Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Massachusetts
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 02-09-2021, 09:30 AM
 
Location: Boston
2,435 posts, read 1,322,517 times
Reputation: 2126

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by msRB311 View Post
Seems like everyone says their company has been having a great year. No proof of low productivity.
Everyone? No proof?

https://www.theinformation.com/artic...code-from-home

https://www.techrepublic.com/article...-productivity/

https://www.spglobal.com/marketintel...ds-on-60119373

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/10/t...from-home.html

And that was in 90 seconds of Googling.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 02-09-2021, 09:36 AM
 
16,412 posts, read 8,215,049 times
Reputation: 11403
I'm not sure why people care so much what companies they do not work for decide to do? It seems folks want ALL companies back to work in the office with everyone commuting again. Why ? You do you. If you want to head back to the office good for you, but not everyone does.

I work in online education...so yeah we had a good year.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-09-2021, 09:49 AM
 
Location: Providence, RI
12,870 posts, read 22,035,348 times
Reputation: 14134
Quote:
Originally Posted by msRB311 View Post
Seems like everyone says their company has been having a great year. No proof of low productivity.
What ID77 said. And even for the companies that have done well, it doesn't mean productivity hasn't also dropped off. My girlfriend's firm (a large legal firm) has exceeded all financial expectations while simultaneously struggling with a drop off in productivity. While in theory much of the support work (paralegals, admins, assistants, etc.) could be handled remotely, her support staff has struggled mightily. In addition to logistical hurdles (localized connectivity issues, IT/VPN connectivity problems, inadequate home workspaces, etc.), the level of peripheral issues (i.e. at home distractions like kids, pets, neighbors, etc. as well as loneliness, isolation, etc.) has been problematic. So her firm's success came in spite of productivity issues, not because WFH was a revalation.

They're likely to adopt a hybrid model going forward which will skew largely toward in-office work (will require several days in office at a minimum). Her friend and former coworker who is now at a top 10 Boston firm said that WFH is not going to be an option (not even hybrid) due to the drop off in productivity during the pandemic.

Quote:
Originally Posted by msRB311 View Post
I'm not sure why people care so much what companies they do not work for decide to do? It seems folks want ALL companies back to work in the office with everyone commuting again. Why ? You do you. If you want to head back to the office good for you, but not everyone does.

I work in online education...so yeah we had a good year.
You seem to be more fixated on it than anyone else. It's going to be a case by case scenario - employers will do what they think works best. Some of us will be back full time, many hybrid, and some might go full WFH. What any of us say on C-D doesn't really matter, there's no need to sweat it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-09-2021, 09:54 AM
 
16,412 posts, read 8,215,049 times
Reputation: 11403
I am kind of fixated on it to be honest, I have some anxiety about it. I really really don't want to have to get on the train again to commute. I also get more time with my kids and as a mom I love that. Just that extra in the am and when they get home for a little that I didn't have before. It sounds like I'm talking to a bunch of guys here so I don't expect you to understand. My life is MUCH easier having flexibility that I have now. I do think we will likely do a hybrid...and that is better than 5 days a week in office. I just dont appreciate people being the voice of doom about this. Everyone has a different family/life situation and I think many have realized that the way they were going before with needing to be in 5 places at once kind of sucked.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-09-2021, 09:59 AM
 
23,570 posts, read 18,722,077 times
Reputation: 10824
Quote:
Originally Posted by msRB311 View Post
I am kind of fixated on it to be honest. I really really don't want to get have to get on the train on the again to commute. I also get more time with my kids and as a mom I love that. It sounds like I'm talking to a bunch of guys here so I don't expect you to understand. My life is MUCH easier having flexibility that I have now. I do think we will likely do a hybrid...and that is better than 5 days a week in office. I just dont appreciate people being the voice of doom about this. Everyone has a different family/life situation and I think many have realized that the way they were going before with needing to be in 5 places at once kind of sucked.
It's not the "voice of doom"; merely acknowledging this is not about you, me, or any other poster here. The employer decides what's in their best interest, I could care less whether you report to the office or not.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-09-2021, 10:02 AM
 
