Working in an office

[Sugar Ape]

Interesting thread on how work has evolved over the years, but his reply to this tweet made me look at it from a different perspective. 
 

One of the most common complaints about working at home - and someone said it to the Chief Exec or our place when I was on a MS Teams call the other week - is that you need to get to know people in person to bond with them and I’ve always thought there is some merit to that. 
 

However, thinking about his answer in the tweet I suppose we only have to use this place as an example of how you can bond with people over the internet (cunts like NV @A Red Tory Queg Cunt excepted), so I wonder if it won’t end up being similar over time in workplaces if people don’t attend often in person? I’m not so sure but maybe it will. Some people may find it easier to become friendly with people virtually due to shyness in person or whatever. 
 

 

Whole thread is here:

 

 

[Strontium]

Work does seem to be doing their level best to make office working unbearable. As previously mentioned we now have to sit in these clear plastic prison cubes, like sodding Magneto. However because we're abandoning some of the building, we need to fit more desks into the remaining space, so new narrower desks are being installed. And our little mobile cabinets (pedestals) are being removed in favour of smaller lockers at the ends of the desks. Goodness knows where I'm going to put all my stuff.

[Numero Veinticinco]

16 minutes ago, Sugar Ape said:

 

However, thinking about his answer in the tweet I suppose we only have to use this place as an example of how you can bond with people over the internet (cunts like NV @A Red Tory Queg Cunt excepted), so I wonder if it won’t end up being similar over time in workplaces if people don’t attend often in person? I’m not so sure but maybe it will. Some people may find it easier to become friendly with people virtually due to shyness in person or whatever. 

[Bobby Hundreds]

My missus has been working from home since all this began and my electricity, heating bill all manner of shit has gone through the roof. Get back to the offices! 

[Sugar Ape]

13 minutes ago, Strontium Dog™ said:

Work does seem to be doing their level best to make office working unbearable. As previously mentioned we now have to sit in these clear plastic prison cubes, like sodding Magneto. However because we're abandoning some of the building, we need to fit more desks into the remaining space, so new narrower desks are being installed. And our little mobile cabinets (pedestals) are being removed in favour of smaller lockers at the ends of the desks. Goodness knows where I'm going to put all my stuff.

I went in to empty my ped a few weeks ago on a Sunday but still haven’t been in to work there since October 2019. Just seems grim in there and those lockers are well too small to put all your stuff in. 
 

No one will have a seat either once it’s all done and you’re expected to sit in a different place every time you come in so don’t know where people will put shit like desk fans and stuff either. 

[suzy]

On 29/04/2021 at 19:36, Sugar Ape said:

I find one of the differences between people who want to work from home and those who want to work in the office (that I know) is that the ones who want to work at home don’t give a fuck where other people work from while the ones who favour the office also want to tell you where you should be working. 
 

You also get all the false concern for your mental health from Tory mouthpieces like The Telegraph whenever they talk about the subject. “Mental health crisis for people working at home”. And they tell you it’s good for your mental health to be in an office. People ‘need’ to have a routine of going into the office. 
 

How about you let people decide themselves what’s better for them? My mental health is much improved working from home and I’d imagine that will be true for plenty of people with anxiety disorders and other conditions. Others who like going into the office and find that is better for their mental health are free to do so. 

Totally agree. I’m still working from home and there’s one woman in the office who drives me mad, she chats utter shit. Every time I talk to her she says ‘when are you coming back’ I want to say ‘Never if you’re here!’

[Strontium]

2 minutes ago, Sugar Ape said:

I went in to empty my ped a few weeks ago on a Sunday but still haven’t been in to work there since October 2019. Just seems grim in there and those lockers are well too small to put all your stuff in. 
 

No one will have a seat either once it’s all done and you’re expected to sit in a different place every time you come in so don’t know where people will put shit like desk fans and stuff either. 

 

Right, I have a fan which I really need when it gets hot in here, and I've also been assessed as needing a bigger chair, although I don't use it at the moment because it's less comfortable than the regular seats, quite honestly. You wonder what was the point of having everyone's workstations assessed in the first place, at no doubt considerable cost.

 

For the first time I'm thinking it would be nice to work from home sometimes. But for some reason there seems to be no inclination to enable us to do work on the old system at home. I'm stuck there.

