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Working remotely only works if your workers have discipline. For me, the fear of no longer being able to work remotely keeps me productive; I don't want to give

by pluc 2y ago

Working remotely only works if your workers have discipline. For me, the fear of no longer being able to work remotely keeps me productive; I don't want to give my employer an excuse to say I would be better onsite. I've seen people argue that they miss the social aspect of working in an office... which for me is exactly what's wrong with the office work: you're not there to make friends.

daymanstep 2y ago
Why shouldn't you make friends at work? Where else do you get to meet the same person 10 hours a day, 5 days a week? How do you become friends with someone if you only meet them once in a blue moon?
- scarface_74 2y ago
  I’ve been working for almost 30 years across 10 jobs. I worked in office between 1996-2020. After a couple of months to at most a couple of years, those “friendships” fade. Today, I have five people I stay in touch with that I’ve worked with. Three I stopped working with around 2016 and one I stopped working with two years ago. Oh yeah and the fifth I stopped working with in 2011. She is sleeping right next to me now - I married her in 2012. But to answer your questions, I work for one reason - to exchange labor for money. My work self is “looking from the 1000 foot view”, “taking things to the parking lot” and “adding on to what Becky said”. My personal life is completely different. It’s tiring having to “code switch” with coworkers because the real me is completely different. And if you’re working 50 hours a week, you’re doing it wrong.
  - toomuchtodo 2y ago
    A thousand times this. I’m not interested in showing colleagues the genuine me. We are just temporary acquaintances until we all move on, as all work arrangements are temporary.
- akmarinov 2y ago
  If someone leaves and you never hear from them again - that’s not friendship, that’s a cell mate
  - Fire-Dragon-DoL 2y ago
    Supposedly, you make friends and meet them outside of work too.
- pllbnk 2y ago
  Just today I have been looking through old photos of mine and saw a few pictures from a team building night in one of my previous workplaces 9 years ago. Out of around 10 people I only remembered the names of two, and then two more after some thinking. I don't keep in contact with neither of them. Meanwhile, over the years I have managed to form connections and friendships with some people both, in office, and working remotely.
underseacables 2y ago
I missed the social spontaneity of office life, despite the negatives.
- kkklll_ 2y ago
  yep. As a creative I miss that random dialogues from each ideas actually emerge
Gualdrapo 2y ago
> Working remotely only works if your workers have discipline. The same argument could be made about in-place work
- pluc 2y ago
  Sure, but if you're undisciplined onsite they just look over your shoulder, stick you with a micromanager or install spying tools on your corporate workstation. At home you need discipline because you are your supervisor.
ThrowawayR2 2y ago
Do I want to commute to the office? No, I very much do not. However, the people you know at work are your future professional network. Yes, you can do good work and be recognized for it while fully remote but nothing replaces a social bond, limited as it is, from having frequently interacted face to face with your colleagues. I can write much warmer and more fleshed out referrals for people I know something about than someone I've only seen as a square on a Zoom call.
- scarface_74 2y ago
  Alternate anecdote: Competence and being someone they want to work with again is usually enough. I got my first remote job in 2020 working at the Professional Services (cloud consulting) department at AWS. When I saw the writing on the wall, every single customer I worked with remotely and maybe flew out to see once that had some type of opportunity was more than willing to give me either a permanent position at their company or at least a contract. I met one of my coworkers in person maybe twice. He had left AWS a couple of months prior to be a director of infrastructure at a well known non tech F500. He said if I was interested, he would create a position for me to be over the cloud migration and infrastructure and that it would pay more in cash than I was making in cash + RSUs at AWS. I didn’t take him up on his offer just because I was over the big company thing. When I posted on LinkedIn that I had gotten another job, I had three former coworkers who had moved on reach out to me and say why didn’t I let them know. They would have brought me on their companies. These were all decision makers who could push me through without too much hassle. I had met most of these people in person maybe two or three times. Unless my performance really craters at my current company where I work remotely where I’m a staff architect, I can almost guarantee that anyone I reach out to that has worked with me will be more than happy to give me a referral about my skillset and work ethic.
  - ThrowawayR2 2y ago
    I don't disagree with your anecdote but most of us aren't consultants, a big part of whose job is maintaining constant contact and alignment with customers and co-workers.
ASalazarMX 2y ago
I am one of those undisciplined ones. Routine has to be forced on me, otherwise I might find myself at 12 pm without having done any meaningful work. Working remotely during confinement diminished my productivity significantly, measured by myself. I had to force myself to follow an imaginary schedule, because I knew in reality it is very flexible when you're at home. I tend to be at ease with disorganization, so being disciplined takes effort, and being disciplined among the amenities of your home is very strenuous. My wife was unaffected by it, so I think I could get used to it too if needed, but I don't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

by pluc 2y ago

daymanstep 2y ago

Why shouldn't you make friends at work? Where else do you get to meet the same person 10 hours a day, 5 days a week? How do you become friends with someone if you only meet them once in a blue moon?

