Why Bosses Won't Let Offices Die

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Why does your boss want you back in the office so bad?
CEOs are super mad that we don’t want to go back to working in the office. And it turns out, the argument may be more emotional than logical. Is it time we say goodbye to the office for good? Let’s find out in this Wisecrack Edition: Is Working From Home Here to Stay?
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=== Watch More Episodes! ===
Automation: The End of Jobs? ► wscrk.com/3vL7YmQ
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Hustle Culture: Why We Can't Stop Working ► wscrk.com/3yy392b
Written by Rachel Van Nes
Hosted by Michael Burns
Directed by Michael Luxemburg
Edited by Will Schwartz
Motion Graphics by Benji Dunaief
Produced by Olivia Redden and Griffin Davis
Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound
#WorkFromHome #CorporateCulture #Wisecrack
© 2022 Wisecrack / Omnia Media, Inc. / Enthusiast Gaming

[@WisecrackEDU]

Are you team work from home or team back to the office? Thanks to Keeps for sponsoring this video! Head to keeps.com/wisecrack to get 50% off your first order of Keeps hair loss treatment.

[@bengish9368]

My college does a hybrid where we have one day a week in class, and the other day is an optional zoom to assist anyone who needs help. I find that it fits my needs more than only online or only in class.

[@RecklessFables]

My company is moving to permanent WFH for most roles unless people choose to get away from their families, etc, and come in. There is, however, a consequence of this. They won't hire people from high-cost zones anymore. Why hire someone who wants NYC rates when they can get someone from North Carolina.... worse, why hire in America at all when they can hire in Poland or India? We've reached the point in offshoring of jobs where people report to bosses in India, who then know they make much more than them, and resent it bitterly. The shattering of the myth of in-office productivity is also shattering the notion, even further, that we need expensive Americans at all.

[@kingartifex]

@@RecklessFables there are different offshore companies, some with better quality than others. It always makes me laugh when execs change BPO for a cheaper one, then they realize that the more expensive one did a much better job and they move it back to the previous one. All this to say that price often does have a difference on quality, it all depends on where management decides to draw the line.

[@blargithonify]

@@RecklessFables pay shouldn’t be based on locality, but on the job itself. Flip that around, why should I live in an expensive city when I can live in a lower cost of living area and make the same money?

[@CoronaMage]

If you're going to accept sponsorship from a Hair Loss prevention product, you should really use a spokesperson who isn't suffering from male pattern baldness. (No offense, Michael)

[@duo317]

As a manager myself, I loathe the idea of going into the office. It cuts down our hiring pool, it's like a 2 hour drive in non stop traffic, and I trust my employees to get their jobs done. We have a quick 15 minute sync in the morning to just talk about what we've been doing and if they need help, etc. I honestly don't even care if they decide to just not work for 4~5 hours during a day as long as the work they committed to gets done.

[@duo317]

Also I told my bosses that I'd quit if they wanted to make me come into the office at all.

[@solvseus]

My manager felt the same way. I don't need him in office with me to do my work, he's actually more in the way than anything if he's in meetings all day. His boss' boss was making him at least 2 days a week though, but his boss is already being slack, so next week I doubt I'll even see him. Some of the managers at my facility are being lenient, some are not. Guess which ones are more liked, and which have more turnover...

[@duo317]

@@solvseus Being liked is just a nice side effect, my employees are more than welcome to come into the office whenever they want, but if they're happier at home then they're doing better work, and if they're doing better work it looks great on me.

[@kylejohnson5152]

what do you do for work you sound like a manager I'd love to work for lol

[@duo317]

@@kylejohnson5152 software development company.

[@PikminGuts92]

Watching this instead of working

[@KitKat-1976]

lol Sounds like myself 😂

[@josemigueljaimesprada3723]

All "time theft" is based. Keep up the good work

[@LyonTheGreat]

I'm alone at the office today and I'm watching this instead of doing any real work.

[@15fvp]

Yo same

[@Taj_Rahine]

Laying on the couch too

[@Jedidiah_McCain]

But Wisecrack, if we let offices die, who would those middle management folks feel superior to then?!

[@Gfish17]

The Stapler.

[@sir1603]

@@Gfish17 Rob Schneider is The Stapler (Rated PG-13)

[@dplocksmith91]

@@sir1603 I can hear that comment

[@jazzyj7834]

@@sir1603 Some things just stick with you. For some reason.

[@Leopoldshark]

@@sir1603 From the creators of Der

[@nunya5136]

Having to trust employees is not something companies want to do. But they want your full loyalty???

[@danielland3767]

Facts

[@kaoko111]

Been there, as a debt collector for big banks the company had A LOT of leverage on my activities, my work tablet got a GPS, as well as My work car, i have to punch in and out in The office no matter how late i get out (and sometimes was pretty late), they monitored My company cellphone, check every e mail, once i did finish my daily work i have to send daily reports, i made multiple calls a day to report My advances and location and My phone is full of messages way before i go to work and keep coming way after i leave. I'm glad i don't do that anymore

[@Rhekon]

@@kaoko111 that's bullshit.

[@yamairad1]

I am a financial advisor, and I used to work for a large company that you've totally heard of. I couldn't invest in anything without basically asking for permission. Unless it's a CD at a bank or mutual funds. I'm here helping people to do things I can't do myself. I couldn't have a side hustle without asking prehistoric either. This also applied to anybody living in my house. Then they wanted me to go to work in the office despite my team being in another State. I quit 2 days after. I can finally invest in whatever I want and I'm not limited to whatever they want to pay me. My husband and I are going crazy with all the freedom we have now.

[@pyroboy2310]

Just smile, wave and plot your next best move

[@CCCM89]

Fun Fact: When I worked in a call center, yeah, I had constant work all throughout the day, but once I got promoted to doing Quality Assurance, I would routinely get my work done in 2-3 hours. That left 5-6 hours of time where I litterally could do nothing but stare at the walls until my shift ended. At least with WFH, I could finish my work in 2-3 hours and then get on with my fucking life.

[@User-pw3pu]

That shit drives me insane. Have work for me, or send me home. We agree to do X amount of work for Y amount of pay. Even most hourly jobs are only "We need this done today" so people aren't incentiviezed to work harder just stretch it out. Honestly I'd say, pay for the work not the time, except for things like Security.

[@An_Ian]

@@User-pw3pu Agreed Most jobs I've had an be summarized as Im payed by the hour not what gets done. Why should I do more that what is required not to be fired.

[@CCCM89]

@@An_Ian Right, Show up and Look Busy are what Wage based employment is predecated on, not the actual work. You could try to stretch it out, but that just gets tedious. Really, if they aren't going to give me more work that they seem to think is the appropriate ammount to be done over 8 hours, shouldn't they be giving me raises and promotions for finishing such a "Heavy" workload so efficiently? They won't, of course, too much of the budget is allocated to other areas, like that new sleeper sofa the CEO wants in their office...

[@nathanieljackson7422]

🙏🏿 well said. That’s what it’s all about for me anyways

[@jossaha]

Paying for time rather than product is at the foundation of the employee/er relationship. Insights into how the cookie crumbles would not be pretty.

[@OverlordMMM]

There's only one thing missing from this video, and that's the fact that despite now being empty, corporations and bosses are still paying for the office buildings. The push for folks to go back to office spaces is partially due to corporations being in leasing contracts and see the buildings being unused as unutilized cost. Rather than adapting, they are stuck in their ways.

[@scarletspidernz]

Exactly the could take those empty office floors and turn them into other things or renegotiate the leases to allow sub letting etc

[@acevaver5425]

Don't ever go back to the office life. Once you're caught, you won't be able to escape.

