Quarantine will normalize WFH and recession will denormalize full-time jobs(abe-winter.github.io)
abe-winter.github.io
Quarantine will normalize WFH and recession will denormalize full-time jobs
https://abe-winter.github.io/2020/03/07/wfhdemic.html
338 comments
I've worked from home 9 of the last 10 years and much, much preferred the year of going into an office, being better at separating work/leisure, etc.
I don't understand the appeal of doing either full-time. I can see myself being comfortable with a mix of home and office, there are advantages to each in different scenarios.
It's not just tech, lots of jobs are tech adjacent or tech-augmented and can do this. More so than we thought ten years ago.
But in short, it's not for everyone. I'm bored of it. It makes work part of my life one way or another. I like directly interacting other humans sometimes.
There's gotta be a balance, as with most things in life.
I don't understand the appeal of doing either full-time. I can see myself being comfortable with a mix of home and office, there are advantages to each in different scenarios.
It's not just tech, lots of jobs are tech adjacent or tech-augmented and can do this. More so than we thought ten years ago.
But in short, it's not for everyone. I'm bored of it. It makes work part of my life one way or another. I like directly interacting other humans sometimes.
There's gotta be a balance, as with most things in life.
Think about this:
The office is 5-20 minutes away. There is a good work culture. You have friends at the office. You can easily go home for a quick errand at lunch. WFH wouldn't be as appealing.
Now consider:
The office is 1 hour away on a good day. Traffic is very frustrating. Parking is expensive, same with transit which is hard to get an hour away. You get home at 6 if you're lucky. After 2 frustrating commutes and a rough day at work, and having to wake up very early to make the commute, you don't feel like working out. You get the point.
The office is 5-20 minutes away. There is a good work culture. You have friends at the office. You can easily go home for a quick errand at lunch. WFH wouldn't be as appealing.
Now consider:
The office is 1 hour away on a good day. Traffic is very frustrating. Parking is expensive, same with transit which is hard to get an hour away. You get home at 6 if you're lucky. After 2 frustrating commutes and a rough day at work, and having to wake up very early to make the commute, you don't feel like working out. You get the point.
This matters so much. I am a strong advocate for WFH. When I worked an hour and change away from the office, and I went WFH I felt so much better about life. Suddenly, when work ended, I was just off. No commute to frustrate me. I'd walk away from my desk, and start dinner then hit the gym. On lunches I took walks. It was glorious. I did however start to fatigue as time went on. I was wound up at the end of the day while my wife was ready to wind down because some days I just felt like I'd been isolated all day. Even with walks and going to the gym in evenings.
A year or so ago we moved 20 minutes from my office. Some stuff happened with management etc that they wanted people to at least come in a couple days if possible. So I did. Being only 20 minutes away I didn't mind it as much. I had also been migrated to a new team that I really got along with. We lunch together, we shoot the shit if things are chill, I get pulled in on more interesting projects because I'm right there and if I hear someone talking about something I know I'd be helpful on I chime in "Hey, I can help with that" - things I'd have missed out on getting to do if I were at home waiting for someone to send me a Jira ticket or mention it during morning standup. I also have more visibility with our VPs and directors.
Anyway, IMO, WFH is fantastic - especially when you live far away - but some office face time is also great. Good for people, good for careers. I feel incredibly fortunate to have stumbled into a position where I have the option to WFH, but also enjoy 3 or 4 days in the office.
A year or so ago we moved 20 minutes from my office. Some stuff happened with management etc that they wanted people to at least come in a couple days if possible. So I did. Being only 20 minutes away I didn't mind it as much. I had also been migrated to a new team that I really got along with. We lunch together, we shoot the shit if things are chill, I get pulled in on more interesting projects because I'm right there and if I hear someone talking about something I know I'd be helpful on I chime in "Hey, I can help with that" - things I'd have missed out on getting to do if I were at home waiting for someone to send me a Jira ticket or mention it during morning standup. I also have more visibility with our VPs and directors.
Anyway, IMO, WFH is fantastic - especially when you live far away - but some office face time is also great. Good for people, good for careers. I feel incredibly fortunate to have stumbled into a position where I have the option to WFH, but also enjoy 3 or 4 days in the office.
Everyone being in small coop they live < 30 minutes away from that voluntarily joins and leaves larger organizations (and not in some bullshit primordial john locke way) should be the goal almost everyone can get behind.
WFH is right that autonomy is good (being away from a boss) and commutes are bad, but denying the social nature of our species when work (for better or worse) consumes so much time is ludicrous.
WFH is right that autonomy is good (being away from a boss) and commutes are bad, but denying the social nature of our species when work (for better or worse) consumes so much time is ludicrous.
I absolutely agree on the 30 minutes commute.
I used to have that, my office changed location to 1h commute and the 2 days of wfh still mean more commute time than no wfh previously.
I've had 50minutes commute before, but it was just one uninterrupted subway ride which meant I could follow some online courses, but 1h of commute that involves 2x 10 minutes walks and 2 subway changes, its just hell.
I feel that the bank just had to let people with 2 wfh days, lest people quit en mass.
I used to have that, my office changed location to 1h commute and the 2 days of wfh still mean more commute time than no wfh previously.
I've had 50minutes commute before, but it was just one uninterrupted subway ride which meant I could follow some online courses, but 1h of commute that involves 2x 10 minutes walks and 2 subway changes, its just hell.
I feel that the bank just had to let people with 2 wfh days, lest people quit en mass.
I've been thinking about creative ways around this - do you have any guess how the dynamic would change if everyone in a remote-first team had an hour lunch they all took in the same minecraft server (or something)? I feel like that would give a lot of time for people to talk shop in the way you're describing, but I've never heard of it being implemented.
Great in spirit, but IMO it would feel like another mandatory "fun" activity, just another obligation. It's not something that can be implemented but something that evolves.
I think the key is to create lacunae in the office that allow the culture to form. Watercoolers or smoke breaks or 100% informal happy hour beers, etc. Once leadership makes it "a thing" it loses its dynamic.
I think the key is to create lacunae in the office that allow the culture to form. Watercoolers or smoke breaks or 100% informal happy hour beers, etc. Once leadership makes it "a thing" it loses its dynamic.
Excellent point. So leadership would have to reliably be in the server, but not require it of anyone else.
Also, some flexibility to WFH is nice.
A friend and I are starting to do "workcations" several times per year (he typically works in office, I work 100% remotely).
We go somewhere, work our during the day then go do something in the evenings - typically skiing or mountain biking. It's an amazing setup. We both typically get more done at work, because we're focused and wanting to get to our evening activity. 4 hours of skiing or biking in the evening is more than enough (especially when we do it 8 days straight).
That is one perk, I will never give up. Working on a 100% remote team has made me care about vacation days much less. Instead of taking a 3 to 4 day trip somewhere, I'll simply take a full week and work during the day (possibly still taking some time off.)
A friend and I are starting to do "workcations" several times per year (he typically works in office, I work 100% remotely).
We go somewhere, work our during the day then go do something in the evenings - typically skiing or mountain biking. It's an amazing setup. We both typically get more done at work, because we're focused and wanting to get to our evening activity. 4 hours of skiing or biking in the evening is more than enough (especially when we do it 8 days straight).
That is one perk, I will never give up. Working on a 100% remote team has made me care about vacation days much less. Instead of taking a 3 to 4 day trip somewhere, I'll simply take a full week and work during the day (possibly still taking some time off.)
if you go East from where the client is based, it is easier to do biking/hiking/skiing in the mornings, before work at HQ starts, due to the timezones. It is also cooler in the summer and usually less busy.
I am tired physically but refreshed mentally before the work even starts.
This sounds incredible. I'm more annoyed I've never thought to do this myself.
It's a really nice setup. We try to plan it around a low-cost lodging option (one of our houses or a family cottage). You end up with a week long vacation for basically the cost of travel (at least for biking).
Where are you finding all the good night skiing?
My wife and I moved to Wausau, WI for her residency. Granite Peak is pretty much in our backyard. It's a midwest "mountain" but it does the job. Extremely nice to get out for an hour after work.
Many of the midwest hills near major cities have night skiing nearly every day of the week.
Steamboat is probably the most well known "big resort".
Many of the midwest hills near major cities have night skiing nearly every day of the week.
Steamboat is probably the most well known "big resort".
Mt Hood is about 1.5 hours outside of Portland, OR and has good night skiing.
I have done night skiing when I worked in Detroit.
Brighton, UT has some night time skiing (I think until 9 pm).
The thing I dislike about working in an office is that it feels like working remote without any of the benefits. I work with people in different offices, which is basically the same as being remote. Instead of talking directly with people, I ping them on Slack to see if they can talk, which is basically the same as being remote. I go to meetings which all use Zoom to accommodate remote workers, which is the same as being remote. People work from home on some days when I'm in the office, which is the same as being remote. So what's the purpose of going into the office again?! Commuting isn't worth the free snacks in the kitchen area.
EDIT: probably the most compelling reason to go into the office is that the company hasn't made working remotely an optimized experience.
EDIT: probably the most compelling reason to go into the office is that the company hasn't made working remotely an optimized experience.
That's the annoying aspect of using flex-workspots in a completely non-static environment. It doesn't make sense force that if no other teammember works in the same spot. Even then you could argue that it should not be mandatory.
I have the option to work remotely and in the office (office is 20 minutes away when there's no traffic), I prefer going into the office when my work requires collabing with a colleague (dev work). But when I'm working on stuff solo I prefer to work from home, as there are no distractions there. I think I get more done in half a day at home than I normally do in a full-day at work.
I have the option to work remotely and in the office (office is 20 minutes away when there's no traffic), I prefer going into the office when my work requires collabing with a colleague (dev work). But when I'm working on stuff solo I prefer to work from home, as there are no distractions there. I think I get more done in half a day at home than I normally do in a full-day at work.
Let me work from home from a low cost of living area, where there is an inexpensive coworking space where I can work with others and have camaraderie, but also build a professional network (getting hired is who you know more than what you know). My coworking space might even have some gym equipment and showers for during lunch, as well as free parking, but also be close enough I could ride a bike if I was feeling ambitious. If my gig doesn't work out, because I work with others from other orgs, I can find a gig elsewhere rapidly that also supports remote work (or pickup freelance work). WFH is a misnomer, a poor term. People want flexibility, so give them flexibility. "Work where you want, when you want, as long as the work gets done."
This is what I do today. I eat lunch with my wife and kids, and I am always home for breakfast and dinner, but I have space to focus on work (it is crucial IMHO to separate your work and home spaces, based on six years of remote work) and an area to have meetings if needed. There is no reason this model can't scale up; less WeWork, more Mr Money Mustache's coworking space [1]. Some travel might be required occasionally, but I've found all remote roles and orgs experience this; it's the entry ticket for having an amazingly higher quality of life compared to an "on site" role.
Alternatively, I know people who work 8-9 hours in an office complex with 100 mile round trip commutes. Hard pass. You want help building a coworking space? I will help you build a coworking space. This is the future of work.
[1] https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/hq/
This is what I do today. I eat lunch with my wife and kids, and I am always home for breakfast and dinner, but I have space to focus on work (it is crucial IMHO to separate your work and home spaces, based on six years of remote work) and an area to have meetings if needed. There is no reason this model can't scale up; less WeWork, more Mr Money Mustache's coworking space [1]. Some travel might be required occasionally, but I've found all remote roles and orgs experience this; it's the entry ticket for having an amazingly higher quality of life compared to an "on site" role.
Alternatively, I know people who work 8-9 hours in an office complex with 100 mile round trip commutes. Hard pass. You want help building a coworking space? I will help you build a coworking space. This is the future of work.
[1] https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/hq/
> The office is 5-20 minutes away. There is a good work culture. You have friends at the office. You can easily go home for a quick errand at lunch. WFH wouldn't be as appealing.
That's pretty much my situation. On top of that, we have 8-person rooms (as opposed to hangar-like open space) and plenty of bigger and smaller conference/private work rooms for times when you want to isolate yourself. Add excellent coffee (no free food though - this is Europe, free food is not widely adopted here yet). Working in such office is pretty cool and even though I have option to work remotely 100% of the time, I still come to the office 3 or 4 times a week.
That's pretty much my situation. On top of that, we have 8-person rooms (as opposed to hangar-like open space) and plenty of bigger and smaller conference/private work rooms for times when you want to isolate yourself. Add excellent coffee (no free food though - this is Europe, free food is not widely adopted here yet). Working in such office is pretty cool and even though I have option to work remotely 100% of the time, I still come to the office 3 or 4 times a week.
Sounds like heaven. In which country do you work?
Poland. This is mostly luck of the draw though, as the office I work in was voted by some design/architecture experts to be the best office park in the whole metro area. It is definitely not a standard. Before moving there, the company hosted us in a drab place with 20 person rooms and almost none meeting/solitude rooms. It was hellish.
Sure. In the absolute worst case, WFH is better. That doesn't really tell us anything.
The average commute is 26.9 minutes, and that is heavily skewed by metropolitan areas. Some data here[1].
Now let's consider the worst case WFH scenario: you're paid less, promotions are less frequent, there is less comradery among your team, you feel lonely because you spent your whole workday alone. You get the point.
Obviously, the best case scenario is to allow workers to decide what they want to do. Picking the form of work that fits your personality, your career, your home life, your values, etc and then trying to force that on 300+ million people is absurd. The good news is that a substantial amount of people do get to choose[2].
[1] https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/wo...
[2] https://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/206033/america-comin...
The average commute is 26.9 minutes, and that is heavily skewed by metropolitan areas. Some data here[1].
Now let's consider the worst case WFH scenario: you're paid less, promotions are less frequent, there is less comradery among your team, you feel lonely because you spent your whole workday alone. You get the point.
Obviously, the best case scenario is to allow workers to decide what they want to do. Picking the form of work that fits your personality, your career, your home life, your values, etc and then trying to force that on 300+ million people is absurd. The good news is that a substantial amount of people do get to choose[2].
[1] https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/wo...
[2] https://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/206033/america-comin...
This is a straw-man - I didn't propose the worst case. There are many cases which are far worse.
So already that is, on average, 1 hour lost per commuting. A huge portion would have commutes worse than that. That data would always be skewed by metro areas - that is where most people live, and where housing would force people to take long commutes.
> Now let's consider the worst case WFH scenario: you're paid less, promotions are less frequent, there is less comradery among your team, you feel lonely because you spent your whole workday alone. You get the point.
Why would you argue this, if in the very first sentence of your reply, you stated the worst case "doesn't really tell us anything?"
Back to the straw-man point - no one is suggesting that anyone be forced to do anything. Just pointing out why many would like an option to WFH whereas others may not. I agree overall that more choice and flexibility is good.
So already that is, on average, 1 hour lost per commuting. A huge portion would have commutes worse than that. That data would always be skewed by metro areas - that is where most people live, and where housing would force people to take long commutes.
> Now let's consider the worst case WFH scenario: you're paid less, promotions are less frequent, there is less comradery among your team, you feel lonely because you spent your whole workday alone. You get the point.
Why would you argue this, if in the very first sentence of your reply, you stated the worst case "doesn't really tell us anything?"
Back to the straw-man point - no one is suggesting that anyone be forced to do anything. Just pointing out why many would like an option to WFH whereas others may not. I agree overall that more choice and flexibility is good.
I think it's a mistake to view all commuting time as "lost".
For example, my commute is about 40 minutes door to door. But I walk to work and listen to podcasts as I go so I'm getting some light exercise and catching up on things I want to listen to. If I didn't do these as part of my commute, I'd have to find other time to do them. I also find it helpful mentally to have a "transition" time between home and work to get ready for my day or wind down after work when things are getting more stressful, and I've heard others say the same.
Friends who commute to work on the train use the time to read books or sleep. Again, if they didn't do these things then, they'd need to find some other time to do them so the actual amount of lost time is pretty small.
For example, my commute is about 40 minutes door to door. But I walk to work and listen to podcasts as I go so I'm getting some light exercise and catching up on things I want to listen to. If I didn't do these as part of my commute, I'd have to find other time to do them. I also find it helpful mentally to have a "transition" time between home and work to get ready for my day or wind down after work when things are getting more stressful, and I've heard others say the same.
Friends who commute to work on the train use the time to read books or sleep. Again, if they didn't do these things then, they'd need to find some other time to do them so the actual amount of lost time is pretty small.
> * I think it's a mistake to view all commuting time as "lost".*
I think it's a mistake to claim something as subjective as a fact.
To me it's lost and that's that. I don't want to isolate myself with music or podcasts. I dislike earplugs because they make my ears hurt, I don't want to lug around big headphones, I like it when I can put everything I need for going out in my pockets, and I also don't process learning material well while I am physically moving (or waiting for my transport to move me around).
You simply made the best out of your way of life and that's cool. Just don't assume everyone else wants to do the same.
To me all time spent going from point A to point B -- in a work setting, mind you, I quite like travelling outside of work -- is lost in a meaningless way.
I think it's a mistake to claim something as subjective as a fact.
To me it's lost and that's that. I don't want to isolate myself with music or podcasts. I dislike earplugs because they make my ears hurt, I don't want to lug around big headphones, I like it when I can put everything I need for going out in my pockets, and I also don't process learning material well while I am physically moving (or waiting for my transport to move me around).
You simply made the best out of your way of life and that's cool. Just don't assume everyone else wants to do the same.
To me all time spent going from point A to point B -- in a work setting, mind you, I quite like travelling outside of work -- is lost in a meaningless way.
> I dislike earplugs because they make my ears hurt,
Same here, they also set off my tinnitus.
Same here, they also set off my tinnitus.
==To me it’s lost and that’s that==
Seems pretty close minded. All of the things you mention can be achieved on a commute. Leave your computer in the office and don’t isolate yourself with music or podcasts on the walk.
Seems pretty close minded. All of the things you mention can be achieved on a commute. Leave your computer in the office and don’t isolate yourself with music or podcasts on the walk.
You seem to miss the point. I want to achieve certain amount of things done during my day. Commuting is a completely empty time for me since I can't use it to invest in education, nor do I like sitting around waiting to arrive to somewhere.
You might call it close-minded which is not a productive way to discuss. I call it a preference, one I had a long time to realise I was having. I tried being productive on commutes, never liked it and it was even making me tired very quickly.
