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Comment by chrisbolt | Hacker News Reader

> Won't many small and mid-size companies have come up under covid and not have an office lease in the liabilities column?

Were they started during Covid? Office leases are typically at least 5 years, so most existing companies will still have them, hence return.

Edit: removed assertion assertion

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There’s a lot of 50-100 person offices used by 5-10 people a day right now because the friendly nudges and incentives to bring people back to the office are falling flat.

The incentives are mostly bad ones.

Companies that understand remote work have done a really good job of netting talent that is not in the Bay or New York, and I'm very happy to be working for one.

If there's only 5-10 people a day, they should be getting nice offices rather than the typical open plan. That might actually entice others to come in.

In lots of tv shows the high-social-value characters have very nice offices (ie, it has a door and a couch). I'd go in-person for one of those.

Hahaha, no way that is happening. Open plan stays, and people are actually coming to the office and attending most meetings on Zoom sitting at their desk.

I am no fan of that. If I come to the office I want to see real people.

This is a minor nitpick, but it was a question, not an assertion.

You’re right, my apologies. I shouldn’t write comments after a scotch on a long day :)

No biggy my dude, it was clear from the jump that you didn't intend anything combative. Enjoy your scotch

Cheers!

Indeed and many are in long term leases that can be 10 or 20 years and these companies leased (or even built) for growth. They have also invested in building rooms, buying equipment, power and networking. To these guys it is feeling like they wasted a lot of money and of course they are going to think about this investment and want folks to come back to the office.

As the job market is changing, I am worried about my work-from-home status despite having started over a year before the pandemic. I just think there is going to be a mass get your butt in the office email that will include everyone.

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