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A thought experiment, something you may not want to hear. Have you thought of playing along and see if you would actually like going back to office full time?

A thought experiment, something you may not want to hear. Have you thought of playing along and see if you would actually like going back to office full time? Also, while you are at office 5 days a week, how about try to get to the next level before you switch? Many will leave (just like you are planning to) and hence it will be easier for the long timers to get promoted in an environment where there will be a lot of inflow of new employees at all levels. I am not suggesting that this is the right way to think about your situation, but that it is 'another way' to think about it. Who knows, you might end up profiting from this adversity. Wish you all the best!

robin_reala 2y ago
It’s not always that easy. Many people over the last few years have reorganised their life under the expectation of continued hybrid working, and can’t trivially reorganise it back to full time.
- lnsru 2y ago
  I am one of these naive people who expected happy home office forever. It bit me hard, because I bought an old house outside of big city and spent the time I would need to commute renovating it. The return to the office happened, I quit. The other place was weird. It advertised generous home office ruling. But under very special manager home office was forbidden. It was just too stupid to file a complaint to HR and I left. So my construction site was stuck for 1,5 years and it was very stressful. Found by accident a job near my home. Small company with private office for me and unlimited home office ruling. Use home office only when I am ill. During this period I found out, that I absolutely love my private office and hate daily commuting and open offices.
- lopkeny12ko 2y ago
  > Many people over the last few years have reorganised their life under the expectation of continued hybrid working Why should an employer bear the burden of an employee's own poor decision making?
  - sulandor 2y ago
    because it's true the other way
    - Rinzler89 2y ago
      But you're not forced to work for a company that wants you in the office, you're free to seek employment elsewhere that matches your remote requirements similar how a company isn't forced to hire remote workers only. You are both free to choose the best options that fit your demands if you can find them. Jobs and employers aren't for life. If you uprooted and reorganize your whole life based on the circumstances of a once in a lifetime global pandemic expecting things to stay like that forever, you've done goofed.
      - Tade0 2y ago
        Friendly reminder that remote work in IT was a thing way before the pandemic. I for one started working from home full time in 2015. Also your approach seems to be to just accept whatever employers throw at you. Have you considered that they might be colluding (in a sense) to deprive you of options? I would like to know a rational reason why I should spend so much of my day travelling.
        Rinzler89 2y ago
        >Also your approach seems to be to just accept whatever employers throw at you. Where do you see me saying such a thing? >I would like to know a rational reason why I should spend so much of my day travelling. Companies say it's for "better collaboration". You would do it if you had no other options if every potential employer would require you to be on site depriving you of remote options, but because the market is in your favor giving you options, it's difficult for you to empathize with the other situation.
        Tade0 2y ago
        > Where do you see me saying such a thing? Your solution appears to be "choose a different employer" without any hint of "demand more from the current employer". > You would do it if you had no other options if every potential employer would require you to be on site depriving you of remote options, but because the market is in your favor giving you options, it's difficult for you to empathize with the other situation. You assume something that's not the case. I am of the opinion that everyone who can, should have this option regardless of the market situation and I think it's terrible people are forced to commute. It's like paid leave or health insurance - an achievement in workers' rights.
- tonyedgecombe 2y ago
  I remember being surprised during the pandemic just how many people were uprooting their lives and moving to remote locations. Even though there has been a trend towards remote work over the previous decade I always thought there would be a bounce back and some of those people would be stuffed.
- paulcole 2y ago
  > It’s not always that easy Where did they say it was easy? They said maybe try going back to the office and seeing if you like it. Heresy here on HN, I know.
- cruffle_duffle 2y ago
  That seems like it was a mistake. WFH was supposed to be temporary during the pandemic. Not sure what people were thinking…
  - TrueGeek 2y ago
    "supposed to" depends on the company. The company I was working at announced immediately that we were work from home forever. They canceled leases on over a dozen offices across the world and let us come in and take the old furniture.
dmitrygr 2y ago
> A thought experiment > Have you thought of playing along and see if you would actually like going back to office full time That is not a thought experiment. That is a "uproot your whole life" experiment.
- kstrauser 2y ago
  “Hear me out, what if you might like sticking your hand in a blender?” I genuinely miss seeing my pals at work and eating lunch with the gang. I genuinely do not miss the commute, the struggle to get things done with a million distractions around me, not having my dog sleeping in her basket underneath my desk in my home office, and seeing my kids before and after school. There, thought experiment concluded. I didn’t like it.
  - bigstrat2003 2y ago
    Comparing working from the office to sticking your hand in a blender is such an absurd hyperbole that it completely discredits your argument.
    - tessierashpool9 2y ago
      but subtlety is usually lost at the folks here and this comparison will at least be understood. then again - the thought of having to go back to the office is evoking a feeling not too different from anticipating something quite painful. too many colleagues are just unbearable and the waste of time having to commute unpaidly ... maybe i'd prefer a quick blender session for another year of home office even.
      - kstrauser 2y ago
        Thank you. Sure it was hyperbolic, but it was in response to the notion that maybe we’re all too shortsighted to see that we’d like full time RTO if only we’d try it. There are certain things I don’t need to try before knowing that I won’t enjoy them. I’ve worked in offices enough decades to have sufficient data: I strongly prefer WFH. “Maybe you’ll like it this time!” is weak sauce. I’m not a delicate flower who couldn’t RTO if situations demanded it. I would not help me do a better job for my company, though, and I don’t want to. This is academic for me. I have an amazing job at a company all-in on WFH to the point we just downsized a physical office we were underusing. I hate seeing my colleagues get dragged back to legacy offices for no compelling reason though.
znpy 2y ago
Pardon me but this is a stupid argument. If OP is working at amazon they’ve already been going three days a week. If they did not like going three days a week why should they like going five days a week?