You might call it close-minded which is not a productive way to discuss. I call it a preference, one I had a long time to realise I was having. I tried being productive on commutes, never liked it and it was even making me tired very quickly.
The phrase, “to me it’s lost and that’s that”, doesn’t really imply there is a productive discussion to be had. You found what works for you, congrats. Loads of other people are in the middle-ground trying to find out what might work for them.
I have given my conclusion at the start and then elaborated on it which seems like I'm at least explaining my point of view.
Nitpicking on the format of my comment like you are doing isn't helpful though so let's just stop. :)
Nitpicking on the format of my comment like you are doing isn't helpful though so let's just stop. :)
What about the vast majority of people driving to work instead of using public transport? I agree with the posts below, commuting is a waste of my time I’m expected to pay for. Another way to look at it, why are we generating all these pollutants to run our transportation systems twice a day for people who are either incapable of working at home or need some sort of social interaction while at work (the most ridiculous pro office work argument I’ve seen today so far)
This is really important! I really enjoyed my 30-minute walking commute. It didn't feel like wasted time: I got exercise and time to think and all of that stuff.
It also gives me the chance to explore a bit on my way home (since I don't have time constraints).
It also gives me the chance to explore a bit on my way home (since I don't have time constraints).
Best commute I ever had was a 1 hour cycle that was mostly uphill and into the prevailing wind in the morning.
It's a mistake to limit your view towards either of both stances.
Here's a great study about the complexity of associating well-being and commuting:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11116-019-09983-9...
Whether your commute sucks depends on the direct context: modes of transport, time of day,... But it also depends on why you ended up choosing to accept the commute and the trade-offs you made that made you end up in that position.
The study does report that longer commutes have a clear negative impact on subjective well-being. Sure, it's nice to read or sleep on a train or bus. But if you're spending 3 hours a day between doors, you're not spending that time on other, deeply personal, pursuits: taking care of your kids, taking a walk through the park, spending time with family or friends, cooking a proper meal for yourself, working out, etc. etc.
Tons of people spend hours on the road or in the train between urban centers and suburban areas. Why? Because the former is where they'd find the job they need to be able to afford to live in the latter. That's how you come to see things like "sleeper" or "commuter" towns: partly deserted areas where a large part of the population has gone away for the day. Which, of course, impacts local economy and social structures.
Modern commuting is a relatively new evolution. Historically, work and home life bled into one another and people lived close to their work, depending on the context. There were absolutely obvious drawbacks, but you'd also see that society consisted of local communities with a strong social cohesion. Modern commuting is a side effect of the rise of the modern workplace from the early to mid-20th century on.
Commuting is also caused by a process called gentrification: the renovation of urban neighborhoods, and as a result the influx of a more wealthy demographic pushing out the poorer strata who can't afford housing anymore. Let's not forget that some modern hip and famous urban neighborhoods in New York, San Fransisco, Paris, Berlin or London historically used to be ghetto's where poor and destitute lived in tenamments.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentrification
Now, I don't think that a single flu epidemic or a recession is going to suddenly change how we are going to live and work overnight. Instead, I think we'll rather see profound changes over the course of the next 50 years as populations are ageing and our very lifestyle and Modern Way of Living - including commuting, views on family choices and high education levels - will (and already is) spawning fundamental and existential questions among young people.
Here's a great study about the complexity of associating well-being and commuting:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11116-019-09983-9...
Whether your commute sucks depends on the direct context: modes of transport, time of day,... But it also depends on why you ended up choosing to accept the commute and the trade-offs you made that made you end up in that position.
The study does report that longer commutes have a clear negative impact on subjective well-being. Sure, it's nice to read or sleep on a train or bus. But if you're spending 3 hours a day between doors, you're not spending that time on other, deeply personal, pursuits: taking care of your kids, taking a walk through the park, spending time with family or friends, cooking a proper meal for yourself, working out, etc. etc.
Tons of people spend hours on the road or in the train between urban centers and suburban areas. Why? Because the former is where they'd find the job they need to be able to afford to live in the latter. That's how you come to see things like "sleeper" or "commuter" towns: partly deserted areas where a large part of the population has gone away for the day. Which, of course, impacts local economy and social structures.
Modern commuting is a relatively new evolution. Historically, work and home life bled into one another and people lived close to their work, depending on the context. There were absolutely obvious drawbacks, but you'd also see that society consisted of local communities with a strong social cohesion. Modern commuting is a side effect of the rise of the modern workplace from the early to mid-20th century on.
Commuting is also caused by a process called gentrification: the renovation of urban neighborhoods, and as a result the influx of a more wealthy demographic pushing out the poorer strata who can't afford housing anymore. Let's not forget that some modern hip and famous urban neighborhoods in New York, San Fransisco, Paris, Berlin or London historically used to be ghetto's where poor and destitute lived in tenamments.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentrification
Now, I don't think that a single flu epidemic or a recession is going to suddenly change how we are going to live and work overnight. Instead, I think we'll rather see profound changes over the course of the next 50 years as populations are ageing and our very lifestyle and Modern Way of Living - including commuting, views on family choices and high education levels - will (and already is) spawning fundamental and existential questions among young people.
Two things, your source for travel times puts average San Diego commute at 26 minutes. It’s more like 1 hour minimum depending on what time of day you leave. I’d question the accuracy of this data even though it’s gov data. It looks like you picked the best case here yourself.
Second thing, not everybody has a need or even a want to be around people during their work day. I have horrible ADD, socializing at work means I get nothing done. Further why do you get less promotions and pay and why does team comradery suffer? I can’t see a correlation between WFH and those items you listed.
Second thing, not everybody has a need or even a want to be around people during their work day. I have horrible ADD, socializing at work means I get nothing done. Further why do you get less promotions and pay and why does team comradery suffer? I can’t see a correlation between WFH and those items you listed.
Consider that instead of paying a big metro salary, your employer will do what defense contractors do... pay 120% of the median salary in Nowhereville.
The defense contractor can't offshore your job. Once we normalize WFH, give it a decade and SWE salaries will be 120% of India, not 120% of Nowhereville.
My employer would rather pay 120% of Nowhereville for a dev in the eastern standard time zone than pay an Indian salary for that exact same dev working in India. And they'd even rather pay 120% of east coast major metro salary for that same dev commuting to their major metro office at least a few days a week.
I get the impression that much of the non-core software dev has already been sent to India. Much of what's left is core to the business and highly speed/quality sensitive, less price sensitive. Some of it even got offshored then reshored when management realized that time/language/culture/etc issues impose a variety of real costs that may or may not be acceptable depending on the project.
I get the impression that much of the non-core software dev has already been sent to India. Much of what's left is core to the business and highly speed/quality sensitive, less price sensitive. Some of it even got offshored then reshored when management realized that time/language/culture/etc issues impose a variety of real costs that may or may not be acceptable depending on the project.
There are still significant challenges wrt workplace culture, meeting times, organizational setup (how work is actually synchronized between timezones/handed off), and, most importantly, language.
That said, a decade is a long time from now.
That said, a decade is a long time from now.
Language can be learned; but working with an European/US West/Malaysian team was a nightmare, because there's no way to schedule anything in everyone's daytime, and the resulting latency has horrible knock-on effects. Everything else can be changed, but the rotation of the Earth is...sort of non-negotiable.
(Mind you, we avoided actual teleconferences like the plague, but even sending an email was problematic: "yeah, this needs to go to A in Malaysia. God forbid that it then needs to go to B in USA, and then to C in Europe, because that's two whole days until you get a reply, minimum". Persuading people to work night shifts didn't quite work, either.)
(Mind you, we avoided actual teleconferences like the plague, but even sending an email was problematic: "yeah, this needs to go to A in Malaysia. God forbid that it then needs to go to B in USA, and then to C in Europe, because that's two whole days until you get a reply, minimum". Persuading people to work night shifts didn't quite work, either.)
> Language can be learned
Sure, but that doesn't mean they're communicating in the same way. You've got to learn (or unlearn) cultural aspects, too.
Then throw in the timezone difference, and a clear level-of-effort difference aka "case of the fuck-its", and you get a workflow that is entirely different from the local office.
We got around the time difference by offshoring in Latin America, who are on the same timezones.
Sure, but that doesn't mean they're communicating in the same way. You've got to learn (or unlearn) cultural aspects, too.
Then throw in the timezone difference, and a clear level-of-effort difference aka "case of the fuck-its", and you get a workflow that is entirely different from the local office.
We got around the time difference by offshoring in Latin America, who are on the same timezones.
Yes the commute is incredibly draining
This is absolutely the issue! I wish companies would consider small satellite offices.
"The office is 5-20 minutes away" is unrealistic if you plan on having a family AND a career that involves working in more than one place.
Heck even the bad scenario "The office is 1 hour away" is kind of optimistic given how population is distributed.
So remote work is the future for most senior/sufficiently advanced knowledge jobs in my view.
Another option to greatly improve that second scenario for people who can't or don't want WFH is giving the option to work something like 11 AM - 8 PM instead 8 AM - 5 PM, to miss the bad traffic. If that schedule fits in with the life outside of work, it could make that job a lot less frustrating.
This is what I did, until HR said people are working too many long hours and decided to close the office earlier. They actually did a cost cut on the electricity and security of the building, but the effect is they pretend to care about the employees and they close the office before the end of the rush hours. Years ago, I was leaving the office at night when the commute was as low as 15 minutes, at rush hour with a car it takes up to 2 hours per direction (11 miles).
People can do both. Our last startup had a small permanent HQ, flexible WFH, and a Regus subscription.
All of our employees loved being able to WRF or get an office wherever they needed, especially sales who could meet in a local space close to their meetings for that day.
All of our employees loved being able to WRF or get an office wherever they needed, especially sales who could meet in a local space close to their meetings for that day.
Yeah 95% < 20 minute public transportation for me. Very little interest in working from home.
So maybe many of the people who love WFH really just hate their commutes.
Yet another YIMBY argument in disguise.
Yet another YIMBY argument in disguise.
Yeah, pretty much. 1+ hour of my life that I can't get back that's just getting from point A to point B to generate wealth for someone else. I can generate wealth for someone else at home in my sweatpants just as well thank you very much.
Plus the MMM guy calculated that each mile you shave off of your commute saves you like ~700 bucks a year (driving). I haven't owned a car for 3+ years so that's moot to me, but the not-having-a-car cost savings have been fantastic.
Plus the MMM guy calculated that each mile you shave off of your commute saves you like ~700 bucks a year (driving). I haven't owned a car for 3+ years so that's moot to me, but the not-having-a-car cost savings have been fantastic.
I don't think it's in disguise. Many WFH threads here on HN have people openly saying they dislike the commute and the office atmosphere that prevents them from focusing.
Yes to disliking both the commute and especially the loud office atmosphere that prevents focusing.
I am faced with B but I achieve A by driving a motorcycle.
You know what?
I bet you, most people don't enjoy wasting 3h+ of the day commuting. Waking up at the crack of dawn to rush into the office.
They probably don't enjoy the forced beer night outs with coworkers and mundane water cooler conversations either. They have real friends and loved ones they rather be with.
People go to work so that they can put food on the table, they don't go to the office to socialize. There are plenty of better ways to interact with people other than the office.
I bet you, they also rather use their own private washrooms. Eat fresh food at home and be in their comfortable A/C home rather than a cramped office.
Just because the society demands that everyone joins the rat race to go to the office, it doesn't mean it's an acceptable status quo.
They probably don't enjoy the forced beer night outs with coworkers and mundane water cooler conversations either. They have real friends and loved ones they rather be with.
People go to work so that they can put food on the table, they don't go to the office to socialize. There are plenty of better ways to interact with people other than the office.
I bet you, they also rather use their own private washrooms. Eat fresh food at home and be in their comfortable A/C home rather than a cramped office.
Just because the society demands that everyone joins the rat race to go to the office, it doesn't mean it's an acceptable status quo.
In regards to the commute, you're probably right. But you live in a bubble if you think those most workers see nights out with their coworkers as "forced". After-work happy hours are the absolute highlight of the week/month for most people I know that work in banking, consulting, sales, education, etc. Many of them will even voluntarily meet up outside of work to spend more time together.
Many people, especially those in non-tech industries, aren't so introverted as most SWEs, and are actually friends with their coworkers and love the opportunity to socialize throughout the day while at work. Most everyone I know that works outside of tech would dread the thought of having to spend every day alone at home without people to chat with in the break room. Just because you apparently have such a negative attitude towards your coworkers does not mean that most others do.
Many people, especially those in non-tech industries, aren't so introverted as most SWEs, and are actually friends with their coworkers and love the opportunity to socialize throughout the day while at work. Most everyone I know that works outside of tech would dread the thought of having to spend every day alone at home without people to chat with in the break room. Just because you apparently have such a negative attitude towards your coworkers does not mean that most others do.
That's until you reach a certain point in your life (baby, sponse) or the staff changes or teams structure.
We've all been there. The strongest bonds were made at my first few companies. Once you leave and are no longer friends hanging out you'll probably realize they are not true friends. But those times were great.
Besides we in tech need to go home to work on our side project.
We've all been there. The strongest bonds were made at my first few companies. Once you leave and are no longer friends hanging out you'll probably realize they are not true friends. But those times were great.
Besides we in tech need to go home to work on our side project.
> That's until you reach a certain point in your life (baby, sponse)
I’m past that point, as are all of my friends. Nothing in my comment is changed by that fact.
If anything, coworker relationships actually become more important as you get older and your other friends start to drift away. Post age 30, work is one of the best (if not the only, for most people) opportunities to socialize and make friends. I’ve noticed that people in other fields realize this and take advantage of it, but those in technical positions don’t, and many techies seem to even actively despise that aspect.
I’m past that point, as are all of my friends. Nothing in my comment is changed by that fact.
If anything, coworker relationships actually become more important as you get older and your other friends start to drift away. Post age 30, work is one of the best (if not the only, for most people) opportunities to socialize and make friends. I’ve noticed that people in other fields realize this and take advantage of it, but those in technical positions don’t, and many techies seem to even actively despise that aspect.
We are being treated as interchangeable cogwheels. At certain point you do start to despise the social aspects of work, yes.
Plus, I've had several people -- all the way to the CEO -- assure me how much I am appreciated and even looked at as a superhuman, yet 2 months later boom, we have to lay you off.
Defense mechanism or not, it's pretty normal to not mix personal and work lives and you pretending it's not dysfunctional to have friends at work is actually a bit worrying. You just got lucky, mate. That's cool and I am happy for you. But you should recognise it should absolutely not be the normal state of affairs.
Plus, I've had several people -- all the way to the CEO -- assure me how much I am appreciated and even looked at as a superhuman, yet 2 months later boom, we have to lay you off.
Defense mechanism or not, it's pretty normal to not mix personal and work lives and you pretending it's not dysfunctional to have friends at work is actually a bit worrying. You just got lucky, mate. That's cool and I am happy for you. But you should recognise it should absolutely not be the normal state of affairs.
No, I’m sorry that your situation is the way it is, but the dysfunctional mindset here is the one that thinks that making friends is not normal. If you really think the way that your post describes, you should find a new job ASAP because it is absolutely not healthy to view such a large portion of your life that way.
Being laid off has nothing to do with friendship. As your post even says, you should separate personal from business. I know several people who were separated from places of work and still maintain strong bonds with their now-former coworkers. I personally left my company of 5 years on not-so-great terms and yet several of the people in my wedding party are coworkers from that job. Work is a great place to begin friendships, and just because you no longer work at the same company does not mean your friendship has to end. And that’s the way it should be.
Being laid off has nothing to do with friendship. As your post even says, you should separate personal from business. I know several people who were separated from places of work and still maintain strong bonds with their now-former coworkers. I personally left my company of 5 years on not-so-great terms and yet several of the people in my wedding party are coworkers from that job. Work is a great place to begin friendships, and just because you no longer work at the same company does not mean your friendship has to end. And that’s the way it should be.
Well, I don't think we disagree. I know that friendships can start at work and I'm okay with that. I was mostly saying that it shouldn't be the norm because mixing work and personal life can lead to pretty nasty problems.
I too have a few pleasant acquaintances that are former co-workers, by the way.
I too have a few pleasant acquaintances that are former co-workers, by the way.
Your original comment states that it is “dysfunctional to have friends at work”. We absolutely disagree.
Seems like we do then. In my eyes it's something that shouldn't be encouraged but also shouldn't be resisted if it happens naturally.
I've observed a lot of Stockholm syndrome in people in offices and that made me believe many are forcing relationships at work so at to make their workplace more tolerable. I could be wrong though.
I've observed a lot of Stockholm syndrome in people in offices and that made me believe many are forcing relationships at work so at to make their workplace more tolerable. I could be wrong though.
Yeah... it's called being polite and sociable
> Plus, I've had several people -- all the way to the CEO -- assure me how much I am appreciated and even looked at as a superhuman, yet 2 months later boom, we have to lay you off.
It most likely wasn't their choice. You can't really have that affect your friendships.
It most likely wasn't their choice. You can't really have that affect your friendships.
Coworkers are not your friends. If they are, I think it's unhealthy because it mean you have sentimental bound with the company you work for. That mix badly with business (because the relationship you have with your company is a business one).
If an other company offer XX% more than your current company but you stay for your "friends" you could have a big disappointment in the future.
If an other company offer XX% more than your current company but you stay for your "friends" you could have a big disappointment in the future.
I personally think this would be a very difficult mindset to have in regards to an environment I spend so much of my time in. Just because you have a financial business relationship with your employer does not mean you can’t have friendships with other people that also have business relationships with your employer. It would be unhealthy to not have some type of friendship with people you spend so much time with.
The majority of my closest friends (and their closest friends) are people that started from work relationships and we have had no problem leaving those companies when the time came, and we have maintained our friendships. It’s not any different than any other friendship where people sometimes move or start new hobbies.
That said, if someone does choose to stay at a specific company because they have friends there... so what? Having a strong social circle and support network is, in many cases, a better reason to work at a company than a higher paycheck.
The majority of my closest friends (and their closest friends) are people that started from work relationships and we have had no problem leaving those companies when the time came, and we have maintained our friendships. It’s not any different than any other friendship where people sometimes move or start new hobbies.
That said, if someone does choose to stay at a specific company because they have friends there... so what? Having a strong social circle and support network is, in many cases, a better reason to work at a company than a higher paycheck.
