Rise of remote work

[gregkl]

Our management would rather figure out ways to confirm if we are dropping off dry cleaning, running a load of laundry or walking out to the mailbox on "company time" than assess our output.

I am working full time in the office because some douchebag told our former CEO that I was working on my home while WFH.

Which was pure rubbish and easy to check. Did my former CEO press that person for proof? Heck no. She told my manager to tell me about it and that it was a "perception" and that needs to be addressed.

I would have been all over the guy making the accusation to provide proof and I would have had a meeting with the accuser and myself to discuss it in person if I was the CEO. Then I would have had a stern conversation with the accuser to mind his own business and quit making unfounded statements.

So, here I am in the office full time responding to INGO posts.

 

[wtburnette]

Same here sometimes. Then there are times like the last 3 weeks where I'm going balls to the wall from 4:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (with an hour lunch). Just finished that up yesterday. Today has felt like it does when you've been in a really noisy, hectic crowd of people and step outside where it's quiet.

There are times when we get busy, but even so I'm not often needed to work more than 8 hours, or 40 in a week. There have been times I've run a solid 40 hours for weeks on end and also plenty of weeks when I've gotten my work done in 15 hours.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

There are times when we get busy, but even so I'm not often needed to work more than 8 hours, or 40 in a week. There have been times I've run a solid 40 hours for weeks on end and also plenty of weeks when I've gotten my work done in 15 hours.

My "normal" work hours are 06:00 to 16:00 with an hour lunch. I'm on a flex schedule, so this allows me to take every other Friday off (I use the one hour per day "credit time" that I earn to take that Friday off. But I typically start around 04:30 or 05:00. I do that "off the clock". I figure that more than makes up for the time I use to do a load of laundry or run the dishwasher etc. during the day. Plus, there's nobody around to bug me that early, less demand on the system, so jobs run quicker, etc..

 

[wtburnette]

As long as I attend any meetings that are required, I can work any hours I choose. Like you, I normally start around 5:00, but I'll work a couple hours, do something else for a while, then come back for a couple hours and so on until my work is done. I'm usually logging off around 2:00 or 3:00, unless I have a later meeting.

 

[wtburnette]

Ironically, I get the most done of everyone else on the team, with the exception of my Team Lead. In addition to the normal work, I also have senior level projects assigned by my manager and QA audits that I do for the team. My annual reviews are always glowing and I always get exceeds expectations.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Our management would rather figure out ways to confirm if we are dropping off dry cleaning, running a load of laundry or walking out to the mailbox on "company time" than assess our output.

I am working full time in the office because some douchebag told our former CEO that I was working on my home while WFH.

Which was pure rubbish and easy to check. Did my former CEO press that person for proof? Heck no. She told my manager to tell me about it and that it was a "perception" and that needs to be addressed.

I would have been all over the guy making the accusation to provide proof and I would have had a meeting with the accuser and myself to discuss it in person if I was the CEO. Then I would have had a stern conversation with the accuser to mind his own business and quit making unfounded statements.

So, here I am in the office full time responding to INGO posts.

When we went offsite at the beginning, our CIO (my boss's boss) demanded our dept fill out a daily time sheet to document what we were working on in vague 15 minute blocks. (worked on the mail server, patched file server5, etc) OK, Annoying, but I can deal. My work as a network admin isnt always obvious as to output.

So then they brought us back in.

And then 2 weeks later mask mandates hit. "Now you must wear a mask in the office."

So I asked my boss "How 'bout I just work from home 4 days a week like I was? Its safer for me to not be here than to rely on a piece of cloth that we know doesn't work. I only need to touch stuff sometimes, and can schedule those projects all in one day. Or come in when I absolutely have to when it doesnt work. And if you need to talk to me, I'm seconds away via teams video call. I promise not to work pantsless."

Nope. She wouldnt even ask him for approval. But I think that was more jealousy than practical Because I even offered to go back to the timesheets and she still refused. She is known for being against things just because it doesnt benefit her and she will say no because she doesnt get any benefit and wishes she could.

