Buckle up boys and girls

[HoughMade]

I wonder how much that has to do with Amazon hardly using them anymore.

A great deal, it would seem.

 

[tmcindy]

Yes, there are milestones but if you have worked in it, you know there are always extenuating circumstances. Some real, some not. Again, it depends on the work. I can easily measure the support staff.

Can I measure them easier in the office? No, but I at least know they are at their desk and I and their team members are able (and more likely) to collaborate more frequently. In or out of office, I know who the 50%ers are. Its the guys shaving an hour to two off of some or most of their days that are harder to identify with certainty. I can tell you overall productivity is down and its not just my organization or industry saying that. More jobs are being created and filled to get to the same productivity levels as pre-covid. The workers also know they have the upper hand right now and many of them take advantage of that. What's worse, a guy that puts in 30 to 35 hours per week or nobody in that position at all?

If the economy turns and workers become more available, the folks that put in their 100% will be retained and the 80% and below will be swapped out.

My other concern for the entire IT industry is that there are so many developers out there now refusing anything other than 100% WFH that they are turning that type of work into a commodity. What's the difference between a guy down the street that refuses to come into the office and an offshore/near shore worker? Not much.

I've worked at least 60 hours a week all my life (Truck driver. Before that, route sales). It's all I know. Yes, there are jobs where you are guaranteed home every night and weekends off, but, they make half what I make. This is why I don't complain because I do have a choice. I suppose once I'm too old to work at this pace I will semi-retire and hop on a home daily, weekends off gig.

 

[KLB]

I never thought I would have a least favorite brand for package delivery....but FedEx wins the prize.

Hard to argue.

Here is a package they delivered a month or so ago

 

[tmcindy]

I never thought I would have a least favorite brand for package delivery....but FedEx wins the prize.

I agree with you. They are 2nd worst in my area. USPS has the #1 spot in this category. Wait, so, I guess I am disagreeing with you. lol

 

[HoughMade]

Hard to argue.

Here is a package the delivered a month or so ago
View attachment 225590

Nice.....and give me a heads up if you are ever looking to get rid of that trailer.

 

[KLB]

Nice.....and give me a heads up if you are ever looking to get rid of that trailer.

Will do. That wouldn't be until we don't have goats to breed anymore, sadly.

 

[Mgderf]

When I started this thread, I had nary a thought about the WFH aspect.
I was only commenting on the state of the economy, and the supply chain problems.
The rollback of manpower and services doesn't bode well for the country, regardless of the underlying cause(s).

 

[KLB]

When I started this thread, I had nary a thought about the WFH aspect.
I was only commenting on the state of the economy, and the supply chain problems.
The rollback of manpower and services doesn't bode well for the country, regardless of the underlying cause(s).

Looks like wages are starting to recede some too. 6 months ago it was hard to find a place offering less than $15 an hour. Now there are a lot of places offering less.

 

[indyblue]

We have been prime members for years but we aren't renewing this time around. The service and convenience are great but more and more, I'm finding that its actually cheaper to go to the seller/mfg site. Maybe slightly longer ship times but Amazon pricing isn't what it used to be.

Definitely. Although inflation is taking it's toll too. I bought one of these just 3 weeks ago for $79 direct from Titan Outdoors. Today it's $99.
It took less than a week to receive.


And on amazon it's even more.

 

[HoughMade]

Will do. That wouldn't be until we don't have goats to breed anymore, sadly.

I have a very similar sized trailer for the miniature house...but it is slowly returning to the ground from whence it came.

 

[tmcindy]

Definitely. Although inflation is taking it's toll too. I bought one of these just 3 weeks ago for $79 direct from Titan Outdoors. Today it's $99.
It took less than a week to receive.
View attachment 225592

And on amazon it's even more.
View attachment 225593

Same thing happened to me. I was researching for a 12 volt cooler. By the time I decided on one and came back to purchase it, it went up 22 dollars. lol WTF?

 

[wtburnette]

Yes, there are milestones but if you have worked in it, you know there are always extenuating circumstances. Some real, some not. Again, it depends on the work. I can easily measure the support staff.