[@ThisOldSkater]

My company is letting the leases expire on several smaller offices. Everyone there is full remote now ( mail room type roles were already contracted out).

[@amitsinghparihar4627]

Not sure how this adds up though. So because companies paid for it, now employees need to come back, adding on the electric and other utilities bill? Even purely from a profit perspective, why would they want to take on these additional costs which have silently been slid to the employee. Isn't that the whole point of a business, to increase profits and cut costs.

[@OverlordMMM]

@@amitsinghparihar4627 It's because of the sunk cost fallacy. Logically, you're completely right. But most folks don't fully use logic for decisions.

[@getnohappy]

Just think it's funny that at the dawn of industrialisation, the owners saw people less than committed to grinding repetitive work for minimal pay while they watched said owners became vastly wealthy, and went "oh, these people must just be lazy"

[@samcassidy6793]

I dont have anything to add, but this comment is so funny, it deserved a reply 😂😂😂

[@PapaphobiaPictures]

The rich never change

[@speks36]

It's ultimately a power thing. It's about being superior to those working under them. Working in an office is the equivalent of adult baby sitting. I've worked from home and I got more done in three hours not having my manager breathing down my neck all the time.

[@User-pw3pu]

@@ThiagoPagogna I've had 3 meetings this week, to tell us that we need to unload the truck faster. So far they've wasted a full hour telling everyone to "Do their jobs" So far almost 1:30 of wasted time in pointless meetings Because I guess multiplying people by 60 (boxes an hour) is too hard. lol. I refuse to work harder because management can't do math.

[@JD-gk7eh]

@@ThiagoPagogna I really wonder how that manager reports that up. "I checked on this guy every hour!" Higher management: "How did you have time to get up and go talk to him every hour? Do you not have enough else to do?" "Well, I uh....um...."

[@1massboy]

It about control. They want people in offices where they can loom over them. Even though I believe studies have come out recently showing that people working at home are more effective than they were in offices. Also just the add. There were many large companies and even individuals that own large commercial office spaces that would take a bath on their properties if they don’t actually have butts in seats. So they’ve been pushing hard to get people back into offices around the country.

[@Fluoride_Jones]

+Связь Восток-Запад You are right on both counts. Still, some of these businesses could just choose not to renew their leases and let all their employees work from home. Though, I imagine they'd like a base of operations, hence keeping their office spaces.

[@island_rogue1687]

The difference between an office and a prison is you can leave! 🤣🤣🤣

[@Aaron-kj8dv]

I think its about your last point. They just don't want to feel like they're wasting space. Its especially stupid because if they make people return to the office then their electricity, heating, and water bills all go up. I also don't understand why they don't just sublet I'd possible. They'll take a loss but it feels like they're trying to maximize costs instead of minimize them.

[@darkhorseman8263]

Social Dominance and Coercive Control. AKA they are Narcissists and Psychopaths.

[@TheCowardRobertFord]

Also, it's a lot harder to bully and harass (specially sexually) your workers remotely, and a lot easier for said workers to record you

[@psyche100]

I just left my last job because they made us all come back into the office. WFH during the pandemic was the best thing that ever happened to me. My new job is hybrid and that's all I really needed. I just can't deal with the endless petty office politics and forced communal fun 5 days a week for the rest of my life. And that's not to mention the time and money I save on the commute.

[@stuffed-lasagna3931]

I wish I could've WFH when I worked in a call center for McDonald's technical support. I was 18 just got out of highschool and I was like "AWESOME I'm right out of highschool and will have a professional office job. It was literally just like going back to highschool.

[@gjabraham1093]

I saved so much money working from home over the past two years. It was worth it for that reason alone.

[@emoryogglethorp8180]

Imagine running a company and being too stupid to realize that petty office politics impact the bottom line, you were smart to get out the company you were working for is run by idiots

[@ghostv86]

please stop telling this lie of WFH is good. its not.

[@collinkhan4163]

@@ghostv86 I guess it depends on who you are 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@deancain1069]

Back in the office this week and it’s the dumbest thing ever. I’m on conference calls with other offices in our organization that haven’t returned to the office.

[@solvseus]

We had 1 guy come in only to remote into a server all day anyway, and another sitting in meetings most of the time. They were more in my way that anything. One dept who was forced to come back was just chatting with each every time I went over there, and 3 people told me they didn't want to be there and morality was low. The manager in another state who was making our team come in at least twice a week was back home before the 1st day he was in office, so I don't see this lasting. Esp since #s are already spiking again and we already had 1 person in office who wound up testing positive.

[@tvdavis]

Nothing like being forced back into the office, then you get on a video conference with the other locations, and all of the people who told you that being back in the office was mandatory are sitting at home. So wait: I have a technical job where I can remote into my computer and do everything just fine from home, but I can’t WFH. But the managers who are actually supposed to be available in the office because they’re so “crucial to the success of the organization” are all at home in their PJs, running their side hustles on company time?

[@JoeJoe-lq6bd]

And then there's the issue of finding meeting rooms, which are always taken, or people taking meetings at their desks and disturbing everyone around them.

[@macmcleod1188]

Start looking for another job that offers wfh.

[@zoppp621]

A big push to get people back to work is likely coming from local governments as well. Previously people had to commute, spend money at stores and resturaunts close to where they work bringing sales tax dollars to the local government. The bigger cash cow for the local government are property taxes and many cities are covered in buildings that are zoned only for office use. Once businesses realize that they don't need to rent physical space from office landlords, the landlord wont be able to pay property taxes, and the city will lose the tax revenue needed to pay for all the roads and infrastructure. The majority of "office park" cities are glorified suburbs and are very car dependent and would collapse without the revenue from offices due to the large cost of maintaining suburb type infrastructure.

[@wintermint7]

Sounds like we should build better public infrastructure and affordable high-quality housing in cities. Personally, I’d love to live in a *walkable* city. I would argue that America’s car-dependent infrastructure and strict zoning laws are a large part of the problem that you point out. Our Changing Climate and Not Just Bikes (as well as others like Climate Town) both have plenty of video essays on the topic of walkable cities done well.

[@GallowglassAxe]

I agree with what you say I think it applies to most but for me personally it did the opposite. I live in a small city and I live downtown and there are a lot of local restaurants and shop in walking distance. When the pandemic hit I made a conscious effort to go down support them. This was mostly curb-side pick up and I wore my mask but it allowed me to get out of my apartment and get some fresh air. But it allowed me to enjoy the full hour of my break instead of the 30 min commute back and forth to get something. Now unless I use delivery service like DoorDash (which cost more money) I can sit down and enjoy it. Like I said I'm probably the exception to the rule but I think cities need to design themselves more around that style then what we are currently living in.

[@zoppp621]

@@wintermint7 this 100%. Been a long time follower of people like climatetown, not just bikes, Alan Fisher and road guy rob.

[@acevaver5425]

I laughed when you said "roads and infrastructure."

[@nubreed13]

Yeah we really need flexible zoning. Especially in America.

[@magister343]

When bosses say they think of their workers like Family, I always assume they mean it in the ancient Roman sense of the word. The Latin term "Familia" did not refer to individuals bound by blood or affection. It instead meant the full household staff of domestic slaves (Famuli) that were not forced to do backbreaking manual labor in the fields or mines but lived under the same roof as the master and were at his beck and call 24/7/365.

[@CorinthianIvory]

I enjoy how you seamlessly fit the glory of Rome into this comment

[@randeegaming6776]

I've been called out by manament for saying, "I work to live not live to work" despite being one of their best workers. Corporations just want control of every single aspect of their workers. If it was up to them, they would pay us as much dirt as possible. If we work from home, it's away from them not the work.

