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Comment by cameldrv | Hacker News Reader

Maybe not, but if office rents are really going to be way down, it's possible to give developers private offices again.

I can only speak for myself but I would never work non-remote again, even if I had my own private office.

Covid WFH took me further - I would never work again if I can help it

I wouldn't mind working remote if my commute is walkable. I purposely live in Boston to have access to the T, but many companies in Boston are opening up offices in Seaport which is the most awkward place to get to using public transit.

When I worked in Seaport i'd just walk from south station

The issue is that most offices (especially the bio/chemistry ones) are at the far end, also the silver line blows; unless your office is less than a one mile radius (even then depending on the street it can be painful) it's just a bad time.

Yeah same, if I just had to walk 5 or 6 blocks to get to work, I’d probably go for it. Walk home for lunch. Sounds pretty alright.

I’ve been fully remote since before the pandemic, and I have a dedicated home office, but a private office space would help me at least consider spending some of my time in the office. Being away from the responsibilities of home can help with focus. Wouldn’t consider a mandatory or full-time return to office, though.

I've never had to work in an actual cube farm or open concept (the one time I was technically in a cube farm was when I was one of five people in a farm built for 50+) but a private office is nice in ways you just can't really articulate.

We had a nice setup for awhile that was a central meeting/conference/open area, with offices all around it, each of which had a large window looking at the meeting area. You could close a curtain if you really needed to, but otherwise it was sound-proof; people could easily see if you were available but you could work privately, make calls, etc.

I'd be willing to consider commuting for something like that again in the right job.

Same, I built my own private office and I don't have to deal with traffic to get to it, or deal with constant interrupts because other people have decided they're not working so I shouldn't either. My productivity is through the roof since going fully remote 6 years ago.

Can I ask about your home life? Do you have, or expect to have: partner, parents, roommates, children, pets?

Owners who hate the lack of oversight with WFH are not the ones who like private offices with doors for workers. They don't mandate RTO out of concern for your privacy and ability to focus.

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