If Working From Home Becomes the Norm

[OkieSnuffBox]

We already worked from home 2-3 days per week, my setup in my "home office" is way nicer than my setup at the office. Been working from home since the Jazz/Thunder game that snowballed all this. Won't be back in the office until next year, I suspect spring so we can get past flu season.

I miss the random "stop-and-chats" in the office and seeing people in person vs always on Zoom. The biggest pisser has been all outdoor/hobby type stuff being sold out all year.

Even when the office opens back up, I'll still be able to stay home if I want since my lady has an auto-immune disease. I'm actually hoping to eventually go full remote at some point so we can move to a smaller town and not be near so many damn people.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by smyles

I'm actually not so sure re metro extension. The ridership on Silver line has been, to my knowledge, pathetic even pre-covid; nowadays metro is a ghost town pretty much everywhere. But once you build it (and construction costs are indeed huge, just look at the 267 toll hikes), the operating costs are significant and mostly fixed, so I can only imagine the current overall $$$ losses. And in general, the whole concept of riding a metro train for 1+ hour one way is questionable, we're not Japan or Europe or even NYC. Then we have insolvable dilemma of MARC & VRE trains sharing the tracks with cargo trains (and I think cargo have priority), so high speed is a no-go.

The ridership is there pre COVID. I've been on it during rush hour. The parking lot at the Shady Grove station is packed. Being on the red line train during the peak commute hours is akin to what you expect in Japan. It's not that bad but certainly it's common to have standing room only. There is a shuttle service outside of Metro that runs from the Frederick MARC station all the way down to the Shady Grove station which is heavily utilized because of the stupid operating schedule of MARC.

And I would prefer to be on a train 1+ hours being able to read or just relax without sitting in bumper to bumper traffic putting wear and tear on my car and on my nerves.

[dreamingat30fps]

Ya'll need to go back to work asap!!!

I started working from home full time like maybe 4 years ago. It was glorious! I could go anywhere and basically have most places to myself. We started traveling in our RV and during the week we could get a spot at almost any RV park no problem no reservations needed.

Now.... I basically don't leave the house because it's a fucking cluster fuck out there. You assholes are all running around all fucking day doing god knows what. There is probably MORE local traffic than I've ever seen. Went to Home Depot for the first time in probably 6 months yesterday.... fuck me!!!! Total nightmare!!! The only time I've seen that many people at Home Depot is like right before a big holiday weekend or something.

Pretty much all RV parks are booked up, today, tomorrow, next week doesn't matter. Only got to enjoy my wfh for a couple of years before it was ruined. Go back to work!!!

[GenXer]

I don't care to work from home. There's already little separation between work and home as it is. I'm tethered to work through my work phone and company laptop. I'm obligated to answer work related phone calls on the weekend and sometimes on vacation. I've done payroll on my laptop while on vacation 4X. It's enough that I don't schedule my vacation on payroll week. I've done Microsoft Team meeting at home and it's just as aggravating.

I enjoy my hour commute to work and hour commute home. I need the time separation to wind up and wind down. This way I don't take my problem from work home and vice versa.

[smyles]

I'm curious how the younger crowd is dealing with all this. Those who got their first high paying job, paying $$$ for a place in the city, often with a roommate or two. I imagine it's quite different than siting in a house in suburbia. We have few young professionals moving out back home (to save on rent, mostly), but not sure how widespread this dynamic is.

[DETRoadster]

Originally Posted by smyles

I'm curious how the younger crowd is dealing with all this. Those who got their first high paying job, paying $$$ for a place in the city, often with a roommate or two. I imagine it's quite different than siting in a house in suburbia. We have few young professionals moving out back home (to save on rent, mostly), but not sure how widespread this dynamic is.

My company is 80% under 35. Tons of fresh grads living together in rented, overpriced, apartments and houses in Seattle. We are 100% work from home since March with no end in sight. Many of them have abandoned Seattle as their leases have come up for renewal and are back living with parents all over the county. I have folks in my department who have relocated to Oregon, CA, Tennessee, Georgia, and Illinois. I actually like it. We work closely with our satellite office in the UK and production facility in China so the folks who relocated to the east coast have more overlap with the UK team in the AM and us still in Seattle take the evening shift to overlap with China.

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by smyles

I'm curious how the younger crowd is dealing with all this. Those who got their first high paying job, paying $$$ for a place in the city, often with a roommate or two. I imagine it's quite different than siting in a house in suburbia. We have few young professionals moving out back home (to save on rent, mostly), but not sure how widespread this dynamic is.

My sister actually quit her job in MD because of this. She was making okay money (not great) and they cut her hours to basically nothing. She couldn't afford her rent, and she was already living in a house with other people. Other options around her were more expensive. She got two other part time jobs to make ends meet but it was just too insane for one person.

The company begged her to stay since she was good at her job (something environmental related) but she said I can't afford to stay here at 5-10 hours a week of work.

Joke is on them because she moved home and got a better paying job.

