So, how long will Work From Home actually last?

SurfFuerteventura

Rabbitt Bartholomew status
Sep 20, 2014
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I've only worked from home for a week at the very beginning of the "crisis" and then again this past week after being exposed to someone with the virus. I hate working from home. Open floorplan house with no private office area means I'm basically trying to work in the middle of everything going on in the house or sitting on the bed in the bedroom.

Headphones and a couple of white sheets make a private office in a jiffy.

:roflmao:
 
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gbg

Miki Dora status
Jan 22, 2006
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We are hearing we will be working from home until next spring/summer.

It is a game changer. I do the same amount of work in less time. No interruptions. Some days I work 10-12 hours. Some days I work 2-3.
 

casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
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The only knock is they are often very much a follow the spec/steps mentality .
In my work you will often see similar mentality with foreign (Asia) born staff.

Japanese (2nd gen) pharmacy manager is always bitching about it. It's like the critical thinking switch never gets flipped. There's an inability to think outside the box and deviate from typical protocol when necessary.

Many Filipino nurses the same way. Very good at following orders but when critical thinking comes into play it just doesn't happen.
 

CutnSnip

Phil Edwards status
Sep 11, 2018
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Probably dropping in on you, California
Yup. If I get forced back into WFH I’ve already decided that I’m gonna be that guy who draws a hard line in the sand and doesn’t respond to emails or answer the phone when I’m not on the clock. I was never a stickler for hours but if I work from home I’m going to have to be.
yea i had to make a cut off time for emails etc unless we were presenting to client that day, and then I turned off those notifications on my phone completely.

i start a new gig for a month today and wish i had an actual place to go owrk besides my apt.
 

Muscles

Michael Peterson status
Jun 1, 2013
2,596
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Going into the office is fine if you have a decent office and like your co-workers.

My last job was like something out of office space. A tiny cubicle and IT systems that didn't work. My boss was Lumberg reincarnate. I was so happy to not see my coworkers once WFH started.
 

Autoprax

Duke status
Jan 24, 2011
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If you're a teacher or staff it looks like the 21/22 school year will see a return of students to the classroom.

Even though you have been doing and can do your job remotely, if students are back on campus then you will have to be physically there to support them.
I say you can't really do the job remotely, not that the level I want to do it at.

It's fine if you are fine with going through the motions. I hate to do that.

I have to teach remotely in the spring and I asked about a leave of absence, and the office manager just said, "Just teach from home for another semester, pussy. You need the money."

Me: "Ok." :trout:
 
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Autoprax

Duke status
Jan 24, 2011
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i think the people who moved to cheaper states to work remotely are going to get screwed. they got another year for sure. but once it's safe to return to offices from covid I see getting back to near levels of working in the office as previously. I think executives and management people want people in the office to get back to having meetings all day in person, even despite effectiveness of working at home. Eventually, I think those people that moved are going to find their jobs eliminated and replaced at lower salary for someone that will be in the office. Office space is going to get cheap and leases negotiated to have near the same head count back on site as pre-covid.
Also, get young people from India to do it for 1/3 of the cost
 

Random Guy

Duke status
Jan 16, 2002
32,005
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I wfh now. I officially was a wfh employee for years, but went into the office anyway.
I also went to customer offices, both local and travel, mostly in the US
My commute was anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half each way and cost somewhere around 300 per month
And I was doing it because for whatever reason, it worked for me

I don’t plan on ever going back to that routine

Wfh works for me too. I don’t really feel disconnected because I’m on video calls constantly. I don’t mind being on video calls. Video is always optional, but I’m on camera unless there’s some reason not to be.
I’m communicating pretty regularly via chat /slack too
I set up my office in a way that works for me, and I’m disciplined enough to stop working as well as I was when I was in the office. Now if I work until 6:30, I can have dinner at 6:30 as opposed to waiting for a train and not walking in the door until 8:00

My coworkers are geographically dispersed and always have been. My job isn’t likely to be outsourced to India or China or Romania or Ireland or whatever the cheap tech labor location of the month is because my job is all about communicating effectively with others, and time zones matter.

