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Why office sucks can be for any number of reasons, I think it's more of a long tail phenomenon with a myriad of distincts personal preferences and special needs

Why office sucks can be for any number of reasons, I think it's more of a long tail phenomenon with a myriad of distincts personal preferences and special needs. For instance office drinks can suck, and someone drinking 3 to 5 cups of warm drinks a day, being able to prepare delicious beverages with specialized equipement is a godsend. Or people who work sitting on their bed. Or want their pet around. Or don't want to wear makeup and get out of the house at all. Those who squat during the long meetings. Those who usually need an hearing aid but can instead just push the sound up if they're at home etc. Sure, any of those could be addressed in an office setting, but you still only have one office for hundreds of people who probably wish for different things. Most will just give up on comfort, where WFH is an option to be in a better situation.

aplummer 3y ago
> Most will just give up on comfort, where WFH is an option to be in a better situation. It’s also an option to be in a worse situation. My office is all setup for work and has the best perk, I can physically leave work behind each day.
- cebert 3y ago
  > My office is all setup for work and has the best perk, I can physically leave work behind each day. You can also have a room setup for work at your home.
  - ghaff 3y ago
    Not everyone has a spare room for that purpose.
    - doubled112 3y ago
      Right. I joke that my corner in my bedroom is my home office, workbench, rec room, music room, data center combo. The use of vertical space is real. Family of four, 2bdrm 1100 sq ft divided across three floors. I'd love another room. Do they sell those at Costco? Can I put it on the lawn? I work from home full time, and while it was harder in the beginning, the click of the KVM button and putting my work phone on the charger is enough of a signal.
      - Plasmoid 3y ago
        > I'd love another room. Do they sell those at Costco? Can I put it on the lawn? Unironically they do - https://www.costco.com/medano-10%27x12%27-studio-shed--%E2%80%93-do-it-yourself-assembly-.product.100762992.html https://www.costco.com/medano-10%27x12%27-studio-shed--%E2%8...
        doubled112 3y ago
        That's actually amazing. Bad news. The front lawn is only 9 feet across. There is no back yard. Sorry for not being clear and up front in the requirements.
        ghaff 3y ago
        That's cool. I've known people who have had something in that general vein built. Given that this is probably something north of $25K by the time you pay for everything though, it's not obviously a better deal than just getting something custom built from some plans.
        doubled112 3y ago
        I could definitely build something less nice but just as functional for a fraction of that price. It is basically a shed with a nice front window, as it says on the tin.
        ghaff 3y ago
        I'd also probably go with a different design for a northern climate, depending upon the lighting of the locale.
    - sgift 3y ago
      And not everyone has one in the office. Did we learn something besides platitudes now?
    - phpisthebest 3y ago
      This is my #1 complaint for WFH, if you do not have a spare room / office in your home to do WFH, then IMO your productivity tanks and you are not really working from home... you are at home and maybe doing some work likely far less than if you were in the office. If you are sitting on your bed, a kitchen table, or some other like space then i question how much work you can actually get done. Also people are TERRIBLE judges of their own productivity, most people claim their productivity sky rockets when at home, were alot of data shows this not the be the case as time is focused on household items, cleaning, taking care of children, laundry, netflix, etc. people that are successful at WFH and where doing it before COVID has a dedicated space for "work" in the home. With a Door they could close to block out all other household interruptions focusing on work, and would take defined breaks just like if you were in an office.
  - twothamendment 3y ago
    I worked in an office, then at home where I worked constantly, then back to the office where I appreciated closing my laptop and being done. Now I've been remote for many years and am happy to say I've trained myself to watch my hours and leave work even though I'm home. I change my slack status, minimize all work apps and walk away. When I come back to my computer for something personal in the evening I don't look at work. It took some practice, but closing things down walking worked for me. Now if I could only stop solving work problems as I try to fall asleep...
- makeitdouble 3y ago
  Good for you ! You have no specific reason to really want to WFH, and that's great, probably a strong asset to get hired. Some people will also have no specific reason to want to live alone and can join dormitories or share houses. Some don't even need a stable home and can join military camps etc. We all have different thresholds of what we want or can deal with in our lives.
paulddraper 3y ago
FWIW, my dog and I do makeupless squats on my bed after work. I appreciate a hard division between work hours and personal hours, and WFH (for me) makes an already tenuous line even more leaky.
- eropple 3y ago
  > I appreciate a hard division between work hours and personal hours Agreed--this is why I've got an office at home, and it's bigger and better-appointed than any company would ever allocate to me, with a better desk and a better chair (when I use it, because that better desk lets me stand). I'll spot them the rent for not having to make the commute, but I need the firm separation.
  - paulddraper 3y ago
    Wow working and living space that's great, good for you
- Mountain_Skies 3y ago
  One of the nice things about working at home is that async tasks can be taken care of during the workday. Laundry doesn't need a lot of hands-on time but does have a lot of waiting time. It's also easier to get local errands like grocery shopping done during lunch than if you're at an office. Even lunch itself can be easier, with a couple Instant Pots, lunch can be ready to eat right at lunchtime. None of these tasks take a consequential amount of time away from work but they do give you back quite a bit of non-work time.
  - paulddraper 3y ago
    Yes there are benefits to that multitasking

aplummer 3y ago

> Most will just give up on comfort, where WFH is an option to be in a better situation. It’s also an option to be in a worse situation. My office is all setup for work and has the best perk, I can physically leave work behind each day.

