Exactly the same campaign of bluster and whining is going on here in Canada’s capital. The mayor is leaning on the federal gov to send the civil servants back to the office to buy their overpriced coffees and lunches from the same downtown businesses that close at 4:00 so there’s nothing available for the people who live downtown in the evening. Meanwhile, the $2 billion rapid transit system breaks down almost daily, forcing people to drive and pay for parking, walk or cycle in the dead of winter.
most of my team work a hybrid - 2 days at home, 3 in office - the same with the teams around us. This means the building is half empty most days (and mostly empty friday cos everyone wants to work from home then) - this is a good solution for us, but i can appreciate it won't work everywhere
Not possible for the kind of interactions I am thinking of. I am an antique, of course, but my daughter had a similar job to mine (except she was a boss), and, since it was Internet publishing, her staff were all over the world. Some she never met in person. She had great difficulty managing them.
According to a Bloomberg report today, CEOs are sour on work-from-home. Fashions change. When iIwas a business reporter in the late '70s-early '80s, all the rage was creating work campuses where people would be put face-to-face outside cubicles, leading to all sorts of nifty things but especially innovation.
Never did work. But at the same time, big efforts were going into teleconferences to cut the costs of bringing employees together from all over.
That didn't work either.
I remember the genius (he was one actually, though not on workplace behavior) from U of Illinois who was at the time the leader in developing the technology: "You won't have to bring the meat."
so if they establish 'shop fronts' for that stuff and staff can nominate to work a hybrid in office/at home schedule, that problem would be solved and the larger buildings can be given back to DC
it always frustrates me that they go for the short term gain, not the long term benefit. Had i the money i would buy and convert such a space, specifically for the purpose of getting affordable housing to workers who have to spend a fortune to commute - alas i am not that rich
Disagree heartily. I worked in newsrooms for 45 years, setting my own goings and comings for about 30 years. But newsroom collegiality was crucial.
To take one example, whenever there was a story, source, photo, hed etc. that was questionable for any reason (news value, ethics, whatever), a long-running discussion (sometimes described as a fight) would ensue. That was how we rode herd on each other for ethics, as well as news judgments.
That can all be done and is done on Teams every day by my teams. The difference is that we're all over the world having that discussion, disagreement and brainstorming.
People do not need to consume fuel, risk dying in accidents, sit in traffic for hours, and sit in bad air under bad lighting away from their comfortable home environment to collaborate anymore.
To wit, the giant Miami Herald newsroom building on Biscayne Bay is gone. It was no longer needed. People file their stories and collaborate and discuss from anywhere now.
Someone I know works from home on the East coast for people who work on the West coast. Obviously the time difference is a concern. But it's worked without a problem. If there is some really urgent problem they can call after her usual shut down at 5:30, but she made it clear it really must be a very time sensitive urgent matter. Which happens only a very few times per year after they really think about it. And it gives her over two hours of uninterrupted time in the morning to get work done. She has been doing this for ten years now.
New Orleans had similar issue (like many cities) with the Interstate Highway system totally fragmenting neighborhoods.
Exactly the same campaign of bluster and whining is going on here in Canada’s capital. The mayor is leaning on the federal gov to send the civil servants back to the office to buy their overpriced coffees and lunches from the same downtown businesses that close at 4:00 so there’s nothing available for the people who live downtown in the evening. Meanwhile, the $2 billion rapid transit system breaks down almost daily, forcing people to drive and pay for parking, walk or cycle in the dead of winter.
Nah - cubicle offices will now be "studios" for $3500 a month.
most of my team work a hybrid - 2 days at home, 3 in office - the same with the teams around us. This means the building is half empty most days (and mostly empty friday cos everyone wants to work from home then) - this is a good solution for us, but i can appreciate it won't work everywhere
there are certain jobs in down undah land where they can't call you after hours either
Not possible for the kind of interactions I am thinking of. I am an antique, of course, but my daughter had a similar job to mine (except she was a boss), and, since it was Internet publishing, her staff were all over the world. Some she never met in person. She had great difficulty managing them.
Time zones were a problem.
According to a Bloomberg report today, CEOs are sour on work-from-home. Fashions change. When iIwas a business reporter in the late '70s-early '80s, all the rage was creating work campuses where people would be put face-to-face outside cubicles, leading to all sorts of nifty things but especially innovation.
Never did work. But at the same time, big efforts were going into teleconferences to cut the costs of bringing employees together from all over.
That didn't work either.
I remember the genius (he was one actually, though not on workplace behavior) from U of Illinois who was at the time the leader in developing the technology: "You won't have to bring the meat."
He was wrong, too.
so if they establish 'shop fronts' for that stuff and staff can nominate to work a hybrid in office/at home schedule, that problem would be solved and the larger buildings can be given back to DC
At one period, my group worked four 10-hour days. That was not practical for any of our other groups, although it worked ideally for us.
Th resentment of the other groups was more than sufficient to force us back to the less-efficient five 8-hour days.
People just won't stop being people.
it always frustrates me that they go for the short term gain, not the long term benefit. Had i the money i would buy and convert such a space, specifically for the purpose of getting affordable housing to workers who have to spend a fortune to commute - alas i am not that rich
Disagree heartily. I worked in newsrooms for 45 years, setting my own goings and comings for about 30 years. But newsroom collegiality was crucial.
To take one example, whenever there was a story, source, photo, hed etc. that was questionable for any reason (news value, ethics, whatever), a long-running discussion (sometimes described as a fight) would ensue. That was how we rode herd on each other for ethics, as well as news judgments.
I was a news reporter. Stuff happened outside my scheduled work hours. So I went out to work.
Plus, somebody has to train the new gummint employees. Almost impossible to do remotely or in a classroom.
When they had "open offices", some of the space conserved was used for palatial PRIVATE offices for the c-suite.
It was just an overseer looking over the farmhands from the manor balcony.
That can all be done and is done on Teams every day by my teams. The difference is that we're all over the world having that discussion, disagreement and brainstorming.
People do not need to consume fuel, risk dying in accidents, sit in traffic for hours, and sit in bad air under bad lighting away from their comfortable home environment to collaborate anymore.
To wit, the giant Miami Herald newsroom building on Biscayne Bay is gone. It was no longer needed. People file their stories and collaborate and discuss from anywhere now.
Someone I know works from home on the East coast for people who work on the West coast. Obviously the time difference is a concern. But it's worked without a problem. If there is some really urgent problem they can call after her usual shut down at 5:30, but she made it clear it really must be a very time sensitive urgent matter. Which happens only a very few times per year after they really think about it. And it gives her over two hours of uninterrupted time in the morning to get work done. She has been doing this for ten years now.