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> (...) returned to ethernet cords in piles around the floor, random wires sticking out of walls, and motion-sensor lights that weren’t working correctly I don

> (...) returned to ethernet cords in piles around the floor, random wires sticking out of walls, and motion-sensor lights that weren’t working correctly I don't understand that part, maybe I'm missing something - what happened there? Why would the abandoned workplace not look exactly the same as they left it? Where did the ethernet cords appear from? Someone stole TVs from the walls?

mexicocitinluez 2y ago
So, this thing called Covid hit. It was a pandemic, and because it was infectious, a large push to work remotely was made (both in private and public businesses). When employers realized that work was being done despite not being in the office, they started to shutter their offices (ya know, to save money). I can't believe I have to explain to another adult why offices after Covid don't look the same.
- xyst 2y ago
  Some people just live under a rock; or they have never been impacted by god awful management decisions. Sometimes I wonder what that life looks like? Maybe just sipping champagne at beach side (or on the couch) all day in ignorance. Watch whatever reality trash is on streaming services. All while the world burns around them.
- hotsauceror 2y ago
  What an insulting and willfully obtuse answer, that does not address any of these perfectly reasonable questions. When you leave your house on vacation, do you rip the cords out of the outlets and pile them on the floor, and dismount all the TVs?
  - mexicocitinluez 2y ago
    [flagged]
  - joquarky 2y ago
    > What an insulting Note that especially in this instance, offense was taken, not given
    - hotsauceror 2y ago
      I'm not sure I follow you. The comment was demeaning; offense was clearly intended, to belittle the GP's intelligence. To call a statement that is intended to insult, "insulting", seems to be accurate? It was not intended to indicate offense on my part, but to chastise for unnecessary hostility. Maybe I'm reading your reply wrong, though.
inetknght 2y ago
> I don't understand that part, maybe I'm missing something - what happened there? It's hard to think, I know. But don't worry, I'll give you some ideas. > Why would the abandoned workplace not look exactly the same as they left it? There might have been some animals who came along and decided that the TVs were very important. Maybe there was a hurricane or a tornado which decided to fuck this place in particular, but only by taking the desks and TVs. Or, maybe the workers who used the office weren't the last people in the office. > Where did the ethernet cords appear from? They were always there. Some people actually know how to have a reliable, secure, and fast data connection. Protip: it's not wifi. Usually when the TV or computer is installed, all of the extra wire is hidden in the wall. But after the TV or computer has been removed, the extra wire length is often left on the ground ready to be tested or installed with the next device. It's just very annoying (read: time-expensive for little profit) to pull the wires all the way out of the walls to be taken, and even more expensive to re/install in a new location (it's significantly cheaper to just install new wiring instead). > Someone stole TVs from the walls? It's possible, but not likely. Those TVs were most likely g(r)ifted to the managers and/or executives. You know, the same people who actually own the building. That's not the same as stolen. Also, the missing TV can now be written off of taxes as a loss for the business. Everyone likes double-dipping, right?
hedora 2y ago
The federal government is generally pretty efficient. They probably sold off surplus equipment. They definitely have been consolidating office space. It could be that the remaining leases were cheaper to keep than buy out, or that selling the buildings didn’t make sense. Regardless, there’s no reason for them to hire facilities people to maintain vacant space. Leaving furniture in those places would attract vermin, ruin the furniture, etc.
- Freedom2 2y ago
  > The federal government is generally pretty efficient. Then either Musk and Trump are lying about needing to focus on government efficiency, or some of the brightest and most brilliant minds that the American people willingly voted for are wrong.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - Theory42 2y ago
    Say it ain't so
rsynnott 2y ago
It's been a few years. In that time, leases will have ended, and not been renewed. Refurbs and buildouts of new space will have been abandoned. Outdated and surplus equipment will have been decommissioned and scrapped or sold off or sent to other sites where it was required. I'm sure there are some offices that are just like how they were, but also some offices which _no longer exist_, and it's unlikely their replacements will have been fitted out if it wasn't expected that they would be imminently used.

mexicocitinluez 2y ago

So, this thing called Covid hit. It was a pandemic, and because it was infectious, a large push to work remotely was made (both in private and public businesses). When employers realized that work was being done despite not being in the office, they started to shutter their offices (ya know, to save money). I can't believe I have to explain to another adult why offices after Covid don't look the same.

xyst 2y ago
Some people just live under a rock; or they have never been impacted by god awful management decisions. Sometimes I wonder what that life looks like? Maybe just sipping champagne at beach side (or on the couch) all day in ignorance. Watch whatever reality trash is on streaming services. All while the world burns around them.
hotsauceror 2y ago
What an insulting and willfully obtuse answer, that does not address any of these perfectly reasonable questions. When you leave your house on vacation, do you rip the cords out of the outlets and pile them on the floor, and dismount all the TVs?
- mexicocitinluez 2y ago
  [flagged]
- joquarky 2y ago
  > What an insulting Note that especially in this instance, offense was taken, not given
  - hotsauceror 2y ago
    I'm not sure I follow you. The comment was demeaning; offense was clearly intended, to belittle the GP's intelligence. To call a statement that is intended to insult, "insulting", seems to be accurate? It was not intended to indicate offense on my part, but to chastise for unnecessary hostility. Maybe I'm reading your reply wrong, though.

inetknght 2y ago

> I don't understand that part, maybe I'm missing something - what happened there? It's hard to think, I know. But don't worry, I'll give you some ideas. > Why would the abandoned workplace not look exactly the same as they left it? There might have been some animals who came along and decided that the TVs were very important. Maybe there was a hurricane or a tornado which decided to fuck this place in particular, but only by taking the desks and TVs. Or, maybe the workers who used the office weren't the last people in the office. > Where did the ethernet cords appear from? They were always there. Some people actually know how to have a reliable, secure, and fast data connection. Protip: it's not wifi. Usually when the TV or computer is installed, all of the extra wire is hidden in the wall. But after the TV or computer has been removed, the extra wire length is often left on the ground ready to be tested or installed with the next device. It's just very annoying (read: time-expensive for little profit) to pull the wires all the way out of the walls to be taken, and even more expensive to re/install in a new location (it's significantly cheaper to just install new wiring instead). > Someone stole TVs from the walls? It's possible, but not likely. Those TVs were most likely g(r)ifted to the managers and/or executives. You know, the same people who actually own the building. That's not the same as stolen. Also, the missing TV can now be written off of taxes as a loss for the business. Everyone likes double-dipping, right?

hedora 2y ago

The federal government is generally pretty efficient. They probably sold off surplus equipment. They definitely have been consolidating office space. It could be that the remaining leases were cheaper to keep than buy out, or that selling the buildings didn’t make sense. Regardless, there’s no reason for them to hire facilities people to maintain vacant space. Leaving furniture in those places would attract vermin, ruin the furniture, etc.

Freedom2 2y ago
> The federal government is generally pretty efficient. Then either Musk and Trump are lying about needing to focus on government efficiency, or some of the brightest and most brilliant minds that the American people willingly voted for are wrong.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- Theory42 2y ago
  Say it ain't so

rsynnott 2y ago

It's been a few years. In that time, leases will have ended, and not been renewed. Refurbs and buildouts of new space will have been abandoned. Outdated and surplus equipment will have been decommissioned and scrapped or sold off or sent to other sites where it was required. I'm sure there are some offices that are just like how they were, but also some offices which _no longer exist_, and it's unlikely their replacements will have been fitted out if it wasn't expected that they would be imminently used.