9,096 posts, read 6,321,431 times
Reputation: 12329
Quote:
Originally Posted by msRB311 View Post
I'm not sure why people care so much what companies they do not work for decide to do? It seems folks want ALL companies back to work in the office with everyone commuting again. Why ? You do you. If you want to head back to the office good for you, but not everyone does.
In my opinion it is the downtown Boston workers and residents that seem to be pushing the hardest for a full return to offices. Due to the cost of doing business downtown, the urban amenities require a critical mass of people to be profitable. If people don't return to the urban offices 100% it will be much harder for the urban amenities to stay in business. People who are 100% suburban or exurban in home and work life and who are also adapted to lesser amenities have a different perspective.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-09-2021, 10:07 AM
 
16,412 posts, read 8,215,049 times
Reputation: 11403
Default re

Quote:
Originally Posted by AtkinsonDan View Post
In my opinion it is the downtown Boston workers and residents that seem to be pushing the hardest for a full return to offices. Due to the cost of doing business downtown, the urban amenities require a critical mass of people to be profitable. If people don't return to the urban offices 100% it will be much harder for the urban amenities to stay in business. People who are 100% suburban or exurban in home and work life and who are also adapted to lesser amenities have a different perspective.
You're right, there are plenty of businesses and real estate owners who depend on people commuting in. I still believe that even if a good portion of people WFH there will be plenty who will not be. Maybe some businesses will be making less come lunch time, but that's life.

With this new administration there seems to be a big push for cleaner air...having more people WFH helps with that
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-09-2021, 10:22 AM
 
Location: Camberville
15,865 posts, read 21,445,747 times
Reputation: 28211
I work in in-person higher ed and it has not been a good year for us. Due to my role, it also means the pressure is on to perform and produce to a higher level than ever with significantly less resources. For some in my office, productivity has definitely slipped - there are a handful who need more structure. For the rest of us, an impromptu Zoom meeting is a huge barrier compared to popping by someone's desk. A quick phone call has now been replaced by email which can also take longer. Collaborating in the office is much more frictionless, and a big challenge to my personal productivity is all the time I now waste in Zoom or email when in-person would have taken a fraction of the time.

Not to mention I went from answering 10 emails a day to 60-70 some days. It makes it hard to actually get my job done when I'm wasting so much time with email! Email alone is a big contributor to my dramatic increase in hours worked. WFH has led to work creep. Most of us are working 50+ hours a week, and I'm up to 60 or 70 most weeks. When everyone is remote, it's easy for management to underestimate how much time projects take because they don't see the work happening.

Everyone's role is different, though. If you're crunching numbers, you probably don't need to be in as high-touch of a work environment.

One of the proposals floated in my office is that there are 2 days a week that we're all expected to be in the office and that we plan for collaborating and brainstorming then. From there, people would be able to choose when they came into the office.


I'm not looking forward to wasting 2 hours a day in the car again, but honestly that is probably less time than is wasted in my average day due to WFH stuff!



I totally get why parents would want to stay home. When I have kids, I'll probably agree. But as someone who is the only person without kids on a team, the division of labor has seriously shifted for the past year to put more of an onus on me. That's frustrating.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-09-2021, 10:28 AM
 
16,412 posts, read 8,215,049 times
Reputation: 11403
one to two days a week would be ok with me.

My overall dept did have some in person programs and those have been more difficult with the move to online and trying to coordinate. I would think once the pandemic is over we could return to doing in person programs...but the coordination for that doesnt mean people have to actually be in the office.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-09-2021, 10:32 AM
 
Location: Camberville
15,865 posts, read 21,445,747 times
Reputation: 28211
Quote:
Originally Posted by msRB311 View Post
I am kind of fixated on it to be honest, I have some anxiety about it. I really really don't want to have to get on the train again to commute. I also get more time with my kids and as a mom I love that. Just that extra in the am and when they get home for a little that I didn't have before. It sounds like I'm talking to a bunch of guys here so I don't expect you to understand. My life is MUCH easier having flexibility that I have now. I do think we will likely do a hybrid...and that is better than 5 days a week in office. I just dont appreciate people being the voice of doom about this. Everyone has a different family/life situation and I think many have realized that the way they were going before with needing to be in 5 places at once kind of sucked.

Why would men with kids not understand?


It's the moms in my office who are some of the most eager to get back to working in the office! Over the summer when numbers were low, two of my female coworkers arranged to be in the office two days a week alone (since our capacity was severely curtailed) because they were more productive in the office than at home. It was a noticeable difference for them, and for me working with them.



It's a personal preference. Some people do well working from home. Other people, and other roles, do not.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Massachusetts

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top