scarface_74 2y ago
I’ve been working for almost 30 years across 10 jobs. I worked in office between 1996-2020. After a couple of months to at most a couple of years, those “friendships” fade. Today, I have five people I stay in touch with that I’ve worked with. Three I stopped working with around 2016 and one I stopped working with two years ago. Oh yeah and the fifth I stopped working with in 2011. She is sleeping right next to me now - I married her in 2012. But to answer your questions, I work for one reason - to exchange labor for money. My work self is “looking from the 1000 foot view”, “taking things to the parking lot” and “adding on to what Becky said”. My personal life is completely different. It’s tiring having to “code switch” with coworkers because the real me is completely different. And if you’re working 50 hours a week, you’re doing it wrong.
- toomuchtodo 2y ago
  A thousand times this. I’m not interested in showing colleagues the genuine me. We are just temporary acquaintances until we all move on, as all work arrangements are temporary.
akmarinov 2y ago
If someone leaves and you never hear from them again - that’s not friendship, that’s a cell mate
- Fire-Dragon-DoL 2y ago
  Supposedly, you make friends and meet them outside of work too.
pllbnk 2y ago
Just today I have been looking through old photos of mine and saw a few pictures from a team building night in one of my previous workplaces 9 years ago. Out of around 10 people I only remembered the names of two, and then two more after some thinking. I don't keep in contact with neither of them. Meanwhile, over the years I have managed to form connections and friendships with some people both, in office, and working remotely.

underseacables 2y ago

I missed the social spontaneity of office life, despite the negatives.

kkklll_ 2y ago
yep. As a creative I miss that random dialogues from each ideas actually emerge

Gualdrapo 2y ago

> Working remotely only works if your workers have discipline. The same argument could be made about in-place work

pluc 2y ago
Sure, but if you're undisciplined onsite they just look over your shoulder, stick you with a micromanager or install spying tools on your corporate workstation. At home you need discipline because you are your supervisor.

ThrowawayR2 2y ago

Do I want to commute to the office? No, I very much do not. However, the people you know at work are your future professional network. Yes, you can do good work and be recognized for it while fully remote but nothing replaces a social bond, limited as it is, from having frequently interacted face to face with your colleagues. I can write much warmer and more fleshed out referrals for people I know something about than someone I've only seen as a square on a Zoom call.

scarface_74 2y ago
Alternate anecdote: Competence and being someone they want to work with again is usually enough. I got my first remote job in 2020 working at the Professional Services (cloud consulting) department at AWS. When I saw the writing on the wall, every single customer I worked with remotely and maybe flew out to see once that had some type of opportunity was more than willing to give me either a permanent position at their company or at least a contract. I met one of my coworkers in person maybe twice. He had left AWS a couple of months prior to be a director of infrastructure at a well known non tech F500. He said if I was interested, he would create a position for me to be over the cloud migration and infrastructure and that it would pay more in cash than I was making in cash + RSUs at AWS. I didn’t take him up on his offer just because I was over the big company thing. When I posted on LinkedIn that I had gotten another job, I had three former coworkers who had moved on reach out to me and say why didn’t I let them know. They would have brought me on their companies. These were all decision makers who could push me through without too much hassle. I had met most of these people in person maybe two or three times. Unless my performance really craters at my current company where I work remotely where I’m a staff architect, I can almost guarantee that anyone I reach out to that has worked with me will be more than happy to give me a referral about my skillset and work ethic.
- ThrowawayR2 2y ago
  I don't disagree with your anecdote but most of us aren't consultants, a big part of whose job is maintaining constant contact and alignment with customers and co-workers.

ASalazarMX 2y ago

I am one of those undisciplined ones. Routine has to be forced on me, otherwise I might find myself at 12 pm without having done any meaningful work. Working remotely during confinement diminished my productivity significantly, measured by myself. I had to force myself to follow an imaginary schedule, because I knew in reality it is very flexible when you're at home. I tend to be at ease with disorganization, so being disciplined takes effort, and being disciplined among the amenities of your home is very strenuous. My wife was unaffected by it, so I think I could get used to it too if needed, but I don't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.