I definitely have work friends, but it's disingenuous to call most peoples relationship with their boss just a "financial relationship".
In the US your healthcare and well-being are pretty much dependent on your job. And make no mistake, this is 2020, where your org will fire you for any reason so long as it makes sense to an MBA. As your sole source of income and healthcare they wield immense power in your life, and any interactions you have with coworkers or other work-related engagements are going to revolve around that power disparity in some way. Sure there are freelancers and well paid devs who can come and go as they please, but those are a tiny minority compared to all of those who are thusly constrained.
Point is, don't make work your social life cuz when they fire your ass you're going to lose your support network AND your meal ticket.
In the US your healthcare and well-being are pretty much dependent on your job. And make no mistake, this is 2020, where your org will fire you for any reason so long as it makes sense to an MBA. As your sole source of income and healthcare they wield immense power in your life, and any interactions you have with coworkers or other work-related engagements are going to revolve around that power disparity in some way. Sure there are freelancers and well paid devs who can come and go as they please, but those are a tiny minority compared to all of those who are thusly constrained.
Point is, don't make work your social life cuz when they fire your ass you're going to lose your support network AND your meal ticket.
Two thoughts:
1) This is a self fulfilling prophecy. It's no secret that when it comes time to let people go (or time to promote), managers (even the MBA boogeymen) will stick their neck out for people they like more than for people they do not know. If you're continuously being dropped like a hot rock by your employers and you don't think it's because of performance reasons, perhaps you should reconsider your work relationship habits.
2) What's with the notion that you "lose your support network" just because you get fired? There is no reason that you should stop being friends with people just because you lose your job, even if those friendships stemmed from your workplace. I understand that it may be more difficult to find the time to socialize with them if you are not at work with them (which is exactly why it's worth it to go to those "forced beer nights" and build a relationship outside the context of work), but that doesn't mean you should stop putting in the effort and cut ties entirely.
Even if you are entirely career focused, getting fired is a situation in which you should actually lean heavier on your support network, especially coworker friends, as they are the ones that most likely can do the most to help you find a replacement job.
1) This is a self fulfilling prophecy. It's no secret that when it comes time to let people go (or time to promote), managers (even the MBA boogeymen) will stick their neck out for people they like more than for people they do not know. If you're continuously being dropped like a hot rock by your employers and you don't think it's because of performance reasons, perhaps you should reconsider your work relationship habits.
2) What's with the notion that you "lose your support network" just because you get fired? There is no reason that you should stop being friends with people just because you lose your job, even if those friendships stemmed from your workplace. I understand that it may be more difficult to find the time to socialize with them if you are not at work with them (which is exactly why it's worth it to go to those "forced beer nights" and build a relationship outside the context of work), but that doesn't mean you should stop putting in the effort and cut ties entirely.
Even if you are entirely career focused, getting fired is a situation in which you should actually lean heavier on your support network, especially coworker friends, as they are the ones that most likely can do the most to help you find a replacement job.
I've group friends at work and we have a whatsapp group where we talk at least a few times a week. Three people in our group of 6 left for new jobs this past year and we're still in contact. One guy moved to Michigan for a job last June. He came back to NY just to visit us and we organized a few dinners and get togethers during his stay. It's not really a farfetched idea to love the people you work with every day.
I would have hard time calling those kind of people my friend by my definition of friendship.
How much time do you see those people IRL ? Online relationship meaning nothing to me.
The work place force relation between people. I work with a guy I hate for almost 2 years. You are not my friend because I m forced to work with you. You are my friend if you are willing to make a sacrifice for me the same way I would for you.
If changing employers is what breaks the friendship, then it wasn't a very good friendship to begin with.
I really don't see the issue in socialising with colleagues and potentially becoming friends.
I really don't see the issue in socialising with colleagues and potentially becoming friends.
I think you make some valid points for some people, but I think you may be overlooking the fact that for some, the social connections made at work can be very valuable. Especially for people who recently move to a new area, "work friends" can be as valuable as other social groups.
I go to the office to socialize. Its not my primary reason of course, but I value the conversations I have over lunch, and we often take time to play games after work or get involved in sports as a bonding experience. To dismiss the social aspects of office work is going a bit too far.
I accept though that many people feel like you do in this case. I just want to point out that many people may value the things that you do not.
I go to the office to socialize. Its not my primary reason of course, but I value the conversations I have over lunch, and we often take time to play games after work or get involved in sports as a bonding experience. To dismiss the social aspects of office work is going a bit too far.
I accept though that many people feel like you do in this case. I just want to point out that many people may value the things that you do not.
> I bet you, they also rather use their own private washrooms.
Underrated perk. I used to have to go down 6 floors and search for a nice, hidden restroom on a mostly female floor to be comfortable.
Underrated perk. I used to have to go down 6 floors and search for a nice, hidden restroom on a mostly female floor to be comfortable.
Being in charge of what paper products are purchased is a strong perk as well. Ditto the coffee beans, afternoon tea & Pens stocked by the office manager (me)
> They probably don't enjoy the forced beer night outs with coworkers and mundane water cooler conversations either
Those mundane water cooler conversations are the only conversations I'd get if I weren't in the office. I enjoy them.
> There are plenty of better ways to interact with people other than the office
Like what?
Those mundane water cooler conversations are the only conversations I'd get if I weren't in the office. I enjoy them.
> There are plenty of better ways to interact with people other than the office
Like what?
Lots of people prefer different things. I'm not sure I understand the acrimony here. My point was that they can be advantages to being in person and this wfh Utopia is not one size fits all.
Your experience and personal issues don't reflect the thinking of the rest of the world
> wasting 3h+ of the day commuting
It's not wasting, it's time to myself.
Do you have kids?
I get a lot done during that time, I need that.
It's not wasting, it's time to myself.
Do you have kids?
I get a lot done during that time, I need that.
not sure why this is so downvoted
Commuting (if done by public transport anyway) can be productive time, personal development time, gaming time, reading time etc. It's often the only time people get to themselves all day.
Even if you drive, there are podcasts and audiobooks.
Commuting (if done by public transport anyway) can be productive time, personal development time, gaming time, reading time etc. It's often the only time people get to themselves all day.
Even if you drive, there are podcasts and audiobooks.
You have got to be kidding me. Melting precious, finite fossil fuels to spend time going to your job because you need time away from your family? How can you sincerely sit here and type this?
I’ll take the downvotes- this is absurdity.
I’ll take the downvotes- this is absurdity.
Agreed. It's funny that they're failing to see the irony that WFH is a way for them to reclaim that time, by instead of being forced to commute, bugging off to your nearest coffee shop and getting some of that time for yourself without the hassle.
Also, some people don't get to commute on comfy trains, ubers, or cars, and instead have to take crowded subway trains where this time is for themselves and shared with the other 6 people touching their body and breathing down their neck.
Also, some people don't get to commute on comfy trains, ubers, or cars, and instead have to take crowded subway trains where this time is for themselves and shared with the other 6 people touching their body and breathing down their neck.
Commuting by car is mostly wasted time too unless you really like audiobooks and podcasts.
I've often marveled at the absurdity of how many of my coworkers openly admit that a big appeal of the office for them is getting away from their wives and kids. Healthy and normal!
Before becoming a parent I wondered about it too. Now I understand. Little kids are a disaster to one's brainpower and sanity. WFH with an infant next door is much harder. Going to an office to work really feels like a break instead of a chore.
In my life experience, myself included, I often knew about something a lot when, in fact, I really didn't. I suspect those that are down-voting us older people haven't yet experienced what we did or are.
I believe so. Before my daughter was born, I thought I knew what to expect. I was very wrong, but not in the things I thought I might be. A lot of minutiae of parenthood caught me by surprise - and ended up explaining mysteries like suddenly starting to enjoy the office.
I've been working from home for 8 years. If you really desire the commute, just go drive around. Or, better yet, take a walk or bike. I do this every day in the summer. It's much more enjoyable than being packed in traffic.
It’s sad that you have so little control over your time. This is an extreme rationalization if I’ve ever heard it. Wouldn’t you rather have alone time anywhere else but crammed in a train? Perhaps, a park?
A train, not too crammed and with a table, is actually a nice place to be alone for an hour with one's laptop, working on one's favourite open source project, studying something of interest, or reading Hacker News.
A park is fine for a stroll, a stretch, a bit of fresh air.
But people need quiet, unpressured, indoors time to themselves as well.
Coffee shop outside work time works too, in theory. (Although those can be more packed than a train.)
But you may have to fight to be "allowed" alone time if it appears to be discretionary, because not everyone understands or accepts that. They think it is selfish.
People are strange, and will happily understand and let someone "go to work" with set hours and a "commute". But strangely, not if the someone wants the equivalent personal time outside work with no commute.
You are right that it's sad for someone to have that little control over their time. But it is a fact of life for many people with families. "Work" time is accepted only when the time appears imposed by a third party; self-selected alone time, not so much.
A park is fine for a stroll, a stretch, a bit of fresh air.
But people need quiet, unpressured, indoors time to themselves as well.
Coffee shop outside work time works too, in theory. (Although those can be more packed than a train.)
But you may have to fight to be "allowed" alone time if it appears to be discretionary, because not everyone understands or accepts that. They think it is selfish.
People are strange, and will happily understand and let someone "go to work" with set hours and a "commute". But strangely, not if the someone wants the equivalent personal time outside work with no commute.
You are right that it's sad for someone to have that little control over their time. But it is a fact of life for many people with families. "Work" time is accepted only when the time appears imposed by a third party; self-selected alone time, not so much.
That sounds lovely but doesn't match everyone's experiences. I spent two years commuting from Park Slope to the Upper West Side in NYC for a 9-5 job (so rush hour commutes). Standing room only, two transfers, loud, smelly, and stressful. No way to read or do anything productive.
Public transit vs fighting through traffic is a vastly different experience. Maybe if it was a relaxing drive in, but if you live around a major metro, traffic is probably horrendous and it's hard to enjoy that time.
It can be; it can also be a sardine can with no room for that.
It might be one of those “be careful what you wish for” situation. First, you enjoy the freedom and lack of commute. After ten years your employer folds and you notice you’re all alone.
Work may not be everyone’s primary source of social life, and indeed there seems to be a growing mindset that socializing at work is bad, somehow (probably part of the US culture to reduce all of life to shareholder value).
But even in those cases, my experience has been that I am far more likely to participate in social events on days that I have worked at the office, either because I’m already showere & dressed, and used to “going somewhere”. Or because social events tend to happen closer to where ever I’m working than where I life.
Work may not be everyone’s primary source of social life, and indeed there seems to be a growing mindset that socializing at work is bad, somehow (probably part of the US culture to reduce all of life to shareholder value).
But even in those cases, my experience has been that I am far more likely to participate in social events on days that I have worked at the office, either because I’m already showere & dressed, and used to “going somewhere”. Or because social events tend to happen closer to where ever I’m working than where I life.
> I don't understand the appeal of doing either full-time
It's all about the commute, the office quality, and the office culture.
I'm sure you can imagine how being full-time one or the other would be beneficial depending on how these factors compare.
It's all about the commute, the office quality, and the office culture.
I'm sure you can imagine how being full-time one or the other would be beneficial depending on how these factors compare.
Yeah I work from home 3 days a week. I have a big deal, monitors of my own.
I was talking with someone recently and they were excited to work from home since they bought a new home... so they don't have to work from home from their kitchen table that maybe seats 4 people... maybe.
I think we forget that work from home generally requires some space. Not everyone's home or family situation allows for it.
I was talking with someone recently and they were excited to work from home since they bought a new home... so they don't have to work from home from their kitchen table that maybe seats 4 people... maybe.
I think we forget that work from home generally requires some space. Not everyone's home or family situation allows for it.
Conversely, you can get a lot more space a lot more affordably if you don't have to live within commuting distance of a central business district filled with office buildings.
That's a pretty big commitment to ONLY work at home if you go a ways out, and I suspect where people live isn't entirely relative to their current job.
You don't necessarily have to relocate to a rural area or anything, but you'll have a lot more space and still be able to save money sometimes by living in a 2-3 bedroom in the suburbs rather than a studio apartment downtown.
Many people, especially more recent generations, would happily choose the studio apartment downtown over living in the suburbs even if they worked from home all the time. In my remote job, I personally see the requirement to have more space for a home office as a burden rather than a benefit.
Yeah, most people eventually outgrow that.
Not sure why you think this. Recent trends have shown a massive influx to urban cores, including those of older ages that have families. It has nothing to do with "outgrowing" and everything to do with the fact that people no longer romanticize cookie cutter suburban neighborhoods like they used to. If anything, society is "outgrowing" suburbanization.
Nobody ever romanticized "cookie cutter suburban neighborhoods", they were just a refuge from crime, vagrancy, and the high cost of living in urban areas. All of which are factors that led me to no longer romanticize cities the way you do. The Bay Area might be an exception because not even the suburbs there are affordable, but at least in the Seattle area there's a definite lifestyle split between families and single young men.
Oh yeah totally agreed there.
I do worry that this extends to a sort of class situation where folks again with fewer resources are at a disadvantage as for them they have to go out damn far most places to even start thinking about a home.
I do worry that this extends to a sort of class situation where folks again with fewer resources are at a disadvantage as for them they have to go out damn far most places to even start thinking about a home.
> I also expect that the shift toward WFH will not be a positive thing for highly paid Silicon Valley engineers. Once people are working from home most of the time, it’s not much of a stretch to hire cheaper engineers from a few states over at literally half the cost of a SV engineer. From there, it’s only a few more levels of difficulty to unlock international talent at 1/4 of the price.
That's a fantasy only. The tech giants that are supporting the high salaries can already do all of that. They're not because they can afford to not. They can do max WFH anytime they want to. It is not a first tier concern, it's a third or fourth tier concern, far down the list.
They don't need to hire people for $50,000 instead of $200,000. They need the $200,000 people to keep helping them generate $5b, $10b, $50b per year in operating income. So long as they do, the salaries will remain high. The salary difference on what they could potentially save (and potentially wreck the house instead), is not worth it to do such a major switch.
Microsoft will approximately double in size in the next six or seven years, to $250-$300 billion in sales and $70-$80 billion in operating income. Google and Facebook are in the same growth boat. You think they're so worried about shaving a few pennies of salary cost on those growth machines, that they're going to put their entire systems at risk? No, they won't do that under any circumstance. The only thing they'll do is keep lobbying for importing more tech labor to try to dilute some (they're running the modest risk scenario) and continue to grow outside of SV (and other expensive tech areas like NYC or Seattle) physically as they have been for a long time.
That's a fantasy only. The tech giants that are supporting the high salaries can already do all of that. They're not because they can afford to not. They can do max WFH anytime they want to. It is not a first tier concern, it's a third or fourth tier concern, far down the list.
They don't need to hire people for $50,000 instead of $200,000. They need the $200,000 people to keep helping them generate $5b, $10b, $50b per year in operating income. So long as they do, the salaries will remain high. The salary difference on what they could potentially save (and potentially wreck the house instead), is not worth it to do such a major switch.
Microsoft will approximately double in size in the next six or seven years, to $250-$300 billion in sales and $70-$80 billion in operating income. Google and Facebook are in the same growth boat. You think they're so worried about shaving a few pennies of salary cost on those growth machines, that they're going to put their entire systems at risk? No, they won't do that under any circumstance. The only thing they'll do is keep lobbying for importing more tech labor to try to dilute some (they're running the modest risk scenario) and continue to grow outside of SV (and other expensive tech areas like NYC or Seattle) physically as they have been for a long time.
Yep - satellite office growth isn’t a cost play, it’s a hunger for more bodies that can be thrown at projects that are guaranteed massive ROI.
>From there, it’s only a few more levels of difficulty to unlock international talent at 1/4 of the price.
Nah, I bet language barriers and substantial time zone difference will keep most companies out of that mix. You'd need to change the company a bit more to accommodate that.
Nah, I bet language barriers and substantial time zone difference will keep most companies out of that mix. You'd need to change the company a bit more to accommodate that.
> Nah, I bet language barriers and substantial time zone difference will keep most companies out of that mix. You'd need to change the company a bit more to accommodate that.
I'm speaking from direct experience managing mixed teams of US-based and international remote employees.
Language barrier is not an issue. Most of the top international developers became experts by consuming years of English documentation, tech news, and discussion.
Time zones are the biggest hurdle, but once you get into the flow of an asynchronous routine it's much easier than you expect. In my experience, WFH tech employees like to push workflows toward being asynchronous anyway.
I'm speaking from direct experience managing mixed teams of US-based and international remote employees.
Language barrier is not an issue. Most of the top international developers became experts by consuming years of English documentation, tech news, and discussion.
Time zones are the biggest hurdle, but once you get into the flow of an asynchronous routine it's much easier than you expect. In my experience, WFH tech employees like to push workflows toward being asynchronous anyway.
>Most of the top international developers became experts by consuming years of English documentation, tech news, and discussion.
Sure for top international developers who are fluent in English.
But top international developers who are very fluent in English aren't cheap.
In my experience communication and language skills are even more important in remote work, and the vast majority of cheap international developers do not have those skills in English.
Sure for top international developers who are fluent in English.
But top international developers who are very fluent in English aren't cheap.
In my experience communication and language skills are even more important in remote work, and the vast majority of cheap international developers do not have those skills in English.
I would agree - I managed a team that was mostly Europe and US. Everyone was roughly on par in terms of pay and capabilities and the tz differences were actually advantages. the overlap allowed us to essentially double what could be done in a day. We also had a lot of wfh.. my only issue was I had to keep reminding people they couldn’t check out in meetings. I had one guy who would take calls during meetings and never had a clue what we were talking about. Pretty much everyone did email during meetings... but that’s not just a wfh problem— I had to ask plenty of people in the office to leave their laptops out of meetings. It took awhile but eventually folks paid attention. Personally I’ve worked at least half of my twenty years from home or remote office. I really enjoy being able to mix and match and be strategic with my time.
Language may not be an issue but comprehension is a huge problem.
Language barriers aren't relevant when the country you're outsourcing to has the same primary language. TZ differences are a non-issue for distributed companies already using JIRA and Slack for everything. Those two things would only even be a concern for the tiniest minority of companies.
I'm a software engineer based in Brisbane, Australia, I've worked for two US-based startups who were specifically growing their offices in Australia because it's cheaper to hire for the same roles here than in the US.
