the future eventually. The next stage is possibly moving somewhere with a lower cost of living. Been spending most time in Mexico for almost three years.
- enobrev 5y ago
  I've been WFH for 20 years (by the end of this year). I've considered moving for a lower cost of living or living the "nomad" life, but I honestly prefer big crazy cities with tons of people and endless possibilities every day. And so I've lived in big cities the whole time and have loved every minute of it. I pay more, and I charge more, and generally try to make sure my clients aren't local so they don't suddenly get the crazy idea that I should pop into the office. But, even when they are local, I keep office visits to a minimum (once per month or less). It's been pretty great to see so many start to see the delights of working from home. It get that it's not for everyone. I'm positive it's for a lot of us.
  - dougmwne 5y ago
    I don't optimize for cost, I optimize for quality of life. I'm a semi-nomad and try to be in places that offer family, friends, walkability, and nature.
paulcole 5y ago
> Move to a new state without having to change jobs. I see this point but it's often not a guarantee, particularly if you work at a small company. In the US if your employer is in State A and you want to move to State B, then your employer must become registered as a business in that state and abide by that state's labor laws. Many small businesses aren't capable of (or interested in) maintaining compliance with every state's laws. I believe this will change in the future, but right now I wouldn't bet on it.
minipci1321 5y ago
> After years of optimization, I have a better quality of life than our CEO. I'd be insane to give it up. Maybe you did run in to it but haven't mentioned, or maybe 5 years is not enough to see it -- have you noticed that a big part of the "remote culture" that few know how to build, is proper recognition of remote workers in the mixed- or dominantly-office- teams? Those CEOs are perfectly aware that your life quality is higher than theirs on a much lower income, they know full well you are not going away anytime soon...
- dougmwne 5y ago
  Heavy are the hands that wear the golden handcuffs.
- stubish 5y ago
  One thing people are going to have to learn is to not have mixed teams. I don't think you can avoid the problem you describe with mixed teams. Even if a minority on the team are office bound, if they are in the same office you will essentially end up with two teams. You also need to divide things by timezone if you are global, as otherwise cliques will emerge. At a remote first company, our product teams are timezone restricted remote, our follow-the-sun support is three sub-teams. The office bound teams, where people came from that sort of environment, are dissolving into remote work, more quickly thanks to a big push from the pandemic.
k_bx 5y ago
Music! You forgot music! Like it loud though speakers? No problem!

kat 5y ago

I liked how to worded "emotional separation" The reduction in my stress has been amazing, especially considering we've been in the middle of covid. My moods are way better regulated now. I'm no longer trying to ignore my angry office mate who's muttering under his breath. I didn't realize how much upset people influence my own mood. I thought I was good at ignoring angry people, but the action of ignoring took up a lot more energy than I previously thought. My biggest worry about back-to-office is how I'm going to managed my increased stress levels.

dougmwne 5y ago
I am the same way. I am very sensitive to the emotional states of the people around me. I think most people are. A stressful office environment was a pressure cooker where we stewed all day in each other's stress hormones. My stress was off the charts.
blablabla123 5y ago
Same, the whole elbow office politics is definitely much smoother. I had a few situations where a work colleague would try to convince me in joining his angry crusade when we had a call. But from home it's much easier to distance from that or just escape the call. No more people coming unannounced to me asking me for unreasonable work tasks. I will very likely switch if office presence becomes mandatory again.

Wowfunhappy 5y ago

> - Control of equipment. Need a 4k monitor? Need a trackball? No approvals needed. No approvals, but you have to pay for it. Prior to COVID, I used vacation time every summer to work at an academic summer camp for three weeks. Most of the other staff members—largely college students—had to go through this dumb supply request system whenever they wanted materials for an activity. I just ordered whatever I wanted off Amazon, which was expensive, but I figured I was technically on a sort of weird vacation, so screw it. My point being, you can make this trade-off in many workplaces. Working from home just normalizes it—and sometimes removes the choice.

Apocryphon 5y ago
Many workplaces are giving out home office stipends.
leetrout 5y ago
I’ve had places not allow personal equipment to be brought in so it wouldn’t be their fault if it was stolen. They would buy ergonomic things that could be justified though. I don’t miss that.
dougmwne 5y ago
In open office or hot desking environments, you really might not have the choice. My last office from 2015 on Market Street was all hot desk. You could not have any personal items left on the desk at the end of the day. The only way to get a standing desk was to get a doctor's recommendation and have an ergonomic consultant approve it. You could use whatever peripherals you could fit in a backpack. I now have an electric standing desk with memory settings, a cushioned standing mat, a great office chair that fits my back perfectly, a kneeling chair, a yoga ball, a stool, plants, original artwork, fidget toys, cozy lamps, excercise equipment, ergonomic keyboard and mouse, a large external display, the best video conferencing headset I could find, laptop and monitor height adjustable stands and probably a few other things as well. I changed jobs recently and didn't have to do anything but swap out the laptop.
- bobthepanda 5y ago

