Have you returned to the office?

[EddMarkStarr]

My employer has allowed me to continue to work from home. Amazon office workers are not so lucky, they are now required to work at least three days a week from the office. May 31st saw Amazon workers walk off the job, around noon, in several locations. Here is a clip of the protest at the Seattle headquarters filmed by local news.

 

[jjonn3]

From some of the articles I have read at first productivity with working from home was great - but many employers are now finding productivity off -

Not to mention the money spent on renting office space that sits empty.

I think we are going to see more and more employers expect people to return to the office.

 

[unloadonme]

Yes, I'm back working full time at the office and perfectly happy to be.

 

[NotHardUp1]

I've worked from the office straight through except for a few months when we were compelled to work from home. I work every day in my office, despite not liking working in a cube farm.

The Amazon workers, and other white collar employees, are likely sewing the seeds of their own demise. What they prove can be done from home, can be done from a home in India, or another low-wage state where English is not any impediment to performing competittively.

There is a great fear right now about the risks posed by Artificial Intelligence, but too little about the imminent outsourcing of professional trades.

My co-workers are on a bit of a high at the moment. We have a stated policy that the employees will work two days out of four (or five), in the office, for collaborative purposes. But, most shirk and cheat and lie and manipulate. They come in part of a day, and leave early, and don't attempt to come in a 2nd day. They schedule outside appointments and use the excuse not to come in the agreed day nor make it up. Supervisors are just as likely to be duplicitous and guilty of the same dishonesty.

On top of that, many are not working full time even when in the office, spending considerable time doing nothing on their computers while texting away, surfing, buying concert tickets, doing everything but being productive.

And supervisors have no intention of asking for activity reports, supervising workloads, or verifying the direct charging to federal contracts paid by the taxpayers. The managers themselves are often flaking off at the same rates, lying about the time they shave off their own 40 hours.

And, with a conspiracy of the indolent, what ISN'T happening in the privacy of the workers' own homes is truly shameful. With pets, children, spouses, errands, and a plethora of media distractions, productivity is bound to be sagging across industry. Only the high performers, and those with real integrity, are excelling via remote work because they are both driven and trustworthy.

A great fraud is being enabled, and it will bring its own suffering from the universe. But, the first world's loss will likely be the 2nd and 3rd worlds' gains. And that is Social Justice, in a way.

 

[me203]

The Amazon workers, and other white collar employees, are likely sewing the seeds of their own demise. What they prove can be done from home, can be done from a home in India, or another low-wage state where English is not any impediment to performing competittively.

True. Although I wonder if the outsourcing wouldn't happen, anyway, even if there hadn't been for the last 3 years of real world trial results. Although the last 3 years could speed things up. Five years ago, a company might start moving cautiously--a few people replaced here and there, maybe a small department. Now they might decide it's obvious this works--let's just commit 100% and be done with it at once!

 

[NotHardUp1]

We hired a young analyst about 33 years old, from Boeing. He was unhappy because Boeing is already moving jobs to India. He is capable, but lazy, and all about spending time at home and with his 3-year-old. At work, he doesn't bring anything to the table. He offers a couple of reports and no thought and no drive to understand anything and an avoidance of actual work. He's already shaving his hours, lying about his time on lunch, etc. He just doesn't appreciate that his career and salary will be seriously impacted from the time he is 40 to retirement. He'll face a much harder, more competitive arena to make good pay.

 

[rareboy]

We never left the office.

Working at home is terrible for people. I know myself that if I think I will work on a report or proposal at home...it is code for:

- I will be out in the garden
- I am going to have a nap
- I am playing throw the mouse with Mizzy.
- I am going to watch porn.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

I'm lazy by nature so I need the discipline of a schedule to keep me engaged. Being in the office is most of my life, younger employees complain the loudest.

 

[me203]

Working at home is terrible for people.

Not necessarily--it does seem to work well for some people. I think this is probably one of those things where it really comes down to personal circumstances...

 

[me203]

I am going to watch porn.

Well, watching porn in the home office might be working if one works in the porn industry!

 

[NotHardUp1]

One of the good things about coming into the office in person is that it develops interpersonal skills in a very different way than Skype or Webex does.

Having random people walk up unplanned is reality, and it forces some flexibility and human interaction that is the core of team building.

The ones that you don't get along with are even more important, as isolating at home only fosters more isolation, more selective socialization, and fragmentation.

And all that before you even get to the lazy part and the corrosive effect on honestly.