I'm a software engineer based in Brisbane, Australia, I've worked for two US-based startups who were specifically growing their offices in Australia because it's cheaper to hire for the same roles here than in the US.
Offshoring has been tried and only succeeds under very specific circumstances and with very specific conditions. For one, not all engineering talent is created equal. You'd be surprised at how important language and culture are to succesfully building a technology product. So it's not just a few more levels of difficulty. It can sometimes be completely insurmountable to hire good quality talent overseas, especially if you don't know how to go about doing it, don't understand the culture of the country you're hiring from or it's business practices or don't know how to properly structure and manage your projects which is difficult enough as it is with local talent.
Besides, this assumes that "WFH" will be normalized which I doubt will happen. It will be forced on us, but workplaces are social places just as much as they are places to do work.
Beyond that, this all assumes that SARS-COV-2 is a true epidemic of proportions we haven't seen since the Spanish flu which, despite all the alarmist media, isn't likely. It's good to take all the right precautions, but we aren't living in the early 19th/20th century anymore.
We have modern medicine, proper hygiene, and a much faster rate of information transfer than we ever have before.
Besides, this assumes that "WFH" will be normalized which I doubt will happen. It will be forced on us, but workplaces are social places just as much as they are places to do work.
Beyond that, this all assumes that SARS-COV-2 is a true epidemic of proportions we haven't seen since the Spanish flu which, despite all the alarmist media, isn't likely. It's good to take all the right precautions, but we aren't living in the early 19th/20th century anymore.
We have modern medicine, proper hygiene, and a much faster rate of information transfer than we ever have before.
> Beyond that, this all assumes that SARS-COV-2 is a true epidemic of proportions we haven't seen since the Spanish flu which, despite all the alarmist media, isn't likely.
Media aren't alarmist enough. They don't understand how exponential growth works. Will this epidemic kill as much as the Spanish flu in absolute sense? Probably, especially if you factor in all the deaths from other causes that happened because the hospital system was DDoSed. In relative sense? Maybe not, there was ~4x less people back then.
> It's good to take all the right precautions, but we aren't living in the early 19th/20th century anymore.
Exactly. 19th and early 20th century would fare better. Yes, the virus would kill more of the infected people. But it also wouldn't travel as far and as fast, and wouldn't be damaging national economies so badly. Or threatening the food security of so many people (both in absolute and relative terms).
> We have modern medicine, proper hygiene, and a much faster rate of information transfer than we ever have before.
We also have just-in-time supply chains and lean philosophy of "cutting out fat" - i.e. any spare capacity in the system that could help with a crisis. Modern medicine won't do much if you use it all up in a week, and more won't be coming for another couple of months if at all. Faster information transfer won't help you if you have barely enough doctors to staff hospitals at regular load, forget the peak load during a pandemic (and note that many doctors will catch it and go out of circulation).
Media aren't alarmist enough. They don't understand how exponential growth works. Will this epidemic kill as much as the Spanish flu in absolute sense? Probably, especially if you factor in all the deaths from other causes that happened because the hospital system was DDoSed. In relative sense? Maybe not, there was ~4x less people back then.
> It's good to take all the right precautions, but we aren't living in the early 19th/20th century anymore.
Exactly. 19th and early 20th century would fare better. Yes, the virus would kill more of the infected people. But it also wouldn't travel as far and as fast, and wouldn't be damaging national economies so badly. Or threatening the food security of so many people (both in absolute and relative terms).
> We have modern medicine, proper hygiene, and a much faster rate of information transfer than we ever have before.
We also have just-in-time supply chains and lean philosophy of "cutting out fat" - i.e. any spare capacity in the system that could help with a crisis. Modern medicine won't do much if you use it all up in a week, and more won't be coming for another couple of months if at all. Faster information transfer won't help you if you have barely enough doctors to staff hospitals at regular load, forget the peak load during a pandemic (and note that many doctors will catch it and go out of circulation).
This is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. Blindly assuming exponential growth will actually hold is downright excuse for panicing thinking. Exponentials inevitably breaks once it reaches a limiting condition. Which is well before "infects literally everyone" when there are sensible measures taken to minimize contact made.
That's exactly it. Exponential growth can only be cut short if proper containment measures are followed. If not, infection rates will look like the S curve of popular technology adoption rates, where it only tapers off when nearly everyone has been infected.
"Infects literally everyone" is 7 billion people. If it infects 0.1% of that, it's already going to be extreme.
Obvious limiting factor would be local saturation. Problem is, we're shuffling population faster than ever before.
No, I see no reason to not expect the virus to ride the exponent into millions of cases. I guess we'll see if I was right in less than two weeks.
EDIT: On top of that - arguably, it's not the virus that's most dangerous right now; it's the healthcare system overload and the disruption to the supply chains (and the economy in general) it caused. Not going to take bets on that, but I feel somewhat positive that these secondary effects will lead to more deaths than the COVID-19 itself.
Obvious limiting factor would be local saturation. Problem is, we're shuffling population faster than ever before.
No, I see no reason to not expect the virus to ride the exponent into millions of cases. I guess we'll see if I was right in less than two weeks.
EDIT: On top of that - arguably, it's not the virus that's most dangerous right now; it's the healthcare system overload and the disruption to the supply chains (and the economy in general) it caused. Not going to take bets on that, but I feel somewhat positive that these secondary effects will lead to more deaths than the COVID-19 itself.
Offshoring is a matter of perspective. From most IT orgs the current situation is exactly this: software and services are made by integrating stuff implemented by suppliers in foreign countries and foreign language speakers (mostly english).
I do think it's puzzling that SV companies don't do more offshoring to eg European countries where SWE salaries are so much lower but lots of talent exists and there is a dearth of interesting product companies.
But would it really be bad for SV engineers? Maybe it would just make the SW market hotter, just like the mainstreaming of open source boosted paid SW work instead of hurting it.
I do think it's puzzling that SV companies don't do more offshoring to eg European countries where SWE salaries are so much lower but lots of talent exists and there is a dearth of interesting product companies.
But would it really be bad for SV engineers? Maybe it would just make the SW market hotter, just like the mainstreaming of open source boosted paid SW work instead of hurting it.
It's not going to normalize WFH, but it will normalize paying for WFH-related software. Companies that start using new collaboration tools aren't going to stop paying the 50k a year or whatever for them once the epidemic is over, because they were hard to get approved and it isn't their money anyway. But you'll still need to mostly start going to the office again.
> From there, it’s only a few more levels of difficulty to unlock international talent at 1/4 of the price.
You say that like outsourcing engineers is a new thing. This has been happening for as long as tech has been a cost center and will continue to happen until U.S. salaries are commensurate with the rest of the world, I don't see why this virus will accelerate the trend any further.
You say that like outsourcing engineers is a new thing. This has been happening for as long as tech has been a cost center and will continue to happen until U.S. salaries are commensurate with the rest of the world, I don't see why this virus will accelerate the trend any further.
Having worked with that kind of arrangement, I highly doubt if it _really_ worked outside of a MBA manager's presentation.
Yes, international talents are there, but unless you're willing to develop a local agency that are up to par with the quality standard of US, it's not going to be of positive value. At which point the cost might as well be the same.
This of course doesn't apply to relatively non-technical work like call centers.
Yes, international talents are there, but unless you're willing to develop a local agency that are up to par with the quality standard of US, it's not going to be of positive value. At which point the cost might as well be the same.
This of course doesn't apply to relatively non-technical work like call centers.
My current company is currently re-shoring (if that's a word). After years of sub-optimal code being shipped over the systems eventually started to keeled over. It's been pretty eye opening rewriting some of the older code and seeing how little care was given, variables named x1, x2 etc....
Tech isn't always a cost center, though. Whether it is depends a lot on what part of the industry you're talking about.
> but we need to get over this idea that WFH is the best option for everyone.
I don't think anybody is claiming this. The argument is more that WFH is best for people who prefer to WFH and are able to do so effectively.
Last time I checked, most big tech companies have little tolerance for WFH, only allowing workers to WFH at most once or twice per week. There's clearly a middle ground between "no remote workers" and "WFH is the best option for everyone".
I don't think anybody is claiming this. The argument is more that WFH is best for people who prefer to WFH and are able to do so effectively.
Last time I checked, most big tech companies have little tolerance for WFH, only allowing workers to WFH at most once or twice per week. There's clearly a middle ground between "no remote workers" and "WFH is the best option for everyone".
If you are at a place that doesn't allow some form of wfh in todays age that environment is considered toxic and should factor into your job search.
"Toxic"?
Seriously?
I'm quite grateful to be able to work from home as needed in my current gig, but "toxic" seems like it should mean something more than "not doing what I want."
Then again, I've suspected "toxic" of being a meaningless phrase primarily used to tar and feather things the speaker dislikes for a while now, do maybe it fits perfectly.
Seriously?
I'm quite grateful to be able to work from home as needed in my current gig, but "toxic" seems like it should mean something more than "not doing what I want."
Then again, I've suspected "toxic" of being a meaningless phrase primarily used to tar and feather things the speaker dislikes for a while now, do maybe it fits perfectly.
The criticism of the (ab)use of toxic is fair but I see is a meaningful use in this context implicitly.
It isn't the policy itself that does it but in context without a need. That implicitly has an assumption of "no need for the restriction in this context and yet here it is". In this case it implies a management which is too rigid to accept the possibility of working from home at all. It implies one or more of the following.
1. "Not invented here" syndrome for remote working. Willful ignorance isn't a very good look. 2. A complete lack of trust is implicit in the social environment. 3. Needing a physical presense to apply some sort of office social manipulation. 4. Excessive authoritarianism from leadership and management
Essentially "toxic" means "red flag" hinting at a messed up culture. It is like taking away free coffee being a sign it is time to move on. It isn't that the expense is crippling but it hints that they aren't being valued anymore and are starting to bean count.
These signals are completely negated when there is a reason outside of any dynamics. To give a silly hypothetical example if a stupidly powerful crazed fundamentalist Mormon splinter sect manages to create a worldwide prohibition on coffee it doesn't really reflect upon the management.
For more grounded in reality examples a job where part of it involves say physically examining devices on a daily basis or say in a SIF where "no information physically leaving the site and designed to be network independent" wouldn't be toxic as it would have an actual somewhat legitimate reason behind it (even if one may have very reasonable qualms about the secrecy philosophically - let alone what they are keeping secret).
It isn't the policy itself that does it but in context without a need. That implicitly has an assumption of "no need for the restriction in this context and yet here it is". In this case it implies a management which is too rigid to accept the possibility of working from home at all. It implies one or more of the following.
1. "Not invented here" syndrome for remote working. Willful ignorance isn't a very good look. 2. A complete lack of trust is implicit in the social environment. 3. Needing a physical presense to apply some sort of office social manipulation. 4. Excessive authoritarianism from leadership and management
Essentially "toxic" means "red flag" hinting at a messed up culture. It is like taking away free coffee being a sign it is time to move on. It isn't that the expense is crippling but it hints that they aren't being valued anymore and are starting to bean count.
These signals are completely negated when there is a reason outside of any dynamics. To give a silly hypothetical example if a stupidly powerful crazed fundamentalist Mormon splinter sect manages to create a worldwide prohibition on coffee it doesn't really reflect upon the management.
For more grounded in reality examples a job where part of it involves say physically examining devices on a daily basis or say in a SIF where "no information physically leaving the site and designed to be network independent" wouldn't be toxic as it would have an actual somewhat legitimate reason behind it (even if one may have very reasonable qualms about the secrecy philosophically - let alone what they are keeping secret).
It might not necessarily be toxic. But it's a possible red flag that the company doesn't trust their employees. And that they time lunch breaks and other breaks.
> Many of the parents with young children at home are dreading the loss of their office space right now
As someone without kids can you explain this? Where I work at many employees with kids come to work much later and leave much earlier since they have to pick up their kids or send them to after school activities. Wouldn't working from home better this process?
As someone without kids can you explain this? Where I work at many employees with kids come to work much later and leave much earlier since they have to pick up their kids or send them to after school activities. Wouldn't working from home better this process?
They are not talking about how they schedule and manage the family life. They are talking about desperately needing some time away from the family. Which is normal and healthy (depending on whether you discuss it and make time for yourself, or whether you escape trough alcohol and ridiculous amounts of time at work).
Also just being able to work without distraction. It's very hard to explain to young children that they cannot disturb their parents for several hours and many people won't have a spare room just to work.
The school shuffle starts at 4. For younger children, they often have a stay at home caregiver (stay at home spouse, family member, or in home nanny). It can be challenging to get work done with a two year old screaming around the house with no concept of boundaries.
For older children, if you aren't the designated pick up parent for the day, it can still be quite distracting with children coming and going and doing their thing without a lot of regard for others (as children are still developing that capacity).
Office can be a quiet refuge where you get to be around adults instead.
For older children, if you aren't the designated pick up parent for the day, it can still be quite distracting with children coming and going and doing their thing without a lot of regard for others (as children are still developing that capacity).
Office can be a quiet refuge where you get to be around adults instead.
"Daddy are you done work yet?"
2 minutes pass
"Daddy are you done work yet? When will you be done?"
closes the door
2 minutes pass
door opens...
It _is_ nice to be able to step away for 5 minutes and ask how their school day went when they get home and that sort of thing, but there are other times it can be pretty darn inconvenient, especially when they're under 5ish. And god help you if you don't have an office with a door :)
2 minutes pass
"Daddy are you done work yet? When will you be done?"
closes the door
2 minutes pass
door opens...
It _is_ nice to be able to step away for 5 minutes and ask how their school day went when they get home and that sort of thing, but there are other times it can be pretty darn inconvenient, especially when they're under 5ish. And god help you if you don't have an office with a door :)
Probably depends on the person, the home, and the boundaries. I have a 2.5 yr old and 11 mo old and WFH w/ a dedicated but connected office. I personally love it. I don't find putting on the noise cancelling headphones, and the distractions are honestly lower than when I used to be in office. I like trading the commute for time w/ kids, despite missing the quiet time at times.
Once your 2.5y old turns 3 or 4 you will understand what folks are talking about :-)
I mean, that could be good for the greater economy. Big tech is better off, the wealth coming into distributed workers benefits their areas, and the distributed workers might come out even? Lower cost of living vs lower income. The only people unambiguously hurt are landowners, which is fine by me, given their decades of rent seeking behavior.
Time zones are going to remain a significant barrier. I think it'll actually deliver a significant benefit for jobs to leave the Bay Area because it will free engineers from having to live in the Bay Area.
I agree.
What I hope will happen with this is that companies become a lot more flexible and encourage people who want to to regularly work a few days a week remotely.
For my employees, a lot of them do get more heads-down work done at home. It makes sense for them to work from home when they need intense focus. They also usually do better collaborative work in the office.
I also have employees who really like working remotely and others who really don't like working. I wouldn't want to force people who don't like working remotely to do so.
Some people at my work can walk to work, and coming into the office is an opportunity to interact with other driven people to build great stuff. We shoot the shit, get coffee together, and in general enjoy each other's company. For a lot of employees, coming into the office is something they enjoy.
What I hope will happen with this is that companies become a lot more flexible and encourage people who want to to regularly work a few days a week remotely.
For my employees, a lot of them do get more heads-down work done at home. It makes sense for them to work from home when they need intense focus. They also usually do better collaborative work in the office.
I also have employees who really like working remotely and others who really don't like working. I wouldn't want to force people who don't like working remotely to do so.
Some people at my work can walk to work, and coming into the office is an opportunity to interact with other driven people to build great stuff. We shoot the shit, get coffee together, and in general enjoy each other's company. For a lot of employees, coming into the office is something they enjoy.
Give me my own cube and a < 15 minute walk/cycle commute and then for me office would be better.
> highly paid Silicon Valley engineers. Once people are working from home most of the time, it’s not much of a stretch to hire cheaper engineers from a few states over at literally half the cost
What’s wrong with this? I’m one of these engineers in Silicon Valley who would like to live near family. “Half the cost” is still massively higher than the local rate in my home state, which I would happily accept.
What’s wrong with this? I’m one of these engineers in Silicon Valley who would like to live near family. “Half the cost” is still massively higher than the local rate in my home state, which I would happily accept.
"we need to get over this idea that WFH is the best option for everyone"
This is a strawman that always appears in every remote work thread and it is always treated at face value: If anyone proposes that they can/should work from home, somehow will reply that everyone can't work from home. Then cue a procession of people giving their tale about how they don't like working from home.
No one is saying, or has ever said, that everyone should WFH. But somehow the notion that some people WFH is threatening to people that don't want to / don't approve of it, and it's always cast in this binary manner. It's a completely dishonest tactic that is boorish.
This is a strawman that always appears in every remote work thread and it is always treated at face value: If anyone proposes that they can/should work from home, somehow will reply that everyone can't work from home. Then cue a procession of people giving their tale about how they don't like working from home.
No one is saying, or has ever said, that everyone should WFH. But somehow the notion that some people WFH is threatening to people that don't want to / don't approve of it, and it's always cast in this binary manner. It's a completely dishonest tactic that is boorish.
I think it comes up because so many posts about WFH / Remote work have this angry / preachy angle arguing as if remote is the obvious and only desirable future, and that anyone who thinks otherwise is a Luddite.
Discussions on this topic are more interesting when they’re focused on the trade offs and how best to optimize, rather than what other people “ought” to do.
Discussions on this topic are more interesting when they’re focused on the trade offs and how best to optimize, rather than what other people “ought” to do.
Yet in the history of discussions about remote work on HN, overwhelmingly the top comments have been negative or posting this strawman.
Another PoV: once WFH is a norm, it would be easier to get SV salary in Oklahoma. One of the main reasons of working remotely is that you're not happy with your local rates.
I can more-or-less WFH whenever I want/need to. It's nice because I can do laundry or whatever around the house throughout the day and still do what I have to do as far as work is concerned, but I don't think I'd want to do it exclusively. At least not at my current job, though I think it's just the nature of my role more than it is anything else.
> dreading the loss of their office space
If I had office space, yes, I might be dreading the loss.
If I had office space, yes, I might be dreading the loss.
Please stop using engineer when referring to software developers.
I agree with you, but unfortunately, nobody seems to be able to stop Google's juggernaut of cultural influence.
I don't think your wrong, but does it matter?
