4 ms·

> Jobs are handing out more money with more flexibility than ever seen before. I may be naive, but I guess this office-work-exodus would result to improvement

by wreath 5y ago

> Jobs are handing out more money with more flexibility than ever seen before. I may be naive, but I guess this office-work-exodus would result to improvements in office spaces in general to attract devs (or other employees in tech). This would also make it easier for people who are looking to move to the US to find office jobs, since the competition is less fierce. Am I off mark here and too naive?

granshaw 5y ago
What’d be really interesting is if some companies start paying a premium for employees to be onsite. That might be something I’d bite on
- wreath 5y ago
  I have no issue with that tbh as long as conditions are bearable (team room, flexible timing etc). I do prefer a good office+colleagues over a good home office tbh.
- aroundtown 5y ago
  That premium for me is going to be higher than they imagine. Among my coworkers I have an average commute time, and I loose 10-12 hours a week driving to and from work. I figure if I was being paid at my normal rate they'd need to pay me between 25-45%[1] more money just to come in. [1]- Used to be that workers weren't exempt from overtime pay. At time and a half, 12 extra hours over 40 would be the equivalent of 18 hours. That is 45% of a normal 40 hour work week. (10 hours at non-overtime pay is 25% of the work week)
notsureaboutpg 5y ago
First part wrong. Doesn't make any sense to try to improve an office to attract devs when so many devs are leaving the office. Office space improvements would be expensive right now due to various factors: labor shortage, materials inflation, etc. Plus the cheaper move is to snap up fancier existing office spaces since offices are in lower demand now, thus the price of existing ones will have decreased. Second part you have a point. This is the best time to move to the US on an H1B. If you're an int'l student, this is the time to look for that office job that will hold you till a green card.
CoolGuySteve 5y ago
It seems like every year there’s a new study showing how cubicle farms are bad for productivity and health. Everyone hates them. Same thing for long commutes, they’re terrible. But still companies keep building new cubicle farms in downtown cores. Maybe office workers are just done with this stupid shit.
- umanwizard 5y ago
  I would love to be in a cubicle farm rather than the school-cafeteria-inspired open office dystopia.
  - mywittyname 5y ago
    Cubes done right are fine. I had "office cubes" with 6ft tall walls and ~40sq ft of space, and they were awesome. Plenty of space to stretch out, room for a bookshelf and a chair for visitors, a computer desk and a writing desk. Noise could be a little much, but people were generally polite and quiet. My next job was literally a desk in the middle of the floor. All the prime employees had desks that went along the edge of the wall, forming a horseshoe and, when they ran out of room, they started putting desks in the center. So i was basically working on a stage in front of 40 people. It was awful, but I never slacked off! (well, i went for walks a lot)
  - acomjean 5y ago
    I miss office cubes. Last 2 jobs where in an open office. Also while I haven't disliked my bosses, the last 3 I've been seated less than 15 feet from them. Covid work from home was a pretty nice break, and we're going hybrid from now on.
- ahoy 5y ago
  I like working in an office, I just don't like that it takes me 40 minutes to get there. In a better world I could live _in_ that downtown core, a short walk or bike ride away from work.
- MattGaiser 5y ago
  I hated the cubicle until I worked in an open office. I would be quite happy with a cubicle now.
MisterBastahrd 5y ago
Most people would be happier in offices with a door. Managers have decided that THEIR work is the only work that requires privacy and quiet. Employees often equate their own job satisfaction by the differences between how their managers treat themselves versus how they treat the people under them. When you have your own office with a door and a white board and have a company card to expense your meals while your devs are working with their headphones on because of the noise level in their cubicles, you're going to have a problem.

by wreath 5y ago

granshaw 5y ago

What’d be really interesting is if some companies start paying a premium for employees to be onsite. That might be something I’d bite on

wreath 5y ago
I have no issue with that tbh as long as conditions are bearable (team room, flexible timing etc). I do prefer a good office+colleagues over a good home office tbh.
aroundtown 5y ago
That premium for me is going to be higher than they imagine. Among my coworkers I have an average commute time, and I loose 10-12 hours a week driving to and from work. I figure if I was being paid at my normal rate they'd need to pay me between 25-45%[1] more money just to come in. [1]- Used to be that workers weren't exempt from overtime pay. At time and a half, 12 extra hours over 40 would be the equivalent of 18 hours. That is 45% of a normal 40 hour work week. (10 hours at non-overtime pay is 25% of the work week)

notsureaboutpg 5y ago

First part wrong. Doesn't make any sense to try to improve an office to attract devs when so many devs are leaving the office. Office space improvements would be expensive right now due to various factors: labor shortage, materials inflation, etc. Plus the cheaper move is to snap up fancier existing office spaces since offices are in lower demand now, thus the price of existing ones will have decreased. Second part you have a point. This is the best time to move to the US on an H1B. If you're an int'l student, this is the time to look for that office job that will hold you till a green card.

CoolGuySteve 5y ago

It seems like every year there’s a new study showing how cubicle farms are bad for productivity and health. Everyone hates them. Same thing for long commutes, they’re terrible. But still companies keep building new cubicle farms in downtown cores. Maybe office workers are just done with this stupid shit.

umanwizard 5y ago
I would love to be in a cubicle farm rather than the school-cafeteria-inspired open office dystopia.
- mywittyname 5y ago
  Cubes done right are fine. I had "office cubes" with 6ft tall walls and ~40sq ft of space, and they were awesome. Plenty of space to stretch out, room for a bookshelf and a chair for visitors, a computer desk and a writing desk. Noise could be a little much, but people were generally polite and quiet. My next job was literally a desk in the middle of the floor. All the prime employees had desks that went along the edge of the wall, forming a horseshoe and, when they ran out of room, they started putting desks in the center. So i was basically working on a stage in front of 40 people. It was awful, but I never slacked off! (well, i went for walks a lot)
- acomjean 5y ago
  I miss office cubes. Last 2 jobs where in an open office. Also while I haven't disliked my bosses, the last 3 I've been seated less than 15 feet from them. Covid work from home was a pretty nice break, and we're going hybrid from now on.
ahoy 5y ago
I like working in an office, I just don't like that it takes me 40 minutes to get there. In a better world I could live _in_ that downtown core, a short walk or bike ride away from work.
MattGaiser 5y ago
I hated the cubicle until I worked in an open office. I would be quite happy with a cubicle now.

MisterBastahrd 5y ago

Most people would be happier in offices with a door. Managers have decided that THEIR work is the only work that requires privacy and quiet. Employees often equate their own job satisfaction by the differences between how their managers treat themselves versus how they treat the people under them. When you have your own office with a door and a white board and have a company card to expense your meals while your devs are working with their headphones on because of the noise level in their cubicles, you're going to have a problem.