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Ask HN: Are you going back to the office soon?

6 points by rubicon33 ↗ HN
Well, COVID cases are dropping and I'm hearing from many friends that they will be returning to the office soon. My work has always had some people in office, but more and more are coming back and it looks like I probably will too now.

I'm curious to know how others are feeling about the situation? Is COVID over for you? Are you going back to the office and if so, are you looking forward to it?

Or are you happy working from home and hoping to continue doing so?

18 comments

[ 3.4 ms ] story [ 56.2 ms ] thread
dutchbrit
I think it still might take some time before I start going to the office, but things will probably never go back like they use to be here. Working from home results in less distraction for me(it use to be the opposite), even with a baby, and saves so much time & stress. I’m planning on only going to the office, purely for important meetings or social events.
rubicon33
That's what I hear a lot of, most people who haven't worked from home before seem to be enjoying it at least enough to not want to return fully. Is that going to be possible, or will your work require everyone back in office?
InvaderFizz
My company is planning on a slow semi return to the office starting in September, if and only if the kids are in school.

Me? I'm not planning on ever going back. I've moved away and will start looking for a fully remote position should the company require me in the office more than a few times per year.

rubicon33
Interesting! You moved away after the pandemic started? Was that because you were finally able to WFH? Or, did you have plans to move away prior to the pandemic?
InvaderFizz
I terminated my lease in May 2020 when it was clear to me that 2020 would not have a return to office and WFH was a sustainable option for my family.

I'm now 2.5hrs from the office, with plans of moving a further 800 miles south next year, once we have the new house built in Baja California Sur.

I should have 100/400 fiber through Telmex, I've also preordered for Starlink on the property, as a backup ISP in case there are local issues.

Financially, COVID has been a major boon to my family. Savings through relocating have been the equivalent of receiving a $40k pay raise.

rubicon33
That's awesome, thanks for the update. Always curious how it's being handled for us in the tech industry. Seems there are a lot more WFH opportunities that we never thought would come (like Facebook). Gives the opportunity to a lot of people to live where they want to. Just hope employers don't cut salaries too much as a result of a persons location. It would make sense of course but, who wouldn't like to make FAANG salaries while living somewhere with a much smaller cost of living?
tsjq
If the company issues "must WFO. mandatory." order , I will comply with it .
rubicon33
Interesting, makes sense. I assume your company was (prior to pandemic) a WFO company? Do you think they will issue a "must WFO" mandate soon? Seems a lot of companies are returning to WFO and I feel we're just at the apex / tipping point here.
muuvmuuv
It is NOT over. At our company we had a hybrid model where in each room everyone was able to work AT the company but still had the option to work from home. This way we prevented some psycological issues which some got after working from home to long with wife/husband and kids. I really like it and hope we continue on it. sure everyone had to communicate when where was at the company and home but it works till now! Btw our company is near Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Homeoffice isnt something thats common here but gets more and more interest (for whatever reason). I personally prefer working at the company and once a week at home.
rubicon33
Very interesting to hear your perspective. In the US, I hear more and more people saying "COVID is over" and states are returning to 100% open soon.

Such a surreal time.

fullstackwife
I will try to stick with remote and asynchronous work in foreseeable future, because for last year I was getting great results at work and at home.
Raed667
I will fight for WFH and an occasional "office day" once every couple of weeks.

I don't miss the 45 minute commute, the loud open-space, the ~20$ launch breaks...

However, I see the value of an occasional face-to-face, organic flowing conversations, and plain-old watercooler chats.

rubicon33
Agreed! I think a hybrid model is best. 2-3 days in office, with a couple WFH days during the week.
LUmBULtERA
We decided to permanently close our office and all continue WFH permanently. We will save a fortune in office costs. Might do a monthly lunch together if we all continue to live in the region to keep up some face-to-face contact. Around here COVID is probably reduced to just a slow burn into the future, with very high local vaccination rates -- but no regrets in closing the office at all.
rubicon33
Wow, cool! I'm so curious about this. How did you guys decide on this? Did you ask all employees how they felt, or was it more of a top level decision? I'm happy to see more companies either offer WFH part time, or even go full WFH. There's a big difference between a "remote first" company and a company that just allows WFH. The latter can be a big problem for anyone who wants to "rank up" because its all about face time. If you are WFH, you tend to not get as much face time, and so you don't do as well with management etc.
ragnarkon
It's technically optional right now... although currently there isn't an office to go back to for my department. The company decided to remodel during the pandemic (smart, imo), but the construction company ended up having to shutdown during Nov/Dec/Jan due to Covid so they're behind schedule.

New tentative date is September.

Based on what management has talked about thus far... seems we'll be going back to some sort of hybrid model. Though no details have been released yet.

rubicon33
Same situation regarding details. Company hasn't released any info for months, but, people are going into the office from what I've heard. Sorta wish we could get an official statement from leadership.
spsphulse
Different countries, different waves.