Benefits of Covid-19

[JSH]

Yesterday my company announce we are going to start transitioning from work from home back to the office. To start it is only volunteers - which I very quickly said no thanks. Then it will be rotating half and half... Then ???

For the volunteers they will have to wear masks and have their temperature taken in the morning. Also, the cafeterias and coffee shops will be close and the break rooms won't have coffee or snacks. No physical meetings in conference room.

This makes absolutely no sense to me. All meetings will still have to be done online so what is the point of anyone driving to the office?

I'm not looking forward to wasting 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day in a car again. I've been sleeping better, eating better, running 5 days a week, doing some little workouts.

[oil pan 4]

They're spending a cap load of money on an empty corporate office. That's why you have to drive to the office.

[redpoint5]

I have a feeling this will have spurred the beginning of the transition to distributed work. I'm a bit less productive working at home since I can't stand in a cubicle and demand the attention of engineers, but then the company saves a ton by the office being paid for by me rather than them. I benefit by not wasting my life in traffic. The company also benefits because we're global, so someone is always available. I've had people from Germany, India, and all over ping me for help on something when they find that I've run into a similar issue.

The sunk cost fallacy means we'll mostly see people returning to office buildings, but new investments in infrastructure will drop like a rock. Not a good time to be in commercial real estate. Perhaps high rise offices can be converted into condos.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by JSH

I'm not looking forward to wasting 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day in a car again. I've been sleeping better, eating better, running 5 days a week, doing some little workouts.

When I worked for Symantec, the best part of the commute* was climbing the staircase. But up was all left turns and I blew out my left knee. But they paid for the arthroscopy, so.... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

* They gave me a bus pass and a parking permit

edit:
It took a bit to find it; but there it is:

There is something patently insane about all the typewriters sleeping with all the beautiful plumbing in the beautiful office buildings — and all the people sleeping in the slums.

Bucky Fuller

https://enq.translatum.gr/wiki/Buckminster_Fuller

...has kind of a 'beautiful' contemporary ring to it, doesn't it?

[JSH]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

They're spending a cap load of money on an empty corporate office. That's why you have to drive to the office.

A crap ton on the offices the own or a crap ton on the offices they lease? It seems like a good time to same some money by getting rid of some of the leased space.

Even then it doesn’t make sense to make people drive to an office to sit at their desk and communicate by Skype. If they bring people back into the office they pay more for electricity, water, TP, paper towels, cleaning crews, the masks they are going to give us each day...

They are being people back into the office because the CEO is a boomer that has specifically said he doesn’t believe in employees working from home.

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I have a feeling this will have spurred the beginning of the transition to distributed work. I'm a bit less productive working at home since I can't stand in a cubicle and demand the attention of engineers, but then the company saves a ton by the office being paid for by me rather than them. I benefit by not wasting my life in traffic. The company also benefits because we're global, so someone is always available. I've had people from Germany, India, and all over ping me for help on something when they find that I've run into a similar issue.

The sunk cost fallacy means we'll mostly see people returning to office buildings, but new investments in infrastructure will drop like a rock. Not a good time to be in commercial real estate. Perhaps high rise offices can be converted into condos.

Worktobefree as motivation to work.
Now where have we heard that before.

[MetroMPG]

Removed the last 2 posts.



Both Tim and I want everyone to try to be civil, and avoid political/partisan posting.

[redpoint5]

You're implying that I was uncivil and political by removing my post. It contained neither personal attack, nor political message. I had no intention of replying to the post that was, because there was nothing to reply to.

[freebeard]

Somebody killed the Climate thread and the other thread.

Who had last post?

Was it the picture of Greta T.?

edit:

Both Tim and I want everyone to try to be civil, and avoid political/partisan posting.

Now I'm caught up, posted before the thread is locked. So why wasn't #138 deleted? ⌘-F finds only the one mention of Zika.

[Xist]

I went to the main TPgate thread to post news that I felt was important. I didn't want to insult anyone or push my understanding of things.

People are dying and I cannot discuss it with the only people that I respect?

Be righteous to each other.