Can I measure them easier in the office? No, but I at least know they are at their desk and I and their team members are able (and more likely) to collaborate more frequently. In or out of office, I know who the 50%ers are. Its the guys shaving an hour to two off of some or most of their days that are harder to identify with certainty. I can tell you overall productivity is down and its not just my organization or industry saying that. More jobs are being created and filled to get to the same productivity levels as pre-covid. The workers also know they have the upper hand right now and many of them take advantage of that. What's worse, a guy that puts in 30 to 35 hours per week or nobody in that position at all?

If the economy turns and workers become more available, the folks that put in their 100% will be retained and the 80% and below will be swapped out.

My other concern for the entire IT industry is that there are so many developers out there now refusing anything other than 100% WFH that they are turning that type of work into a commodity. What's the difference between a guy down the street that refuses to come into the office and an offshore/near shore worker? Not much.

Our team (information security) found that we were much more productive working from home, then we were in the office. While I understand this isn't the same for all teams, it is certainly true for some.

In regards to the guy putting in 30 - 35 hours instead of 40 - 60, I would say that depends. The answer to your question is yes, the guy putting in 30 - 35 hours is better than no employee at all, but it's more complex than that. Is that employee doing the same work in 30 hours that another employee is doing in 60? Is he completing what he was assigned? Those are more pertinent questions IMO.

Funny how it is never the employees, they are production machines if only managers could manage. LOL

Evidently you missed what I posted above. Employees are responsible for their actions and their productivity, absolutely, but their managers are responsible for ensuring that productivity meets expectations. If an employee isn't doing their job, who is responsible for catching it and dealing with it?

 

[wtburnette]

Another thing to note is employee satisfaction/happiness. I can tell you that saving money on gas, wear and tear on my vehicle and not having a commute have made me happier than I would otherwise be.

 

[tmcindy]

The biggest problem where I work: corporate leaches. A board member, couple years ago, said they were going to address this issue and trim the fat. Well, we're still waiting...

 

[nucular]

The biggest problem where I work: corporate leaches. A board member, couple years ago, said they were going to address this issue and trim the fat. Well, we're still waiting...

Today's HR makes this nearly impossible.

 

[Ingomike]

Employees are responsible for their actions and their productivity, absolutely, but their managers are responsible for ensuring that productivity meets expectations. If an employee isn't doing their job, who is responsible for catching it and dealing with it?

They are, but it seems much harder to see who isn't doing their job when no one is in the office. With experienced teams this works, and likely works better than having them in the office. The point of teams is to elevate all individuals and get better work. I have little confidence that a WFH team could be assembled and elevate all, and newbies can be thrown on your team and get the growth they would get in an office environment…

 

[BiscuitsandGravy]

Another thing to note is employee satisfaction/happiness. I can tell you that saving money on gas, wear and tear on my vehicle and not having a commute have made me happier than I would otherwise be.

Same here... You can tell speaking with some of our users that their life/work balance is much better WFH.

 

[rhamersley]

Hard to argue.

Here is a package they delivered a month or so ago
View attachment 225590

This is a package I received a while ago. Note my driveway and the county road I live on in the first…my covered porch conveniently located next to the drive in the second. The truck was gone when the delivery was made, opening up that part of the drive right next to the porch.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

They are, but it seems much harder to see who isn't doing their job when no one is in the office. With experienced teams this works, and likely works better than having them in the office. The point of teams is to elevate all individuals and get better work. I have little confidence that a WFH team could be assembled and elevate all, and newbies can be thrown on your team and get the growth they would get in an office environment…

Our teams can work together, talk to one another, even see each other if they want to using Microsoft Teams. I literally can't think of a single thing that I can do in the office that I can't do from home.

 

[tmcindy]

Today's HR makes this nearly impossible.

Well, it sucks because it's brought our company to it's knees. I'm not talking lower, or, middle management, I'm talking upper management. They are clueless and worse than that, they could care less. Very sad.