What are your views on WFH for tech jobs

[Renegade]

Have noticed that organizations are increasingly moving towards work from office. I feel its mostly because the top bosses are not comfortable with the loss of control, so its trickling down to all the levels. Even people who have limited interactions with stakeholders are asked to come to office just because everyone else is.

On the other hand there are many people who voluntarily admit that they like coming to office because it increases their productivity or that they like the change in pace.

I think the hybrid models are the best but even those are skewing towards 1 day a week WFH. Productivity is high wherever there are less distractions and it could be home, a shared office space like WeWork (do they exist now) or at office.

What is everyone's take on this topic and how has the WFH policy effected you and your physical/mental health?

 

[JMak]

I feel the wfh regimen has lived its life..
This is actually leading to more psychological as well as familial issues.
Health deterioration is another factor considering the life style which becomes more and more laid back.
People themselves feel that things become more organised and systematic when you are following a office routine.
Productivity isnt going up anymore now hence organusations are interested in getting the staff to office.. Yes greater control intention is definitely there...

 

[greenhorn]

I'm in sales and my team has always had a lot of flexibility to decide when and where as we tend to spend a lot of irregular hours due to customer availability.

This new wfo push is a pain in the ass and screwing up our ability to get deals

 

[raksrules]

I work in a company that mandates 5 days WFO. It is a real pain as I am more productive at home due to having external monitor so I can work better. In office I have somehow managed to get a monitor but the small low resolution one which sucks.
It is definitely more about control and not about productivity and also due to certain group of people misusing the WFH. Due to them, everyone else suffers.

I have seen people leaving my organization due to this 5 days WFO and replacements are sub par.

 

[roadrash99]

If WFH was even 1% less productive it would have been abandoned IMMEDIATELY after the lockdowns. Companies are able to get what they want out of their employees whether it's WFO or WFH. Now if coming to office is worth it for the employees, they will come, if not they will not (and they shouldn't).

In my opinion any office time should have clear goals (like a team meeting). Mandatory office time ends up being WFH with extra steps, where people are doing zoom calls in the office. That is brain dead.

 

[Ssreek]

It depends on the type of project as well. For our project, WFH is great, but the downside is that some employees abroad occasionally schedule meetings between 11 PM and 1 AM, simply because it’s their working hours, and they assume we are always available due to WFH. Meanwhile, we are expected to work during the daytime. This wasn’t an issue before COVID when meetings at such odd hours happened only once every two weeks to collaborate and plan with colleagues abroad. Sometimes, it feels like work stretches beyond the standard 9 hours, which is a drawback.

On the other hand, commuting to work means spending 2 hours daily in heavy traffic and hazardous pollution. Even with a car, it requires significant time and effort to travel. Our government has focused on more buildings and commercial properties than improving roads, resulting in severe traffic congestion in office areas. It gets even worse during the rainy season, when even a short rain or drizzle can paralyze the entire area.

In both these situations, I would choose wfh any day. A good manager can solve the meetings and hours issue, but for the other thing, there is no fix.

In our state, after lockdown, govt forced companies to call back employees to office, because their real estate and commercial activities are not boosting enough.

 

[napstersquest]

If WFH was even 1% less productive it would have been abandoned IMMEDIATELY after the lockdowns.

Don't think so.

I have seen, in my own team, productivity change dramatically when we are WFH vs WFO.
If I need someone's help, or someone needs my help, messaging on teams - asking repeatedly for available time when all I want is 2 mins of their time - sucks!

In office, I can just go to their desk and get the answers in less than 2 mins. It is just way easier to get things done in office. White-boarding, planning, design discussions, code reviews and even standups take much lesser time in office.

But one of my teammates is working from home for a month and they are definitely PITA to work with now. Half the time we don't know if they are working or no. When they were in office, all was good mind you.

I enjoy the work from office (even though I have a sick setup at home with 3 monitors and a TV all connected with a thunderbolt dock, pretty good chair (Although the ones in office are better)) because my team works from the same office.

If people you work with are in different offices or time zones, WFO compulsion makes little sense. That is the situation with my wife and she literally gets same things done in office or at home because all of her teammates are in a different city.
And if you need to travel 1.5-2 hours one way for commute to work, you should either switch jobs or your residence. Or get a different job if current job necessitates WFO.

they assume we are always available due to WFH

This was my biggest gripe with WFH. Now, I go home on time and don't turn my laptop on unless something is extremely important, until the next working day. Much better WLB. Family is happier too because they don't have to see me glued to my desk.

And Even though I was working harder and smarter than most of my peers at my previous jobs, just because I missed a call or replied late to a message (mostly messages like `you there?`) would convey that I was either slacking off or taking time off without notifying.
When I am at office, everyone can see how effective my work is.

 

[ibose]

loss of control

It's also the fact that they do not want all the office infrastructure to be underutilized. It is a sizable investment.
Personally I prefer the hybrid approach. Perhaps add a poll to make this interesting.

 

[roadrash99]

Don't think so.

You are describing the ideal situation for WFO, and I agree in that situation I would not mind going to office. However in most situations it's not that way. In my org most teams are spread out over 3 Indian cities and 2 more cities abroad. This is kind of inevitable these days. Very few organisations will have close knit locally isolated teams.

What I meant when I said WFH is not less productive is that from the POV of top execs, they are not suffering reduced productivity. People are able to make it work despite all the negatives you mentioned. The bottom line on the financial reports doesn't lie.

 

[Ssreek]

And if you need to travel 1.5-2 hours one way for commute to work, you should either switch jobs or your residence. Or get a different job if current job necessitates WFO.

That's not possible for many people. Most IT offices are concentrated in just 1 or 2 areas, where companies are spread out. Rents in these areas are sky-high, and buying property is out of reach for most. It's feasible for those earning high salaries who don't mind spending a large portion on rent, but it's not the case for everyone.
By the way, I meant 1.5 to 2 hours for to and fro, not just one side journey. If it was night time work, it would have been much better, can save a lot of travel time.

This was my biggest gripe with WFH. Now, I go home on time and don't turn my laptop on unless something is extremely important, until the next working day. Much better WLB. Family is happier too because they don't have to see me glued to my desk.

And Even though I was working harder and smarter than most of my peers at my previous jobs, just because I missed a call or replied late to a message (mostly messages like `you there?`) would convey that I was either slacking off or taking time off without notifying.
When I am at office, everyone can see how effective my work is.

If one has meetings after coming back home, then wfh seems better for them, otherwise - come back home and u still have to attend meeting at home.
People misusing wfh or relocating to their hometowns for wfh, make the situation worse.
Hybrid model seems better. Atleast there are 2 days where u can relax with the traffic and pollution.