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I've worked either both fully remote and fully in the office over the past decade depending on job at the time, and noticed little difference in work productivi
by nlnn 4y ago
I've worked either both fully remote and fully in the office over the past decade depending on job at the time, and noticed little difference in work productivity at home vs. the office.
The major difference has been in the dead time around work. Time spent commuting, lunch breaks, coffee breaks, etc. When working in an office, nothing much is achieved during those (maybe some socialising or reading), and work takes them out of my time rather than their time.
Working remotely gives that dead time back to me, allowing me to spend it on things I consider more valuable (e.g. playing a musical instrument, doing some DIY around the house, gardening, putting on washing, etc.).
It's that which I feel has given me a better quality of life than the act of not working in an office. If an employer is paying me, I don't object to doing that work where they request. What I do object to is the extra hours that takes out of my life that they aren't paying me for (typically commuting).
- zahrc 4y agoProductivity is purely dependent on the individual or even teams. But I definitely agree with the “dead time”. It would be a utopian world where employees respect and consider living conditions (eg single vs married; cost of living in specific area) and commutes. Make yourself valuable to negotiate better terms, or look for something better.
- micahbule 4y ago>Make yourself valuable to negotiate better terms, or look for something better I could not agree more. You would always have leverage with salary negotiations during interviews if you can justify the value you bring on the table. For technical positions, unless the hiring process does not involve any technical assessment, it's quite easy to spot who knows what they're doing from those who are just good on paper.
- m463 4y agoI find the dead time is shared and my employer frequently benefits. For example, I sometimes lay off work but remain in my home office, and lightly task switch between personal stuff and work stuff. By this I mean I answer some messages, mind some not-very-engaged, long-running tasks, or scratch some itch not on the schedule. Sometimes I reinstall a system. Without the physical toll of going to the office in person, there are frequent opportunities to catch up, or get ahead at work. On the other hand, if I go into the office, I do it the other way, doing shopping or running errands before or after work as I usually pass by locations that I wouldn't make a trip for if I was totally home.
- horns4lyfe 4y agoThe “physical toll” is a good description. I think forcing people to drive through stressful traffic into an office where they sit all day, especially if it’s a big office park and there’s nothing interesting to walk to, exacts a massive physical toll on people. And in the process inflicts massive external costs on society.
- kitsunesoba 4y agoYeah, it’s nice to be able to say toss the laundry in the washer or get the dishwasher going during the breaks I’d be taking anyway so when the work day ends, I can immediately flip over to leisure/personal time activities. No commute helps with that too. It’s taken a while to adjust to this and fully take advantage of it, but it’s enabled me to spend time on hobbies and work on my personal projects far more than would have ever been practical when I was working in an office. Back then I’d get in from work, feel too tired to do much of anything but scroll through social media or occasionally watch a TV show, with chores getting pushed off until the weekend. Once the weekend rolled around, by the time chores were out of the way and I felt like doing me things it was already halfway through Sunday and I needed to start thinking about Monday.
- hackernewds 4y agoThe dead time when at work, benefits work. The dead time when at home, benefits you. That's the summary