I should be surfing more, but I’m really not. So I’m not clogging up the lineup for anyone yet

Every industry is different. If I worked in a hospital I wouldn’t really understand wfh either
 

studog

Duke status
Jan 15, 2003
35,863
637
113
CA
We are hearing we will be working from home until next spring/summer.

It is a game changer. I do the same amount of work in less time. No interruptions. Some days I work 10-12 hours. Some days I work 2-3.
when I started my new company in August they were saying January. Then recently it's "spring". that will probably be pushed later too.
 

studog

Duke status
Jan 15, 2003
35,863
637
113
CA
I work with a few Indians that I only know through skype and haven't even heard their voices. They are all smart and will do work for a fraction of the price their contemporaries in America would charge. I like working with them.
we had Indians do a finance system implementation remotely. it went only so so. they just did the bare bones. now we had to hire a US Oracle consultant team to finish the job and get more dynamic functionality of the system for why we purchased in the first place.
 

SurfFuerteventura

Rabbitt Bartholomew status
Sep 20, 2014
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just think of the amount of smog being reduced with all that traffic staying home. almost that alone is worth WFH.
 

PRCD

Tom Curren status
Feb 25, 2020
12,514
8,548
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just think of the amount of smog being reduced with all that traffic staying home. almost that alone is worth WFH.
Westerners make all their smog in China where their goods are manufactured. The smog is so thick in Beijing that you can't see the sky. Chinese used to come to our HQ in CA and just marvel at the sky.
 
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john4surf

Kelly Slater status
May 28, 2005
8,925
3,565
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CBS, CA
I wfh the last 19 years before retiring. My staff were located from Montreal to Mexico City to Puerto Alegre, Brazil. I had an office in Costa Mesa that I visited 1 or 2 times a month. Boss was located in Tel Aviv. The only time I got on the freeway was to get to the airport (I scheduled my flights from 6 AM departures to after 7 PM returns to avoid rush hours). It was a good gig, thanks to internet, cell services and a good staff. Would not have traded it for anything. 4.5 million air miles on American A/L. Maybe another 600-700,000 miles on Delta, United, El Al, Balkin, etc.
 
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Autoprax

Duke status
Jan 24, 2011
68,237
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Vagina Point
I wfh now. I officially was a wfh employee for years, but went into the office anyway.
I also went to customer offices, both local and travel, mostly in the US
My commute was anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half each way and cost somewhere around 300 per month
And I was doing it because for whatever reason, it worked for me

I don’t plan on ever going back to that routine

Wfh works for me too. I don’t really feel disconnected because I’m on video calls constantly. I don’t mind being on video calls. Video is always optional, but I’m on camera unless there’s some reason not to be.
I’m communicating pretty regularly via chat /slack too
I set up my office in a way that works for me, and I’m disciplined enough to stop working as well as I was when I was in the office. Now if I work until 6:30, I can have dinner at 6:30 as opposed to waiting for a train and not walking in the door until 8:00

My coworkers are geographically dispersed and always have been. My job isn’t likely to be outsourced to India or China or Romania or Ireland or whatever the cheap tech labor location of the month is because my job is all about communicating effectively with others, and time zones matter.

I should be surfing more, but I’m really not. So I’m not clogging up the lineup for anyone yet

Every industry is different. If I worked in a hospital I wouldn’t really understand wfh either
you think you are better than everyone, don't you?
 

TeamScam

Miki Dora status
Jan 14, 2002
5,485
1,119
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Mid-Atlantic
I'm happy for the people who have discovered they can work from home and have a better life. I wish they. Could be happier somewhere else though.
 

gbg

Miki Dora status
Jan 22, 2006
3,867
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Traffic is still very light in San Diego county. Military is still minimal manning. Most of the office workers are still home. Can jet around in rush hour and what took 60 minutes is taking 30.
 
Nov 25, 2020
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I worked many years from home before the pandemic and at 42, I hope/expect i should be able to until I retire. Best time of my life is my kids waking up and if there is no swell) I'm there to have breakfast and lunch together, and on my self forced breaks read to them and have tea parties. Life can't be better-even if I made double but had to be in an office 60 hours/week