cebert 3y ago
> My office is all setup for work and has the best perk, I can physically leave work behind each day. You can also have a room setup for work at your home.
- ghaff 3y ago
  Not everyone has a spare room for that purpose.
  - doubled112 3y ago
    Right. I joke that my corner in my bedroom is my home office, workbench, rec room, music room, data center combo. The use of vertical space is real. Family of four, 2bdrm 1100 sq ft divided across three floors. I'd love another room. Do they sell those at Costco? Can I put it on the lawn? I work from home full time, and while it was harder in the beginning, the click of the KVM button and putting my work phone on the charger is enough of a signal.
    - Plasmoid 3y ago
      > I'd love another room. Do they sell those at Costco? Can I put it on the lawn? Unironically they do - https://www.costco.com/medano-10%27x12%27-studio-shed--%E2%80%93-do-it-yourself-assembly-.product.100762992.html https://www.costco.com/medano-10%27x12%27-studio-shed--%E2%8...
      - doubled112 3y ago
        That's actually amazing. Bad news. The front lawn is only 9 feet across. There is no back yard. Sorry for not being clear and up front in the requirements.
        ghaff 3y ago
        That's cool. I've known people who have had something in that general vein built. Given that this is probably something north of $25K by the time you pay for everything though, it's not obviously a better deal than just getting something custom built from some plans.
        doubled112 3y ago
        I could definitely build something less nice but just as functional for a fraction of that price. It is basically a shed with a nice front window, as it says on the tin.
        ghaff 3y ago
        I'd also probably go with a different design for a northern climate, depending upon the lighting of the locale.
  - sgift 3y ago
    And not everyone has one in the office. Did we learn something besides platitudes now?
  - phpisthebest 3y ago
    This is my #1 complaint for WFH, if you do not have a spare room / office in your home to do WFH, then IMO your productivity tanks and you are not really working from home... you are at home and maybe doing some work likely far less than if you were in the office. If you are sitting on your bed, a kitchen table, or some other like space then i question how much work you can actually get done. Also people are TERRIBLE judges of their own productivity, most people claim their productivity sky rockets when at home, were alot of data shows this not the be the case as time is focused on household items, cleaning, taking care of children, laundry, netflix, etc. people that are successful at WFH and where doing it before COVID has a dedicated space for "work" in the home. With a Door they could close to block out all other household interruptions focusing on work, and would take defined breaks just like if you were in an office.
- twothamendment 3y ago
  I worked in an office, then at home where I worked constantly, then back to the office where I appreciated closing my laptop and being done. Now I've been remote for many years and am happy to say I've trained myself to watch my hours and leave work even though I'm home. I change my slack status, minimize all work apps and walk away. When I come back to my computer for something personal in the evening I don't look at work. It took some practice, but closing things down walking worked for me. Now if I could only stop solving work problems as I try to fall asleep...
makeitdouble 3y ago
Good for you ! You have no specific reason to really want to WFH, and that's great, probably a strong asset to get hired. Some people will also have no specific reason to want to live alone and can join dormitories or share houses. Some don't even need a stable home and can join military camps etc. We all have different thresholds of what we want or can deal with in our lives.

paulddraper 3y ago

FWIW, my dog and I do makeupless squats on my bed after work. I appreciate a hard division between work hours and personal hours, and WFH (for me) makes an already tenuous line even more leaky.

eropple 3y ago
> I appreciate a hard division between work hours and personal hours Agreed--this is why I've got an office at home, and it's bigger and better-appointed than any company would ever allocate to me, with a better desk and a better chair (when I use it, because that better desk lets me stand). I'll spot them the rent for not having to make the commute, but I need the firm separation.
- paulddraper 3y ago
  Wow working and living space that's great, good for you
Mountain_Skies 3y ago
One of the nice things about working at home is that async tasks can be taken care of during the workday. Laundry doesn't need a lot of hands-on time but does have a lot of waiting time. It's also easier to get local errands like grocery shopping done during lunch than if you're at an office. Even lunch itself can be easier, with a couple Instant Pots, lunch can be ready to eat right at lunchtime. None of these tasks take a consequential amount of time away from work but they do give you back quite a bit of non-work time.
- paulddraper 3y ago
  Yes there are benefits to that multitasking