 

[Ingomike]

Our management would rather figure out ways to confirm if we are dropping off dry cleaning, running a load of laundry or walking out to the mailbox on "company time" than assess our output.

I am working full time in the office because some douchebag told our former CEO that I was working on my home while WFH.

Which was pure rubbish and easy to check. Did my former CEO press that person for proof? Heck no. She told my manager to tell me about it and that it was a "perception" and that needs to be addressed.

I would have been all over the guy making the accusation to provide proof and I would have had a meeting with the accuser and myself to discuss it in person if I was the CEO. Then I would have had a stern conversation with the accuser to mind his own business and quit making unfounded statements.

So, here I am in the office full time responding to INGO posts.

So your productivity is the same but you can now be seen being unproductive. LOL

 

[wtburnette]

When we went offsite at the beginning, our CIO (my boss's boss) demanded our dept fill out a daily time sheet to document what we were working on in vague 15 minute blocks. (worked on the mail server, patched file server5, etc) OK, Annoying, but I can deal. My work as a network admin isnt always obvious as to output.

So then they brought us back in.

And then 2 weeks later mask mandates hit. "Now you must wear a mask in the office."

So I asked my boss "How 'bout I just work from home 4 days a week like I was? Its safer for me to not be here than to rely on a piece of cloth that we know doesn't work. I only need to touch stuff sometimes, and can schedule those projects all in one day. Or come in when I absolutely have to when it doesnt work. And if you need to talk to me, I'm seconds away via teams video call. I promise not to work pantsless."

Nope. She wouldnt even ask him for approval. But I think that was more jealousy than practical Because I even offered to go back to the timesheets and she still refused. She is known for being against things just because it doesnt benefit her and she will say no because she doesnt get any benefit and wishes she could.

Nowhere near as bad, but our Teams session timeout when we worked in the office, pre-COVID was 20 minutes. When the lockdowns hit, they changed it to 5 minutes. I mean, how dumb is that? If your in the office wasting time, 20 minutes is fine, but by God when you're at home you better not take more than 5 minutes to tap on your keys or move your mouse...

 

[Cameramonkey]

Nowhere near as bad, but our Teams session timeout when we worked in the office, pre-COVID was 20 minutes. When the lockdowns hit, they changed it to 5 minutes. I mean, how dumb is that? If your in the office wasting time, 20 minutes is fine, but by God when you're at home you better not take more than 5 minutes to tap on your keys or move your mouse...

related, we had a security audit and they recommended a stupid low 5 minute screen lock setting. So if you are reading a complex document, comparing something on the screen to something hard copy, or somebody stops by your office to chat, it would be locking your workstation prematurely CONSTANTLY. We would literally wear out the CAD keys.

Of course this is the same consulting company that said we needed 16+ digit passwords, changed every 30 days, with 10 or 15 remembered passwords. When he finished that suggestion I actually laughed out loud on the conference call. "That is ridiculous. We implement that and I guarantee there will be a password on a post it note under every keyboard in the office. Quite the opposite of a secure environment."

 

[wtburnette]

related, we had a security audit and they recommended a stupid low 5 minute screen lock setting. So if you are reading a complex document, comparing something on the screen to something hard copy, or somebody stops by your office to chat, it would be locking your workstation prematurely CONSTANTLY. We would literally wear out the CAD keys.

Of course this is the same consulting company that said we needed 16+ digit passwords, changed every 30 days, with 10 or 15 remembered passwords. When he finished that suggestion I actually laughed out loud on the conference call. "That is ridiculous. We implement that and I guarantee there will be a password on a post it note under every keyboard in the office. Quite the opposite of a secure environment."

I quite literally hate consulting firms. They're paid to make changes. Those changes are not necessarily beneficial to the company, or secure.