[@ziglaus]

It sounds good now, but "work from home" is just a step towards "live in office". It starts with work computer, then a work desk, and a work chair, and then companies start renting micro apartments and calling them "work from home office", where people sleep and work and spend 80% of their free time

[@RTB1400]

@@ziglaus and then those apartments are all in the same building to save on costs and we're back to offices. Jokes aside, live-in-office is a real concern. Workers will need to insist on the separation of work and non work.

[@User-pw3pu]

I've been called rude for literally saying "I won't do more than 100% production unless I am paid more for it" Same managers claim to fame was working there for 11 years to make manager. He really didn't like me telling him how depressing that sounds

[@ShayPatrickCormacTHEHUNTER]

You really are a third world country then. I'm Europe, that is the norm. Work is work. Life is life.

[@BlazeMakesGames]

​@@ziglaus the flaw with that reasoning is what would be the incentive to move into the office apartment? Those kinds of company towns and such only make sense when you're commuting to work since they could offer housing that's nearby to cut down on the commute and costs of moving there. But if it's a remote position then why are we talking about moving into another building in the first place? You could just move to literally anywhere in the country and still remote in if you wanted. So those kinds of buildings would inherently never catch on. The closest that we see in real life are those Japanese Capsule apartments, but again those only exist to help cut down on commutes. I'm certain people would go for much bigger housing at the same cost out of the main city if they didn't have to come into the office. And Sure maybe they can give you a work computer and such but that doesn't stop you from having another personal computer if the one they give you is needlessly restrictive.

[@Killer_Kotomibro]

Man, none of those "positives" describe my experience. I hated pretending to care about my coworkers, office culture sucks, I work exactly 40 hours a week, ignore overtime when offered, and go out of my way to be unreachable off the clock.

[@matthewconstantine5015]

I worked from home for the first 3 months of the pandemic. It was amazing. I naturally woke up at 5AM. So, I could take my time, have a coffee, eat some breakfast, read, and generally relax in the morning, then sign into my computer at 7AM, an hour before I usually got to work, because I didn't have a 90 minute commute. I'd usually eat my lunch at my computer, so I wouldn't bother taking a "lunch break." That's not even getting into how much less I spent on lunch or how much healthier I ate. Then I'd close my computer at 3:30. At which point, my wife & I would take a walk, watch a movie, chat, or generally be together. In the before times, I had to be at work until 4:30 (meetings, meetings, meetings!!!), which would often run to 5 or 5:30. Then I had a 120 minute commute home, because the buses & trains didn't link up as well at night. So I used to get home at 6:30 or 7:30, just in time to grab a bite to eat and go to bed, often without seeing my wife, or with only spending a brief amount of time with her. While going back into the office wasn't the only thing that caused it, it definitely contributed to me eventually leaving that job and beginning a new phase of my life (where I am able to continue to work from home).

[@Alverant]

I'm in IT and we had our best year in terms of customer satisfaction last year, when we spent the whole year being remote. Then they decided we needed to be in the office again 3 days a week and things are sliding down again. It's funny you posted this on a Friday. I spent the last hour at work trying to look busy because I finished my assignments as much as I could and there wasn't anything new until Monday. If I was working at home, it would be one thing but at the office, there were appearances to keep. I wished I asked my boss if I could have left early but he was here too and it would have felt awkward.

[@HarryPujols]

Introduce your bosses to surveillance software. They can even track keystrokes. They’ll love it, they’ll never leave the house.

[@jossaha]

@@HarryPujols Their house or yours? ;-)

[@gilly5809]

I've been working from home since March 2020 and I can't see myself ever working in an office again. It's just too convenient.

[@asahi43]

I’m really hoping for a hybrid model long term. I like interacting with my colleagues in person, and having in person meetings etc. that being said, 5 days a week isn’t necessary for everybody in the office. Ideally, you have to come in on, say, Tuesday and Wednesday; other days are up to you.

[@mandisaw]

This. I work in higher ed, so I do see the need for the "office" to be up & running, as a lot of students are not doing well with fully-online (cheating, anxiety, poor access to support services, etc). That said, we can still manage that with a hybrid rotation, where people stagger which days they WFH to ensure coverage. A lot of the push to come back to the office seems related to secondary needs - economic considerations, mgmt oversight, opening K-12 schools so that parents can in turn go to work, etc.

[@ATADSP]

I was doing 1-3 days a week in the office for the past year. It was great, until the only other person on my team who went into the office left. Now there isn't a point to going in for me. So I've been wfh for a couple of months.

[@nuke___8876]

This is the way

[@anthonydelfino6171]

It's tough though since I'm on the opposite side. When I used to go into the office, I'd go to my desk, shut the door behind me, or plug in my headphones, and not speak to anyone, and I dreaded team meetings. I try to interact with my coworkers as little as possible even before the pandemic, so there's going to be people unhappy either way. Even now, I hate the zoom meetings since, just like before, they're 90% irrelevant to the work I need to get done and just waste my time.

[@tartra]

Hybrid to me is "If I like you, we can hang out after work," not "I'm obligated to go in at any point."

[@pabloquijadasalazar7507]

I think it mostly comes down to the control, domination, and power that comes with being physically around the employees.

[@WyldstaarStudios]

Once my workplace was forced by COVID to move everything online, they started having us send a survey to every customer we'd dealt with virtually, asking them how they felt about doing things virtually vs in-person. The overwhelming majority answered that they preferred handling their business with us virtually, since driving downtown and finding parking is a huge hassle, and expensive. We also discovered that a number of our business processes worked far better by handling them online than they ever did in-person. Despite this, the powers-that-be decided to switch as much as could be managed back to being in-person ASAP. Even when it was decided that the business processes that work better online would remain online, the employees who handled the virtual activity have to do so from their desks at the office downtown.

[@AdamGentry211]

I think there's an element of "If people can work from home, then supervisors and 'middle managers' become less important (maybe even irrelevant)"

[@toxiccandie94]

They are irrelevant and covid just exposed it. While it sucks to become obsolete and have to find a new career, that's just what need to happen. I'm a software engineer I worked in mostly smaller, new tech companies and we never had supervisors. We have team leads and project managers but they work with us not above us. I also have a manager who is just another engineer that I go to for discussions on yearly goals, reimbursment signoffs, and other corporate stuff. He doesn't manage my day-to-day and often doesn't even know what I am working on. Somehow I managed to get all this work done without someone monitoring me.

[@kingartifex]

I think managers are still needed, even in WFH, I think many managers themselves would prefer WFH, its just the top tier execs

[@xxkildarxx]

@@ThiagoPagogna This seems like an answer created from a combination of never having worked a management position as well as a narrow portfolio of work experience. Even in the office TV series Micheal had plenty of work that had nothing to do with interacting with his employees directly. Even with WFH home there has to be someone responsible for the team staying on task as well.

[@stevenscott2136]

My managers have always said that half of their time is spent fighting with other managers and VPs about budget. The men I work with don't require any oversight -- there was one entire week where the only time we even SAW our boss was when he came over to ask me whether I had played Mass Effect yet.

[@thestraycat69]

See depends on the mangers themselves the old ways would have to adapt, adaption for some is hard for others it's easy. The ones it's easy for are the ones that will draw the workers. I don't need to hover over my workers because I am fully aware of the power of positive reinforcement. It works better than micromanagement and frees more of my time. I know psychologoigical tricks that boost moral which drives up work force. One minute manger is a great management style that can and should be adapted to these new times

[@DarksiderDarmoset]

Corporations have never had your best interests in mind. For them, it has always been about earning as much profit as possible, while paying their workers as little as they can get away with.

[@truedude616]

Hugely depends on the nature of your work and your home situation. I know some folks prefer the nice setup they have in their offices and the physical change of environment to create that boundary between work life and personal. Especially if you have a tiny cramped apartment. Some work also just benefits with physical interaction, we sketch in person to explain designs or concepts and that’s just difficult to do in a zoom meeting. But if your work is more data input, where you are doing it really does not matter.

