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Old 31 July 2020, 04:10 PM   #1
colpol
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Back to the office today

After 19 weeks working from home - back to the office today

Initially just IT & facilities to prepare for possible office reopening in sept

Must admit - I adapted to WFH very easily

Bit of apprehension but we had a virtual return to office health & safety briefing so sure will be ok

Was hoping we’d see out wfh till end of year

Anyway - just need to make my pack lunch & then hit the road ......
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Old 31 July 2020, 04:11 PM   #2
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No doubt a tough road. God speed.
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Old 31 July 2020, 07:32 PM   #3
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Getting back will take some getting used to. I’d be anxious too and it’s understandable. Pretty sure the transition back to WFO will be smooth(er). Stay safe!
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Old 31 July 2020, 08:16 PM   #4
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Good luck with that... but some of us have been in the office the whole time. I have been a bit envious of those who got to work from home.
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Old 31 July 2020, 08:21 PM   #5
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Good luck

Our office never closed during the pandemic but then again it’s just me and two other people, one of whom chose to stay at home.
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Old 31 July 2020, 08:26 PM   #6
Wahlberg
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I still don't get why some companies feel the need to put people back in the offices when work from home is currently the smartest thing to do and makes most sense. Do they think they are losing control?
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Old 31 July 2020, 10:09 PM   #7
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I am retired but remember working. I mostly liked the social interaction and the people. Good luck.
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Old 31 July 2020, 11:11 PM   #8
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I still don't get why some companies feel the need to put people back in the offices when work from home is currently the smartest thing to do and makes most sense. Do they think they are losing control?
Because at some point life needs to get back to normal and because working from home is not always the smartest thing to do. I never assume that every employer can just as easily and just as efficiently have their employees work from home.
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Old 31 July 2020, 11:15 PM   #9
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Best of luck to you Be wise and stay safe in the process.
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Old 31 July 2020, 11:39 PM   #10
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Good luck with that... but some of us have been in the office the whole time. I have been a bit envious of those who got to work from home.
I was, too. Then I worked at the house for a week.
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Old 1 August 2020, 04:18 AM   #11
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Because at some point life needs to get back to normal and because working from home is not always the smartest thing to do. I never assume that every employer can just as easily and just as efficiently have their employees work from home.
Sure not every company but a big percentage is able to do this. I'm positive people are working more efficiently now, even without the daily commute and all the other things that take up hours and hours.
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Old 1 August 2020, 04:42 AM   #12
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My employer in a new office + renovating it. They basically tore down the interior and redid it completely. Just when the office was a couple weeks away from being ready to move in COVID came and we started WFH. The employer did not only pay for the renovations but also is paying full rent for the months the office has been sitting empty. I'm sure they are eager to get us in the new office but the COVID numbers in our state are just mad.
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Old 1 August 2020, 01:30 PM   #13
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Sure not every company but a big percentage is able to do this. I'm positive people are working more efficiently now, even without the daily commute and all the other things that take up hours and hours.

Unless you work on an assembly line, serve customers, or something of the like, you can work remote. Some leadership like to tout being in office as a way to be sporadically creative etc...... reality is, with vision and technology, it can all be done remote. And if you actually pick up the phone you can talk to anyone you want..... But for micro managers (maybe 50% of leadership????) they are losing their minds. Me???? I can run my show from Timbuktu.
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Old 1 August 2020, 01:32 PM   #14
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Unless you work on an assembly line, serve customers, or something of the like, you can work remote. Some leadership like to tout being in office as a way to be sporadically creative etc...... reality is, with vision and technology, it can all be done remote. And if you actually pick up the phone you can talk to anyone you want..... But for micro managers (maybe 50% of leadership????) they are losing their minds. Me???? I can run my show from Timbuktu.
"reality is, with vision and technology, it can all be done remote"

this is the problem. the longer this goes on the more companies will realize there's no point paying people huge salaries in big cities when everyone is working from home anyway. it will become a giant shit show with regards to job security and salaries. also the whole renting issue for companies, at least here in nyc, will become a disaster
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Old 1 August 2020, 06:00 PM   #15
colpol
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Yesterday wasn’t so bad thankfully