Society has moved mountains to make work-at-the-office from 9 to 5 (WATO95) possible. It's mind boggling how much society has been bent to pay the _EXTRAORDINARY_ costs of WATO95.
Now, given that society is what it is, right now WATO95 seems cheap. But it really isn't. Some fun facts:
-- the electric car longevity problem --
Electric cars have this giant, unaddressed problem. A normal 'explode dead dinos' style car, even if well engineered, has about a million kilometers tops and then it's just done. Just about every component inside is at the end of its useful lifespan, from the entire engineblock to the wheels (those probably ended earlier), to even the interior; at some point people want a new style.
A well engineered electric vehicle is nothing like this; loads of components (not the batteries or the wheels, but most of the rest) have a lifetime 4x to 10x that easily.
The problem is, an individual car owner is NEVER going to clock that many miles on a car. After 10 years of ownership even if the materials can easily go for another 90, there are newer designs, more comfort, etc.
How do we solve this problem? We could, especially with self driving cars, go to a model where we pool cars: You don't own a car, you just order one, one will drive on its own to your front door within 5 minutes, you use it, and when you're done, it drives off. This pushes utility-per-day up to the levels required to actually use up the components in a 10 year span.
But that is not practical because of WATO95: At about 7am-9am, everybody wants a car, so that whole re-use thing just does not work. We can keep WATO, but then 95 thing has _GOT_ to go; that morning commute needs to be smeared way out; a single car needs to be busy from 5 in the morning to noon bringing at least 4 people to work, hopefully more.
-- traffic jams --
Here in the Netherlands, if ~10% of the workforce does not drive to work at all on any given day, there'd be no traffic jams. As is, there's hundreds of kilometers of traffic jam every workday. How much fuel, and lost hours is that? How many billions upon billions of dollars of value is society throwing down this hole to support WATO95?
-- health --
yeah the corona thing. It's complicated; isolation is very bad for mental health. But is 'drive to the office' (even if we get rid of 95, keep the WATO) the best option? Can we go for an alternative solution with more advanced connectivity (proper video calling, social solutions to staying connected even without an explicit appointment somehow?) Can we move everybody to a '2 days at home, 3 days a the office' model?
The list is way, way longer than this. You're not wrong; working from home as all sorts of major issues, but let's not lose sight of the incredible cost of WATO95 culture either.
Society has moved mountains to make work-at-the-office from 9 to 5 (WATO95) possible. It's mind boggling how much society has been bent to pay the _EXTRAORDINARY_ costs of WATO95.
Now, given that society is what it is, right now WATO95 seems cheap. But it really isn't. Some fun facts:
-- the electric car longevity problem --
Electric cars have this giant, unaddressed problem. A normal 'explode dead dinos' style car, even if well engineered, has about a million kilometers tops and then it's just done. Just about every component inside is at the end of its useful lifespan, from the entire engineblock to the wheels (those probably ended earlier), to even the interior; at some point people want a new style.
A well engineered electric vehicle is nothing like this; loads of components (not the batteries or the wheels, but most of the rest) have a lifetime 4x to 10x that easily.
The problem is, an individual car owner is NEVER going to clock that many miles on a car. After 10 years of ownership even if the materials can easily go for another 90, there are newer designs, more comfort, etc.
How do we solve this problem? We could, especially with self driving cars, go to a model where we pool cars: You don't own a car, you just order one, one will drive on its own to your front door within 5 minutes, you use it, and when you're done, it drives off. This pushes utility-per-day up to the levels required to actually use up the components in a 10 year span.
But that is not practical because of WATO95: At about 7am-9am, everybody wants a car, so that whole re-use thing just does not work. We can keep WATO, but then 95 thing has _GOT_ to go; that morning commute needs to be smeared way out; a single car needs to be busy from 5 in the morning to noon bringing at least 4 people to work, hopefully more.
-- traffic jams --
Here in the Netherlands, if ~10% of the workforce does not drive to work at all on any given day, there'd be no traffic jams. As is, there's hundreds of kilometers of traffic jam every workday. How much fuel, and lost hours is that? How many billions upon billions of dollars of value is society throwing down this hole to support WATO95?
-- health --
yeah the corona thing. It's complicated; isolation is very bad for mental health. But is 'drive to the office' (even if we get rid of 95, keep the WATO) the best option? Can we go for an alternative solution with more advanced connectivity (proper video calling, social solutions to staying connected even without an explicit appointment somehow?) Can we move everybody to a '2 days at home, 3 days a the office' model?
The list is way, way longer than this. You're not wrong; working from home as all sorts of major issues, but let's not lose sight of the incredible cost of WATO95 culture either.
SV companies are constantly trying to get you to move back to the area after you leave.
Talent outside the bay lags behind so its not as desirable for those companies. Not to mention the valley culture is a bit guild like
Talent outside the bay lags behind so its not as desirable for those companies. Not to mention the valley culture is a bit guild like
SV companies are constantly trying to find new ways to push the "life/work" balance as solidly an inextricably towards "work" as possible. Coercing you to be in SV shows you're committed to that, and are willing to sacrifice attachments you might have to family in other areas to give it all to the company. Making you be on site in SV gives them access to so many more work-squeezing tactics. Free lunches! (less personal time during lunches and you're talking about work at lunch anyways) On-site laundry! (less time you're doing mundane chores, more time you're working.)
It's a bit like stockbrokers in NYC. In order to be taken seriously by your peers, you have to spring for the expensive luxury Manhattan apartment. If you live in Queens or New Jersey and commute into Manhattan, that tells the brokerage you won't be hungry enough to work as aggressively as they need and you will be first in line to be fired.
Find better peers.
Yeah that's not the issue. It's when an entire industry is set up this way and the people with the real money want their highly pair employees to be competitive and addicted to their high pay.
So what you are saying instead is find a better industry to be in and better people to work for.
Ultimately though distribution of wealth as incredibly unequal as it is limits that choice substantially.
So what you are saying instead is find a better industry to be in and better people to work for.
Ultimately though distribution of wealth as incredibly unequal as it is limits that choice substantially.
Self reinforcing loop. Publicly traded company has officers who have a fiduciary responsibility to return on investment aka they need to keep the stock price up and/or generate returns. Doesn't even have to be public, just one where the owners or investors are cracking the whip.
Consistently failing to make it grow mean they get the axe, which means they replace the nice, patient people with aggressive type-a folks who do what needs to be done. Rise-and-repeat over several cycles and you start to see this hardcore work culture.
The fat bonuses only reinforce it further. If you're gonna be copping six-figure bonuses you either hustle or you gtfo of the way, because there are plenty of people that would bust their ass for that chance. Again, play that cycle out over a few decades and here we are.
It's toxic as hell, but it shouldn't be surprising that it turns out this way since it's 100% structural.
Consistently failing to make it grow mean they get the axe, which means they replace the nice, patient people with aggressive type-a folks who do what needs to be done. Rise-and-repeat over several cycles and you start to see this hardcore work culture.
The fat bonuses only reinforce it further. If you're gonna be copping six-figure bonuses you either hustle or you gtfo of the way, because there are plenty of people that would bust their ass for that chance. Again, play that cycle out over a few decades and here we are.
It's toxic as hell, but it shouldn't be surprising that it turns out this way since it's 100% structural.
> Talent outside the bay lags behind
Wow if ever there was a [citation needed] this is it.
Wow if ever there was a [citation needed] this is it.
Simple network effects. You find the most cutting edge web development experts in the bay, just like you find the most movie makers in Hollywood.
Is great work done elsewhere? Of course!
But for better or for worse, the bay is where the most ambitious webdevs go righ now.
Just like I bet the best aircraft engineers are in Chicago and Bethesda because that’s where Boeing and Lockheed are.
It’s not the talent that lags behind, it’s the environment.
Is great work done elsewhere? Of course!
But for better or for worse, the bay is where the most ambitious webdevs go righ now.
Just like I bet the best aircraft engineers are in Chicago and Bethesda because that’s where Boeing and Lockheed are.
It’s not the talent that lags behind, it’s the environment.
This is an extremely limited and uninformed view of the world.
Especially considering what Boeing goes through right now, I would say the best aircraft engineers right now are located in Europe and they work in the Airbus headquarters.
But other than that: most recent innovative payment providers are coming mostly from Europe these days. Transferwise or Revolut comes to my mind as two such examples. Out of which Revolut reached a total valuation $1.7 billion not so long ago.
Also let's take a look at the online music streaming landscape: Tidal, Deezer and Spotify are all European companies.
There are whole industries (or segments at least) where SV is lagging behind.
So this environment argument doesn't hold any water.
Maybe there was a very narrow time period, let's say 10 years or so, when SV was really ahead of the pack in terms of technical skills, but those times are over.
And BTW, I didn't even mention machine learning and AI, where China is basically becoming the world leader right now.
Especially considering what Boeing goes through right now, I would say the best aircraft engineers right now are located in Europe and they work in the Airbus headquarters.
But other than that: most recent innovative payment providers are coming mostly from Europe these days. Transferwise or Revolut comes to my mind as two such examples. Out of which Revolut reached a total valuation $1.7 billion not so long ago.
Also let's take a look at the online music streaming landscape: Tidal, Deezer and Spotify are all European companies.
There are whole industries (or segments at least) where SV is lagging behind.
So this environment argument doesn't hold any water.
Maybe there was a very narrow time period, let's say 10 years or so, when SV was really ahead of the pack in terms of technical skills, but those times are over.
And BTW, I didn't even mention machine learning and AI, where China is basically becoming the world leader right now.
> This is an extremely limited and uninformed view of the world.
>
> Especially considering what Boeing goes through right now, I would say the best aircraft engineers right now are located in Europe and they work in the Airbus headquarters.
Didn't airbus have issues of their own way back? Besides, airbus bought the a220 from bombardier, which makes it canadian rather than european. which just goes to show you, the products come from where the talent exists. silicon valley is a big part of it, but not the only game in town.
saying "environment doesn't matter," is ridiculous. but I agree—there is plenty of good engineering where elsewhere, but it is more likely to exist where there is a mass of other engineers :)
Didn't airbus have issues of their own way back? Besides, airbus bought the a220 from bombardier, which makes it canadian rather than european. which just goes to show you, the products come from where the talent exists. silicon valley is a big part of it, but not the only game in town.
saying "environment doesn't matter," is ridiculous. but I agree—there is plenty of good engineering where elsewhere, but it is more likely to exist where there is a mass of other engineers :)
Yes I specifically said webdev not music streaming or AI.
My point is that communities form where an industry is at its peak and it’s those communities that attract top talent in that industry.
Like if you want to work at the forefront of private space industry right now you’d probably go to LA. Because that’s where SpaceX lives.
My point is that communities form where an industry is at its peak and it’s those communities that attract top talent in that industry.
Like if you want to work at the forefront of private space industry right now you’d probably go to LA. Because that’s where SpaceX lives.
Californias GDP compared to the rest of the world tells a different story than what you are telling here.
k8s came from where ?
Containers ( cgroups ) came from where ?
Hashicorp is the standard for devops
Elon and Tesla took a curve out of IT but guess where they started ?
Your few startups are nice but the technology they run on is built in SV and that continues to be the place of innovation regardless of VCs trying to spark it elsewhere.
Yes other areas are innovating but SV does remain one of the most innovative area if not the main one. Everything else pales in comparison
k8s came from where ?
Containers ( cgroups ) came from where ?
Hashicorp is the standard for devops
Elon and Tesla took a curve out of IT but guess where they started ?
Your few startups are nice but the technology they run on is built in SV and that continues to be the place of innovation regardless of VCs trying to spark it elsewhere.
Yes other areas are innovating but SV does remain one of the most innovative area if not the main one. Everything else pales in comparison
HashiCorp is highly distributed. One founder lives in Los Angeles and the other recently moved to Connecticut. Far more employees live outside California than inside.
Source: I worked there from “early” until “mid” stage.
Source: I worked there from “early” until “mid” stage.
k8s was actually developed in Washington.
Why is Tesla in this list of companies supposedly (see sibling comments) providing tech that others build on? Honest question as I was always under the impression it was all proprietary.
When you work in SV its really common to ask a question on an internal company mailing list and get a reply from the developer contributing that feature to the kernel / filesystem / DB
It was a bit unnerving the first time it happened but you have access to so many people like that and you are around it daily.
You constantly find out about new things from your buddy over at the other company who tells you about something they are working on that is a completely new product.
Not to mention when something hits mainstream outside SV its aging in SV and soon will likely be obsolete
Example you might not know this but k8s is googles borg lite and everyone who has been around the valley has ran into someone who worked on it for years.
You simply don't have that experience outside SV...Not to mention things considered common knowledge in SV isnt common outside... eg I still have to explain to people why ITIL doesnt work with Agile DevOps ever since I left.
It was a bit unnerving the first time it happened but you have access to so many people like that and you are around it daily.
You constantly find out about new things from your buddy over at the other company who tells you about something they are working on that is a completely new product.
Not to mention when something hits mainstream outside SV its aging in SV and soon will likely be obsolete
Example you might not know this but k8s is googles borg lite and everyone who has been around the valley has ran into someone who worked on it for years.
You simply don't have that experience outside SV...Not to mention things considered common knowledge in SV isnt common outside... eg I still have to explain to people why ITIL doesnt work with Agile DevOps ever since I left.
> I still have to explain to people why ITIL doesnt work with Agile DevOps ever since I left
Do you have any interesting reading on this subject? I'd like to get some material for my heavily ITIL-aligned shop.
Do you have any interesting reading on this subject? I'd like to get some material for my heavily ITIL-aligned shop.
Terraform has some good presentations on it.
At least the conference they had presented this material. I might have it saved somewhere and will look around and reply if I remember
At least the conference they had presented this material. I might have it saved somewhere and will look around and reply if I remember
This ignores OPs point that if remote work is normalized, they won't be asking you for anything anymore.
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Not sure. Engineering skills are not linear (this is what allows for 10x engineer).
So the value that you get from an expensive engineer can be many number of times the saving. Of course, if a manager under employs an expensive engineer than yes.
Moreover, as engineering tools become better, the better engineer become much more productive, thus magnifying his advantage.
So the value that you get from an expensive engineer can be many number of times the saving. Of course, if a manager under employs an expensive engineer than yes.
Moreover, as engineering tools become better, the better engineer become much more productive, thus magnifying his advantage.
I’m surprised to see this post getting so much traction here. To me it reads as a bunch of wild speculation, written as if it were factual, with no real supporting evidence given.
> Home ownership was a bubble that popped in 08. Health insurance is a bubble that may pop when AMZN gets in the market.
Both of these assertions seem ridiculous to me. Home ownership was not ‘a bubble’, selling high interest loans to under-qualified buyers and then creating and trading a bunch of securities around them was the bubble. And the idea that amazon entering the health insurance market will somehow transform the entire paradigm of American healthcare is absurd.
> Home ownership was a bubble that popped in 08. Health insurance is a bubble that may pop when AMZN gets in the market.
Both of these assertions seem ridiculous to me. Home ownership was not ‘a bubble’, selling high interest loans to under-qualified buyers and then creating and trading a bunch of securities around them was the bubble. And the idea that amazon entering the health insurance market will somehow transform the entire paradigm of American healthcare is absurd.
I am not surprised by the traction, disappointing though.
The distance one has to scroll down to find a dissenting opinion is indeed disappointing.
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> As someone who’s been 1099 as often as not for the last few years, I don’t like the idea that these things are only available to employees, and would prefer a system that priced stuff equally for temps as for the elect.
I never understood why healthcare was tied to employment. Yes, it's a nice benefit, but it's not like your health needs change significantly if your job changes.
Maybe employers for dangerous jobs could offer supplementary insurance in effect at the workplace or job site. But access to affordable day to day healthcare is something we all need from birth to death without interruption.
Especially when you consider infectious disease, the health of the community impacts all of us.
I never understood why healthcare was tied to employment. Yes, it's a nice benefit, but it's not like your health needs change significantly if your job changes.
Maybe employers for dangerous jobs could offer supplementary insurance in effect at the workplace or job site. But access to affordable day to day healthcare is something we all need from birth to death without interruption.
Especially when you consider infectious disease, the health of the community impacts all of us.
> I never understood why healthcare was tied to employment.
Pre-WW2, many unions in the US had negotiated employer-paid health insurance as a (taxable) benefit. When the government capped wages as part of wartime price controls, these unions threatened to strike, which would have gutted industrial production. To avoid a strike, the government offered to temporarily make employer-provided health insurance a tax-free benefit.
Temporarily. And here we still are.
Pre-WW2, many unions in the US had negotiated employer-paid health insurance as a (taxable) benefit. When the government capped wages as part of wartime price controls, these unions threatened to strike, which would have gutted industrial production. To avoid a strike, the government offered to temporarily make employer-provided health insurance a tax-free benefit.
Temporarily. And here we still are.
As software developers we can probably empathize. I know I have been working on production code and found years old comments written by me along the following lines:
//Hacky solution to get a working prototype, should be refactored before deployment.
Legislative and regulatory debt can be a problem just like technical debt.
//Hacky solution to get a working prototype, should be refactored before deployment.
Legislative and regulatory debt can be a problem just like technical debt.
> Legislative and regulatory debt can be a problem just like technical debt
I really wish there was more appreciation for this outside of tech. I'm disdainful of a lot of SV libertarianism, to say the least, but will gladly make common cause on this one point.
I really wish there was more appreciation for this outside of tech. I'm disdainful of a lot of SV libertarianism, to say the least, but will gladly make common cause on this one point.
Debt implies that we know there is a shortcoming and want/need to fix it, but don't have the time or knowledge.
The healthcare situation in the US may have started out as a hacky WW2 era fix, but has been explicitly and aggressively lobbied against for years at the highests levels of government.
Framing it in a technocratic context as "technical debt, but for laws and stuff" completely misses the intense crusade against it in the US.
The healthcare situation in the US may have started out as a hacky WW2 era fix, but has been explicitly and aggressively lobbied against for years at the highests levels of government.
Framing it in a technocratic context as "technical debt, but for laws and stuff" completely misses the intense crusade against it in the US.
I'm not sure it misses the point. Technical debt is always poltical too, whether it's system admin / database admin work being automated away (or not!), or manager<->engineer friction on costs and deadlines.