[@lazyboy300]

this! so much this!

[@ryoku1236]

I always feel conflicted about this issue. I want to support other workers and I'm happy it works for a lot of people, but I really struggle to focus at home for many of the reasons you mentioned. I really like the hybrid model though, it gives you the best of both worlds.

[@jkuhl2492]

I worked in an office until March 2020. I expected to be back in the office by May 2020, and that never happened. Now I work remote full time with no expectation to ever go into an office. It's great. I work 9-5. No one breathes down my neck, no one interrupts me. I can take breaks when I need it, and since I do software development, taking a break now and then allows my brain to relax and tackle the problem again a bit more fresh ten minutes later. I have no commute, I buy gas less than once a month now. I can literally wake up half an hour before I have to log in with enough time to shower instead of waking up 2 hours earlier to make time for breakfast, shower, morning routine, etc. And I don't have to wear pants.

[@sardonicus1739]

You sold me on the no pants line.

[@marcusanark2541]

Death is a illusion and so are pants...

[@chandrawagner4061]

Pjs every day!

[@klaptongroovemaster]

"They were much taller than you thought." I just met a bunch of new co-workers in person. One of the new kids looked 12 on his screen. In person, he looks like a 6'4" 12 year old.

[@chandrawagner4061]

Lol I'm super short so everyone meeting me is surprised by how short I am and I'm surprised by how tall everyone is

[@designerwookiee]

Working in the graphic design industry, I've noticed that middle and upper management love to have designers in the office so that they can interject their ideas at any given moment, check in on and "see" the design process and status of projects ahead of the usual weekly update meetings, and "bounce around a few ideas." As a smaller company, sometimes, they also like to show off the department to investors / business partners and walk them through the office... because that's totally not a potential breach of confidentialities if they see something they're not supposed to... It's a pretty big productivity loss, and sometimes a decent creativity engine. Every time they start spewing out ideas it gets awkward because then the team / designer has to internally guess, "was that a suggestion, or a /*suggestion*/?" It seems like most upper management is very "Guess Culture" oriented. One good thing is that there's been a few times where a sales manager checking in on relevant graphics and designs before the weekly update or submission caught that things were off-track and needed re-focusing. But that's happened maybe once every three months out of hundreds of interruptions.

[@CharliMorganMusic]

I find that directly asking my manager if that was a suggestion or an order tends to get the job done. Like, I make it clear that I will take everything literally unless they say it was sarcasm. I don't play their games. If they want me to do shit, I'm going to make sure I can tell anyone that I was ordered to do it, if asked.

[@saudichic]

Uffff I haaaaaate “bouncing off ideas” or vague ass briefs like “cool and edgy”. It takes all my energy to not yell: BACK off, give me the week assigned UNINTERRUPTED to let me give you options so you can choose. They see us as executors of their unfulfilled “creative talent”😭😭😭

[@vinniechan]

I work in open office for four yrs it was constant burn out I actually like checking into the office when most people are working from home I have the set up and the infrastructure without people heckling so I just put in a shift and get done and go home If we constantly work from home it's hard to draw boundaries

[@guyverdio]

I'm in one of the few teams at my employment that has still managed to stay working from home for now since my boss is one of the few that actually wants to stay working from home. However the continued pressure from higher up looks like it'll eventually force us into a hybrid schedule. Before Covid, most teams consisted of a majority of staff working in the same location with a few members scattered across the country working remotely. We needed to make sure remote workers could call into any scheduled meetings but it was never particularly great for them. Although being on call, it would often come across as they were simply listening in, rather than being a participant in the meeting. It was often hard for them to hear what was being said as we talked to each other around a large table. They were always left out of in office chats and impromptu meetings. When we switched to work from home, everyone in the team was on equal footing. The remote workers were exactly the same as the staff we previously worked with in the office. Even members of other teams in who worked in different offices are seen as the same. Those impromptu meetings and random chats didn't decrease either, in fact there's probably more of that than ever, including cross team communication. We constantly call each other, invite other members into the conversations and make the effort to have team calls with no agenda where we can just talk to each other. It wastes so much less time or disrupt your flow as much since we no longer have to stop what we're doing and go to another room. There are so many metrics that our bosses can use to monitor our performance. From scrum meetings, to simply chatting with us (either casual or via performance reviews), to monitoring our Kanban boards and incident tracking systems etc... A manager has no need to see us in person to track our progress nor has any excuses for not knowing (if they actually do their job and get involved). There's been a couple of reasons put forth but so far I've not heard of a single good reason for a company wide requirement to return to work. The few I've heard are: Some staff are unable to work from home so this would create an unfair working environment: This is like arguing that a receptionist needs to wear steel cap boots because the builders have to. Different positions have different duties and requirements. You already require different things and have different arrangements for staff in different positions. It isn't unfair if you can provide good reasons for decisions and apply those decisions consistently. If a staff member has the job of greeting customers at a store, then sorry the reason they can't work from home is literally in their job description. It doesn't follow that everyone else need to meet the same requirements of another position's requirements. Some teams are not coping as well working from home: So... look into why that particular team isn't performing well and make the necessary changes for that team. Perhaps there are simple practices that other teams are doing that would solve these issues. I don't see what this has to do with any other team. It doesn't follow that everyone must return to work because one team isn't performing well. Some things are better in person, like on-boarding new staff: Sure, it is definitely easier and more comfortable for the new staff to be trained in person. This isn't an argument for everyone having to return to work though, this is an argument that certain situations may require going into work. There's no reason why this can't be arranged in a flexible manner. If you're bringing new staff into the team, organize a temporary schedule with some staff to come in to assist the new staff get up to speed until they are comfortable working from home.

[@Immudzen]

I like work from home in Germany. I don't have a commute but my hours have not changed and I am not expected to be available at all hours. I am pretty sure I legally have the right to just turn all of that stuff off outside working hours. It even looks like work from home is going to be extended beyond covid to save energy because of the war in Ukraine.

[@Dirknesss]

Workers have more rights in North/Western Europe (for the Rest of Europe I have no idea)then in the USA. A lot of thing US companies do are illegal over here. I think this video is US oriented. Just look at the sollution for people leaving the Metropolitsn areas, what is basicly "create an European City."

[@amandastuart5712]

Germany was already superior to the US because FREE UNIVERSITY. A more educated population surely makes better decisions like this. Wish I spoke German

[@chandrawagner4061]

I'm lucky, I work in the US but my work situation is much like yours. My bosses encourage us having life outside of work. I've never been called by a boss pr coworker outside of work hours and they start to question when we're working too many hours like, "what are you doing? go spend time with your family or on your hobbies, stop working so much." (We're mostly salary so it's not like they're trying to save on overtime, they just genuinely care and know we work better when not burned out). But that's definitely not the norm here

[@upandenergy]

Considering that I'm introverted and I barely speak to anyone in person even when I go into the office post-pandemic, I think a hybrid situation is best.

[@necasperaterent29386]

I'm with you and also an introvert. I started my job in 2021 and working from home full-time until recently. My company got a shiny, new office and suddenly, everybody has to come there at least once a week. -.- Like... Why? I never talk to any of these people except my two teammates, there are no areas where work with the other teams intersects, and I just have a 1hr 40 min commute just to do exactly the same thing I'd be doing from home, only more sleep-deprived, stressed out, anxious, and 20 Euro poorer for the day. And I know Covid numbers are slowly going down and I'm vaccinated, but that still doesn't mean I'm comfortable riding the train packed tight with 400 strangers who equally don't want to be there. At least now I know what my own personal hell looks like... The mandatory office opening party... Just the memory makes me tense.