[Sugar Ape]

12 minutes ago, Strontium Dog™ said:

 

Right, I have a fan which I really need when it gets hot in here, and I've also been assessed as needing a bigger chair, although I don't use it at the moment because it's less comfortable than the regular seats, quite honestly. You wonder what was the point of having everyone's workstations assessed in the first place, at no doubt considerable cost.

 

For the first time I'm thinking it would be nice to work from home sometimes. But for some reason there seems to be no inclination to enable us to do work on the old system at home. I'm stuck there.

The old system should be accessible from August? One of the team leaders on our command is on the workplace planning team or whatever it’s called and says the priority will be for the people who are currently in the office to get access first and that should be done during August and September. 
 

I’ve got no intention of going back in again unless it’s on days they make me for a genuine business reason.

[Strontium]

8 minutes ago, Sugar Ape said:

The old system should be accessible from August? One of the team leaders on our command is on the workplace planning team or whatever it’s called and says the priority will be for the people who are currently in the office to get access first and that should be done during August and September. 
 

I’ve got no intention of going back in again unless it’s on days they make me for a genuine business reason.

 

Oh, that would be great. I know it's something people have been asking for for many years, and we were told we couldn't have working from home for security reasons; and then people were allowed to do work on the new system at home, so that excuse couldn't be used any more and the implication then was it was some kind of technical issue.

 

If I had the choice I'd probably do 3 days in the office, 2 at home, or something like that. I do think being in the office physically with your colleagues has some value.

[mattyq]

I'm doing 3 in and 2 at home and am loving it. 

Great being back in and being in the centre of town but also great having 2 days chilling at home and not having to commute

[Sugar Ape]

9 minutes ago, Strontium Dog™ said:

 

Oh, that would be great. I know it's something people have been asking for for many years, and we were told we couldn't have working from home for security reasons; and then people were allowed to do work on the new system at home, so that excuse couldn't be used any more and the implication then was it was some kind of technical issue.

 

If I had the choice I'd probably do 3 days in the office, 2 at home, or something like that. I do think being in the office physically with your colleagues has some value.

Can’t blame you for not reading them but there’s been loads of stuff about it in the weekly updates from Eric and there’s a page on remote working in the policy hub or whatever it’s called with an FAQ on how it’s going to work with regards to the old system. Think I’ve still got the emails saved somewhere, I’ll forward them to you if you want to read them. 
 

I think it depends what job you are doing in there on how much value you get from being in the office. All the jobs I’ve ever done in there work just as well at home in my opinion. 

[johnsusername]

I get plenty more work inspiration from the comfort of home listening to Pink Floyd than i do sat at in an office listening to fat Brenda talking about The Voice. 

 

All this talk about 'bouncing ideas off others' - they haven't worked in the types of offices I have. People talking about their neices and nephews is hardly Gordon Gekko's Wall Street.

[Sugar Ape]

3 minutes ago, johnsusername said:

I get plenty more work inspiration from the comfort of home listening to Pink Floyd than i do sat at in an office listening to fat Brenda talking about The Voice. 

 

All this talk about 'bouncing ideas off others' - they haven't worked in the types of offices I have. 

I’m exactly the same mate. Sitting there with some tunes on while I’m working on a project is much easier for me to focus than being in work and being asked if I want a brew every twenty minutes or listening to people having a domestic over the phone. 
 

Maybe there are specific jobs or industries where people have to sit around bouncing ideas off each other but it ain’t anywhere I’ve ever worked. Open plan offices are a fucking nightmare environment to try and get work done, for me. 

[Vincent Vega]

2 hours ago, Strontium Dog™ said:

 

Right, I have a fan which I really need when it gets hot in here, and I've also been assessed as needing a bigger chair, although I don't use it at the moment because it's less comfortable than the regular seats, quite honestly. You wonder what was the point of having everyone's workstations assessed in the first place, at no doubt considerable cost.

 

For the first time I'm thinking it would be nice to work from home sometimes. But for some reason there seems to be no inclination to enable us to do work on the old system at home. I'm stuck there.

I’ve been working from home since March last year, but our office is open for people who can’t work from home for one reason or another. I received an email yesterday reminding people in the office that they’re not allowed to use fans due to the fact it interferes with the air conditioning (which was useless when I was in the office), and the risks with Covid being spread around the building. I won’t be going back to the office until I really have to.

[A Red]

The only benefit I found from working in an office was when I wanted information or something done, far more likely to happen when you can stand in front of someone and ask or chase.