[vreihen16]

I have actually been thinking about renting a small/private office, to make myself a quiet WFH office slash electronics tinkering den because our house is too tiny for both my DW and I to work from home effectively at the same time.

Before the pandemic hit, there was already a local glut of vacant rental office space built on speculation...to the point of office suites going for $175/month rent. I can only imagine what the rent is now with many offices closing closing due to either finances or WFH.....

[S1nner]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

I have actually been thinking about renting a small/private office, to make myself a quiet WFH office slash electronics tinkering den because our house is too tiny for both my DW and I to work from home effectively at the same time.

Before the pandemic hit, there was already a local glut of vacant rental office space built on speculation...to the point of office suites going for $175/month rent. I can only imagine what the rent is now with many offices closing closing due to either finances or WFH.....

This ^^. Thinking to do the same. I need to really concentrate time to time, but with my wife and small one being around, it's impossible

[4Hockey4]

Just reading the DC stuff makes my blood pressure rise lol. Spent 1st 34 years there (Springfield/Centreville/Warrenton) and until recently was up there constantly for hockey and Caps games.

Been in Central VA since, don't miss anything about that area, and its where I grew up...but that place isnt the place I grew up.

WFH is fine, makes job a bit tougher, but there are perks. Just mowed lawn and went for bike ride

Think the world, esp stuff like college, is changed forever moving forward.

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by S1nner

This ^^. Thinking to do the same. I need to really concentrate time to time, but with my wife and small one being around, it's impossible

It isn't as much about the distractions as it is about the space. We only have one desk, and her WFH hardware includes huge monitors to do aerial/mapping work. I've been working portable and moving around the house since March, and it does have an impact on productivity for someone who works in IT and needs to type a lot.

I did give some consideration back in the spring to make myself an office out in the lounge area of my enclosed race car hauler in the driveway, but it is uninsulated and I don't think that it would be pleasant during the summer/winter.....

[upstatedoc]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

My sister .

pic of sister?

[smyles]

Originally Posted by 4Hockey4

Just reading the DC stuff makes my blood pressure rise lol. Spent 1st 34 years there (Springfield/Centreville/Warrenton) and until recently was up there constantly for hockey and Caps games.
..

This used to be exception. Now it's the norm. Like a hobo peeing at our lobby entrance door in broad daylight.

[ASAP]

Outside of the distractions thst exist at home and reduced social aspect of work... it's a win in every way imaginable.

Reduced Overhead costs for the company

Reduced emissions from less driving

More space for residential living space vs commercial

Reduced congestion in cities

Tech now makes everything possible and it will be real funny when everyone realizes the only reason cities were a hit was due to the career aspect. It will be a paradigm shift which companies that embrace will flourish and those that don't will fall back on. Clearly, with this Cities will suffer and a certain part of me says there are folks in the background working to make sure this doesn't happen.

[Colodano]

The sales staff from my company went almost completely WFH back in March, and the company had us all fill out a quick survey a few weeks ago, before we had a big "townhall" style meeting about how things are going over all.
Over 90% of us said that we wanted to stay working from home, even if we were feeling a bit more disconnected socially from the office settings.
The company has seen an increase in productivity, based on the metrics they watch via call logs and time engaged with clients.
The word so far is no plan to go back to offices until 2021 at the earliest, but they will probably be giving us the choice at whatever time that call is made.
Personally, I don't need the social aspect daily, and like to save the gas and time of the commute for over things in life. Currently I live alone, so no worries on kid or spouse annoying me, but I think I want to get a bigger place so that I have a dedicated office room, instead of re-purposing my dining room.

[TheWatchGuy]

Im in construction, wife is in healthcare.

im in the field fairly regularly so wfh full time has never worked for my job. I have tried it during downtimes between projects, but i just cant do it. I get distracted easily, and i never realized how often i bounce thoughts and ideas off of coworkers regularly. The social aspect i need as well, cause sitting alone in my home office all day is terrible imo.
And, much easier to swing by a brewery on the way home with coworkers vs putting pants on and having to go meet at a brewery.

my wife on the other hand wfh from march through july and loved it. She "facetimed" with patients and there wasnt a lot of issues with it. Even being back in the hospitals now, they are still facetiming high risk or covid positive patients instead of seeing them in person.

Most my friends and family that dont have in person type jobs are all pretty much on wfh status until the end of the year, and a few arent planning on going back to an office setting any time soon. There is going to be a significant amount of businesses that go to purely wfh after this is all done imo.

[jsf721]

We run a pick and pack then deliver operation supplying healthcare, industry and medium to small businesses. I cannot ever work from home for more than a few days in a row. Too many warehouse employees to keep moving. To many questions to answer and too many issues to deal with. We are a rather flat organization bc if we are not lean it would be over.

I’m lucky bc im working. And have been. No complaints. I have Fried’s that are out of work with no end in site. And others home working and loving it. I am in the middle.

Made me realize I need to increase my budget for tech big time. IP Phones And better core program connectivity.