[@MrAchile13]

I think work from home proved its potential. It's saving money and a lot of time. If we take only 2 hours for commuting and the regular 1 hour launch break, that means 15 hours per week! Basically one entire day in which you can invest your time into the things that really matter. Given the fact my work can be done 100% remotely and was done so properly for the past 2 years, proves to me there is no real reason to return to the office.

[@quintessenceSL]

I worry about it as that dividing line between work and home gets ebbed away (and you know damn well any cost savings to you will eventually end up P/E ratios and not your bank account). It's like a bunch of satellite offices in everyone's bedroom. Eventually it will just take over the space. The bigger point isn't work from home but that management is completely unneeded.

[@CaptainMisery86]

@@quintessenceSL mgmt is definitely needed for some jobs. I write code and I would get irritated rather quickly if I was the one having to meet with all the other departments and figure out what needs to be done and in which order

[@SkilletTRO]

@@quintessenceSL lol dog management does more than make you do your work. Without management, your work wouldn't contribute to any bigger picture.

[@Hr1s7i]

​@@SkilletTRO If we outlaw their authoritative power over employees in their teams, we will be living in a better world.

[@SkilletTRO]

@@Hr1s7i your expectation that every laborer also wants to commit to administrative responsibilities is very naive. Some people just want to produce their work and go home; the job didn't appear out of thin air, it was created out of necessity. Read a book.

[@RedSoxFanatic4Life]

I’m fairly certain that if my company ever says that we need to return to the office full time and can no longer work remotely it will be the proverbial straw that finally convinces me that it’s time to quit.

[@alicexmelo]

They are interested on bringing back the traditional office for everyone because of corporate culture BS. It's should be optional - to get back on the office or not. As a disabled person, honestly, I find my room much more accessible than an office crowded of people where, hm, ironically, I can't think straight therefore can't have any creative and nice ideas.

[@inliightsociety1549]

Imagine skyscrapers being multi-purposed. every floor is used for a different form of entertainment and dining. The entire place is like a mall for employees who work from home to take part in when the days are long. That would be a great way to gain rent for the place as well as save on real estate for the surrounding area to build more affordable housing.

[@dplocksmith91]

That's like the monads from Star Wars

[@MusiXificati0n]

I love working in café-like places. Like, I really don't mind the background noise of people talking, but it has to have a relaxed atmosphere. If a company can provide that, then I wouldn't mind commuting in the café-like space. Maybe the company can make deals with a coffee-company or owner and can offer significantly reduced prices for coffee. That would be awesome! And afterwards yoga class. My old company offered those after work and they always had to re-arrange the lunch area. If you have dedicated spaces for that, no need for that also.

[@magicdance4273]

Make 2 or 3 floors indoor park or garden spots? Making spaces human friendly again.

[@basilmemories]

@@magicdance4273 Indoor parks are great, but an important part is to manage humidity. That much moisture in the air can quickly cause mold issues. It's why indoor pools and greenhouses tend to be in their own units, even on private property, it's just easier to put in vents that react to temps/humidity. Still, it's far from impossible and would make quality of life a lot better.

[@michaelsoltesz3779]

Skyscrapers filled with parks, gardens and vertical hydroponic farming. Imagine how beautiful and useful. But some corporate monolith would never let that happen. We must always fight nature… never learn to work alongside it. Glass and metal as far as the eye can see! 🙄

[@RockerTopper-hh3ru]

I’m probably in the minority here but I actually enjoy going into the office for work. Granted it helps that my current job is in a city with pretty good public transit and I planned ahead and consciously looked for a place to live in walking distance of said transit, not to mention the office itself is actually in the downtown area rather than some godforsaken soulless office park. All that being said, basically the entire point of my current role is to prepare me for entry into a PhD program in a couple years, and since most of my colleagues hold such degrees themselves from fairly prestigious institutions, these are definitely a handy bunch to have in one’s Rolodex and an unspoken rule is networking is the name of the game, as is research which granted is a more explicit goal. Personally I tend to struggle with communication, especially over text where my brain massively overthinks absolutely everything, which tends to happen a lot less when I can actually talk to the other person face to face, something that is a lot harder for me to make myself initiate remotely. I can safely say I have formed the beginnings of some really great connections just in the first few months back in, connections I would not have made, or at least not as strongly, had I not been in the office.

[@alicekingston8521]

So my job is never really going to be a remote kinda job (I work in retail), but our corporate offices in California went to working from home for pandemic concerns. When things started to improve there was a big push from higher up corporate mouth pieces to get people back in the offices. I don't know how big the pushback was, but it was an ongoing point of discussion for months. Then, COVID numbers spiked again, and then it was out of the offices and back to home work. While this didn't directly affect me, I couldn't help but laugh at said corporate mouth pieces looking like tools (more so than usual) at this turn of events.

[@solvseus]

I'm in IT, so I have to be there most of the time. Most of the time I was the only one there, so I'd love to have the company, but yeah, every time they do this #s spike again and we're right back to where we started. They're already going back up again and people were already unhappy before someone tested positive, so back to being lonely I go. I had 3 separate people tell me they didn't want to be there and that morale seemed low, but some managers didn't want to listen. They wonder why they have such high turnover.

[@XiuLiwa1996]

In my experience company culture is “this is what the CEO wants” its not collaborative its not “our” culture. Children have more input into their family culture( which is oft generational and not changing with every CEO contract renewal) than employees do. We just work to make our bosses happy tbh. Not to produce per se. But to make the face or warm body of the Co happy. 🤷🏾‍♀️

[@GallowglassAxe]

This is a great episode and I've been arguing about this since they moved be back in the office. Especially my job which deals with people all over the state I have no real need to work in an office because 90% of the people I work with is remote either way. But they just double down and now I work in the office all the time. What's more infuriating is that everything especially gas prices have shot up which is costing me more to do the same amount of work.

[@chandrawagner4061]

My boss is in another state, my clients are spread out across the country, most of my work is done in conference calls, I have other team members spread across the country, and most of my team members prefer work from home, why would I need to go in the office? Lol

[@agafaba]

"less pressure to look busy" That may be true for most, but my work mandated that we have to be on camera in a zoom meeting for the full 8.5 hours we work so we can see each other. (most of our work is done independently, at most 5% needs me to work with a co-worker)

[@magicdance4273]

Sounds like a great time to set up screencap and loop a video of you shuffling around the camera.

[@DeLaSoul246]

Panopticon hell in your own home... Wow. Hope you (and your coworkers) are holding up okay with that nonsense. I would've had to quit. That's ridiculous.

[@ThisOldSkater]

Sounds like a bunch of passive aggressive pricks to me. "oh, you want to work from home? Careful what you wish for (evil laughter). That's a straight up Mr. Burns move. Cartoonishly evil.

[@chandrawagner4061]

That's straight up bullshit

[@agafaba]

I don't work there now but I agree with all of you haha

[@elihan9]

I actually prefered working in an office. It gives me structure. But, I also work in cubicle, I can cycle to work daily, my office is next to the central library and theatre, and I'm a civil engineer whose equipment is too cumbersome for home life. I'm also an advocate for the 4 day work week (30hr full time) and I'm perfectly fine with others working from home.

[@chandrawagner4061]

Let's go 30 hrs work week! If only 😞

[@elihan9]

@@chandrawagner4061 Hey, ballot initiative by the state. Just get enough signatures and vote on via the people. Completely go around corrupt legislators

[@chandrawagner4061]

@@elihan9 I'm in Cali, we've got a 32 hour work week bill in the works 🤞🤞

[@LyamWitherow]

I think this is one of the best videos that you guys have put out in a long time, well done!

