TravisDec 19, 2022

I suppose we probably will see some impulsive return to office moves as unemployment continues to tick up.

My view would that this is a grave error. A company that trims its staff is *even more reliant* on those that remain, and this is a very important issue for a lot of people, especially in tech.

There is likely edge to be captured by businesses who maintain a steady hand on remote work if they can hire the high performers shed by those who push for ‘management by walking around.’

Show threaddse
@coloradotravis in big companies wfh has killed the downtowns where the headquarters are. The services on campus are bad. New team members are hired that never meet, turn off webcams, losing the sense of team. Also biased here.
Dec 20, 2022 at 1:18amWeb
Show threadTravisDec 20, 2022

@dse yeah I mean… I hear that.

But one must assume that for every downtown experiencing this, there’s somewhere else experiencing a revitalization so that bit is ultimately a transfer of economic activity.

The zoom thing depends a lot on company culture.

Show threadJenLDec 20, 2022
@coloradotravis @dse As a female exec, I get 20-30m back each day I am camera off (beyond the 30-40m I get WFH)…some of that time is extra sleep or time with my kids, but a lot of it is more time I get stuff done for my business unit or brainstorm. I usually have 1-2 days/wk that I end up camera on for important meetings, but my voice is good enough most days. This year I got a major raise and 3 special recognition awards. Smart companies can spot talent in non-traditional situations.
Show threadTravisDec 20, 2022

@jelasher @dse damn right.

I am an exec as well, and what’s funny is like… *proper* WFH I find somewhat challenging (we have a very active 5yo lol) so I rent an office that’s like 10mins away,

But I’m in Colorado and HQ is in SF so most of the WFH dynamics are in play still.

Have been working to trim down my on camera time a bit, it’s pretty intense when it goes all day long.

Show threadJenLDec 20, 2022
@coloradotravis @dse Totally get it, my kids are a smidge older than yours and it can be chaotic when they get home from school. When our companies announced indefinite WFH option, we moved to a house with a “casita” (slightly bigger pool house) in the backyard. My work commute is walking around the pool, which is highly recommend.
I agree with you about being on camera—in my case, I’m both vain and ADD, so having it on is extremely distracting and the effort to focus is draining.
Show threadTravisDec 20, 2022

@jelasher @dse

Love that. We’re building a house, once it’s done I’ll have a similar setup.

Can’t wait.