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> If you bring a sack lunch to work every day, and eat at your desk instead of stepping out to lunch with the gang, what are your odds of promotion? Pretty meag

> If you bring a sack lunch to work every day, and eat at your desk instead of stepping out to lunch with the gang, what are your odds of promotion? Pretty meager. I'm not sure if I have heard that point before, but it's very interesting. At different points in my career I've tried to be consistent about packing my lunch to save money, but I guess that might be an example of being penny-wise and pound-foolish. It also depends upon who you are going out to lunch with. If you're only going out to lunch with other peons, it's probably not going to help you much.

WalterBright 5y ago
> If you're only going out to lunch with other peons, it's probably not going to help you much. You'd be surprised. Today's peons are often tomorrow's movers and shakers. But yes, going to lunch with diverse people in your organization helps. This is also a huge problem with WFH. WFH doesn't build valuable social/work connections. It's easy to overlook the contributions of WFH people. It's easy to forget their names. They're often the first to get laid off in a downturn, and last to get promoted. Meeting your customers face-to-face is far more likely to end in a sale, than with zoom.
- lliamander 5y ago
  > This is also a huge problem with WFH. WFH doesn't build valuable social/work connections. It's easy to overlook the contributions of WFH people. It's easy to forget their names. This is definitely true. I started working from home a year before the pandemic to help take care of a sick family member, and I felt like I was forgotten about. When COVID hit and everyone was forced to WFH, it was actually a boon for me because I was now on an even playing field with my coworkers and they suddenly remembered my existence. My life circumstances have changed somewhat so that I probably could go back into the office, but our company is still fully remote so I'm glad to be at home. I'm really just trying to figure out what I'll do once our offices open back up. I'm thinking going into the office 1-2 days a week is probably enough to help me capture some of those opportunities while still keeping the benefits of WFH.
WalterBright 5y ago
> packing my lunch to save money Dressing cheaply also saves money. But it's a mistake for one's career. Wearing clothes that are a cut more expensive than your peers and competitors is a good investment in your future. People adamantly deny that they're so shallow as to be affected by this, but I've seen it happen too often to discount it. Back in my Zortech days, we decided on a policy that our employees would wear a suit whenever meeting customers. We even paid for the suits. Initially, there was a lot of grumbling about it. But it paid off. Our customers loved it, because they were sick of seeing software people dressed like slobs. For many of our employees, it was their first suit, and they loved the effect it had on their interactions.
- mixmastamyk 5y ago
  "You’re gonna like the way you look, …..I guarantee it!"™ (Joking, but what you've written is largely true.)
- lliamander 5y ago
  I actually recently started investing in better clothes. Not suits, per se, since that would be out of place for most work contexts for me. But clothes with good fit, quality, and appropriate (or even slightly more formal) for the dress codes I work under.
  - WalterBright 5y ago
    Smart move. Hope it works for you!

WalterBright 5y ago

> If you're only going out to lunch with other peons, it's probably not going to help you much. You'd be surprised. Today's peons are often tomorrow's movers and shakers. But yes, going to lunch with diverse people in your organization helps. This is also a huge problem with WFH. WFH doesn't build valuable social/work connections. It's easy to overlook the contributions of WFH people. It's easy to forget their names. They're often the first to get laid off in a downturn, and last to get promoted. Meeting your customers face-to-face is far more likely to end in a sale, than with zoom.

lliamander 5y ago
> This is also a huge problem with WFH. WFH doesn't build valuable social/work connections. It's easy to overlook the contributions of WFH people. It's easy to forget their names. This is definitely true. I started working from home a year before the pandemic to help take care of a sick family member, and I felt like I was forgotten about. When COVID hit and everyone was forced to WFH, it was actually a boon for me because I was now on an even playing field with my coworkers and they suddenly remembered my existence. My life circumstances have changed somewhat so that I probably could go back into the office, but our company is still fully remote so I'm glad to be at home. I'm really just trying to figure out what I'll do once our offices open back up. I'm thinking going into the office 1-2 days a week is probably enough to help me capture some of those opportunities while still keeping the benefits of WFH.

WalterBright 5y ago

> packing my lunch to save money Dressing cheaply also saves money. But it's a mistake for one's career. Wearing clothes that are a cut more expensive than your peers and competitors is a good investment in your future. People adamantly deny that they're so shallow as to be affected by this, but I've seen it happen too often to discount it. Back in my Zortech days, we decided on a policy that our employees would wear a suit whenever meeting customers. We even paid for the suits. Initially, there was a lot of grumbling about it. But it paid off. Our customers loved it, because they were sick of seeing software people dressed like slobs. For many of our employees, it was their first suit, and they loved the effect it had on their interactions.

mixmastamyk 5y ago
"You’re gonna like the way you look, …..I guarantee it!"™ (Joking, but what you've written is largely true.)
lliamander 5y ago
I actually recently started investing in better clothes. Not suits, per se, since that would be out of place for most work contexts for me. But clothes with good fit, quality, and appropriate (or even slightly more formal) for the dress codes I work under.
- WalterBright 5y ago
  Smart move. Hope it works for you!