I am deep into middle age as I turn 40 in just over a month and I have no professional job history while having to take care of my 11 year old son... You have much more going for you and don't ever take that for granted..
So, are your companies trying to send yall back yet, or nah? Some people I know are supposed to be back starting today, for jobs that could definitely still be from home (we do accounting).
I am curious about this as well.. we are set to go back the 18th at full capacity but have been running 25% the past week. What are the rest of y’alls employers, or if you own a business, what are the guidelines?
Wait, what? You think 39 is 'deep into middle age'? Starts in mid-40's IMO and wikipedia agrees. My day job is trying to send us back one day a week (20%), 'just because'. However, they just sent out a survey on telecommuting full time, as a lot of our building leases are coming up and condensing work space would save a massive amount of money. Personally, I think if you don't need to be at a desk, why tempt fate and possibly get the coronavirus or get shot? I can see some lawsuits coming out of this.
Back at work today. So weird to see my office how I left it right before spring break. Like a time capsule that was sealed off for months.
I'll be WFH for at least the next month. It's possible that I will be WFH permanently (I should be!) but I won't be informed until the decision is made.
I just came back to the office today. Masks, lots of hand sanitizer, and temperature checks (you do it yourself, and don't even report it to anyone). I just had a meeting with two other people. Everyone stayed in their cube/office and we just did it over skype. So not entirely sure why I'm here, other than because the CFO said "we really need to get everyone back into the office". They put us back on block scheduling. This week I am MWF, next week I am TuTh. My boss isn't even on the same day as me.
I am back to the office as of last week. I was actually looking forward to coming back, but now that I have I am looking back at the beginning days of quarantine with nostalgia. (Before I went stir-crazy being at home.)
Yeah, pointless. I see some big changes: Old school micromanagers are going to have to adapt or leave. Good riddance, IMO, because a micromanager is actually the opposite of a manager. Effective managers delegate, motivate and trust. Work efficiency management software will become a big driver. You will actually know who does everything and who just sits on Facebook all day. This is going to shrink the workforce in a lot of businesses with a lot of fat. However, if you're that 'does everything' guy, you have grounds to ask for promotions and raises. This is going to shrink the classic work space significantly, which will hurt our economy short-term. Who needs a skyscraper if 80% of people can just jump on their computer at home? Who needs to go to lunch every day at the corner fast food joint or restaurant? Who is going to need gas on a weekly basis? Cars will last longer. Mass transit infrastructure will last longer. Spending habits will change. Home officing will become the norm, driving need for better/faster internet, more comfortable surroundings.
Not to single you out or anything and I supposed it's all subjective, but how are you defining not even being 40 yet, "deep into middle age?"
Wow, this is really archaic thinking nowadays. Hard to believe anyone still thinks like this after the last few months, although I'm not sure what industry you're in. We've been hearing July or August we will have the option to come back in if we want. But no one will commit to that. Still too early I suppose. I definitely need a break from working from home. I never thought I would actually say that.....
Yeah, see my post. That CFO is thinking that because of $ spent on operations. He might also be a micromanger who can't handle not 'seeing' his people in their chairs 40 hours a week.
someone with serious flu symptoms passed the screening and coughed directly toward my face , I was happy to go home , I had tons of ideas and energy, pushed a broken car from the garage, cleaned, organized, wiped grease spots on the floor then pushed the car back , was heading to home Depot to buy pegboards, that's when they call me to tell me that person was negative, so disappointed, you be missing those days when you get back,I could had done that on weekends,but sort of ruining the fun of weekend by doing so
Lots of interesting points...This could be a different topic. Couldn't respond to everything in one post. Gen Z+ don't even talk about car ownership anymore. That's what ride share like Uber is banking on...where the endgame is they own the fleet of autonomous cars. Sedans and sub compacts nowadays are all higher quality and longer lasting (even Ford and GM). It's more a status symbol than a legit utilitarian excuse for "a better commute." It might not even be far fetched to say that in ten years, driving a new car is more a luxury than riding in one. The rest will be older fleet vehicles that might get crunched up for reducing harmful emissions in exchange for a rebate. Millennials started the trend of moving closer to urban centers. It's not reversing but affordability and opportunity for excess determines everything... Mgmt as an industry will likely shadow tech practices as tech started the awful "open office revolution." Agile practices like lean and kanban aren't tech centric and were heavily influcenced/stolen from Toyota's manufacturing principles. Americans have always hated numbers and using them to do things good. It's why we still avoid metric, which is based on the number 10. Software like Jira or whatever MS is pushing is just enabling things Japanese companies tracked without an app. I think WeWork wanted to accomplish something in the lines of what you were rhetorically asking. There will likely be blowback in the form of "office as a luxury". I don't know how the perks you see in tech will be translated into industries where people earn half the salary, but there's plenty of potential in office design and collaborative working. Or that space could be converted to residential for homeless millennials to rent in perpetuity. Old and new schools will still center power politics around the office. Sure, you got the rockstars, but being a friendly face or good looker will generally trump morale/evaluations over the burnt out guy who toils with a mean mug and chip on his shoulder. Definitions of team players might evolve but they still need to be spotlighted by themselves or the mngr whom they depend on. BTW, central to this discussion and overall thread is that WFH is more a luxury afforded to those with higher incomes. What I would like to happen is that remote working will open up opportunities for people to live elsewhere, but Silly Valley would likely make visiting the office daily/weekly a requirement to justify their inflated salaries. Tax implications for HR are also a hurdle for the case of getting a NYC salary while living in Houston.
This is a great, salient post. Thanks! I agree with your entire summary except the timelines. 10 years is a little short for cars to become a luxury. The reality is that the automobile industry is a massive industrial complex and they won't go down without a fight. They will certainly shift to cheaper cars and perhaps as you said fleet vehicles. At one point I was getting my MBA and one of the things that was taught is what you said about visibility/power. Nothing can replace one-on-one interaction for influence. I've noticed over the past several years that management is even more of a monkey-see-monkey-do subset than the common worker. Self-help-management books are all the rage for a year then they switch to a different book/teachings. Coming at the telecommuting item from a different angle, my wife is an educator and school districts were already giving out laptops and wireless access points to underprivileged kids during the pandemic. This could be a trend that adds internet like never before and translate into companies doing the same.
There's probably some of the bolded portion there, she just really wants to be around people. Loves meetings (that ultimately stop progress). We're an oil & gas service company (downhole tools, tubular running services, cementing, etc.). Obviously market is really bad, and they're looking at ways to cut costs. My thing is, if cutting jobs is on the table - shutting the doors and keeping the lights off should be on the table too.
