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Maybe it's time tech companies let their engineers globally work remotely from comfortable places, instead of parking them into metal boxes and sweetening the d

by jvehent 11y ago

Maybe it's time tech companies let their engineers globally work remotely from comfortable places, instead of parking them into metal boxes and sweetening the deal with catered lunches.

vonmoltke 11y ago
Or, you know, open more satellite offices (that do real work) in lower-cost areas.
- pravka 11y ago
  Exactly. I'm in the middle of a cross-country relocation because we decided that the bay area is just too damn expensive for its own good. Since I telecommute exclusively anyway, the move was a no-brainer once we sold ourselves on the idea of leaving the area.
ryanSrich 11y ago
+1 - However you'll find no love within the HN crowd. YC and many SV startups are vehemently against remote work. That's why I was stunned when YC allowed for new fellowship applicants to work remotely (so maybe it's getting better...?). I think a lot of it has todo with ego, investor show-ponying and lack of solid culture. Beyond that many startups justify paying their employees like shit for small office perks like free lunch and couches. That type of stuff doesn't really work remotely.
- ghaff 11y ago
  I do understand the desire for co-located teams up to a certain point. Today, I certainly work outside an office more than inside. That said, I have a lot of trouble seeing how remote work would have been a net positive when I was starting out. Admittedly, technologies we had available for communication weren't as good then but that part of my career was so dominated by F2F interactions that it's hard to imagine I would have been as effective as a remote worker. (I was a product manager for mostly system hardware.)
  - ryanSrich 11y ago
    I 100% agree. Remote working has really only worked for the past 5-10 years (probably less than 10). Async chat tools, file sharing, conference calls, video chats, etc. are the lifeblood of communication at remote companies. Without those tools it's very hard to make remote working work. People who say remote work doesn't work often times still rely on things like email...that's just not how it works. If you're communicating internally via email you're doing it wrong. That's not to say tools define remote culture, but they certainly help reinforce it.
    - ghaff 11y ago
      Today's tools are certainly better. We had conference calls (and internal-only email) but basically none of the other tools you list. And maybe if a company had a real remote worker culture, it would be natural to slip into it even as a new hire. It's just a bit hard for me to imagine based on my own experience. But, as I say, different time and different culture.
deleted 11y ago
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by jvehent 11y ago

Maybe it's time tech companies let their engineers globally work remotely from comfortable places, instead of parking them into metal boxes and sweetening the deal with catered lunches.

vonmoltke 11y ago

Or, you know, open more satellite offices (that do real work) in lower-cost areas.

pravka 11y ago
Exactly. I'm in the middle of a cross-country relocation because we decided that the bay area is just too damn expensive for its own good. Since I telecommute exclusively anyway, the move was a no-brainer once we sold ourselves on the idea of leaving the area.

ryanSrich 11y ago

+1 - However you'll find no love within the HN crowd. YC and many SV startups are vehemently against remote work. That's why I was stunned when YC allowed for new fellowship applicants to work remotely (so maybe it's getting better...?). I think a lot of it has todo with ego, investor show-ponying and lack of solid culture. Beyond that many startups justify paying their employees like shit for small office perks like free lunch and couches. That type of stuff doesn't really work remotely.

ghaff 11y ago
I do understand the desire for co-located teams up to a certain point. Today, I certainly work outside an office more than inside. That said, I have a lot of trouble seeing how remote work would have been a net positive when I was starting out. Admittedly, technologies we had available for communication weren't as good then but that part of my career was so dominated by F2F interactions that it's hard to imagine I would have been as effective as a remote worker. (I was a product manager for mostly system hardware.)
- ryanSrich 11y ago
  I 100% agree. Remote working has really only worked for the past 5-10 years (probably less than 10). Async chat tools, file sharing, conference calls, video chats, etc. are the lifeblood of communication at remote companies. Without those tools it's very hard to make remote working work. People who say remote work doesn't work often times still rely on things like email...that's just not how it works. If you're communicating internally via email you're doing it wrong. That's not to say tools define remote culture, but they certainly help reinforce it.
  - ghaff 11y ago
    Today's tools are certainly better. We had conference calls (and internal-only email) but basically none of the other tools you list. And maybe if a company had a real remote worker culture, it would be natural to slip into it even as a new hire. It's just a bit hard for me to imagine based on my own experience. But, as I say, different time and different culture.

deleted 11y ago

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