Mauricebranagh 5y ago

So your buying a "4k Monitor" and office equipment for your employer - how generous. Or are you renting them access to your equipment :-)

dougmwne 5y ago
It is my equipment. I am not buying it for them, I am buying it for me. My health, my back health, my eye health, my wrist health, and my comfort are 100% worth the investment. I don't expect any company to take care of my health for me. I take care of it myself. Are you renting your company access to your car when you drive in? If so, I guarantee you spend more than I do.
- bradlys 5y ago
  Most people can do this in their office. Unless you’re hotswapping (uncommon in my experience) then you can just bring whatever equipment you want in. We had plenty of people do that at all the jobs I’ve worked at.
  - unsui 5y ago
    I don't think this is accurate. Some professionals, notably those whose work culture encourages self-determination, can be allowed to bring in their own hardware or request custom hardware. These are usually the outliers, rather than the norm (and in fact, this is often advertised as a "perk" of being employed at that particular place). The vast majority of corporate environments are rather locked down and standardized, understandably, with one-size-fits-all or a set menu of tech provisions, depending on role (e.g., designers often get larger screens than accountants). Even as a developer, I had to fight for larger screens for my team, as IT saw no inherent need for larger screens beyond what they initially provisioned. Contrast that with my WFH setup, with my 3-monitor setup on a 7-foot standing desk...
    - bradlys 5y ago
      Okay? But I’ve never been in an office or seen one where they banned bringing in your own equipment. Even in places that had the set menu for different roles. If you had some stuff you wanted to bring in, go for it.

cfontes 5y ago

I've worked from home for 3 years, than office for 2 and now back to home because of COVID and I moved to another continent. I have some points on the not good column - If you have kids, it is hard to focus sometimes, specially small ones. - Sometimes your SO forgets you are not "Home" and this also can be bad, as it can create stress between you 2. - I miss software design sessions with my team, we would go thru issues 2x faster being together. - Onboarding new team members is a lot harder and they feel less part of the "team" Last one is building culture remotely is a skill a handful of people have, until now at least. So this also becomes a mess... For me the perfect balance is to be at the office once a week.

selykg 5y ago
> Sometimes your SO forgets you are not "Home" and this also can be bad, as it can create stress between you 2. Simple solution, put a sign on the door that indicates you are working and only to interrupt if it's important. You can still set boundaries here without it being an issue. Be creative, talk it out with your SO. This can help when kids get old enough to understand as well, but admittedly won't work with small children. > miss software design sessions with my team, we would go thru issues 2x faster being together. I think this is something that can be solved with software but it'll take some time to develop workflows that work for everyone. Talk to your team to try to find ways you can optimize. > - Onboarding new team members is a lot harder and they feel less part of the "team" This comes down to the culture, which is your last part. You can help new members feel included in simple ways. Or simply include them in decisions and discussions is helpful. Really it's the same as when you're working in the same location. You just have to be proactive about including someone that you're not seeing. This is more on you and less on the new person.
- antman 5y ago
  > Simple solution, put a sign on the door Who said anything about a door? We dont have two spare rooms really.
  - vineyardmike 5y ago

jes5199 5y ago

I actually went through really severe caffeine withdrawal last year, it turns out that the always-ready coffeepot at our coworking space was keeping me way, way more caffeinated that I could reasonably do at home I also spent the year stressed out by the endless stream of Slack messages, eating poorly, forgetting to take breaks, and slumped on a couch rather that bothering to use my nice ergonomic chair, so, YMMV

jonnycomputer 5y ago
Same here. Was always popping and using my boss's espresso machine. Now its 1 cup a day. Before, it was 1 cup, and then 3-4 espressos.

nonameiguess 5y ago

The other thing I don't see mentioned enough is the impact on disabled people. Thanks to spine issues, I can't comfortably drive. That has limited me to either working where a train line goes or at the same place with my wife where I can carpool with her as a passenger. WFH is one of the most freeing things that has ever happened to me. It not only frees me to work anywhere, but it also means I don't need to take as frequent breaks. I used to have to work at places that could accommodate my need to lay down to decompress several times a day, and that meant I couldn't do any actual work during that time. At home, I can much more easily keep working from bed when sitting or standing gets too painful.

wayoutthere 5y ago
Not just disability — basically everyone in every marginalized group is doing better working from home. My queer friends are thriving in this environment. You don’t have to code switch online to the same degree you do in real life, and it gave people time to consider the cognitive and emotional toll that code switching takes. Like, I’m trans and have kept it hidden most of my career. It’s always been hard on me, because I have to carefully curate my image because if I don’t I opened myself to discrimination if people could tell. I started a new job during the pandemic and went full-on “fuck it” mode and I couldn’t be happier. Joined the LGBT ERG and helped organize some of the younger trans people at my company into pushing for expanded healthcare benefits (I don’t need them personally, but they will). I don’t think I would have found the energy to do any of this if I was also worried about how I was being perceived by others — all that energy would have gone into creating an illusion that’s acceptable to the people who do my reviews and sign my paychecks.
- anonu 5y ago
  What is code switching? I know what it means in the context of being bilingual. But I don't think I understand what you're saying here...
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]

