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People take a lot of time off when they work from home. I am as guilty of this as anyone. People tend to focus more on work while they are in an office. Also, i

People take a lot of time off when they work from home. I am as guilty of this as anyone. People tend to focus more on work while they are in an office. Also, it is much easier for managers to organize the work when the people being organized are within line-of-site. The pattern I've seen emerge at New York City startups is: 1. the leadership and most important employees meet at the office 3 to 4 days a week. 2. less important employees are allowed to work from home The workers in group 2 are in direct competition with outsourcing firms in India, Vietnam, Brazil, etc. If you are just an average frontend programmer, and allowed to work from home, there is a good chance that your work can be sent overseas. So workers in this group are seeing more downward pressure on their wages, and have a more precarious position.

TheCleric 4y ago
I call bull on this. I work HARDER at home. When there's no clean delineation between where you work and where you live it's a lot easier to work late or on the weekend because your commute is all of 10 seconds. This is absolutely unhealthy behavior, but my WFH problems have never been because I'm slacking off since I'm at home. People with integrity will work. People without integrity will find ways of avoiding work. Location doesn't matter. Hire or work with the former; avoid the latter.
- benatkin 4y ago
  I'll see your anecdote and raise you a few productive companies that have RTO policies: - Apple: https://www.fastcompany.com/90781330/apple-return-to-office-rto-tech-plans https://www.fastcompany.com/90781330/apple-return-to-office-... - Amazon: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/17/amazon-employees-asked-to-be-in-office-three-days-a-week-andy-jassy.html https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/17/amazon-employees-asked-to-be... - Microsoft: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/14/technology/microsoft-rto.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/14/technology/microsoft-rto.... Why should your anecdote be stronger than this?
  - headsoup 4y ago
    Because the large companies have other incentives in promoting office work as the better solution.
    - wkat4242 4y ago
      Indeed, like strong ties with real estate business.
- zeroonetwothree 4y ago
  Conversely, I work very little at home. Probably like 4-6 hours/day max, sometimes more like 2-4. When I used to go to the office it was a solid 8+ (sometimes 10+). At home I can go play video games whenever I want, my kids are around to play with after school gets out, etc.
cat_plus_plus 4y ago
Well, I am not going to waste time I spend in the office on working. Not after the pandemic and realizing human society can be taken away at blink of an eye. Have an hour and a half lunch, talk to teammates about their lives. Work is for home.
- lkrubner 4y ago
  "talk to teammates about their lives" Building stronger ties with teammates is part of work. Progressive companies encourage this, and this is why some progressive companies have pushed people to return to the office.
silverwasthere 4y ago
I zone out at work all day waiting for people to bring me problems, then when I get home and finish my chores and get the kid to bed I get to work on actual work projects with measurable progress. To be clear, I'm showing up to be seen and available.
- hypothesis 4y ago
  Thank you for saying this!

TheCleric 4y ago

I call bull on this. I work HARDER at home. When there's no clean delineation between where you work and where you live it's a lot easier to work late or on the weekend because your commute is all of 10 seconds. This is absolutely unhealthy behavior, but my WFH problems have never been because I'm slacking off since I'm at home. People with integrity will work. People without integrity will find ways of avoiding work. Location doesn't matter. Hire or work with the former; avoid the latter.

benatkin 4y ago
I'll see your anecdote and raise you a few productive companies that have RTO policies: - Apple: https://www.fastcompany.com/90781330/apple-return-to-office-rto-tech-plans https://www.fastcompany.com/90781330/apple-return-to-office-... - Amazon: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/17/amazon-employees-asked-to-be-in-office-three-days-a-week-andy-jassy.html https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/17/amazon-employees-asked-to-be... - Microsoft: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/14/technology/microsoft-rto.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/14/technology/microsoft-rto.... Why should your anecdote be stronger than this?
- headsoup 4y ago
  Because the large companies have other incentives in promoting office work as the better solution.
  - wkat4242 4y ago
    Indeed, like strong ties with real estate business.
zeroonetwothree 4y ago
Conversely, I work very little at home. Probably like 4-6 hours/day max, sometimes more like 2-4. When I used to go to the office it was a solid 8+ (sometimes 10+). At home I can go play video games whenever I want, my kids are around to play with after school gets out, etc.

cat_plus_plus 4y ago

Well, I am not going to waste time I spend in the office on working. Not after the pandemic and realizing human society can be taken away at blink of an eye. Have an hour and a half lunch, talk to teammates about their lives. Work is for home.

lkrubner 4y ago
"talk to teammates about their lives" Building stronger ties with teammates is part of work. Progressive companies encourage this, and this is why some progressive companies have pushed people to return to the office.

silverwasthere 4y ago

I zone out at work all day waiting for people to bring me problems, then when I get home and finish my chores and get the kid to bed I get to work on actual work projects with measurable progress. To be clear, I'm showing up to be seen and available.

hypothesis 4y ago
Thank you for saying this!