Ask HN: Has remote impacted your job engagement?

Importantly, remote-first has drawn back the curtain on the simple reality that "engagement" is a euphemism for extracting uncompensated value out of an employee by pretending that work is fun, the mission is vital, and everyone is friends.

Work is unpleasant, that's why people are paid for it. The "mission" is to create fake demand for yet another useless, overpriced service. And we're not friends, just give me my paycheck and get on with it.

If you want proper output from your employees, compensate them for the value they create. If you can't measure value, I don't know how you're running a software company.

I've recently switched to management and am having a tough time navigating engagement expectations. On a personal level I don't want to be friends with my reports and I don't really like setting up events like dinners, socials, etc. To me they feel like obligations I'm not being paid to meet.

On a leadership level I recognize that some people, especially new grads, DO value these events and do want to be friends with their teammates. I'm trying to walk a line now which seems like the solution for everything but I like that remote work has tempered expectations to go out together after work.

Based on some of the other people the author cites, it seems like low remote engagement is a problem specific to some particular European country.

  > “It really stings how the local culture and remote work ethic don’t mix. Many people
  > frankly optimise for working 3-4 hours/day and “abuse” remote. We’re starting to hire in
  > the UK for 30-40% more as we don’t see this attitude there.”