[@helgageraldine513]

Wfh is great for people with social anxiety, like myself. Dealing with overly extroverted co-workers is just too much for me. I feel like I have to act like a different person when I'm around them because, apparently, if you're quiet, it means you're aloof.

[@HarryBuddhaPalm]

Yeah, I got shit for not wanting to go out and eat at a restaurant with my coworkers last month. I said I already spend more time with these people than anyone else and I hate eating in restaurants. It was also an hour drive to the restaurant on our own time and I just didn't want to go but I still got shit for it anyway. It made me want to quit. I don't come to work because I want to or to hang out with people. I'm here to make money. That's it. I don't feel the need to be friends with my co-workers. I don't even like half of them. The fact that I have a job that can easily be done from home but I have to come into the office five days a week just infuriates me. It doesn't make my job better. It makes it worse. I feel exhausted all the time.

[@tarapanda]

I support mixed home and office work. Working from home has many advantages that we should continue to take advantage of but the social environment of meeting your coworkers has other advantages.

[@mandisaw]

Yeah, some industries/functions have to have in-person coverage, if staggered. Plus I'd say there is something to the office-culture and sharing-ideas argument. I suspect a lot of folks realized that they don't mind the *job*, but they kind of hated their *workplace*, which frankly is a whole other issue.

[@cptrelentless80085]

Fuck those coworkers. Why do you need to see them in person, they can message you or call you

[@thestraycat69]

Honestly this is my ultimate preference as well, but I'm willing to adapt to what is required

[@HereIsMyUsername]

Also remote work options are good for some Neurodivergent people. It allows these people to create the best environment that helps them work. Corporate spaces can easily cause overstimulation and burnout in Neurodivergent people.

[@chandrawagner4061]

This! I love being able to turn off my camera and fidget or doodle or walk around. I've got like 5 fidget toys on my desk. It helps me focus better in long meetings or trainings rather than having to sit in front of people and put all my focus in to pretending to be able to sit still and concentrate or look like I'm focused or figure out how I'm supposed to look (ie masking).

[@hamonteiro]

these sociology of work videos are very good. keep em up!

[@ameliawasserman4640]

This video spoke to my soul! ❤

[@miserylitmedia1050]

I worked in a consumer-facing nonprofit for several years - I took the job because I actually liked the social atmosphere and a lot of our regulars were legitimately nice people to be around. When the pandemic hit, I was offered two options: either figure out which part of my job I could do remotely, or else take an unpaid furlough but keep my health insurance. I was so scared, I was tempted to do the latter (I took the job for the nonprofit's mission and sense of community, not the money)... but then my supervisor pitched a fit and was all like, "No! M is an ESSENTIAL worker and they need to come into the office EVERY DAY of the lockdown!" Guess what they had me doing every day of the lockdown? Sitting ALONE in my office 75% of the time, answering emails and other busywork... with the bright florescent lights on to "look" even more "busy," which compounded heat along with our building's lack of air-conditioning... with the doors and windows closed (for "security") AND the "Closed" sign up... with crappy office chairs that were falling apart, but couldn't be replaced (because the Ergo Team got to work from home, the lucky bastards)... NOT working directly with our regulars (who were no doubt quarantining or isolating, but I had no way of checking because not all of them had reliable internet access)... spending 20% of each day listening to my supervisor waxing poetic about "returning to normal," bitching about masks, vowing they would "never" get the vaccine (at least until upper management forced them to), basically being their emotional tampon for EIGHTEEN MONTHS... and also feeling like a COMPLETE LOSER in our WEEKLY Zoom meetings (to make double-sure none of us were "slacking off" - especially the lucky bastards who got to work from home) because all of the consumer-facing stuff I used to feel good about doing and reporting on? Well, I can't do ANY of that anymore... and yet I STILL HAVE TO COME INTO THE FUCKING OFFICE ANYWAY... at the very least to keep the office tidy and be my supervisor's emotional tampon. I wanted to help the community, and be part of the solution, not part of the problem. So when I found out that the nonprofit had successfully applied for a PPP loan, only to blow it in 3 months on "administrative" costs (instead of, you know, OUR REGULARS?), that's when I decided to stop being my boss's emotional tampon. Never again. For anyone interested in finding jobs with better benefits and more stability, I highly recommend www.governmentjobs.com !!!

[@AdADglgmutShevanel]

I love working remote. Everything I need in one place (food, water, coffee), can't forget anything since it's all here already, NO COMMUTE (I buy gas like once or twice a month now), I can wear any comfortable clothes I want, no workplace distractions, if there's an emergency at the house with my baby I can help immediately, my PC is 20 times faster than my work iMac computer, and more. I don't work extra hours, the second it's past 6pm I'm done.

[@mikecameron6667]

Great video!

[@tchristensen81]

I’m glad someone made a video about this.

[@Captn_iBrows]

Wisecrack: cities could invest in quality of life for their residents instead of handing out tax breaks to mega corps. Me: hehe, good one!

[@e_eyster]

I like the mixed home/office format that I use. Solid 8-5 on Tu-Th M and F I put in the same hours, but tend to split it up more between 7 to 7 (with of course always making time for meetings) There are clear benefits to WFH... but it also does tend to make just quick discussions a bit harder and does make solid connections with newer employees nearly impossible. The mix is a good compromise.

[@NPelham]

The issue of new employees in a WFH environment seems to be big to me, as an employee at the level where I "mentor" new hires and interns. Without being available for in-person discussions I feel like I get less of the "silly" or "stupid" questions that you have to ask. I find myself also not asking those same kinds of questions to my co-workers when working remotely. Without opportunities to ask quick questions (without feeling like I'm pestering someone), I slowly end up losing out on simple knowledge required for my work. At best, I miss out on making new connections with co-workers. At worst I am incapable of doing my job appropriately. This is a cultural issue that could be solved over time, but personally I would rather just spend a few days in the office with my coworkers.

[@KentuckyKaiju]

I'm glad you mentioned the point about companies needing to do better at offsetting the costs of a WFH setup, because it *is* significant. Not just in raw money, but in the living space sacrifice. You're essentially giving up part of your living room and bedroom to your office, which is basically real estate cost you've offloaded from your employer out of your own pocket and should be compensated accordingly through more than a paltry one-time stipend, but an ongoing one, even to the point of assisting you upgrading to a new apartment/house with more rooms for you to have a separate, dedicated room/workspace to at least allow some semblance of a work/home dichotomy.

[@michaeljdauben]

I admit I spent a lot of my own money upgrading my home office when we started WFH. I had a little computer cart that was barely big enough for a monitor and keyboard that I used a couple hours a week for hobby photo editing. First I decided I needed a bigger desk. Then I decided the cheap desk chair I was using wasn't going to cut it for sitting all day. Next I decided I needed a bigger wide screen monitor to work on multiple files at once. Then I got a new wireless keyboard as I didn't like working on my laptop keyboard all day. Then I decided if I was going to be sitting in my spare room/home office all day I wanted to remodel it... In the end I've got a great home workspace but it wasn't cheap. 😉

[@SomeUniqueHandle]

Our company provides a quarterly WFH reimbursement for things like chairs, keyboards, etc. It's cheaper for them than renting building space. They sold 2 out of 3 of their large buildings in our HQ city. I live in a house, not a small apartment, so I don't mind having an office tucked away in the guest room. I have a quiet work space that I can decorate the way I want with the AC at the temp I want with a nice window that faces the backyard so I can see trees and other greenery. That's far better than the noise filled chaos with stale air, AC cranked way too high, and a view of a parking lot if I crane my neck far enough.

[@flowersforferdinand375]

I worked at a tech startup where the CTO would say to everyone, "We're not a family. We're here to make money." The job still didn't treat people perfectly, but I appreciated the honesty.

