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Comment by arrakis2021 | Hacker News Reader

arrakis2021

This. As someone who works remotely and loves it, I’ve observed this on HN for years. It’s like engineers can’t (or won’t?) acknowledge that other roles in an organization go beyond staring at lines of code on a computer screen.

Hell, even product managers I know like coming in to an office to collaborate on the big whiteboard wall they can’t fit inside their home.

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And even within the engineering roles, the more senior you are the less your job is about staring at a screen, and the more it benefits from face-to-face collaboration.

I've actually considered taking a pay cut just so I can go back to slinging code and not worrying about much else.

There's a bunch of things about 'being in an office' that aren't so much about 'being in an office' as they are 'not being in your house'. Cynically, you could point out some power dynamic - symbols of you being part of something 'larger' than yourself are often parts of offices (big or small), and you're submitting yourself to some rituals shared by your colleagues and (many?) others in society.

BUT... there's also less responsibility for maintenance - offices often will have cleaning/maintenance, decent hvac, etc. They can provide a standardized work environment that helps legitimately separate 'work' from 'home', which many people need help in doing (even pre covid).

Yes, you get the big whiteboards and maybe other equipment that just doesn't make sense for a home (big copiers from decades ago, etc) as well.

You can drag the other roles in if you wish. The entire company does not need to be remote. Just the engineering team.

Just to offer a different perspective, I worked in a "normal" blue chip company, and people in most roles (finance, marketing, sales, logistics,legal) preferred by far to work away from the office the days it was allowed. Only R&D (for obvious reasons) didnt have that chance and even then it was not unheard of. Going to an open plan office destroys your soul.

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