[Rico1304]

We’ve had some new starters and I’ve no idea how they’ve coped. Last week I was in with a graduate who’d started about a month ago and was talking her through what I did and we were discussing how I thought they’d done amazingly well but must be suffering from not picking up the basics just by overhearing stuff in the office.  I said I’d be happy to explain any of the basics as ours isn’t a very intuitive business and I could see her struggling to work out the trade off between looking daft or not knowing. In the end she asked me loads of very basic questions but after half an hour you could see the penny dropping and it all starting to make sense.  
 

And no. 

[Section_31]

16 hours ago, mattyq said:

I'm doing 3 in and 2 at home and am loving it. 

Great being back in and being in the centre of town but also great having 2 days chilling at home and not having to commute

Sounds perfect. Starting a new job soon and there's a desk there if I want it, but I'll be out and about a bit too. Will probably try and do two in an office.

[Sugar Ape]

This is one of the weirdest articles I’ve read. An imaginary memo from a CEO that I think is meant to make us feel sorry for him despite him spying on people with a telescope and lamenting how home working has made it harder for him to exert power over people. 
 

https://amp.ft.com/content/c6ba4621-d2c1-4140-96e1-e6cfc29806e2

 

It feels lonelier at the top with everyone working from home

 

The imaginary all-staff memo of a highly paid CEO driven to distraction by his empty office

 

 

Memo from the CEO

 

To all employees of Global Cryptobank

 

As I sit here on the 84th floor of our magnificent New York headquarters, inaugurated only three years ago but now practically empty, I want to share my feelings with you all. I have reflected carefully since the outrage that followed my previous memo, calling on you to return to work or face the consequences.

 

I am not the only boss who is frustrated by employees hoping to carry on working from home, or somewhere else entirely. James Gorman, chief executive of Morgan Stanley, has told his staff to be back at their desks by September 6: “If you want to get paid New York rates, you work in New York. None of this ‘I’m in Colorado . . . and getting paid like I’m sitting in New York City,’” he said.

 

Quite right, James: it is called Labor Day, after all. But people now seem to regard it as provocative for CEOs to talk this openly, despite the progress of vaccination. The staff of Washingtonian magazine launched a day-long protest in May after Cathy Merrill, its chief executive, wrote that homeworking could make employees less valuable and easier to let go. The pandemic has turned some folks very touchy. 
 

So, I consulted with Alison, our global head of human resources, as well as Nisha, my personal therapist, before starting this memo. I also engaged in a long and insightful discussion with our management committee on Zoom, in which I explained my thoughts and eagerly sought their opinions. I am the boss but I am part of the Global Cryptobank team, and I value honesty almost as much as making money.

 

Their feedback was heartfelt and unanimous: “Don’t do it, Bob,” they pleaded. “The last time you spoke your truth about our colleagues refusing to come back, it was a diplomatic disaster that Alison has only just smoothed over.” Mike, global head of dogecoin trading, was quite candid. He said to me: “Bob, some of us have been worried about you lately. Are you losing it?”

 

That is a great question, expressed with the bluntness that we so appreciate from Mike on the trading desk, and I want to respond. The answer is, maybe. It is lonely at the top and it has been lonelier since this tower cleared out. I don’t know how many of you have visited the executive floor but if you ever return, you really should come up. It has some terrific views.

 

I have a telescope here, designed by one of our Silicon Valley clients and made with innovative night vision technology. Sometimes, at the end of the long, solitary working day, I use it. Gazing down on the expensive apartments in Tribeca where some of you live, thanks to our generous bonuses, I see bankers on video calls with cameras switched off, sipping wine.

 

I have started to wonder what is the point of my job, apart from the $35m that I was paid last year? If I am called chief executive officer but cannot behave like a chief or take executive decisions, the only part of the role left is officer, which means being in the office. It might be OK if others were too, but some days it is only me and Joe, the guy on the door, and he is 84 floors below.

 

The other day, I read an interesting study of the psychology of leaders. It said that, although the job can be isolating — people often suck up to us, do not speak openly, that kind of thing — we don’t actually feel lonely at the top. Giving orders makes us feel connected to others and fulfils the evolutionary need for a sense of belonging. That sure made sense to me.

 

The study quotes a great speech by William Deresiewicz to the US Military Academy at West Point, and you know how we CEOs love to compare ourselves with military heroes. “Solitude means being alone, and leadership necessitates the presence of others — the people you’re leading,” he said. Bill’s a literary essayist and English professor, but I think he gets it.