I’m glad this is being raised, because it’s almost never discussed in the same “why is American healthcare so screwed up” discussion. It’s also a relatively important point re: the arguments people make against for-profit healthcare, precisely because we’ve had a system for almost a century where third parties are negotiating prices with providers under heavy regulation/incentivizing of the government.
There is nothing as permanent as a temporary solution.
> I never understood why healthcare was tied to employment.
During World War 2, the US implemented a national wage freeze, with an exemption for insurance and pensions. Since companies still needed to compete for workers, this led to a significant growth in those benefits.
During World War 2, the US implemented a national wage freeze, with an exemption for insurance and pensions. Since companies still needed to compete for workers, this led to a significant growth in those benefits.
> I never understood why healthcare was tied to employment.
Because the people who keep it that way are the same people you hear say dumb crap like, "I don't want to pay for someone else's healthcare (ignoring the fact that that is the definition of insurance!)" when anyone brings up changing the way healthcare is run in the US of A.
They think only people who work deserve healthcare.
Because the people who keep it that way are the same people you hear say dumb crap like, "I don't want to pay for someone else's healthcare (ignoring the fact that that is the definition of insurance!)" when anyone brings up changing the way healthcare is run in the US of A.
They think only people who work deserve healthcare.
I suspect there's also resistance at the corporate level. Employee retention is easier when life itself is effectively conditional on employment.
You can save up enough money to pay the bills for a few months, but you effectively can't save up enough money to cover your own health care costs without some sort of insurance.
You can save up enough money to pay the bills for a few months, but you effectively can't save up enough money to cover your own health care costs without some sort of insurance.
Employee retention is easier when life itself is effectively conditional on employment.
On the other hand, companies also spend significant resources being health insurance brokers. Getting rid of that burden would be particularly helpful for small businesses and startups.
On the other hand, companies also spend significant resources being health insurance brokers. Getting rid of that burden would be particularly helpful for small businesses and startups.
I agree, and I initially assumed that would be a more widespread attitude within the corporate world. I later found out about the retention motivation.
This is absolutely critical. Giving the workforce reasonably attainable healthcare decoupled from employer would increase job mobility significantly. This is a win for labor and a loss for capital owners.
I would be far more willing to risk assets I had if I knew I'd still have basic necessities in life. You know, the luxuries the very wealthy have...
I would be far more willing to risk assets I had if I knew I'd still have basic necessities in life. You know, the luxuries the very wealthy have...
Based on issue polling, we know that a majority of people who are opposed to the individual mandate also strongly support a ban on pre-existing conditions clauses. And also those same people oppose any form of universal healthcare.
But abstaining from health insurance right up until the point where you need it is the same as having other people pay for your healthcare. A ban on pre-existing conditions without an individual mandate is a form of welfare. So in actual practice many people who are nominally opposed to universally subsidized HC are in fact not opposed to universal subsidization of healthcare... as long as there's some nominal involvement with the insurance industry prior to use.
The broader point: many people don't realize that just because you're paying into something doesn't necessarily mean it isn't welfare. In a democratic society with a lot of individualism and distrust of government, sometimes this "hack" is the best way to deliver a welfare state. See also: social security.
But abstaining from health insurance right up until the point where you need it is the same as having other people pay for your healthcare. A ban on pre-existing conditions without an individual mandate is a form of welfare. So in actual practice many people who are nominally opposed to universally subsidized HC are in fact not opposed to universal subsidization of healthcare... as long as there's some nominal involvement with the insurance industry prior to use.
The broader point: many people don't realize that just because you're paying into something doesn't necessarily mean it isn't welfare. In a democratic society with a lot of individualism and distrust of government, sometimes this "hack" is the best way to deliver a welfare state. See also: social security.
Leaving the compassionate and human aspect out, because it’s not part of your point.
Clearly if a subset of people are paying to cover those that are not, then the point is valid. Then you get into how much should a person pay thresholds, sliding scales ? Well then some are paying more than the cover they would get for themselves.
> I never understood why healthcare was tied to employment.
+1 its unclear to me why the pricing would go down for higher number of employees? The risk profile is still spread across many people in the case of contractors.
+1 its unclear to me why the pricing would go down for higher number of employees? The risk profile is still spread across many people in the case of contractors.
A small employer (or individual payer) is buying insurance, and the insurance company is going to need a good reserve because the maximum benefit is large relative to premiums.
A large company often self-insures the healthcare cost, and is buying health plan administration. If high costs are not observed, the reserves can roll over to future years. Even if they don't self-insure, the possibility can be used to negotiate lower prices, and having data on past claims can show a less risky pool, etc.
A large company often self-insures the healthcare cost, and is buying health plan administration. If high costs are not observed, the reserves can roll over to future years. Even if they don't self-insure, the possibility can be used to negotiate lower prices, and having data on past claims can show a less risky pool, etc.
Self-selection.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverse_selection
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverse_selection
This is due to tax policy dating back long time.
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agreed, it goes a lot further back than ww2 https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114045...
>I never understood why healthcare was tied to employment. Yes, it's a nice benefit, but it's not like your health needs change significantly if your job changes.
It's tied to employment because we have private health insurance and that doesn't really work without group plans. Employers are the most readily and widely accessible set of groups (unions are another for example).
It's tied to employment because we have private health insurance and that doesn't really work without group plans. Employers are the most readily and widely accessible set of groups (unions are another for example).
Employer as a group is completely arbitrary and can be redrawn by insurance underwriters to anything else (city, state, region, etc).
Insurance underwriters can't force a city to all take insurance with their company. Which is what employer group plans do.
We already had that on a federal level with ACA coverage penalties, now repealed but still enforced by California.
I think it would be much more viable if we get rid of the employment requirements.
I think it would be much more viable if we get rid of the employment requirements.
No and no. Remote work irt Covid-19 was absolutely hated by most people in China once it lasted for more than a couple of days. Surprisingly enough, a lot of people actually like going to an office, where they can get away from their family and socialize.
On the second point, the economic damage from natural disasters is usually short and severe, with a quick recovery. Barring Covid-19 turning out to be a lot worse than the Spanish flu, most impacted regions will return to business as usual sooner (as in a couple of months) rather than later.
On the second point, the economic damage from natural disasters is usually short and severe, with a quick recovery. Barring Covid-19 turning out to be a lot worse than the Spanish flu, most impacted regions will return to business as usual sooner (as in a couple of months) rather than later.
Pandemics aren't really natural disasters are they? A natural disaster is physical phenomena, usually geologically or weather based, like hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, etc. Recovery time from those types of events isn't very quick, espeically if the country is underdeveloped - look at how long it took Puerto Rico from Hurrican Harvey, Joplin from the 2011 tornado, Haiti's 2010 earthquake, etc.
The textbook case is the 2004 tsunami and tourism in Thailand. Most of the destroyed infrastructure was replaced in about a year and tourist numbers (measured by number of passengers to Phuket Airport) recovered shortly thereafter.
The short-term effect of Covid-19 on Chinese manufacturing have been absolutely devistating - I honestly can't think of another feasible event that would cause the same level of slowdown that you saw last month. However the recover is in progress, and while it's going to take some time, odds are that everything will more or less return to normal in another couple of months.
The short-term effect of Covid-19 on Chinese manufacturing have been absolutely devistating - I honestly can't think of another feasible event that would cause the same level of slowdown that you saw last month. However the recover is in progress, and while it's going to take some time, odds are that everything will more or less return to normal in another couple of months.
> I honestly can't think of another feasible event that would cause the same level of slowdown that you saw last month.
A war where shipping was disrupted would be much, much worse.
A war where shipping was disrupted would be much, much worse.
I don't think so. Shipping, for instance, came to comparative stand still in 2009. Exports dropped more then than what was reported today for January, but it didn't have the same impact to the tertiary sector that Covid-19 undoubtedly had last month.
There's a big difference between "there is a delay in producing or shipping your inputs to you" and "your inputs have been sunk and the country that produces them is at a state of war with us."
Not really. In both cases what matters is whether the products were manufactured, shipped, and delivered. The latter case is actually more beneficial, since it implies that factories are running, people are working, and at least some products are being successfully shipped.
> Recovery time from those types of events isn't very quick, espeically if the country is underdeveloped - look at how long it took Puerto Rico from Hurrican Harvey, Joplin from the 2011 tornado, Haiti's 2010 earthquake, etc.
Yet we can still talk about those things happening within narrow slices of our own lifetimes. Contrast that with the Black Death that dealt deep enough damage that some parts of Europe didn't recover for generations. Centuries in some cases.
Yet we can still talk about those things happening within narrow slices of our own lifetimes. Contrast that with the Black Death that dealt deep enough damage that some parts of Europe didn't recover for generations. Centuries in some cases.
They aren't. A typical natural disaster is very localized and doesn't last long. A pandemic involves a pathogen that self-replicates at an exponential rate. The two are not even apples to oranges, but apples to primed grenades.
This is more like a season long blizzard.
Only a small percentage of jobs are actually remote-capable, but most people would be just fine with 1099 work. Most benefits are unused and people prefer cash that they can spend on their own needs instead. Taxes might be harder to save for upfront but not a big deal.
The biggest challenge is how healthcare benefits are tied to employment. It's something that made sense when it started but is now obsolete and seriously detrimental to the modern workforce. Many people either suffer from lack of insurance or are held captive in a job from fear of losing necessary coverage.
Fix that and we would see a lot more positive developments for workers.
The biggest challenge is how healthcare benefits are tied to employment. It's something that made sense when it started but is now obsolete and seriously detrimental to the modern workforce. Many people either suffer from lack of insurance or are held captive in a job from fear of losing necessary coverage.
Fix that and we would see a lot more positive developments for workers.
> Most benefits are unused and people prefer cash that they can spend on their own needs instead
How did you come to this conclusion, and what do you mean by ‘unused’?
I‘m guessing you mean that a majority of people receiving health care benefits are healthy and thus don’t ‘use’ them enough that the amount of money spent on their health plans is larger than the amount they would spend out of pocket?
Even if that is true, that’s not really the point of insurance. Insurance exists to protect you against an eventuality that you don’t necessarily expect to occur, but would be catastrophic if it did. People don’t buy liability car insurance because they expect to cause a terrible accident and want to come out ahead financially. There is a value to being insured whether or not you have to actively take advantage of the plan.
How did you come to this conclusion, and what do you mean by ‘unused’?
I‘m guessing you mean that a majority of people receiving health care benefits are healthy and thus don’t ‘use’ them enough that the amount of money spent on their health plans is larger than the amount they would spend out of pocket?
Even if that is true, that’s not really the point of insurance. Insurance exists to protect you against an eventuality that you don’t necessarily expect to occur, but would be catastrophic if it did. People don’t buy liability car insurance because they expect to cause a terrible accident and want to come out ahead financially. There is a value to being insured whether or not you have to actively take advantage of the plan.
Jobs offer many benefits, of which healthcare is only one. Healthcare being used doesn't mean everything else is.
Things like food, equipment, travel perks, gym memberships, etc. could instead be spent on bigger paychecks, especially if you're already moving towards remote work.
Things like food, equipment, travel perks, gym memberships, etc. could instead be spent on bigger paychecks, especially if you're already moving towards remote work.
Outside of the SV bubble or Fortune 500 HQ offices, these perks are basically non-existent. I don't know anyone who's employer pays for food beyond a pot of cheap coffee. We have a couple of local gyms that offer discounts to employees of certain companies but that's like $10/mo on an already overpriced gym.
That's great then, there's nothing to worry about. My issue is when benefits are offered and unused, because it's a cost that the company could otherwise put towards paychecks.
What food or equipment benefits exist for the average american remote worker? How much do you think is spent on the average worker’s ‘travel perks’ and gym memberships?
The sum of the money spent on all non-healthcare benefits (aside from maybe 401k matching) is a drop in the bucket compared to healthcare premiums. I don’t think its unfair to assume that the only real benefit the average full time worker receives is their employers contribution to their health coverage.
I don’t have any data to back this up, but I’m guessing the amount of people who even receive these extra benefits in the first place are a tiny minority of relatively highly paid workers.
The sum of the money spent on all non-healthcare benefits (aside from maybe 401k matching) is a drop in the bucket compared to healthcare premiums. I don’t think its unfair to assume that the only real benefit the average full time worker receives is their employers contribution to their health coverage.
I don’t have any data to back this up, but I’m guessing the amount of people who even receive these extra benefits in the first place are a tiny minority of relatively highly paid workers.
>It's something that made sense when it started but is now obsolete and seriously detrimental to the modern workforce.
It didn't even make sense when it started. In the 30s the US government instituted wage controls in a misguided attempt to fight the depression, so because businesses weren't allowed to pay workers more (there was a government-mandated wage ceiling), they started offering health insurance to attract them instead. It's a classic example of the negative second-order effects of economically unsound policy.
It didn't even make sense when it started. In the 30s the US government instituted wage controls in a misguided attempt to fight the depression, so because businesses weren't allowed to pay workers more (there was a government-mandated wage ceiling), they started offering health insurance to attract them instead. It's a classic example of the negative second-order effects of economically unsound policy.
>Fix that and we would see a lot more positive developments for workers.
That basically requires getting rid of private health insurance (except as supplemental insurance) which is going to be a difficult battle.
That basically requires getting rid of private health insurance (except as supplemental insurance) which is going to be a difficult battle.
I’m fairly ok with arguments for public only health care but that said, why would detaching health insurance from employment require the end of private health insurance completely?
Thats not true for any other of the insurances I have. My car, home, flood, and life insurance all aren’t related to my employer yet still exist.
Thats not true for any other of the insurances I have. My car, home, flood, and life insurance all aren’t related to my employer yet still exist.
Essentially pre-existing conditions (including ones the patient knows about but are not on their medical file) are a mess to deal with as they significantly spike expected costs. Healthy people have little reason for good insurance and unhealthy people are desperate for it. Car insurance is similar but that's mitigate by it being mandatory and even then pre-existing conditions (ie: accident rates) can spike insurance a lot.
You can deal with it I believe by making insurance mandatory for everyone, banning all groups plans and preventing pre-existing conditions from being taken into account. Probably need some more restrictions on the fifty other ways of gouging expensive patients by insurance companies. But then you basically have government run health insurance in everything but name.
You can deal with it I believe by making insurance mandatory for everyone, banning all groups plans and preventing pre-existing conditions from being taken into account. Probably need some more restrictions on the fifty other ways of gouging expensive patients by insurance companies. But then you basically have government run health insurance in everything but name.
All of the forms of insurance I mentioned are extremely regulated. All of them have adverse selection effects. All of them have good populations and bad. None of them are associated with employment and you’d think someone was crazy for suggesting they should be.
All the risk pools you want to be in are employer-affiliated right now, but the individual health insurance market would be a lot more reasonable if everyone moved there at the same time.
I don't see why it would. If anything it would create more liquidity since the insured would no longer be grouped by employer but entire regions, states, or even a single massive group for the underwriting insurer.
Why? Private health insurance in the US is largely unaffordable due to regulations. Small businesses, ie consultancies with one practitioner, are prevented from joining together to negotiate health fees. Similar obstacles occur for individuals working 1099. How about removing those regulations first before going with a public option?
The point of having group plans is having groups. One person is not a group as groups exist to pool risk.
The point is that there are laws preventing individuals from forming a group. A group is more than one. The laws disallow the many, which is defined as more than one, to make a group.
> Most benefits are unused and people prefer cash that they can spend on their own needs instead.
I don’t think most people prefer to buy health insurance on the individual market.
I don’t think most people prefer to buy health insurance on the individual market.
Why not? Isn't lack of healthcare or limited options one of the top political issues?
Because it’s more expensive and the plans don’t cover enough.
Only a small percentage of jobs are actually remote-capable, but most people would be just fine with 1099 work. Most benefits are unused and people prefer cash that they can spend on their own needs instead.
As a COO, I disagree with every one of those statements.
EDIT: All programming jobs (in my company) are remote capable, and most already are. 95% of my employees use their health benefits.
As a COO, I disagree with every one of those statements.
EDIT: All programming jobs (in my company) are remote capable, and most already are. 95% of my employees use their health benefits.
Most jobs aren't programming jobs
Not all jobs are programming.
How’s a starbucks barista gonna work from home? Or a hairdresser? Or literally anyone that isn’t a knowledge worker?
We’re still primarily a service and manufacture economy aren’t we?
Hell even a lot of knowledge work can’t happen from home. I doubt microbiology research can be done from home. At some point you’re gonna need new data and experiments to analyze
How’s a starbucks barista gonna work from home? Or a hairdresser? Or literally anyone that isn’t a knowledge worker?
We’re still primarily a service and manufacture economy aren’t we?
Hell even a lot of knowledge work can’t happen from home. I doubt microbiology research can be done from home. At some point you’re gonna need new data and experiments to analyze
Hairdressers can easily work from home. You visit the hairdresser at home and you get your hair done. It's a pretty standard way to operate.
The biggest obstacle to this is regulation making it illegal for hairdressers to work out of their home, not the logistics of hairdressing.
The biggest obstacle to this is regulation making it illegal for hairdressers to work out of their home, not the logistics of hairdressing.
Hairdresser is going to be a tough one, but I suspect the barista jobs are easily automated.
>I suspect the barista jobs are easily automated.
Its called a coffee maker. And yet, Starbucks persists.
Its called a coffee maker. And yet, Starbucks persists.
Because everyone who is working from home goes to Starbucks to get stuff done.
Let me tell you about this amazing institution called Dunkin Donuts.
Coffee vending machines already exist but aren't able to handle the volume of a busy coffee shop. Also a good barista is able to control quality much more than any super-automatic machine even if it could keep up with production.
Being a COO is irrelevant. The vast majority of jobs are not programming related and require physical presence.
Even if healthcare is used (again limited by options and employment), most other benefits are not, especially if you don't even come into the office.
Even if healthcare is used (again limited by options and employment), most other benefits are not, especially if you don't even come into the office.
"Our current run of low unemployment is economically weird in that salaries haven’t gone up that much."
There is nothing weird, many companies took measure to not be impacted by hiring the cheapest people that can try to do the job, not caring too much about skills. My employer (big US-based non-IT company) is now hiring in IT without any IT skills interview or even a CV/credential check with the mindset that if they can keep the lights on for a few years, the next recession we can hire experienced people for cheap to fix the things that are currently neglected. I see this in every company I work with, big and famous IT software or services suppliers that are scrapping the bottom of the barrel and gives us unqualified people play-pretending to be developers, DBA's, architects etc. Everybody is cutting corners, in some cases very visible (Boeing), in others subtle (Intel and the 10 nm saga) and everyone else in between.