In the office there are one way systems in place/ cleaning stations/ hand sanitizer equipment outside every entry door, meeting rooms now have set numbers, etc. The office numbers will be shrunk by two thirds to adhere to social distancing once it reopens. Also managed to get a parking space as no big shots in so the underground car park was empty

Looks like we’ve to prepare the office for reopening / then it’ll be left for another 4/5 weeks with just a skeleton facilities/ IT staff onsite until it’s decided if selected staff to come back

The commute in was fine - more like driving in on a weekend
The commute home was really busy - few stop/ start places on the motorway
The city centre itself was a mess with bollards all over the place blocking streets/ making 3 lanes into 2 so when I was nearly at office - couldn’t get to it as my turn was blocked & had to go round the one way twice to figure out ways to get to my street.

The other I noticed was how productive I was at home v office. Lot of chat with colleagues directly - maybe 25% loss productivity although that could be written off as catch up after 4 months in office

Biggest thing was that normally I’d close my laptop down at 4pm/ be on cycle path for 4.10 yesterday I was driving out the car park at 4.10 & home for about 4.50 but I guess that’s a small price to pay for still having a job
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Old 1 August 2020, 06:43 PM   #16
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But for micro managers (maybe 50% of leadership????) they are losing their minds.
This is the biggest one. I think those people are scared to lose their job because all they've done before (pre covid) is keep in check on people. And now from home, what is their job/their worth/what do they do all day? Some people lucked into their positions, luck is running out for some.
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Old 1 August 2020, 10:02 PM   #17
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I firmly believe that in office is the best thing to do as long as people are smart about it. My company is not going back until at least January and I am extremely frustrated. I manage a younger team and some on the team are just not adapting to work from home. It puts me in a tough spot as I can not fire these people who are drastically underperforming because it is directly related to WFH. When they are in office they are great workers and deliver results.

Along with performance I am seeing that overall people are becoming more distant. We were a close knit office and I see many of the connections drying up.
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Old 2 August 2020, 12:22 PM   #18
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I firmly believe that in office is the best thing to do as long as people are smart about it. My company is not going back until at least January and I am extremely frustrated. I manage a younger team and some on the team are just not adapting to work from home. It puts me in a tough spot as I can not fire these people who are drastically underperforming because it is directly related to WFH. When they are in office they are great workers and deliver results.

Along with performance I am seeing that overall people are becoming more distant. We were a close knit office and I see many of the connections drying up.
This is just my opinion but one needs to question how high performing and close knit the team really was if WFH changed that. Perhaps try more video meetings, virtual team building events (trivia happy hours, etc.).

I’ve found the opposite in performance (and believe most studies show higher productivity). Most on the team have the issue of no longer being able to disconnect from work (not a good thing either), and as for relationships, it’s not like we’ll be able to high five or hug in the office anyway.
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Old 2 August 2020, 01:18 PM   #19
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My wife has been back in office for over a month. Makes very little sense to me as she manages their digital department and can easily work from home. On top of that they have a horrendous office as the septic system is out of whack and half the time the damn toilets aren’t even working in their building leaving them to use a public facility two buildings over.

NA CEO claims since the warehouse workers can’t wfh the office can’t either. I don’t see the logic there as they have had a death already in the warehouse.
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Old 2 August 2020, 04:00 PM   #20
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WFH was hard for me the first 3 weeks (was not that productive) but overtime I've learned to adapt and found my rhythm. Now I can't imagine going back to office everyday.

We're still working from home and dreading the day when we start commuting again.
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Old 24 October 2021, 05:46 AM   #21
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I actually don't mind going to work back at the office. Our company gave us the option to go back if we choose to. So far, it's me and 3 of my closest work buddies at the office. We love our wive's and GF's, but it's really nice to get away
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Old 24 October 2021, 08:14 AM   #22
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We are opening a new office and our last lease ended right around Covid inception so we’ve been virtual for a LOOOOONG time now. I can’t wait to get into the new space. Working from home isn’t for me.
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Old 24 October 2021, 09:58 AM   #23
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I think this work at home thing is a game changer. People may or may not be as productive working at home, but it seems with today's technology there's really no need for everyone to be dragging themselves in to an office everyday (some, maybe, but not everyone). Just think of the effects on the office real estate market and ultimately a local government's tax base if all these buildings remain empty or underutilized, as they seem to be now in many cases.