 

[wtburnette]

I guess I should explain part of my beef. I do third party risk for IUH. We send out a large survey for vendors to complete about the solutions they're offering our organization to use. The best way for the survey to work is for it to be completely straightforward, as much as possible, so that the vendor understands what we're asking. When I started working at IUH, the survey, at the insistence of a consulting firm, needed to not only as a question (for example, do you encrypt data in transit), but it had another column asking if it was fully implemented, partially implemented, a future implementation or not implemented. I said, why do we care? We just need to know if they do or don't have it. Consulting firm got paid big bucks to screw with our survey with garbage that was meaningless.

The manager that supported that crap left the org after 18 months. As soon as he left I removed the column asking that information and also changed/simplified the massive pooch screw that the survey had become under that manager. The survey is now much smaller, more succinct and simplified so that most vendors can understand what's being asked, which is only details we actually need to know. The vendors are happy because they can answer the survey easily and the other analysts are happy because it's much easier to review for compliance.

Consultants still got their pound of flesh though

 

[BiscuitsandGravy]

We stayed WFH for the office folks and didn't look back. We're actually not renewing some office leases because of it. Even had users move as a result. For instance, one manager moved to be closer to their folks out of state. As long as their work gets done- it works.

 

[BiscuitsandGravy]

I quite literally hate consulting firms. They're paid to make changes. Those changes are not necessarily beneficial to the company, or secure.

Or when upper Mgmt thinks the consulting firm are doing good when in fact they don't know their @# from a hole in the ground and you end up doing what needs to get done for them. I'll leave it at that.

 

[HoughMade]

We stayed WFH for the office folks and didn't look back. We're actually not renewing some office leases because of it. Even had users move as a result. For instance, one manager moved to be closer to their folks out of state. As long as their work gets done- it works.

Stayed tuned for a decline, if not crash, in commercial real estate values as longer term leases come up for renewal. Yours is hardly the only business cutting back on physical space.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Stayed tuned for a decline, if not crash, in commercial real estate values as longer term leases come up for renewal. Yours is hardly the only business cutting back on physical space.

Yep. We were in the process of reducing our footprint in our building when Covid hit. In fact we had just moved to a new area and were going to be desk sharing and "hoteling". I never even got to sit at my new desk before they sent us all home. They have effectively reduced our footprint to zero now, other than some folks that have to be on site for whatever reason, but it's not many.

 

[BiscuitsandGravy]

Stayed tuned for a decline, if not crash, in commercial real estate values as longer term leases come up for renewal. Yours is hardly the only business cutting back on physical space.

For sure... Our 4 story office building was once full... We had at one time, 1 1/2 floors occupied just for us. Now 1/2 of one floor and it is going away. Everyone is remote or their function has been moved to another site.

I'm saving a crapload on fuel and wear-n-tear on my car. Plus all the absolute wasted time driving.

 

[Ingomike]

We stayed WFH for the office folks and didn't look back. We're actually not renewing some office leases because of it. Even had users move as a result. For instance, one manager moved to be closer to their folks out of state. As long as their work gets done- it works.

That is great, but as soon as they decide the WFH works pretty good they can also decide a worker in a cheaper country can do it.

Those that cannot think about this will deny the significance of the probability…

FYI, I do not care if everyone or no one works from home, I have no horse in the race but my spidey senses tell me this will not be good for American workers in the long run, even those that love it…

 

[DoggyDaddy]

That is great, but as soon as they decide the WFH works pretty good they can also decide a worker in a cheaper country can do it.

Those that cannot think about this will deny the significance of the probability…

I'd say that depends on whether or not the jobs involve any kind of INFOSEC. Call centers? Sure, those can be off-shored, and have been for years if not decades. Those involving more sensitive information are not as likely to be off-shored.

 

[Ingomike]

I'd say that depends on whether or not the jobs involve any kind of INFOSEC. Call centers? Sure, those can be off-shored, and have been for years if not decades. Those involving more sensitive information are not as likely to be off-shored.

In the globalist future it will be all kittens and rainbows so no need for INFOSEC…

 

[DoggyDaddy]

In the globalist future it will be all kittens and rainbows so no need for INFOSEC…