Ask HN: Is your company continuing their WFH policies?

Got hit with the “come in to our shitty office OR ELSE” notice which will take effect later this year. Not excited to participate in the commuting hustle again. American companies fucking suck.

Started out with optional return to office. Then optional hybrid. Then forced hybrid.

It’s only a matter of time until 100% RTO because “uNiQuE cUlTuRe”

Lariscus · 3 years ago

Yes, I am still mostly working remotely, and it seems that this will continue unless there is a significant change in the number of developers available. I think the companies around here are facing a severe shortage of developers, to the point where they hesitate to request a return to the office.

dyingkneepad · 3 years ago

My company is mandating to go 3+ times per week. Considering how empty the offices still are, I believe most people are doing like me, who goes 3 times every Thursday. Thursday is supposed to be the day everybody on the team goes, but my assigned space is far away from where the people who actually go stay, so I get to work remotely even when I'm in the office, except I can't fart whenever I want because there are other people around.

But I'll concede that for some things, being in the same room as the other person is 100% irreplaceable, especially when it comes to training and passing general knowledge.

graypegg · 3 years ago

So far, remote remains the default where I work, and the jobs I’ve been interviewing for are also universally remote, even if the current staff are local. (Montréal Canada)

xyst · 3 years ago

Very lucky. Whats the size of your company?

lmarcos · 3 years ago

They tried that, but they couldn't because:

- my contract says the place of work is city X

- they don't have an office in city X

- they cannot unilaterally change the contract (Europe)

They asked me if I would be willing to relocate to a city in which they have an office. I declined. I'm still working from home. The company is big, so they don't care much about isolated cases like mine.

mickeythug · 3 years ago

Got the announcement on Friday: 4+ days a week at office, people who commute 50km or more should be 3+ days, others that want to remain remote can switch to being consultants. There will be some exceptions, but overall we are all coming back in some capacity. Worst thing is that the current office space does not support this many people being at office at the same time.

xyst · 3 years ago

Ugh, I will never understand it.

Profits are as high (if not higher) before pandemic. It definitely doesn’t seem like a logical one.

I wonder if these executives have a vested interest in keeping the office staffed. Maybe commercial real estate REITs?

I just don’t believe or buy the “cUlTuRe” shit.

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stop50 · 3 years ago

One week in a quarter i have to go for business, but hotel and travel are covered by the company

xyst · 3 years ago

Not a terrible. I wouldn’t mind this.

Are you in sale or on the engineering side? (Seems like sales or upper management)

stop50 · 3 years ago

Not even managment. My managment is practically traveling all the time

stop50 · 3 years ago

It administration. I mostly work from home.

dyingkneepad · 3 years ago

Tell me you don't have a family without telling me you don't have a family (or at least no kids).

akerl_ · 3 years ago

Was your company fully in-office pre-COVID?

xyst · 3 years ago

yes

akerl_ · 3 years ago

It doesn't seem so much like "unique culture" as "the company was in-office, then there was a pandemic, now they're going back to how it was".

I love remote work, and I love that more companies are embracing both full-remote and hybrid options, but I don't get the snarking about US companies sucking because they reacted to a global emergent risk and are reseting afterwards.