I'm retired now but personally would be useless working at home (my wife says I'm useless anyway but that's another story). However, I know a number of people who work at home, and they all say there's no need for them to go into an office since everything they do can be done remotely and just effectively as they did in an office setting.
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Old 24 October 2021, 10:39 AM   #24
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I think this work at home thing is a game changer. People may or may not be as productive working at home, but it seems with today's technology there's really no need for everyone to be dragging themselves in to an office everyday (some, maybe, but not everyone). Just think of the effects on the office real estate market and ultimately a local government's tax base if all these buildings remain empty or underutilized, as they seem to be now in many cases.

I'm retired now but personally would be useless working at home (my wife says I'm useless anyway but that's another story). However, I know a number of people who work at home, and they all say there's no need for them to go into an office since everything they do can be done remotely and just effectively as they did in an office setting.
Commercial real estate trajectory is going to be a VERY interesting thing to watch.
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Old 26 October 2021, 12:53 AM   #25
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I went back to the office two weeks ago after a year and a half WFH. It's nice to catch up with work colleagues, but from a work perspective, I am more productive from home, less distractions, less interruptions, less noise, less calls for help from colleagues and faster broadband commection.

We've been told to keep all our meetings in Zoom and Microsoft Teams, we are not allowed to have any physical gathering. So what's the point of going back to the office before we get rid of SARS-COV-2? Your guess is as good as mine.
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Old 26 October 2021, 01:02 AM   #26
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Sure not every company but a big percentage is able to do this. I'm positive people are working more efficiently now, even without the daily commute and all the other things that take up hours and hours.
It'd be helpful to have some studies/data comparisons to be able to draw conclusions. The recent "WFH is the best" attitude with zero to back it up is problematic. It certainly works in some instances and doesn't in others.

Until we can compare and contrast, this discussion is pointless.
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Old 26 October 2021, 12:55 PM   #27
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It'd be helpful to have some studies/data comparisons to be able to draw conclusions. The recent "WFH is the best" attitude with zero to back it up is problematic. It certainly works in some instances and doesn't in others.

Until we can compare and contrast, this discussion is pointless.

I can say that working in tech and being home every single day, sucks. I have been doing the same type of job in tech for 8 years, so it’s a bit easier for me. But i have seen 4-5 people hired on my team during the pandemic, and it’s very difficult. They have no interaction with people outside of zoom, and most have never seen the inside of our offices.

We have incredible office space in multiple tech cities and they haven’t been. I would say i am more productive now, but that’s due to adapting. You still cannot beat walking down the hall and bumping into colleagues and collaborating. Or grabbing coffee or breakfast in the kitchen, and someone asking to pull you into a meeting.

On the bright side, i haven’t missed a practice of my daughters in nearly two years. I’ve spent maybe 4 nights away from home in almost 2 years. I miss traveling, i miss seeing my friends and my colleagues, but I’m spending a lot more time with my family.


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Old 26 October 2021, 02:52 PM   #28
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I’ve been working from home for over 18-months!

Going batty.
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Old 27 January 2022, 04:49 AM   #29
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I think the quarantine has put most of us in the position of working from home. Honestly, I can not complain since I was started sleeping more and having more free time. I didn't have to spend hours in traffic. But I missed the feeling of seeing people working beside me. My office has reopened this week. The location has changed since we started renting offices from www.aperfectspace.com. I can't even express how happy I was to see some faces. You are really like you can do the same. Most countries are still in complete lockdown. I wish you to adapt as quickly as you can.
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Old 27 January 2022, 05:18 AM   #30
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It’s funny how some senior management has said employees need to be in the office to be successful and in the best position. I find office days to be much less productive. Water cooler talk, lunches, conference room meetings. At home it’s all work and no commute no excuses. I find working in the office to actually be the easier route for work load. You have to be disciplined at home which doesn’t work if you need constant direction. Also have to be able to shut it off at the end of the day.
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