Post AJbpgCWxE5hAFHwp3Q by rudi@mastodon.sdf.org
 (DIR) More posts by rudi@mastodon.sdf.org
 (DIR) Post #AJbclz34xvcalXOuye by rudi@mastodon.sdf.org
       2022-05-19T03:01:22Z
       
       1 likes, 0 repeats
       
       Honestly, if you play stupid games you'll win stupid prizes. I'm the last developer left on my team, because management screwed the pooch on their WFH policy. Sometimes the best thing to do, is nothing. In the case of return to the office, most companies should have done just that. Nothing. If people wanted to return, they would. If not? Turn off the lights and AC and save some money.https://gizmodo.com/apple-return-to-work-policy-alphabet-machine-learnin-1848942742
       
 (DIR) Post #AJbclzSbR22Q2hLIlE by ParadeGrotesque@mastodon.sdf.org
       2022-05-19T09:31:27Z
       
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       @rudi I agree, but you have to remember that commercial and office leases sometimes are hard to get out of.If you pay an ungodly amount of $$$ for mostly empty offices, you are losing money, and you will keep on losing money as long as you can't break the lease.And if you paid an ungodly amount of $$$ for a mostly empty office building, you will not be inclined to let your tenants go before the end of their lease...
       
 (DIR) Post #AJbpgCWxE5hAFHwp3Q by rudi@mastodon.sdf.org
       2022-05-19T11:53:49Z
       
       1 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @ParadeGrotesque at some point though, you'll probably start losing more money to downtime/lack of employees than you would to just paying the lease while WFH. I was mostly talking about saving money on things like electricity, HVAC and other in-building expenses that offices I've worked in have noted dropping during the pandemic due to lack of personnel in the office.
       
 (DIR) Post #AJbr1vNXmDZLNKT6Zs by nickapos@twit.social
       2022-05-19T12:11:09Z
       
       1 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @ParadeGrotesque @rudi the office cost is something that companies have already committed to so they can not easily downscale. What happens now is by putting pressure on employees they cause dissatisfaction and people leave which disrupts work and costs even more. The most sane thing to do is allow people to work from whenever they want and gradually downscale to the office sizes needed. This has minimum disruption, no extra cost and keeps people happy.
       
 (DIR) Post #AJbsH6J3Ww8tZ4AaPI by ParadeGrotesque@mastodon.sdf.org
       2022-05-19T12:25:08Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @nickapos I agree with you, of course, but that is common sense. You don't get an MBA, and become a CEO, by having common sense.I think people underestimate 2 things here: (a) how companies are driven by purely financial reasoning ("we spend too much on that lease to allow people to work from home!") and (b) how they are controlled by executives waving their d*cks ("I like having my underlings at my beck and call, so they have to be at the office for me to watch them!").@rudi
       
 (DIR) Post #AJbzxQZ7IUO4EqoPVg by nickapos@twit.social
       2022-05-19T13:47:20Z
       
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       @ParadeGrotesque @rudi I agree with both your points. The problem with that mindset is that this is probably the first time in history where there employees are in a position of negotiating power so this corporate approach will not go down well. We already see that with Apple who is one of the most powerful tech companies with a strong work from office culture. There are others, and I am also changing company for this reason.
       
 (DIR) Post #AJc4bLYHkvTS5ciJ3Q by ParadeGrotesque@mastodon.sdf.org
       2022-05-19T14:32:07Z
       
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       @nickapos Read about the economic consequences of the black plague... Some historians argue that it was the basis for the American and French revolutions several centuries later, since, following the death of millions of people, the survivors were in a position to get much better wages.As a reminder, the US COVID-19 toll is now more than one million. That's a serious hit to any workforce.Companies will accept WFH or they will close their doors. It's that simple.@rudi
       
 (DIR) Post #AJcAe1wbiFmxs4kk64 by nickapos@twit.social
       2022-05-19T15:48:13Z
       
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       @ParadeGrotesque @rudi yeah makes sense, and there was a skills shortage even before that in some sectors in US and EU/UK so the issue is even more prominent right now. 🤷‍♂️