There is simply no amount of money that would force me back to the office. I routinely pass on job offers where they demand "just two days a week in the office".
I suspect those "job offers" you're getting are probably just recruiters who'd waste your time if you told them you were interested then you'd never hear from them again. That's my experience with most of that "profession" anyway.
So any lying would have been spurious.
I see it as no different then when they ask "why do you want this job"? Except they aren't even asking.
Many people know the primary reason is finances, but companies tend to not pick someone who answers that way. There's an "etiquette" to lie about certain factors unless you're in crazy demand, so who's really in the ethical quandry here?
Personally, I like seeing my coworkers in person. But the WFH advantages are real, too...
Fully agree. In an ideal world, the commute would _be_ a walk to the office.
More realistically: for those who happen to live in an environment that allows them to commute by foot or by bicycle, working in the office is already much more appealing than for others.
I really wish these neighborhoods weren’t so expensive because they are very desirable.
I take the bus, but otherwise yeah, agreed. I hate WFH, so I choose to go in every day even though my company doesn't require any office time. I love my time on the bus, gives me a short walk to & from the bus stop, and 45 minutes each way to be offline and read books.
On the other hand, if I had to drive, I'd go insane. Driving for a commute is awful.
Geometry would like to have a chat...
Most people are living in some form of long term marriage/family relationship, and the other person/people also has a job to get to. Even if we ignore zoning, force everyone into high density apartments, force offices into high rises, and so on: there is only so much space within walking distance and so a populated city will have a lot of people who cannot walk to the best job for them. There are a lot of compromises possible, and we are used to them (I live in the midwest which means I can't take a job in New York city)
And that was for my closest first job, some 15 miles away (so, a 15-20 minute car ride). It legitmately would take me 3 hours to get downtown, with multiple stops to walk to. And even less options to get back home after work.
All of this changes when you consider your commute on the clock.
I've been doing this since RTO 3-days a week and it really helps. I've already proven that I can work from home without issue, so heading into the office definitely isn't for my benefit - it's effort that I apply for the benefit of my employer, something they've even admitted by saying working from the office allows for "spontaneous collaboration and increased efficiency". As it's for their benefit (and also a detriment for me) then they can pay me for the time I spend doing it.
If they don't like it then they can let me WFH.
They can also fire you lol
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40511726 "As a junior employee, I have no patience for your point. Going into office is one thing juniors can do about the "problem with the culture" so my stance stays the same until the so-called culture changes. In my experience, the number of seniors who complain sbout RTO and don't hoard knowledge is tiny."
... is that it is likely that nobody is hoarding knowledge, they're just avoiding you because you're unpleasant.
No, it doesn't for everyone. Personal experience matters: after a 70-day lockdown including a very stressful work period (dedadlines etc), there's no way I'm going to WFH ever again.
But that's just me, of course. For others, priorities may be different.
FTR, I did WFH in other times (2 years in the 2009-2011 period) and it wasn't like that.
I cope by have social outings and activities outside my home basically 7-nights-a-week. It works but I don’t consider it a positive I’ve that I’m more or less incapable of relaxing in my own home.
See a therapist, because you make it sound like you're on the verge of a breakdown just because you do some work at home.
Do you have the same reaction to doing household chores?
Getting out into the outside world and seeing people prevents under-stimulation, and separating my work environment lets me switch off at home. Spending my every waking hour in my apartment doesn’t do it for me.
It’s not about “doing some work at home” - it’s about spending 5 days a week working in the same space I’m supposed to eat, relax, and sleep.
Do you have good working habits? E.g. clean separation for working/non-working hours?
Do you have friends on Discord that you can engage with in activities post-work?
> It’s not about “doing some work at home” - it’s about spending 5 days a week working in the same space I’m supposed to eat, relax, and sleep.
It really is though. There shouldn't be much difference if at all between working 8 hours in a home office vs regular office + wasting 1-2 hours on commute. Commute helps some people separate work/leisure, but it shouldn't be a necessity or "drive you up a wall" like you said.
At least in the U.S. almost all of us in this industry are on salary. In that case I don’t think it makes sense to think of a mandatory commute as unpaid. It’s part of the deal and should be factored in accordingly.
Non-remote jobs just aren't competitive unless they offer truly extraordinary pay.
So if it's part of the deal those are all worse deals.
Get my gym time in, go for a walk around the building to be seen. Learn the names of the cleaning staff, ask people if they are "makin' copies", if they are let them know it is "very nice". Can't believe the sportsgame.
Soon enough you'll be promoted and you can use that promotion to go to a competitor and negotiate your previous role, but instead remote.
Sounds like, economically speaking, you are taking over the costs from your employer for providing a usable workspace.
Depending on where you live, and your living situation renting a small office can be really cheap. In my local area I've seen private office rent for as little as $120 per month, but around $200 is more realistic.
But not all types of employment puts the same amount of costs. Those vary widely. And the possibility for the employee to optimize them also varies.
And all the comments up to now are still ignoring the elephant on the room and didn't touch the opportunity cost of having your entire family work on the same geographic area, and the insane housing costs on the few small areas where a family can do that.
My friend was acually depressed by the fact that he had to work from home. At the first opportunity, he ran to the office.
The point is that previously you had a choice over the amount of space you need at home, there are requirements for WFH. i.e. You need a place where you can work effectively.