[@greenoak1]

Excellent summary - 100% true. I’m in middle management of an engineering department in a big factory. I would add this: Work related: I would suggest that hands on/eyes on an actual physical object is worthwhile (go so far as to say priceless) - especially for new hires. You can’t design something properly that you’ve never seen. You gain invaluable experience talking to a machinist cutting metal chips at a 2 million dollar machine making the part you’re designing. I would add that being in plant is a much more enjoyable experience to run high end engineering apps. Yes , it works remotely, but let’s be honest, VPN sucks. Non work related… it is impossible to replicate being in the presence of another human being. This is really the reason to come to the office occasionally. To remind yourself and others that you exist in 3D and they exist in 3D. It’s the non work related stuff that ends up being the most work related.

[@michaeljdauben]

Our office has worked almost 100% from home for the last two years. I think I had to come into the office twice in that period. They've been praising everyone about how things were still getting done and how good we all were. Now, the big bosses want us to come in at least two days a week. For what? Everyone won't be in the office at the same time so we will still need to do all our meetings online. There is hardly any personal interaction going on because the office is still 3/4 empty most days. Its just so pointless. 😒

[@ghost21501]

A mix of the two is the best way forward.

[@0Paronomasia0]

I work in an open office environment with the option to work from home one day a week. It is ridiculous how much more productive, happy, and relaxed I am on my remote days. I love it so much that I’m currently working towards getting into a job where I can work remote full time. I’ll never work full time in an office again if I can help it.

[@apcfire]

Honestly...Good, I don't want to interact with anyone at my job in person.

[@edbangor9163]

To an extent, certain professions need people in the office. As an engineer, the number of times I've come to a solution through a random conversation with a coworker are too numerous to count. Ignoring the amount of time I spend physically in a lab, the times everyone are in the office are still critical

[@TheJacobG]

Yeah, it very much depends on the type of work a person does.

[@TudorCarare]

I'm a software developer. While I love working from home, and recently switched to a fully remote job, nothing really beats brainstorming solutions with other people in the same room.

[@Estorium]

I am so glad that I work as a Software Developer for a tech company that trusts us to do our thing. The only regular meetings that we have are the 5 - 10 minute standups in the morning to see if anyone needs assistance and that is that. Sure we may have other meetings when needing to interface with other systems or speccing enhancements or new systems, but they are to the point and only as long as they need to be. I cannot imagine ever having to commute to an office again.

[@WorldWithoutApples]

When I worked from home, I just didn't know when to stop working. I also sometimes interpreted emails and chats like they were supposed to be offensive when they weren't. More productive? Maybe. But lack of interpersonal connection with people you work with really makes things toxic. As toxic as a crappy corporate culture. There's too many people DMing each other, talking crap about someone else during Zoom meetings. Also, for me, workspace and living space became inseparable, which is not great if you have a family that you should be eating dinner with at the same time, go to bed at the same time. I see permanent WFH working for unmarried singles moving forward, and there should definitely be WFH/hybrid option or flexible hours option for people who need it. But permanent, full-time WFH does not work for most people in the long run, IMO.

[@NPelham]

I had this same experience early in WFH. More productive at the cost of time with my family. After taking time to assess my priorities it's swung wildly the other way. Sometimes I spend an entire week without doing anything more productive than checking emails and attending a few meetings for my work time. I found that I NEED physically separate spaces for work and personal life for any sort of consistency. I'm spending two days a week at the office right now, and it might need to bump up to three.

[@juvedoo99]

@@NPelham How do you contend with the idea that at some point your life will be consumed more by spending time at the office? Either way if it’s WFH or not, work will consume you, and other priorities will take a hit. The issue doesn’t seem to be the space in particular, but the culture around work itself.

[@briancain7544]

Counter Argument: As someone who was working from home for 2 years I was NOT PRODUCTIVE AT ALL!! I was maybe working 6-8 hours per week, and probably should have gotten Fired, but because no one could see me playing Genshin Impact and latter Elden Ring during office hours I was able to get away with it. Almost all projects in my company had constant delays due to Covid, and I don't really believe the study that "people work better from Home". Sure some people do just as good work or better, but I think overall it is bad. Its also really hard to onboard new people without ever interacting with them in person. There's a lot of "tribal knowledge" about the company and project that's difficult to realize you don't know, until someone looks over your shoulder and says "there's a better way of doing that". I can also see the general Quality of products has gone down hill significantly during the Pandemic. From Cars being less fuel efficient and more expensive then earlier models, to games lacking proper soundtracks and voice overs, to software/hardware companies generally not producing as much new things as they usually do.

[@MrBordmahn]

I disagree. Most of this is just opinion based and highly subjective. Just because you don't do well in a WFH environment doesn't mean that others do not and a hybrid approach is the best compromise. While I do agree that training environments for certain jobs are better in person, there are also plenty of jobs where there is zero point in being in an office. Some jobs it can't be helped and some people have children or just don't do well in a home environ. The best compromise for the jobs that are mostly able to not change while being WFH should use it as an incentive that is attainable, not a moving goal post. Hybridization is a great alternative and gives some people with hour plus commutes some respite in the gas and car maintenance. My current job is pushing for us all back to the office, but there is literally no benefit to doing so. Our entire job is done over a computer and we're even doing Team's meetings while in the same building. It's entirely pointless and a waste of our time only to appease the Culture crowd. While I'm not saying you're wrong for having your opinion nor am I right, I simply believe that it should be an open discussion that many companies are refusing to have in any realistic way. Most are either saying no and then wonder why they lose employees or saying they'll go hybrid but make the goal post further and further hoping to drive people back in office. Which is ridiculous. I don't want parties, I don't want the dumb accolades, I don't even want to hear my name if it isn't from a client. If I'm hitting metrics and my work is being done, leave me alone and let me keep doing what works rather than make me waste half my day and my gas to listen to some BS about how great the Culture is.

[@SamPellegrino]

Loved your stream yesterday! You should do a longform video about all the laws being passed and decisions being repealed and a philosophical view of what our options are

[@ichangedmyemailaddress2670]

i love the interpretation of middle management as just the people that yelled at us to stop talking but evolved!! very amusing and somewhat accurate

[@SzThBence]

Wow I'm early :D

[@liefschneider3123]

As fun as it is to think of the man, the company, your boss as some kind of evil corrupt entity that will force you back to work for their own gain, they aren't the once that aren't going to let offices die. I do a lot of consulting work, which can be 100% done remotely, however some of my clients have offered the ability to work out of their offices and by heavily working within their offices I have completely surpassed all my peers in knowledge, relationship building, work, and ultimately pay. Being in the office offers far more opportunities, than being remote and gives an added personal element to your work that isn't the same remote. I have people coming to me over my peers not because I'm any smarter, but because they know me, it's convenient. So my take on the current situation of most working from home vs offices, is if bosses let us choose that those established in their work will have the benefit of actually choosing, however those that wish to progress their careers will be forced back into the office because of their own desire to compete with their peers.

[@josephwolf7552]

The cut down of commute is well worth it

[@slena]

i like your take on this, i wonder if you'll talk about work/life balance and how it was tackled in severance? such a brilliant show

[@EdyGlockenspiel]

I literally JUST had an argument with my grandpa about this exact topic days ago. Thank you, now I can send this video to him and show his old ass how wrong he is.

[@biohazard737]

Lol yeah it's all the damn boomers

[@baboon_baboon_baboon]

It’s not just boomers. I know older people who like the idea. It’s really people who want some slave-like structure which is why you see gen Z founders who want their employees who have 10+ years of experience more than them to go back in office.