robin_reala 2y ago

It’s not always that easy. Many people over the last few years have reorganised their life under the expectation of continued hybrid working, and can’t trivially reorganise it back to full time.

lnsru 2y ago
I am one of these naive people who expected happy home office forever. It bit me hard, because I bought an old house outside of big city and spent the time I would need to commute renovating it. The return to the office happened, I quit. The other place was weird. It advertised generous home office ruling. But under very special manager home office was forbidden. It was just too stupid to file a complaint to HR and I left. So my construction site was stuck for 1,5 years and it was very stressful. Found by accident a job near my home. Small company with private office for me and unlimited home office ruling. Use home office only when I am ill. During this period I found out, that I absolutely love my private office and hate daily commuting and open offices.
lopkeny12ko 2y ago
> Many people over the last few years have reorganised their life under the expectation of continued hybrid working Why should an employer bear the burden of an employee's own poor decision making?
- sulandor 2y ago
  because it's true the other way
  - Rinzler89 2y ago
    But you're not forced to work for a company that wants you in the office, you're free to seek employment elsewhere that matches your remote requirements similar how a company isn't forced to hire remote workers only. You are both free to choose the best options that fit your demands if you can find them. Jobs and employers aren't for life. If you uprooted and reorganize your whole life based on the circumstances of a once in a lifetime global pandemic expecting things to stay like that forever, you've done goofed.
    - Tade0 2y ago
      Friendly reminder that remote work in IT was a thing way before the pandemic. I for one started working from home full time in 2015. Also your approach seems to be to just accept whatever employers throw at you. Have you considered that they might be colluding (in a sense) to deprive you of options? I would like to know a rational reason why I should spend so much of my day travelling.
      - Rinzler89 2y ago
        >Also your approach seems to be to just accept whatever employers throw at you. Where do you see me saying such a thing? >I would like to know a rational reason why I should spend so much of my day travelling. Companies say it's for "better collaboration". You would do it if you had no other options if every potential employer would require you to be on site depriving you of remote options, but because the market is in your favor giving you options, it's difficult for you to empathize with the other situation.
        Tade0 2y ago
        > Where do you see me saying such a thing? Your solution appears to be "choose a different employer" without any hint of "demand more from the current employer". > You would do it if you had no other options if every potential employer would require you to be on site depriving you of remote options, but because the market is in your favor giving you options, it's difficult for you to empathize with the other situation. You assume something that's not the case. I am of the opinion that everyone who can, should have this option regardless of the market situation and I think it's terrible people are forced to commute. It's like paid leave or health insurance - an achievement in workers' rights.
tonyedgecombe 2y ago
I remember being surprised during the pandemic just how many people were uprooting their lives and moving to remote locations. Even though there has been a trend towards remote work over the previous decade I always thought there would be a bounce back and some of those people would be stuffed.
paulcole 2y ago
> It’s not always that easy Where did they say it was easy? They said maybe try going back to the office and seeing if you like it. Heresy here on HN, I know.
cruffle_duffle 2y ago
That seems like it was a mistake. WFH was supposed to be temporary during the pandemic. Not sure what people were thinking…
- TrueGeek 2y ago
  "supposed to" depends on the company. The company I was working at announced immediately that we were work from home forever. They canceled leases on over a dozen offices across the world and let us come in and take the old furniture.

dmitrygr 2y ago

> A thought experiment > Have you thought of playing along and see if you would actually like going back to office full time That is not a thought experiment. That is a "uproot your whole life" experiment.

kstrauser 2y ago
“Hear me out, what if you might like sticking your hand in a blender?” I genuinely miss seeing my pals at work and eating lunch with the gang. I genuinely do not miss the commute, the struggle to get things done with a million distractions around me, not having my dog sleeping in her basket underneath my desk in my home office, and seeing my kids before and after school. There, thought experiment concluded. I didn’t like it.
- bigstrat2003 2y ago
  Comparing working from the office to sticking your hand in a blender is such an absurd hyperbole that it completely discredits your argument.
  - tessierashpool9 2y ago
    but subtlety is usually lost at the folks here and this comparison will at least be understood. then again - the thought of having to go back to the office is evoking a feeling not too different from anticipating something quite painful. too many colleagues are just unbearable and the waste of time having to commute unpaidly ... maybe i'd prefer a quick blender session for another year of home office even.
    - kstrauser 2y ago
      Thank you. Sure it was hyperbolic, but it was in response to the notion that maybe we’re all too shortsighted to see that we’d like full time RTO if only we’d try it. There are certain things I don’t need to try before knowing that I won’t enjoy them. I’ve worked in offices enough decades to have sufficient data: I strongly prefer WFH. “Maybe you’ll like it this time!” is weak sauce. I’m not a delicate flower who couldn’t RTO if situations demanded it. I would not help me do a better job for my company, though, and I don’t want to. This is academic for me. I have an amazing job at a company all-in on WFH to the point we just downsized a physical office we were underusing. I hate seeing my colleagues get dragged back to legacy offices for no compelling reason though.

znpy 2y ago

Pardon me but this is a stupid argument. If OP is working at amazon they’ve already been going three days a week. If they did not like going three days a week why should they like going five days a week?