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I'm probably more social than most devs. I've had many opportunities to work fully remote and never liked it. Hate it, in fact. It's hard for me to stay focused

I'm probably more social than most devs. I've had many opportunities to work fully remote and never liked it. Hate it, in fact. It's hard for me to stay focused, healthy, and motivated when fully remote. I prefer an office that I can go to 2 or 3 times a week. When that isn't available, I'll find a coworking space and treat it as an office, even though nobody there is technically a coworker. Just the ambience of having other people around being productive really helps me stay on task. And it's nice to be able to have lunch with them, get a beer afterward, etc. It's also really nice to be able to ride my bike to work and back and get a bit of sun and exercise every day, vs being cooped up in a bedroom-turned-office all day. I don't like private offices (for myself) because they are too quiet and lonely. Much prefer cafeteria style seating with no dividers. Of course it's also nice to have a few desks in more private areas so people who need quiet to focus can go there, or to take calls in. I actually really enjoy open floor plans, but I would never force someone to use that if they didn't. I think private offices should just be reservable hot desks for people who really need/want them for the day, and those people should also just be allowed to WFH. What I'm getting is that people are fundamentally different and the same office environment that's perfect for one person could be a nightmare for the next, and it should be a matter of reasonable accommodations (both ways) to find a suitable compromise. If I were in charge, I'd never mandate RTO for people who don't want it. But I'd also try to at least provide a small office for people who DO want it. People like me are often completely left out of the considerations. I guess we're freaks for actually liking our coworkers? Shrug. If I could keep my current job but swap the remote-ness with someone who works in the office, I'd do that in a heartbeat!

vunderba 2y ago
> I guess we're freaks for actually liking our coworkers? Shrug. So to be fair, I don't think that's entirely the issue. A large part of the dislike that many people have for mandatory RTO is the corresponding commute. > It's also really nice to be able to ride my bike to work and back and get a bit of sun and exercise every day When I lived in Taiwan, I looked forward to the essentially "free exercise" that I got as part of the 2 mile bike ride into the office. However, a lot of people's living situation simply doesn't allow for the opportunity to walk/jog/bike to one's workplace - especially if you live in the US. Having to deal with rush hour traffic, manic drivers, gridlock day in and day out is soul crushingly awful.
- solardev 2y ago
  I just meant that the popular discussion about this stuff never really includes workers who WANT to go back to the office. It's usually painted as a matter of managers/execs (who want RTO) vs workers (who don't), and people like me are the outliers. That's fine; we're why coworking spaces exist... But yeah, hellish commutes are definitely a part of it, especially in the Bay Area. I'd never want to force that on anyone. Having an office (or even just sharing a coworking space sometimes) is nice, but only when it's not a requirement.

vunderba 2y ago

> I guess we're freaks for actually liking our coworkers? Shrug. So to be fair, I don't think that's entirely the issue. A large part of the dislike that many people have for mandatory RTO is the corresponding commute. > It's also really nice to be able to ride my bike to work and back and get a bit of sun and exercise every day When I lived in Taiwan, I looked forward to the essentially "free exercise" that I got as part of the 2 mile bike ride into the office. However, a lot of people's living situation simply doesn't allow for the opportunity to walk/jog/bike to one's workplace - especially if you live in the US. Having to deal with rush hour traffic, manic drivers, gridlock day in and day out is soul crushingly awful.

solardev 2y ago
I just meant that the popular discussion about this stuff never really includes workers who WANT to go back to the office. It's usually painted as a matter of managers/execs (who want RTO) vs workers (who don't), and people like me are the outliers. That's fine; we're why coworking spaces exist... But yeah, hellish commutes are definitely a part of it, especially in the Bay Area. I'd never want to force that on anyone. Having an office (or even just sharing a coworking space sometimes) is nice, but only when it's not a requirement.