Working From Home Megathread

Agreed. Decentralisation was a great idea poorly implemented by FF 20 years ago. Drives my head in that it isn't being embraced now. Transport is not good enough in Dublin, this isn't a long term space but does give them some breathing room. Wfh requires no transport but will encourage the development of more services out in the country when there are more people to serve going to other things.

On your last point, any space that doesn't have monitors is very poor. I am in engineering and its impossible to use a laptop alone, especially now with the trend of supplying 13-14" laptops. The visual tools used are just too finnicky for the laptop screen. One decently sized monitor per desk would be great, but again raises the cost base of the place..

As an exercise, go into connectedhubs.ie and search for your area. Look at the pictures and see exactly what their hot desks look like. You may be surprised.

This is a two pronged message from this message:

Shallow relationships? Who cares! I don't need work friends. I hope you mean getting to know people so work gets done. It's business and indeed shallow.

On the flip side, if you're newish to work, face to face can have a great outcome. In saying that the people I hire around the block a few times. Meeting them once a month is grand. They have their own life.

There's a bit of focus on co-working locations and hubs in the media this weekend.

I am not sure if just a desk is enough to lure me in.

At the moment, I have a desk at home with work laptop, monitor, mouse & keyboard.

I have no objection to bringing laptop to a hub but don't fancy lugging everything else there.

Covid causing havoc in our office again. Whole division now have it after the usually weekly divisional meeting was held and some people just back from holidays with a "cough" the likely spreaders.

Many have wanted to continue to remote work but management insisted on 2 days a week, now lots out sick and some very important deadlines being missed. To say management are stressed is an understatement

This, exactly. I finally succumbed to the 'rona a couple of weeks ago, having avoided it thus far. Thankfully my case was very mild. Took one day off sick, worked the rest of the week from home. Work still got done, nobody else got infected. Ironically, last week in the office, some fuppet arrives in to my room, no mask (we have a protocol they ignored), sniffling... they only beat a retreat when I told them I was just back from having COVID. They were presumably one of the super-immune who just know their cough or sniffle is only a headcold or allergy. Though why they'd want to risk spreading a headcold was always beyond me...

Hard to know how some of you manage daily life now such is your fear of a catching Covid at work. Do you avoid shops, public busy places as well? Probably don’t socialise or go to restaurants or gyms either , must be grim.

Worked only remote for over a year. Challenging. Adapted. Grand.

Back in office 2021 April for 2-3 days. Grand.

3 days mandated April 2022. Grand.

5 days mandated June 2022. Challenging.

Opening up blended application to change policy for 2 days remote guaranteed moving forward from 4 weeks from now. Perfect.

I will value the 2 days wfh more now. But have to say, the interaction in the office has been positive

Faux fear, my left testicle. I'm immunocompromised. I've still been in the office for at least two days every week, except for holidays, since March 2020, across two jobs. I've a colleague, similarly in the office every week, caring for an immunocompromised parent in their 90s. We've no problem going into the office when it's needed, as long as everyone is taking reasonable precautions. Right now, "reasonable precautions" means not coming into my room without a mask (there's a mask mandate in the office anyway), and not coming into the office when you're symptomatic. This is basic common sense.

In the past, being sick meant staying home, calling in sick, and doing no work. Now it often means phoning in to say you're symptomatic, and working from home. Surely that's better for everyone?

I went to the office yesterday and found it so depressing, there were so little people in the office, I either can't sit near the people that I work closely with (at present we hotdesk and need to book desks) or those people aren't in the office, that you sit there and think what's the point of me coming in and I may as well save the money commuting by staying at home.

I found myself counting down the time until I could leave to go home. I decided to stay home today. It really gives me zero motivation to want to return to the office.