ravenstine 5y ago

- Exercise! In my home office, I've got pushup stands, a pull-up bar, suspension straps, an ab roller, yoga mat, resistance bands, and some dumbells that I use in those moments while something is compiling. No back pain for years and I'm in great shape. If I did this in an office, I'd get endless remarks and cocked eyes, eventually being told by a superior that my "coworkers find that a little weird". (i.e. stop doing that)

weasel_words 5y ago
I do this too! It's especially great when I'm starting to doze but don't want a full nap...I can hop up and do a set of whatever. After that, I'm good to go!
Guest42 5y ago
Same here, when the gyms closed I immediately bought the equipment I use and it made for a much better work experience and home experience as there is the extra time from not going to the office or the gym. It’s also more peaceful to exercise in quiet rather than get blasted by loud ads all the time.
tomjakubowski 5y ago
This is a cultural thing that varies a bit. It wouldn't be unusual to spot workout equipment at or around an engineer's desk in sports and fitness tech.

criddell 5y ago

I loved working from home because it allowed me more time with my dog. His need to be taken outside occasionally was a perfect reminder for me to take a break. Plus, the light snoring coming from under my desk was super comforting. While I was more productive at home, I think that came at a cost to others that I work with. Every interruption that I avoided while WFH is a slowdown for somebody I work with. I'm back in the office again but I'm hoping that I can one day arrange to work from home most days and only occasionally come into the office.

raducu 5y ago

I love WFH because I don't have to put up with politics crap. Also I realized how conscientious I am compared to other people and the message trail means I have peace of mind about stuff that's not my fault. And I love that some people are forced to hold in their verbal diarrhea and have to think before writing messages.

vanviegen 5y ago

Yes, working from home can be very comfortable if you invest in comfort. But for me, comfort isn't everything. I'd rather be a bit less comfortable if it means being able to feel part of something nice. I really like being among people, experiencing things together. For me, that feeling easily outweighs comfort. Then again, my work is a 10m walk from my house, and I have quite a bit of influence on how our work environment is shaped - so that may be easy for me to say.

Florin_Andrei 5y ago
> I really like being among people That's what the local pub is for.
- throwaway98797 5y ago
  ah, yes. the smart healthy option.

ilaksh 5y ago

I've been doing WFH for the better part of ten years. So beat you. Lol. But it is kind of vindicating seeing people everywhere start to have the same philosophy. It makes me hopeful that other good things may catch on in the future eventually. The next stage is possibly moving somewhere with a lower cost of living. Been spending most time in Mexico for almost three years.

enobrev 5y ago
I've been WFH for 20 years (by the end of this year). I've considered moving for a lower cost of living or living the "nomad" life, but I honestly prefer big crazy cities with tons of people and endless possibilities every day. And so I've lived in big cities the whole time and have loved every minute of it. I pay more, and I charge more, and generally try to make sure my clients aren't local so they don't suddenly get the crazy idea that I should pop into the office. But, even when they are local, I keep office visits to a minimum (once per month or less). It's been pretty great to see so many start to see the delights of working from home. It get that it's not for everyone. I'm positive it's for a lot of us.
- dougmwne 5y ago
  I don't optimize for cost, I optimize for quality of life. I'm a semi-nomad and try to be in places that offer family, friends, walkability, and nature.

paulcole 5y ago

> Move to a new state without having to change jobs. I see this point but it's often not a guarantee, particularly if you work at a small company. In the US if your employer is in State A and you want to move to State B, then your employer must become registered as a business in that state and abide by that state's labor laws. Many small businesses aren't capable of (or interested in) maintaining compliance with every state's laws. I believe this will change in the future, but right now I wouldn't bet on it.

minipci1321 5y ago

> After years of optimization, I have a better quality of life than our CEO. I'd be insane to give it up. Maybe you did run in to it but haven't mentioned, or maybe 5 years is not enough to see it -- have you noticed that a big part of the "remote culture" that few know how to build, is proper recognition of remote workers in the mixed- or dominantly-office- teams? Those CEOs are perfectly aware that your life quality is higher than theirs on a much lower income, they know full well you are not going away anytime soon...

dougmwne 5y ago
Heavy are the hands that wear the golden handcuffs.
stubish 5y ago
One thing people are going to have to learn is to not have mixed teams. I don't think you can avoid the problem you describe with mixed teams. Even if a minority on the team are office bound, if they are in the same office you will essentially end up with two teams. You also need to divide things by timezone if you are global, as otherwise cliques will emerge. At a remote first company, our product teams are timezone restricted remote, our follow-the-sun support is three sub-teams. The office bound teams, where people came from that sort of environment, are dissolving into remote work, more quickly thanks to a big push from the pandemic.

k_bx 5y ago

Music! You forgot music! Like it loud though speakers? No problem!