There is nothing weird, many companies took measure to not be impacted by hiring the cheapest people that can try to do the job, not caring too much about skills. My employer (big US-based non-IT company) is now hiring in IT without any IT skills interview or even a CV/credential check with the mindset that if they can keep the lights on for a few years, the next recession we can hire experienced people for cheap to fix the things that are currently neglected. I see this in every company I work with, big and famous IT software or services suppliers that are scrapping the bottom of the barrel and gives us unqualified people play-pretending to be developers, DBA's, architects etc. Everybody is cutting corners, in some cases very visible (Boeing), in others subtle (Intel and the 10 nm saga) and everyone else in between.
I went to a taqueria today. It was open. No one there was working from home. The guys cooking work there 5 days a week.
WFH is such a small percentage of the economy.
We went to see our pediatrician yesterday - the full-time staff was there.
Freelance has gone from 2% in the mid 90s to 3% today.
Big perhaps in absolute numbers of people, small in terms of percentages of the economy.
SF is mostly a bubble in terms of this.
WFH is such a small percentage of the economy.
We went to see our pediatrician yesterday - the full-time staff was there.
Freelance has gone from 2% in the mid 90s to 3% today.
Big perhaps in absolute numbers of people, small in terms of percentages of the economy.
SF is mostly a bubble in terms of this.
Well yea, none of those anecdotes you referenced are office jobs.
The biggest issue with WFH is how poor peoples’ written communication skills are.
Take a spoken conservation:
- Person A says something
- Person B thinks what they said is derailing the conversation
- Person B uses body language and makes subtle modifications to their response (“Uuh.. sure. Anyway...”) to express their opinion of Person A’s behavior
- Person A notices this and will begin to reflect
- Person B takes the opportunity to actually say “I think you’re derailing the conversation, we need to stay focused on X...”
- Person A learns from this experience
Now take a written conversation:
- Person A makes 18 points in an email (I find people say a lot in emails — especially if you include the assumptions of the author that are a part of each sentence.)
- Person B reads the email a day later.
- Person B thinks of 26 points of feedback they’d like to make, but they’re much harder to express. The bandwidth of written communication is higher, so the “derailing” feedback becomes invalid. Instead the feedback is “You’re saying too much, we can’t keep track of all this” but that comes across like “I can’t handle this many things” — which if you think about it is fine, but it’s definitely weirder than the in-person form. Also feedback like “you should use a comma here” seems pedantic, but it can be really fucking important to avoid miscommunication.
- Person B gets into a fluster and decides not to give any feedback, because it’s too hard.
- Person A doesn’t learn from this experience.
I’ve found people that are very self-critical become quite good at written communication.
I read my own emails three or four times before sending them, to be sure they’re easy to understand. Yet when I read others’ emails, the mistakes present indicate they didn’t read their own email even once. This is indicative of a lack of desire to self-reflect.
Feedback culture is important. I feel a remote-only company could be far more effective than a traditional company if they figure out interpersonal processes that lead to results — feedback on written communication being a part of that.
Take a spoken conservation:
- Person A says something
- Person B thinks what they said is derailing the conversation
- Person B uses body language and makes subtle modifications to their response (“Uuh.. sure. Anyway...”) to express their opinion of Person A’s behavior
- Person A notices this and will begin to reflect
- Person B takes the opportunity to actually say “I think you’re derailing the conversation, we need to stay focused on X...”
- Person A learns from this experience
Now take a written conversation:
- Person A makes 18 points in an email (I find people say a lot in emails — especially if you include the assumptions of the author that are a part of each sentence.)
- Person B reads the email a day later.
- Person B thinks of 26 points of feedback they’d like to make, but they’re much harder to express. The bandwidth of written communication is higher, so the “derailing” feedback becomes invalid. Instead the feedback is “You’re saying too much, we can’t keep track of all this” but that comes across like “I can’t handle this many things” — which if you think about it is fine, but it’s definitely weirder than the in-person form. Also feedback like “you should use a comma here” seems pedantic, but it can be really fucking important to avoid miscommunication.
- Person B gets into a fluster and decides not to give any feedback, because it’s too hard.
- Person A doesn’t learn from this experience.
I’ve found people that are very self-critical become quite good at written communication.
I read my own emails three or four times before sending them, to be sure they’re easy to understand. Yet when I read others’ emails, the mistakes present indicate they didn’t read their own email even once. This is indicative of a lack of desire to self-reflect.
Feedback culture is important. I feel a remote-only company could be far more effective than a traditional company if they figure out interpersonal processes that lead to results — feedback on written communication being a part of that.
>I read my own emails three or four times before sending them, to be sure they’re easy to understand. Yet when I read others’ emails, the mistakes present indicate they didn’t read their own email even once. This is indicative of a lack of desire to self-reflect.
I am glad I'm not the only person who does this, though in my case I think it turns out being a little bit of a hindrance. I have a post it note sticking to the bezel of my work monitor that says "STFE" -- (short for, 'send the fucking email') -- because I otherwise I end up with a draft box full of an entire day's emails.
I do, however, take 2 minutes to reduce the number of things I say in an email by answering these two questions in the first two sentences: "What does this person need to know and what decision do I need them to make based on this information?" The rest is basically CYA record keeping.
I am glad I'm not the only person who does this, though in my case I think it turns out being a little bit of a hindrance. I have a post it note sticking to the bezel of my work monitor that says "STFE" -- (short for, 'send the fucking email') -- because I otherwise I end up with a draft box full of an entire day's emails.
I do, however, take 2 minutes to reduce the number of things I say in an email by answering these two questions in the first two sentences: "What does this person need to know and what decision do I need them to make based on this information?" The rest is basically CYA record keeping.
Remote vs. in-office does benefit certain personality types over others.
I believe versions of this parable you have happen a lot (in both versions), but the ultimate consequences are not exactly obvious. If you play it out the remote scenario over time, then what are the perceptions? Paper trails are dominated by virtual-loudmouth Person A. If anything, A might come out looking like the star of the team. Maybe Person B becomes disengaged and self-select out. Remote teams will start to look like a cult of Person A.
Generationally, forum culture is big. As a millennial, I was in lots of confrontational online discussions as a youth, and enough other people were watching for there to be an audience. The art of flaming involves more emotional intelligence than people give it credit for, it can be similar to traditional debate. Those skills get redirected into the professional world. This is often good for the individual, but bad for the whole. It's pretty to take a healthy online community and convert it into something that only full-time rule junkies can survive in.
If you're ever managing an online community, the most important feedback is what people won't share because of their filter. There are ways to get this information in-person that you lose going full remote.
I believe versions of this parable you have happen a lot (in both versions), but the ultimate consequences are not exactly obvious. If you play it out the remote scenario over time, then what are the perceptions? Paper trails are dominated by virtual-loudmouth Person A. If anything, A might come out looking like the star of the team. Maybe Person B becomes disengaged and self-select out. Remote teams will start to look like a cult of Person A.
Generationally, forum culture is big. As a millennial, I was in lots of confrontational online discussions as a youth, and enough other people were watching for there to be an audience. The art of flaming involves more emotional intelligence than people give it credit for, it can be similar to traditional debate. Those skills get redirected into the professional world. This is often good for the individual, but bad for the whole. It's pretty to take a healthy online community and convert it into something that only full-time rule junkies can survive in.
If you're ever managing an online community, the most important feedback is what people won't share because of their filter. There are ways to get this information in-person that you lose going full remote.
You bring up good points against solely using email for communication, especially when subjects are multi-faceted. But I don't think anyone is proposing work-from-home means work-from-email.
Protip if this happens:
"You make a lot of good points, and there are some things we should definitely unpack here. Can we dig into this a little over [discourse|slack|phone|video]? We can reply back here later with [action items|a summary of our conversation|specific work items|some actual work] to make sure everyone else on the thread is still included."
Besides:
> Person B uses body language and makes subtle modifications to their response...
This approach is very hit or miss in real life, at least in my experience. Not everyone is wired to respect nonverbal cues as much as we would wish. Instead, I often request a sidebar when in person conversations become derailed.
All that being said, I agree that written communication is challenging for many people, if not most. That is not to say it can't get better if written communication became more important or popular.
Protip if this happens:
"You make a lot of good points, and there are some things we should definitely unpack here. Can we dig into this a little over [discourse|slack|phone|video]? We can reply back here later with [action items|a summary of our conversation|specific work items|some actual work] to make sure everyone else on the thread is still included."
Besides:
> Person B uses body language and makes subtle modifications to their response...
This approach is very hit or miss in real life, at least in my experience. Not everyone is wired to respect nonverbal cues as much as we would wish. Instead, I often request a sidebar when in person conversations become derailed.
All that being said, I agree that written communication is challenging for many people, if not most. That is not to say it can't get better if written communication became more important or popular.
What you say used to be true, but it isn't generally true any more. Conducting meetings over VC (e.g. Zoom, Hangouts) is the norm at many companies nowadays. Some companies' corporate campuses are so large that folks nominally in the same location use dial into meetings to avoid a long time-consuming walk to and from the meeting room.
Sorry, but what a load of garbage.
1) The vast majority of work is NOT "knowledge work"--it is schlepping things around. Who are the biggest employers and what do they do?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_employers_in_t...
Take a good look at that list. It's almost ALL about schlepping things around. That's takes people--in person.
2) Short term is incompatible with real social existence.
You have bills every month. Your child is stuck in a specific school for 3/4 of a year or more. You're going to your sister's wedding next year.
Sure, maybe if I'm a brogrammer in the Bay Area with no life, I don't care about getting upended continually. The rest of us with lives need money and need it on a schedule.
3) Most people aren't productive remotely because they are barely productive in person.
The vast majority of people are simply not productive without some level of oversight. Most companies don't need unicorn productivity, they simply need people to produce a little something every day. Most people working most jobs don't want to think or work too hard, do want to do a little something and then simply go home to their real lives.
1) The vast majority of work is NOT "knowledge work"--it is schlepping things around. Who are the biggest employers and what do they do?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_employers_in_t...
Take a good look at that list. It's almost ALL about schlepping things around. That's takes people--in person.
2) Short term is incompatible with real social existence.
You have bills every month. Your child is stuck in a specific school for 3/4 of a year or more. You're going to your sister's wedding next year.
Sure, maybe if I'm a brogrammer in the Bay Area with no life, I don't care about getting upended continually. The rest of us with lives need money and need it on a schedule.
3) Most people aren't productive remotely because they are barely productive in person.
The vast majority of people are simply not productive without some level of oversight. Most companies don't need unicorn productivity, they simply need people to produce a little something every day. Most people working most jobs don't want to think or work too hard, do want to do a little something and then simply go home to their real lives.
> The vast majority of work is NOT "knowledge work"--it is schlepping things around. Who are the biggest employers and what do they do?
It doesn't mean that those employers do not have hordes of office employees.
As a manifestation of the local bubble, all comments I read so far seem to believe that only programmers already spend their day in an office in front of a computer, whereas they are only a very small part of the office workers who could more or less easily switch to Work From Home (and who sometimes already do it).
It doesn't mean that those employers do not have hordes of office employees.
As a manifestation of the local bubble, all comments I read so far seem to believe that only programmers already spend their day in an office in front of a computer, whereas they are only a very small part of the office workers who could more or less easily switch to Work From Home (and who sometimes already do it).
WFH causes a huge disruption in communications with mixed remote teams. Productivity loss comes from the communication friction that makes every interaction more difficult.
My problem when I WFH is I work too much.
You need an office to go to so work is isolated from home
You need an office to go to so work is isolated from home
You know, like the coronavirus, I don't think anyone knows exactly how this will play out. It's good to err on the side of caution, but folks should avoid predicting and speculating about things right now. Better would be to just wash your hands, practice social distancing, hope for the best, and encourage others to do the same. Making statements like this aren't helpful and just upset people, especially those who can't work from home.
And there are a lot of people who our economy needs to show up to work. So let's all try to support them right now by not talking about things like this, OK?
And there are a lot of people who our economy needs to show up to work. So let's all try to support them right now by not talking about things like this, OK?
Alexander Pentland's book, Social Physics, actually had a very empiric approach to measuring the productivity of employees and compared remote and physical workers and there was a significant gap for remote-based work.
The reason is that face-to-face interaction conveys significantly more information between people than any form of remote work ever does. The spontaneous, rich interaction and the resulting creative output of humans gathered in the same place is at least with today's tech, not possible to replicate at a distance.
There's the anecdote about scientists making the most progress while standing at the coffee machine talking to each other on breaks and at least if Pentland's is to be believed the data bears this out.
I think another pretty good example of this is language acquisition. Compare trying to learn a language through internet communication with actually physically locating to a foreign country.
The reason is that face-to-face interaction conveys significantly more information between people than any form of remote work ever does. The spontaneous, rich interaction and the resulting creative output of humans gathered in the same place is at least with today's tech, not possible to replicate at a distance.
There's the anecdote about scientists making the most progress while standing at the coffee machine talking to each other on breaks and at least if Pentland's is to be believed the data bears this out.
I think another pretty good example of this is language acquisition. Compare trying to learn a language through internet communication with actually physically locating to a foreign country.
Yes it’s strange that everyone’s so eager to say work from home, don’t shake hands, don’t go to parties, don’t go to sports games, as if these were just arbitrary aspects of human life that we can discard. In fact, these are important social structures that evolved in human society for a reason. There is a real danger of unintended consequences here.
It's not so strange when you consider that people are only expecting it to be for a small number of weeks or months.
I'm wondering if this will have an impact on the San Francisco housing crisis. If it turns out WFH works out really well for tech companies, could we see a reduction in demand for housing in SF?
I could certainly see tech employees deciding to move to a cheaper city where they can WFH and spend less of their income on rent.
I could certainly see tech employees deciding to move to a cheaper city where they can WFH and spend less of their income on rent.
Hasn't this been a thing for 20 years? (Source: moved from the valley to Montata 20 years ago).
Since the problem with WFH seems to be lack of casual interactions, I wonder if it could be solved with very imposing video calling. Something like an always-on whole wall display showing another office, so you can see people from a distance, approach them at the wall, wave them over, hear background sounds, etc? Perhaps displays and internet bandwidth are only now (or not yet?) cheap enough to do this in your house.
I've done this in a team where we were spread across two offices. A TV on the wall showed the other office (on the other coast). We called it the wormhole. I can't remember it being useful in any way
I'd argue a voice chat solution might be a bit less intrusive while keeping the warmth of human interactions.
Mumble, for example, is both excellent in sound quality and FOSS.
Mumble, for example, is both excellent in sound quality and FOSS.
Farenheit 451
As a contractor, I think this is... complicated.
Quarantine may help WFH situation. For example, my bank is increasing their capacity to support remote which until now was 1 day a week at most. Teams also learn to deal with the situation which will improve my ability to be productive when WFH in the future.
On the other hand it seems only a portion of population is able to be efficient when working from home. I find that very large portion of my team treats WFH as a kind of paid vacation where they seem to produce zero to almost zero. Will not join meetings and will be only available on Skype just to pretend they are available while in fact doing their own stuff. One just told me he can't discuss a problem with me because he's taking care of his kid.
As to contracting/FT jobs, it is also a matter of choice. Most people value stability and they don't want to think about themselves as disposable. Maybe they would like to have career path.
What I am saying is that being a contractor has its disadvantages which most people are not very comfortable with.
Quarantine may help WFH situation. For example, my bank is increasing their capacity to support remote which until now was 1 day a week at most. Teams also learn to deal with the situation which will improve my ability to be productive when WFH in the future.
On the other hand it seems only a portion of population is able to be efficient when working from home. I find that very large portion of my team treats WFH as a kind of paid vacation where they seem to produce zero to almost zero. Will not join meetings and will be only available on Skype just to pretend they are available while in fact doing their own stuff. One just told me he can't discuss a problem with me because he's taking care of his kid.
As to contracting/FT jobs, it is also a matter of choice. Most people value stability and they don't want to think about themselves as disposable. Maybe they would like to have career path.
What I am saying is that being a contractor has its disadvantages which most people are not very comfortable with.
What’s this obsession with working from home? Does no one else like going into their office and seeing people face to face?
I d like to reverse the question. What s the obsession with going to the office to see other people? This seems to be particularly endemic to west/USA. There are lots of countries where , due to high unemployment , people have accustomed to having a life not provided by their employer. That's why remote work seems to fit well in europe/eastern europe where tech industry is scarce.
HN (and the tech industry in general) has a bias for being introverted, computer-focused workers that, if they had their way, would spend 10 hours a day heads down with a technical task and no interaction with other human beings. They live in a bubble where they assume that everyone else is the same way. As evidenced by the comments in this thread, many of them have trouble understanding that other people genuinely do enjoy socializing with their coworkers and going to after-work happy hours, and actually dread the thought of spending their entire workday alone without anyone to gossip with in the break room.
I think it greatly depends on where you work, the group of people you're around, and if the atmosphere is open office or something more discrete like cubicles.
My open office division of where I've been assigned, has a group of people that aren't very social and conversations usually end with I need to get back to work. They're all great people but totally different experience compared to previous socializing at work. I typically can get my "social fix" by visiting a different area of team members and that are way more toned down on just writing code all day.
This sort of solution isn't pleasant at all and makes me just want to work from home. In general I could just stay home, code and nothing would be missed.
My open office division of where I've been assigned, has a group of people that aren't very social and conversations usually end with I need to get back to work. They're all great people but totally different experience compared to previous socializing at work. I typically can get my "social fix" by visiting a different area of team members and that are way more toned down on just writing code all day.
This sort of solution isn't pleasant at all and makes me just want to work from home. In general I could just stay home, code and nothing would be missed.
The first part of your comment is true. I certainly prefer no interaction when working on some challenge(unless I'm working together WITH someone on the same challenge). I also enjoy socializing with my friends at work. The problem comes when I want to focus on the challenge at hand but am forced to hear all the noise around me. Various conversations, and random words/laughter/clomping pulling my thoughts away from what I want to be working on.
I just want to be able to focus on something without all the unnecessary distractions. I can socialize anytime.
If I had a door I could close (that actually blocked the noise), that would be different.