[@LordChevonlier]

I didn't know the false narrative that people are inherently lazy has been around capitalism since day 1

[@widdershins5383]

The great lie capitalists keep telling themselves to justify paying you minimum wage, you’re lazy and you don’t deserve more.

[@nathaniellindner313]

Per scientific studies on the topic, Neolithic societies work about 13 hours per week, feudal societies worked about twice that (or less), and most humans are able to work up to 30-32 hours productively each week. The money-obsessed in society have basically created a world where everyone redlining themselves constantly, all the time is considered the base effort (note that "base effort" does not include access to housing or medical care), and wondering why people aren't working like high-throughput machines, begging the question in a way that absolves them of the immorality every belief system tells them they're guilty of by unconvincingly passing it back to the workers.

[@shannonparkhill5557]

I'm moving to Ecuador and will work from there! Good vid with a healthy level of cynicism and hope

[@PhillKaggitz]

Working from home is the best thing that happened in my life. I haven’t met any of my coworkers of the past 2 years and I couldn’t be happier, I absolutely hate talking to people in real life

[@lasha3688]

I hope they don't. I fucking hate working from home

[@amarjotsingh8455]

That’s bc you have a bad home 😩 I love wfh even hybrid

[@amarjotsingh8455]

@Sir Soma which is why I’m okay with hybrid but no way am I commuting 5 days ever again.. if you never like your home than that’s a personal problem. Everyone loves saving money and not dealing with office bullshit. You have to be a middle manager aka a adult baby sitter

[@lasha3688]

@@amarjotsingh8455 My home is fine I can assure you with that. It's staying inside all day and staring at a screen that sucks. I need that office chat and commute

[@amarjotsingh8455]

@@lasha3688 you can get your social needs met outside work… you definitely don’t go out much apart from work anyway. Commuting is only more money and no one actually enjoys dumb small talk at work. Co workers are not your friends

[@lasha3688]

@@amarjotsingh8455 Dude can you stop with these baseless assumptions or deciding stuff for me? Is it so hard to come with terms that there are people who like moving around during the day and not wait for the weekends to socialize Jesus

[@cooluser23]

Please more videos on this.

[@gailcbull]

I think the problem is that we still think of the "work from home" or "work in the office" as an either-or proposition. I have worked 100% from home during the pandemic and 100% in the office for most of my career. I found that hybrid work was actually what would make me most content. Working from home 3 days a week, but get together with my co-workers for face-to-face interaction for 2 days a week to combat feelings of isolation.

[@phillyfan-182]

Human beings are not meant to be isolated from each other. We are meant to collaborate and work together for the greater good

[@buttsexandbananapeels]

I learned to turn off my work number and email at 5pm and turn it on at 9am. My boss tried calling me out in a Zoom meeting and I asked her if he’s planning on increasing my salary to meet her new expectations. She told me we needed to have a talk, which I agreed to. She tried bullying me, I explained my employment agreement is a contract: she pays me a certain amount for my skills and the time I take out of my life to leverage them for her agenda. It is not a slavery contract. If she wanted to lease more of my life, I was happy to negotiate what would be considered appropriate overtime compensation, otherwise she gets me from 9am to 5pm with a paid lunch as we agreed to when I accepted the terms of her employment. Everyone turns on at 9am and off at 5pm now with no flak from management.

[@humourlessjester3584]

As someone who relies on office, school, or other required spaces to socialize, since I'm an introvert who lives alone that sometimes has the urge to be friendly, it's been difficult to make new connections when my social battery is at a high and I have the urge to talk to new people. I realize that my friendly approaches may come of as too much when I utilize my usual friendliness, that was okay irl, in dms with people I find interesting (whether in trying to make new friends or romantic interests). Especially now that I've cut most attachments from close family for personal reasons, I often find myself too lonely at times. So for me taking away these formal meeting spaces was a huge loss I needed to adjust to. But if all offices moving forwards will just go obselete, I wouldn't be too hung up about it because I do value doing my work alone. Maybe I'll just be one of those guys who talks to strangers at the bar if things won't go back to normal.

[@bibaseballgirl]

Great vid! You're my favorite mainstreamers! It's about power. Corporate power is derived from "realness",a social perception that they provide "real careers for real adults". An equation of tangible goals,achieved in a "real world" context. Also,this equation is supposed to result in real cars,real houses and even real dinner dates at actual restaurants. An office job is far from the grandest dream people can imagine. But it is the peak of what most folks can really see themselves achieving. And that is why corporate structures are vying for rulership of this cerulean orb. Without that perception,they''re just a browser window. A closing tab. An illusion revealed.

[@notthedroidsyourelookingfo4026]

The last section (on ppl moving to the suburbs) could really use some reflection on the idea of car-friendly cities, which are the main reason why cities are loud and stressful, and with their high demand for space, contribute to increasing prices.

[@xdevantx5870]

Literally every single sentence has been my experience over the last 5 years.

[@kris1123259]

I just visit the office first time in 2 years, and I got mugged in my way there. Commuting to work is the worst

[@Luis-vx1tx]

City planners should take advantage of mixed used zoning to combat the flight of office workers.

[@nahomies]

Great video as always. I do also hate open-floor layouts.

[@stoodmuffinpersonal3144]

The more I am Monitored, the more I crack under pressure, so I do worse. Lol

[@benneballe]

I think the hybrid way will prevail; giving workers and the culture a space to flourish, connect and get inspired, and take this energy home to do productive work. Voluntarily going to the office, if you need it, and have the peace and comfort of working wherever you want, whenever you want. Not as a slave, but as a contributor. This will promote more of a identification with your job not as a chore, but as a hobby you get paid for.

[@huicho50able]

Currently working hybrid one day in the office a week

[@EroticInferno]

My dad worked for home for my entire life. He was a computer software programmer and engineer. He never did anything but work during his “working hours,” never over billed for hours, and always took seriously his duties bad responsibilities. I think anyone can work at home as long as they are self motivated enough. Of course, it helps if you’re paid well. That’s the best motivation. My father was always self-employed and would argue his own contract and raises every year. By the time I graduated college (the last years he was working), he was commanding ~$100/hour (no benefits - so he paid healthcare and 100% of the contribution of Medicare and social security -> boss usually pays one half). He really knew how to advocate for himself and make sure that the companies knew how valuable he was. It’s not just handed to you, you’ve got to work to make people know your worth.

[@danyosuna7276]

I am not a USA citizen and I have been bombarded on my FB newsfeed with NBC articles about executives talking about how amazing It would be to go back to the office. There is a literall campaing for it.

[@apotheases]

Gotta remember to do those TPS reports.

[@steveschenker1380]

My office went telework in 2020. Productivity, morale, and attendance are all up. The only thing down is expenses.

[@gwgux]

It's a difficult situation and I think there's plenty of room for compromise like a flex schedule where you can have the benefits of both. When I need to hunker down and just plow through a lot of work, working from home works wonders. For other tasks, going to the office really helps. It's often easier for me to brainstorm and come up with solutions to complex problems when I'm not at home. Everyone's situation is different, but I for one, am glad this shift is happening. People need (and deserve) to treated like people and the amount of job openings and people resigning to take other jobs are how they're fighting back.

[@tinihayes4152]

ty

[@crownbutter]

I should be studied now for may exam tomorrow morning love the vid btw

[@samhank]

I love you guys

[@bottasheimfe5750]

that last bit about restructuring urban planning, especially the idea of making High Rise office Buildings into multi-purpose Buildings gives me all kinds of ideas of Skyscraper towns: small towns worth of people and businesses living and working primarily within ONE building. that sounds fucking awesome

[@srky4346]

I work for a corporate travel company and we’ve been wfh for 7 years. We don’t even have an office where I live. Don’t even have to do Zoom meetings. Just over the phone. So much better!