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I appreciate this comment for what may not be an obvious reason A gripe I've had with this discourse, WFH or not, was obviously inspired by the pandemic. The

I appreciate this comment for what may not be an obvious reason A gripe I've had with this discourse, WFH or not, was obviously inspired by the pandemic. The concept has been going on forever. It's something I've noticed because I've had at least three conversations at work where I've had to defend my status... "I was WFH before the pandemic, I'm not coming in just because it's 'over'" There's an angle to this whole thing where it seems the powers that be are trying to renege, and I'm not here for it

mwattsun 4y ago
Good point. To me this isn't a pandemic related issue at all, but an issue of a programmer's right to control his or her work environment. I think managers should ask themselves this question: Why do think traditional public libraries ask people to be quiet and not speak or make noise? The trap I fell into after I stared working in an office is working from home on the weekends to do the important parts that required concentration. I was giving them free hours but I didn't see it that way because I was salaried. I was giving up my free time so I could perform the job. I think there needs to be programmer's Bill of Rights (I can't speak to other professions) At the time I couldn't articulate the problems I had with an office but now realize they include: - I'm sensitive to 60 HZ fluorescent lights that have a low flicker and hum. I get headaches - I have chemical sensitivities. Many of the chemicals in offices make me feel sick. - I'm hypervigilant due to trauma suffered in the military. When people are walking around in my field of vision I automatically stop what I'm doing to evaluate their threat level. With the rise of mass shootings in society, I imagine this would be even worse for me. - I drag in the afternoon, which I can fix with a 30 minute nap at home. It was not possible to do this in an office. - Sometimes I get really stuck on a problem and get very frustrated. I found the best way for me to fix this was to go surfing, no matter what time of day. I'd usually come back from the surf session with a fix for the problem. Again, not possible working 9 to 5 in an office. There's more, but you get the idea Edit: A post supporting some of my claims and more has appeared on HN "Toxic workplaces can harm your physical and mental health, Surgeon General says" https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33298690 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33298690
mech422 4y ago
yeah - I've been basically full time WFH for 20 years now... That cat is NOT going back in the bag.
- mwattsun 4y ago
  Managers need to stop thinking they are paying for a programmer's time and start paying for results. Paying for time is like paying for lines of code. Do you want to maximize results or do you want to maximize time/LOC?
  - orwin 4y ago
    At my first internship i would have paid the company. Most of my commits were +35 -100 i think on average

mwattsun 4y ago

Good point. To me this isn't a pandemic related issue at all, but an issue of a programmer's right to control his or her work environment. I think managers should ask themselves this question: Why do think traditional public libraries ask people to be quiet and not speak or make noise? The trap I fell into after I stared working in an office is working from home on the weekends to do the important parts that required concentration. I was giving them free hours but I didn't see it that way because I was salaried. I was giving up my free time so I could perform the job. I think there needs to be programmer's Bill of Rights (I can't speak to other professions) At the time I couldn't articulate the problems I had with an office but now realize they include: - I'm sensitive to 60 HZ fluorescent lights that have a low flicker and hum. I get headaches - I have chemical sensitivities. Many of the chemicals in offices make me feel sick. - I'm hypervigilant due to trauma suffered in the military. When people are walking around in my field of vision I automatically stop what I'm doing to evaluate their threat level. With the rise of mass shootings in society, I imagine this would be even worse for me. - I drag in the afternoon, which I can fix with a 30 minute nap at home. It was not possible to do this in an office. - Sometimes I get really stuck on a problem and get very frustrated. I found the best way for me to fix this was to go surfing, no matter what time of day. I'd usually come back from the surf session with a fix for the problem. Again, not possible working 9 to 5 in an office. There's more, but you get the idea Edit: A post supporting some of my claims and more has appeared on HN "Toxic workplaces can harm your physical and mental health, Surgeon General says" https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33298690 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33298690

mech422 4y ago

yeah - I've been basically full time WFH for 20 years now... That cat is NOT going back in the bag.

mwattsun 4y ago
Managers need to stop thinking they are paying for a programmer's time and start paying for results. Paying for time is like paying for lines of code. Do you want to maximize results or do you want to maximize time/LOC?
- orwin 4y ago
  At my first internship i would have paid the company. Most of my commits were +35 -100 i think on average