I don't think companies realise what a self-own it is when they say they're returning to the office because they work better that way. I’ve been in teams where it didn’t matter if you were remote or in-office. I’ve also been in teams where meeting in person 3+ times a week was a MUST 🧵 - ThreadSky

encephalophagy.bsky.social • 140 days ago

I don't think companies realise what a self-own it is when they say they're returning to the office because they work better that way.

I’ve been in teams where it didn’t matter if you were remote or in-office.

I’ve also been in teams where meeting in person 3+ times a week was a MUST 🧵

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agentomega.bsky.social•139 days ago

(This is an anti-return post, just gotta spin a thread to get to the relatable part)

Before COVID, I was at least on a team with people that were located at my branch, and I had office friends I liked seeing, so I had motivation to be there. COVID came, we switched to remote... 🧵

agentomega.bsky.social•139 days ago

Once remote, I realized my team and I were just as efficacious, and I could still socialize with my friends (and the main loss was afternoon coffee break with the closest one). I fully switched teams halfway through the pandemic and was still just as effective. (cont'd)

agentomega.bsky.social•139 days ago

Then they decided to roll out return to office, but unlike before the pandemic, I was the only person at my location in my new team, so it was actually a productivity hit for me to go to the office. After just two weeks of unassigned/open office seating, I decided that was my cue to quit.

agentomega.bsky.social•139 days ago

Knowing that I had the full capability of working remotely, that none of my team or friends (because of how they scheduled the rotation) would be at the office, and there would be no solitude was just so demoralizing across the board.

encephalophagy.bsky.social•139 days ago

Yeah, I get what you mean. Plus as you say, a lot of the time you're working on the office but spending your day on Zoom calls all day!

encephalophagy.bsky.social•140 days ago

Teams that "work better in person" usually have deeper issues:

- The manager is checked out
- The TEAM is checked out
- Information is hoarded instead of shared
- Communication silos
- Procedures are ignored
- Lack of maturity
- No documentation
- No accountability 🧵

crimsonking.bsky.social•140 days ago

While I agree with almost everything I want to add that as an extravert I lack the social contacts from work in home office.

encephalophagy.bsky.social•140 days ago

Let me put it this way, do you need to socialize so much that you'd force people to do it on pain of losing their livelihood? Or would you rather find an alternative way to socialize? Coworking hubs and coffee shops exist for a reason.

crimsonking.bsky.social•140 days ago

No, I won't force anything on anyone. Also, for me as a father of smaller children, home office has other serious advantages and I wouldn't give it up just for coffee breaks.

Socializing alternatives aren't trivial though. Nothing can replace direct contact with people I care about for me, and

crimsonking.bsky.social•140 days ago

my daily routine cuts that down to wife and children.

encephalophagy.bsky.social•140 days ago

- A general unwillingness to learn and improve
- Lack of trust in each other and in the company
- The roles and responsibilities are unclear
- The tools available are insufficient
- No remote training or support
- Hell, no support in general

And, more importantly... 🧵

encephalophagy.bsky.social•140 days ago

- People refuse to communicate unless forced to by being physically present

If in-person is the solution, you've got serious problems to address! /end 🧵

notthebees.bsky.social•100 days ago

my work literally has every single one of these problems and refuses to allow anyone except senior management and one useless nepo hire who spends all day on the phone to his friends to ever work from home :) in our case another factor is that we do a lot of design for commercial/office spaces

notthebees.bsky.social•100 days ago

so management was PANICKING when less companies were having ppl in office. bc if ppl arent building or designing new offices that means less money in the owners' pockets, so they see wfh as almost a personal attack unless its convenient for them personally.

encephalophagy.bsky.social•100 days ago

Situations like this are where the farse of capitalism is revealed. The mighty market decided your business model is obsolete! Fuck of with your RTO policies!

trixtah.bsky.social•100 days ago

Great list/conclusion. On the micro level, there's nothing more toxic to a tech team (often w flow-on effects to an enitire division/org) than a lack of trust among its members and techno-gollums/information hoarders. The latter is not the power move its practitioners think it is.

encephalophagy.bsky.social•100 days ago

There are few things as toxic as someone who wants to make themselves feel important by hoarding information like a dragon. I think that's why I've always loved Open Source companies, you're less likely to get that

trixtah.bsky.social•100 days ago

100%.And it's why I tend to work (ops) jobs in public service-adjacent sectors. My current team has three individuals who could genuinely get an A-tier role in any company (international or otherwise) based in Oz. But they are not interested in grinding megabux, and there is no ego in what they do

vought.bsky.social•100 days ago

100%. I had zero problems being remote until an acquisition brought in an avalanche of checked out execs. Trying to get your fingers underneath a new org and new responsibilities is very difficult when you’re not invited in.

moewenfels.bsky.social•100 days ago

What are communication silos?

encephalophagy.bsky.social•100 days ago

It's when people will only communicate with people from certain teams or groups, making collaboration between teams impossible

moewenfels.bsky.social•100 days ago

Thanks!

And i entirely agree with that whole point.

kaoskate.bsky.social•100 days ago

📌

redbassett.com•140 days ago

Fortunately it was short lived, but in my consulting days the startup I worked for got acquired by a multinational and I discovered the experience that is business travel across the country every other week to sit in the same meetings in person that I'd call into on my home weeks.

encephalophagy.bsky.social•140 days ago

God, what a waste of time AND money!

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