4 ms·

Working from the kitchen table doesn’t work if you have a family or really anyone else in the house.

saagarjha 3y ago
Or if you have like any ancillary hardware, or want a back that isn’t ruined
lm28469 3y ago
A desk in the bedroom works well enough. You don't "need" an extra room, I've never had an extra room and I've been working from home in all my jobs
- ModernMech 3y ago
  You're missing the parent's point. Your setup works for you but what if you and your partner both need to work? Do you both work at your desks in your bedroom? How does that impact your partner's sleep? What if you need to work late but they need to get up early? What happens when they have a meeting when you have a meeting? What if their work involves being on the phone all day? I think you're looking at this from a solo dev's perspective, where all you do is get up, bang on some keys for 8 hours without anyone else bothering you, and then you're done. Of course that works in a corner of your bedroom where you live alone, but that's not everyone's job and living situation.
  - ghaff 3y ago
    But the context of this is whether you should be reimbursed for the cost associated with an extra room if you choose to work remotely for a company that has offices, even if those offices are in higher CoL areas. (There's certainly an argument for providing a stipend for a co-working space for a fully remote company.) No one is arguing that a dedicated office isn't desirable. It's a question if someone else should pay for it if you want one.
    - ModernMech 3y ago
      > if you want one. I think it's not a matter of want, given the kinds of situations I laid out. In my situation, I have ADHD and I'm autistic. If you want me to work I need to be alone to work. It's not a want or a desire. I cannot work in a room full of people and noises, so putting me in one is just the same as expecting me to code without a keyboard. My employer gives me a computer, why is it such a stretch that they also give me a room? They want the work done at the highest quality, don't they? It's making them a lot of money, isn't it? So what's the problem?
      - ghaff 3y ago
        A company is probably not going to give you a private office either. (Maybe they would for ADA reasons? Don't know IANAL.)
        ModernMech 3y ago
        Maybe? I’ve always had private offices except when I worked at a startup, but I don’t work in tech anymore so maybe that’s the difference.
      - alistairSH 3y ago
        You should already be covered by the ADA for at least some of that.
        ModernMech 3y ago
        Still not a matter of “want”, and the ADA had plenty of holes in it. For one getting a diagnosis for these disabilities is very difficult, and took me over a year just to find a provider covered under our healthcare system.
      - lm28469 3y ago
        Sounds like you want your company to provide what your state should provide. American I assume ?
  - lm28469 3y ago
    > Your setup works for you but what if you and your partner both need to work? But see, this isn't my problem. The money the company gives you might be a lower pay raise for me and others who don't care > but that's not everyone's job and living situation. That's 99.9% of the cases
- kjkjadksj 3y ago
  I have probably 2 feet between the walls and my bed in that room.
- chasd00 3y ago
  don't skimp on a chair though. A good chair goes a long ways in keeping you from getting tired before the day is done.
kjkjadksj 3y ago
Or want actually maintain a desk you don’t spend time setting up and putting away each workday. Imagine setting up 2 monitors on the kitchen table each day.
unshavedyak 3y ago
Yup. As someone who has WFH for ~10 years now, it's imo essential. Covid obviously didn't affect my working habits much given i was already WFH, but i knew some who were forced home. They lived in tiny apartments and did that.. kitchen table, couch, etc. It was very rough for them, though they had multiple people in the apartment. My wife and i both WFH, with dedicated offices. I can't imagine not having them, and we've discussed this being a required feature of future home purchases. It's privileged for sure, as it increases home size which is an astronomical expensive these days. But not having to buy a home in close proximity to SF or Seattle makes this much more approachable. [good] Internet is the most difficult thing as you go rural, in our experience. However in WA for example some counties/towns have objectives to lay fiber, which is amazing to live more affordably with remote work.

Or if you have like any ancillary hardware, or want a back that isn’t ruined

A desk in the bedroom works well enough. You don't "need" an extra room, I've never had an extra room and I've been working from home in all my jobs

ModernMech 3y ago
You're missing the parent's point. Your setup works for you but what if you and your partner both need to work? Do you both work at your desks in your bedroom? How does that impact your partner's sleep? What if you need to work late but they need to get up early? What happens when they have a meeting when you have a meeting? What if their work involves being on the phone all day? I think you're looking at this from a solo dev's perspective, where all you do is get up, bang on some keys for 8 hours without anyone else bothering you, and then you're done. Of course that works in a corner of your bedroom where you live alone, but that's not everyone's job and living situation.
- ghaff 3y ago
  But the context of this is whether you should be reimbursed for the cost associated with an extra room if you choose to work remotely for a company that has offices, even if those offices are in higher CoL areas. (There's certainly an argument for providing a stipend for a co-working space for a fully remote company.) No one is arguing that a dedicated office isn't desirable. It's a question if someone else should pay for it if you want one.
  - ModernMech 3y ago
    > if you want one. I think it's not a matter of want, given the kinds of situations I laid out. In my situation, I have ADHD and I'm autistic. If you want me to work I need to be alone to work. It's not a want or a desire. I cannot work in a room full of people and noises, so putting me in one is just the same as expecting me to code without a keyboard. My employer gives me a computer, why is it such a stretch that they also give me a room? They want the work done at the highest quality, don't they? It's making them a lot of money, isn't it? So what's the problem?
    - ghaff 3y ago
      A company is probably not going to give you a private office either. (Maybe they would for ADA reasons? Don't know IANAL.)
      - ModernMech 3y ago
        Maybe? I’ve always had private offices except when I worked at a startup, but I don’t work in tech anymore so maybe that’s the difference.
    - alistairSH 3y ago
      You should already be covered by the ADA for at least some of that.
      - ModernMech 3y ago
        Still not a matter of “want”, and the ADA had plenty of holes in it. For one getting a diagnosis for these disabilities is very difficult, and took me over a year just to find a provider covered under our healthcare system.
    - lm28469 3y ago
      Sounds like you want your company to provide what your state should provide. American I assume ?
- lm28469 3y ago
  > Your setup works for you but what if you and your partner both need to work? But see, this isn't my problem. The money the company gives you might be a lower pay raise for me and others who don't care > but that's not everyone's job and living situation. That's 99.9% of the cases
kjkjadksj 3y ago
I have probably 2 feet between the walls and my bed in that room.
chasd00 3y ago
don't skimp on a chair though. A good chair goes a long ways in keeping you from getting tired before the day is done.

kjkjadksj 3y ago

Or want actually maintain a desk you don’t spend time setting up and putting away each workday. Imagine setting up 2 monitors on the kitchen table each day.

unshavedyak 3y ago

Yup. As someone who has WFH for ~10 years now, it's imo essential. Covid obviously didn't affect my working habits much given i was already WFH, but i knew some who were forced home. They lived in tiny apartments and did that.. kitchen table, couch, etc. It was very rough for them, though they had multiple people in the apartment. My wife and i both WFH, with dedicated offices. I can't imagine not having them, and we've discussed this being a required feature of future home purchases. It's privileged for sure, as it increases home size which is an astronomical expensive these days. But not having to buy a home in close proximity to SF or Seattle makes this much more approachable. [good] Internet is the most difficult thing as you go rural, in our experience. However in WA for example some counties/towns have objectives to lay fiber, which is amazing to live more affordably with remote work.