I just want to be able to focus on something without all the unnecessary distractions. I can socialize anytime.
If I had a door I could close (that actually blocked the noise), that would be different.
This site has its own version of Godwin's law in which as any submission gathers more comments, the odds go up that someone will draw a contrived link to remote work.
I definitely like going to an office more than I like sitting home or at a coffee shop all day. It's important social ambience that I can participate in as much or as little as I want on a given day. And I'm not in the minority, though it can seem so when tolerance for going to a regular job is more implicitly assumed than something that needs to be posted about regularly.
I definitely like going to an office more than I like sitting home or at a coffee shop all day. It's important social ambience that I can participate in as much or as little as I want on a given day. And I'm not in the minority, though it can seem so when tolerance for going to a regular job is more implicitly assumed than something that needs to be posted about regularly.
> it's important social ambience that I can participate in as much or as little as I want on a given day.
If I had this luxury, I would enjoy working in an office too. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in an open office plan without that benefit.
Godwins law (the remote work version) on HN exists because the current open-office trend is absolutely hated by many.
I would be interested to see actual numbers on the like or dislike of open-office plans.
If I had this luxury, I would enjoy working in an office too. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in an open office plan without that benefit.
Godwins law (the remote work version) on HN exists because the current open-office trend is absolutely hated by many.
I would be interested to see actual numbers on the like or dislike of open-office plans.
Working in the office has become frustrating and tiresome even for many non-introverts in recent years, due to the prevalence of open-plan offices.
I don’t think it’s actually that widespread. You’re looking at a vocal minority; most people on balance enjoy the social (and other) benefits of co-located work, they just don’t blog about it.
And the rich software people will put even less of their money into the rest of the economy, it’ll be great for everyone who’s doing a job that requires being at a particular time and place. Absolutely great!
No, it means that they will put their money into local economies other than those of tech hubs. A good thing, surely.
Maybe? My last chat with a random recruiter ended when I asked about telwcommuting since the place was too far for me and I am kinda spoiled now ( don't go to the office unless I know something needs to be signed or people might forget how I look ) ended since the company in question wants warm bodies in chair.
That was 2 weeks ago. Admittedly, an eternity in market panics.
Still, I will postulate that wfh isn't for everyone. It took me a while to get used to it. And I saying that while absolutely loving the benefit of not spending my precious time in traffic ( 45min to 1 hour ).
That was 2 weeks ago. Admittedly, an eternity in market panics.
Still, I will postulate that wfh isn't for everyone. It took me a while to get used to it. And I saying that while absolutely loving the benefit of not spending my precious time in traffic ( 45min to 1 hour ).
Remains to be seen. If this goes horribly wrong (I expect it won’t) then it may have the opposite effect. If things go even slightly well, I expect the lessons learned will at the very least allow companies to be more flexible in their hiring practices.
Either way I believe it will open the conversation to those who previously shot the idea down. Any change is scary, but that won’t stop things from moving forward.
The real issue here is neoliberal values and misplaced economic theory. Remote work can be done in an ethical and economically beneficial way.
Either way I believe it will open the conversation to those who previously shot the idea down. Any change is scary, but that won’t stop things from moving forward.
The real issue here is neoliberal values and misplaced economic theory. Remote work can be done in an ethical and economically beneficial way.
Uber and co need to lobby hard for non-employment-base healthcare and other benefits. It's very enlightened, and very self-interested.
The thing is I suspect bullshit jobs are the easiest ones to do from home. Once (hopfully!) non-labor-tied welfare and UBI break the oversupply of labor, we'll have less of those, and in turn the jobs that remain will be more intense, pay very well, and often require in person coordination.
The thing is I suspect bullshit jobs are the easiest ones to do from home. Once (hopfully!) non-labor-tied welfare and UBI break the oversupply of labor, we'll have less of those, and in turn the jobs that remain will be more intense, pay very well, and often require in person coordination.
> But contractors are the future.
I strongly disagree. Contractors are, by nature, traveling craftsman. If you want an employee to stick around, bond with the company and really envision... the vision, then a stable, permanent work agreement (read: contract) is mandatory.
Otherwise be warned that the future will be a time of unattached people that care very little about the success of your company (besides being successful enough to pay them).
I strongly disagree. Contractors are, by nature, traveling craftsman. If you want an employee to stick around, bond with the company and really envision... the vision, then a stable, permanent work agreement (read: contract) is mandatory.
Otherwise be warned that the future will be a time of unattached people that care very little about the success of your company (besides being successful enough to pay them).
There are lots of recommendations for protection against coronavirus which are the same as the recommendations for protection against normal flu. If people are implementing them which is very likely, there should be a decrease in normal flu cases. We should be able to quantify how effective they, washing hands frequently, are.
Maybe this will be the turning point for universal healthcare. The current status quo is only barely tolerated, where many don't get any healthcare at all and most of what people do get is sub-par. If only a minority had it, there might finally be the political pressure to push through a total reform.
I don't know about that. In Italy the system is almost at / past the saturation point and they are talking about ICU triage by age (no access to ICU over a certain age). Some people in the comments were taking this opportunity to criticize the universal healthcare model. In the sense that you contribute all your life and then you are denied treatment. I don't how they will do triage in the US if/when it becomes necessary but I think some people still think that money should play a factor.
Meanwhile in the US some are being charged thousands of dollars for going and getting tested.
Anyway, I wasn't talking about the care during the virus but the increased commonality of non-full-time employment, which in the US means you don't get health insurance at all.
Anyway, I wasn't talking about the care during the virus but the increased commonality of non-full-time employment, which in the US means you don't get health insurance at all.
Almost certainly an inflection point for "we don't need any government so the government can be made ineffective". Turns out people need government sometimes.
I'm not sure about denormalize full-time jobs, but normalizing WFH is a good thing. It does require different practices though.
Our company has a ton of training material on managing remote teams, and due to high demand because of the virus, we decided to make our eBook on "Managing Remote Teams" free. Maybe we can help ease the transition for teams moving to WFH.
The 60+ pages book is the result of months of research and interviews with successful remote companies (it’s usually a part of our paid product). We collected tips on pretty much everything, from onboarding to communication best-practices, to tools you should consider.
https://knowyourteam.com/m/managing_remote_teams
Our company has a ton of training material on managing remote teams, and due to high demand because of the virus, we decided to make our eBook on "Managing Remote Teams" free. Maybe we can help ease the transition for teams moving to WFH.
The 60+ pages book is the result of months of research and interviews with successful remote companies (it’s usually a part of our paid product). We collected tips on pretty much everything, from onboarding to communication best-practices, to tools you should consider.
https://knowyourteam.com/m/managing_remote_teams
I agree that this will probably make WFH seem like an option that works for more companies, more people, and more jobs.
I also think it might show us that we don't need to keep road building. Instead, we should incentivize companies to do more WFH. If companies that currently require people to be in the office daily allow workers to even work 1-2 days a week from home, that will greatly reduce rush-hour road congestion.
The governor of Maryland, for instance, is trying to widen the Beltway and I-270. Both roads are mostly heavy traffic during rush hour. I-270, in particular, is relatively light outside of rush hour in one direction. Simply lessoning rush hour demand for these roads would greatly reduce congestion.
WFH is a much cheaper and environmentally friendly option. It can also be implemented immediately.
I also think it might show us that we don't need to keep road building. Instead, we should incentivize companies to do more WFH. If companies that currently require people to be in the office daily allow workers to even work 1-2 days a week from home, that will greatly reduce rush-hour road congestion.
The governor of Maryland, for instance, is trying to widen the Beltway and I-270. Both roads are mostly heavy traffic during rush hour. I-270, in particular, is relatively light outside of rush hour in one direction. Simply lessoning rush hour demand for these roads would greatly reduce congestion.
WFH is a much cheaper and environmentally friendly option. It can also be implemented immediately.
Note: WFH = "working from home". Not all of us speak in undefined acronyms :-).
I found this irritating, too. I had to google LNKD--it's the stock symbol for LinkedIn. Made me feel dumb for not figuring it out from the context.
It's from whoever wrote "The coming IP war over facts derived from books" [1]
That's enough signal to make me not bother reading this. Writing this here to prevent other from wasting their time. Don't know the agenda behind, but can see the author(s) is/are trying to "pull" the Overton-window in a really really nasty direction concerning many things...
[1]: https://abe-winter.github.io/2020/02/11/books-facts-ip.html
That's enough signal to make me not bother reading this. Writing this here to prevent other from wasting their time. Don't know the agenda behind, but can see the author(s) is/are trying to "pull" the Overton-window in a really really nasty direction concerning many things...
[1]: https://abe-winter.github.io/2020/02/11/books-facts-ip.html
"Quarantine will normalize WFH..."
"That's good!"
"... and recession will de-normalize full time jobs."
"That's bad!"
https://youtu.be/Krbl911ZPBA
"That's good!"
"... and recession will de-normalize full time jobs."
"That's bad!"
https://youtu.be/Krbl911ZPBA
I see a novel playing out.
A bird's eye view of the sprawling highways in a major US city shows them completely empty and lifeless in broad daylight. It all starts out by companies canceling events and conferences. The shutdowns also spread to concerts. Eventually, a gathering of any size, even live music at a local bar, is banned. This happens in a time-span of just over a month. Schools shut down and students are told to communicate over Google classroom.
Families self quarantined themselves.
The stock market wildly goes up and down.
This poorly written op-ed, rich on bombastic proclamations and backed with absolutely no research, getting to the top of HN is a (chef's kiss) testament of a what a giant circle jerk this site is.
I prefer working from the office and benefit from having in-person conversations. I also enjoy lunch with coworkers and having a space dedicated to work. That said, the flexibility of WFH is an amazing benefit and privilege that we have in the tech industry for people who primarly work on a computer. However, I can’t help but think of my brother who works in manufacturing and has to work with machines. WFH is not an option for him, and in his industry when people are sent home they no longer get a paycheck.
I really hope we see a dramatic drop in emissions, and lobbying groups, unions, or just employees in general can point to that as a real benefit of being more permissive with WFH.
If this really improved emissions in Salt Lake City for example, I could see this pushing WFH from a being a luxury to being encouraged. Everyone hates the poor air quality here, including decisions makers at companies. Maybe this will give them a reason to back WFH to some extent.
If this really improved emissions in Salt Lake City for example, I could see this pushing WFH from a being a luxury to being encouraged. Everyone hates the poor air quality here, including decisions makers at companies. Maybe this will give them a reason to back WFH to some extent.
And once these expensive SW engineers get the pay cut, they'll start defaulting on their expensive mortgages. A year from now?
The software industry consists has the organizational layer - all these managers and vps - that relies on face to face communications, and the technical layer - all these engineers and devops - who can work remotely. The former will stay and retain their high pay. The latter will be outsourced at a fraction of the current price.
The software industry consists has the organizational layer - all these managers and vps - that relies on face to face communications, and the technical layer - all these engineers and devops - who can work remotely. The former will stay and retain their high pay. The latter will be outsourced at a fraction of the current price.
If the financial correction continues (with the 10 year note selling for so low), this pandemic has a likelihood of preventing fundraising in the near term.
It is too early to say anything.
WFH is a great option, but - having worked in that kind of environment for a few years - I much prefer working in an office. It's definitely true that I'm more productive when I WFH, but honestly, losing that human touch and spur-of-the-moment creativity, which for me requires human interaction (bouncing ideas off each other), is a bigger negative than the positives of getting my work done
Every few years, we get the X will normalize WFH. I remember when oil prices skyrocketed a decade or so ago and the cost of travel was supposed to normalize WFH. Oil prices dropped and hence nothing.
Coronavirus will be forgotten about in a few weeks/months. People will move on. Especially with modern news cycle where a new catastrophe or controversy somewhere in the world will distract the public.
Coronavirus will be forgotten about in a few weeks/months. People will move on. Especially with modern news cycle where a new catastrophe or controversy somewhere in the world will distract the public.
I think the shift to WFH will also crash tech industry salaries, probably never to recover to present heights. Over the long term, there's every reason to suspect that a labor glut combined with better ML-driven program creation will change "manual" programming --- the direct writing of program logic in code --- to a low-pay, low-status profession.
WFH already seems pretty normalized to me. But the denormalization of full-time jobs/employees does seem like a real danger in any field at the moment. Unfortunately not all employers are ethical when it comes to that. If you're lucky to find one that is, stick with it.
As a dev I don't mind coming into the office, infact I probably would never want a 100% WFH situation because I know I would get too comfortable to be productive when I need to be. But I'd like more days of WFH to break up the mundane office culture and burnout.
For programmers maybe. Rest of the world not so much. Most things can’t be pushed through fiber pipes
I don't mind wfh but it doesn't work for everyone. Not everyone has a quite home where they can focus. When working in a team,just having part of the team work in a differnt city by itself can affect team dynamics.
> Not everyone has a quite home where they can focus.
Exactly what I say about my open-office. It's not quiet, and I cannot focus.
Exactly what I say about my open-office. It's not quiet, and I cannot focus.
You should read "quiet" here not as "free from sound" but "free from toddlers who barge into the office without warning and sit kicking the door if it is locked".
My own kids are pretty good about this, but it still happens sometimes.
My own kids are pretty good about this, but it still happens sometimes.
I'm sure that is also a problem, but "quiet" still means "free from sound" and I very strongly emphasize that it does apply here.
Or sick relatives, small house with a lot of siblings. Neighbors throwing a party in the middle of your important meeting.
I work in tech and IT and as a lead manager on some websites in a position between junior and senior and I definitely could use some wfh days but definitely need some office time with coworkers.
What is “async” communication that everyone is taking about? Isn’t that email/irc/slack that we had since forever? How are things going to change all of a sudden?
Yes it is those things. We've had the tech since forever, but businesses have not embraced them as a sole or primary means of internal communication.
If you make the decision to structure the coordination of your business around email instead of meetings, it can have a large effect on your organization's productivity. Depending on how well your employees do with written communication, that large effect can be extremely positive.
If you make the decision to structure the coordination of your business around email instead of meetings, it can have a large effect on your organization's productivity. Depending on how well your employees do with written communication, that large effect can be extremely positive.
All the WFH companies must be salivating at this situation. Are there any public investment opportunities (other than Zoom)?
Cisco. They have networking infrastructure, VoIP, VPNs, and Webex meetings.
On the other hand they're in the news every fucking month because their products are full of intentional backdoors, unintentional backdoors, other security issues, and bugs.
Atlassian and Microsoft
Slack.
This crisis is going way beyond just working from home. Governments restricting people's movement and forcing quarantine is just the tip of a very deep iceberg. The astonishing decision to cut off Northern Italy was praised by authorities, without much regard to the chaos and the panic that ensued. There's a mindset that is dictating this is the right thing to do and very few critics. When is this going too be too much?
I hate to be catastrophic, that's just not me as I tend to think crises will balance out itself eventually, or just fade away as vaccine, treatment, the summer weather (in the North) or the public attention turns to something else. But the picture right now is that we're sailing deep into uncharted waters. It seems like anyone, public and private sector, plain civilians or even mobs can now single out humans and quarantine for disease, segregating at work, schools, public transportation or any place anyone pleases. People are running for masks and hand sanitizers, but in fact it all does not seems too far from bank runs, a financial system shutdown and economic mayhem.
The 2010 Public Health Service Act in the US gives government almost unrestricted mandate to limit people's freedom under certain circumstances (such as a new respiratory virus like the COVID-19) and there isn't going to be anyone with the power, or the courage, to dial it back. We need to find a way to 80/20 on this epidemic and get most effectiveness without herding ourselves out of a cliff.
I hate to be catastrophic, that's just not me as I tend to think crises will balance out itself eventually, or just fade away as vaccine, treatment, the summer weather (in the North) or the public attention turns to something else. But the picture right now is that we're sailing deep into uncharted waters. It seems like anyone, public and private sector, plain civilians or even mobs can now single out humans and quarantine for disease, segregating at work, schools, public transportation or any place anyone pleases. People are running for masks and hand sanitizers, but in fact it all does not seems too far from bank runs, a financial system shutdown and economic mayhem.
The 2010 Public Health Service Act in the US gives government almost unrestricted mandate to limit people's freedom under certain circumstances (such as a new respiratory virus like the COVID-19) and there isn't going to be anyone with the power, or the courage, to dial it back. We need to find a way to 80/20 on this epidemic and get most effectiveness without herding ourselves out of a cliff.
As of this moment, large-scale group quarantines are the only mitigation measures that have been shown to reduce the R0 of the coronavirus below 1. (The source for this is a recent epidemiological study of the situation in Wuhan: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.03.20030593v...)
Given this, it's perhaps understandable that governments and individuals in the hardest-hit areas would be erring on the side of caution.
Given this, it's perhaps understandable that governments and individuals in the hardest-hit areas would be erring on the side of caution.
We are already moving into temp WFH and I'm really scared that a near future recession will hit us hard.
As much as I love WFH, the truth is that people will be more committed to their job if they're on site.
> The truth is that people will be more committed to their job if they're on site.
I would be way more committed to my job if they gave me the flexibility to work from home.
I would be way more committed to my job if they gave me the flexibility to work from home.
This is total bs and completely dependent on the context and person. I personally would give 500% more effort and be 1000% more loyal to a company let me wfh.
Is WFH a commonly used acronym?
A remote worker myself, I didn't know how to decipher that. (Spoiler: Work From Home.)
A remote worker myself, I didn't know how to decipher that. (Spoiler: Work From Home.)
Just in case anybody got confused, WFH stands for "Work From Home"
It would have helped to have three article state what wfh stands for
I really don't think it will do either.
I'd like to see the data on carbon footprint reductions associated with WFH. Also traffic related deaths would imaginably be reduced.
The Coronavirus vaccine will negate the need for WFH. [1]
1. https://www.livescience.com/us-coronavirus-vaccine-trial-rec...
1. https://www.livescience.com/us-coronavirus-vaccine-trial-rec...
It’s also ignores the realities that many people don’t want to WFH. Many of the parents with young children at home are dreading the loss of their office space right now.
I also expect that the shift toward WFH will not be a positive thing for highly paid Silicon Valley engineers. Once people are working from home most of the time, it’s not much of a stretch to hire cheaper engineers from a few states over at literally half the cost of a SV engineer. From there, it’s only a few more levels of difficulty to unlock international talent at 1/4 of the price.