5 ms·

I work as a fairly senior SWE at Google, coming off 20+ years with private offices (some of that time full-time remote), and I agree with everything you said.

I work as a fairly senior SWE at Google, coming off 20+ years with private offices (some of that time full-time remote), and I agree with everything you said. I knew it would be hard going into the job. I actually get up at 5am so I can have a few quiet hours at my desk before the rest of the folks show up & it turns into a total zoo.

JohnBooty 12y ago
I know, right? Early mornings (assuming one went to bed early enough and got enough sleep) are great and as I get older I'm more of a morning person anyway... my main challenge there is coordinating with my partner since our sleep schedules obviously are intertwined.
trhway 12y ago
Having the top of the cream, Google/FB can allow themselves to have their engineers' performance be half of what these engineers can potentially produce. Too bad for the rest of us as our employers look at Google/FB and say "we want that success too" and make open floor offices too...
- Rapzid 12y ago
  It has more to do with their sheer size IMO, not having the "cream". I've worked for ATT, Sprint, and a number of companies that are pretty big but not super big and somehow they function despite the idiocy that goes on. It's a form of "too big to fail" IMHO. There are just too many people to average out the slack and the ship has too much momentum. It's going to keep succeeding baring some huge market shift and/or gross negligence on managements part. I mean, seriously; there are a LOT of companies out there making TONS of money with no where near FB's or Google's reputation and desirability.
  - calinet6 12y ago
    Wouldn't it be great if that effort was actually focused systematically? Exponential improvement. Deming knew how to do it, and even outlined that the entire economy would rise because of improved management practices. I very much believe he is correct.
martin-adams 12y ago
As a freelancer who works with a variety of teams, it is very hard getting a moment to 'get my own work done'. I also have a young daughter, and while she didn't say the following, I keep thinking about it to give me a slap in the face of perspective. Child: Daddy, will you play wit me? Dad: Sorry, I can't I have things to finish off from work. Child: Why don't you do it when you're at work?
- Lawtonfogle 12y ago
  Spend time with her while you still have the chance. The 'my parents are stupid and my friends know better' years will be there before you know it.
neuronic 12y ago
My question isn't necessarily specific to Google, but is it frowned upon if you bring noise-cancelling headphones? I am a weirdly fluctuating person and some days I work best in total seclusion. Others I need to sit in the middle of a cafe and have the noise and people around me. So my goal is to be as adaptive as possible without harming the day-to-day work life.
- VLM 12y ago
  "but is it frowned upon if you bring noise-cancelling headphones" Yes, at (former, thankfully) employer its the border between actionable offense (being written up) and merely being viciously trashed at review time. Management made the explicit decision to enforce collaboration (a 'la the whippings will continue until morale improves) and your actions are direct and intentional insubordination of that explicit formal requirement. One person will get yelled at in front of everyone else (because its open office, duh) and nobody will dare to wear headphones again. Its hard to find a more open and shut case description of intentional willful trivially documentable insubordination.
- eginhard 12y ago
  On the contrary, using noise-cancelling headphones is extremely common.
- Cthulhu_ 12y ago
  I've tried one of those in the store once, they only work for constant background noise - fan hums, that kinda thing. For conversations they're ineffective, and regular in-ear things work better.
- spacefight 12y ago
  Noise cancelling doesn't work with speech that well. It's way better for steady background noise such as on a small plane if you're the pilot or on a large plane if you're a passenger.
- pc2g4d 12y ago
  When we got moved into an open floorplan office, all engineers were issued Bose noise cancelling headphones. They're not perfect (you can still hear close conversations) but they're at least officially approved.
mark_l_watson 12y ago
I did the same thing in 2013 when I worked at Google. I just shifted my working hours from 6:15am to 4pm and I had some quiet time, then the normal shared office environment. I did the same thing at SAIC when I had a private office. Then my motivation was to have an hour or two for uninterrupted coding. Except for 2013 I have worked remotely from home, which can be very good, but I do miss out on face time.

JohnBooty 12y ago

I know, right? Early mornings (assuming one went to bed early enough and got enough sleep) are great and as I get older I'm more of a morning person anyway... my main challenge there is coordinating with my partner since our sleep schedules obviously are intertwined.

trhway 12y ago

Having the top of the cream, Google/FB can allow themselves to have their engineers' performance be half of what these engineers can potentially produce. Too bad for the rest of us as our employers look at Google/FB and say "we want that success too" and make open floor offices too...

Rapzid 12y ago
It has more to do with their sheer size IMO, not having the "cream". I've worked for ATT, Sprint, and a number of companies that are pretty big but not super big and somehow they function despite the idiocy that goes on. It's a form of "too big to fail" IMHO. There are just too many people to average out the slack and the ship has too much momentum. It's going to keep succeeding baring some huge market shift and/or gross negligence on managements part. I mean, seriously; there are a LOT of companies out there making TONS of money with no where near FB's or Google's reputation and desirability.
- calinet6 12y ago
  Wouldn't it be great if that effort was actually focused systematically? Exponential improvement. Deming knew how to do it, and even outlined that the entire economy would rise because of improved management practices. I very much believe he is correct.

martin-adams 12y ago

As a freelancer who works with a variety of teams, it is very hard getting a moment to 'get my own work done'. I also have a young daughter, and while she didn't say the following, I keep thinking about it to give me a slap in the face of perspective. Child: Daddy, will you play wit me? Dad: Sorry, I can't I have things to finish off from work. Child: Why don't you do it when you're at work?

Lawtonfogle 12y ago
Spend time with her while you still have the chance. The 'my parents are stupid and my friends know better' years will be there before you know it.

neuronic 12y ago

My question isn't necessarily specific to Google, but is it frowned upon if you bring noise-cancelling headphones? I am a weirdly fluctuating person and some days I work best in total seclusion. Others I need to sit in the middle of a cafe and have the noise and people around me. So my goal is to be as adaptive as possible without harming the day-to-day work life.

VLM 12y ago
"but is it frowned upon if you bring noise-cancelling headphones" Yes, at (former, thankfully) employer its the border between actionable offense (being written up) and merely being viciously trashed at review time. Management made the explicit decision to enforce collaboration (a 'la the whippings will continue until morale improves) and your actions are direct and intentional insubordination of that explicit formal requirement. One person will get yelled at in front of everyone else (because its open office, duh) and nobody will dare to wear headphones again. Its hard to find a more open and shut case description of intentional willful trivially documentable insubordination.
eginhard 12y ago
On the contrary, using noise-cancelling headphones is extremely common.
Cthulhu_ 12y ago
I've tried one of those in the store once, they only work for constant background noise - fan hums, that kinda thing. For conversations they're ineffective, and regular in-ear things work better.
spacefight 12y ago
Noise cancelling doesn't work with speech that well. It's way better for steady background noise such as on a small plane if you're the pilot or on a large plane if you're a passenger.
pc2g4d 12y ago
When we got moved into an open floorplan office, all engineers were issued Bose noise cancelling headphones. They're not perfect (you can still hear close conversations) but they're at least officially approved.

mark_l_watson 12y ago

I did the same thing in 2013 when I worked at Google. I just shifted my working hours from 6:15am to 4pm and I had some quiet time, then the normal shared office environment. I did the same thing at SAIC when I had a private office. Then my motivation was to have an hour or two for uninterrupted coding. Except for 2013 I have worked remotely from home, which can be very good, but I do miss out on face time.