 

Do you spot the problem? Leadership “necessitates the presence of others” and you are not present. That makes my job less fulfilling and offers me fewer opportunities to exert power, so I end up lonely. It is an executive lose-lose. I know it is hard to empathise with the CEO and you have your own challenges, no question. But that is how I see it.

 

I had to break off from writing this memo just now to call into an emergency meeting of the board. It seems that word has gotten round: perhaps I was not the only one with whom Mike was so candid. I am happy to share with you that the board endorsed my proposal that you all be told to report back to the office soon. It also decided that this would be an appropriate time for leadership transition.

 

My lawyers are now negotiating my severance deal, including accelerated vesting of my stock options, and I feel highly energised, sensing many opportunities ahead. When I return from the Hamptons in September, our roles will be reversed. You will be in the office and I will be at home in my apartment on Central Park, along with the telescope I am taking as a leaving present.

 

My family is fortunate to have a roof deck with a clear view all the way downtown to the Global Cryptobank tower. So when you finally reach your desks in the fall, I’ll be seeing you.

 

Sincerely, Bob

[Sugar Ape]

Finding the desperation over this quite funny now. The cunts in government spent their conference last week saying how it’s not their job to help businesses get through the current problems they’re experiencing but at the same time cryarsed about how businesses need to get people back to the office. 
 

So last week it was get back or you’ll be gossiped about and get off your Peloton and go the office (which is a £1500 exercise bike with a £35 a month subscription apparently) but they’ve really stepped it up now. Truly deranged. 
 

I wonder what could have changed between now and the 1940s Iain, you diseased testicle?

 

[YorkshireRed]

14 minutes ago, Sugar Ape said:

Finding the desperation over this quite funny now. The cunts in government spent their conference last week saying how it’s not their job to help businesses get through the current problems they’re experiencing but at the same time cryarsed about how businesses need to get people back to the office. 
 

So last week it was get back or you’ll be gossiped about and get off your Peloton and go the office (which is a £1500 exercise bike with a £35 a month subscription apparently) but they’ve really stepped it up now. Truly deranged. 
 

I wonder what could have changed between now and the 1940s Iain, you diseased testicle?

 

The drip, drip of ‘get back to the office and make certain our wealthy backers who own all the real estate get even richer’ continues apace.
 

They might even chuck in a few examples of sandwich shops and the like who also rely on the office workers but, in reality, they care the square route of fuck all about these in the great scheme of things. 
 

Apparently it’s World Mental Health Day. Returning to the office, being in the office, commuting to the office have all been cited as reasons many are negatively impacted in this area. Let’s not let that get in the way of a chance to exert some poisonous influence though…

[johnsusername]

Covid is a challenge? I thought it was a virus that had led to the death of millions of people. Didn't realise it was some office away day team strategy.

 

Also, nice to see the Prime Minister (and 'Carrie') going on holiday. Good job there are no emergencies back home to be taking care of.

 

Fucking hate this county. 

[johnsusername]

The Tories love comparing stuff to what happened during World War 2. As if anyone of them would have been getting their hands dirty. 

[littletedwest]

I've started a civil service job during the pandemic. I'm working from home, I can 100% say I'm more productive than I would be in the office. Lack of a 90 minute commute certainly helps.

 

[Barrington Womble]

2 hours ago, Sugar Ape said:

Finding the desperation over this quite funny now. The cunts in government spent their conference last week saying how it’s not their job to help businesses get through the current problems they’re experiencing but at the same time cryarsed about how businesses need to get people back to the office. 
 

So last week it was get back or you’ll be gossiped about and get off your Peloton and go the office (which is a £1500 exercise bike with a £35 a month subscription apparently) but they’ve really stepped it up now. Truly deranged. 
 

I wonder what could have changed between now and the 1940s Iain, you diseased testicle?

 

I don't think people give 2 fucks about all this stuff. Part of the reason these cunts are in charge is because of how many people are selfish and care nothing beyond their own personal lifestyle choices. If people want to stay at home and their employer is good with it, they'll continue to work from home. If people want to go in because they miss their colleagues, collaborating or are worried about diminishing their promotion chances or whatever it is, they'll go back. Most normal people would think if WFH makes getting killed by the Taliban more likely, then we need to look at those jobs, because I'm pretty sure that would class people as essential workers. It'd be like suggesting hospital a&e's didn't cope in the pandemic because nobody would come to work, yet of course they did, because they were front line workers. 

 

As for 1940, perhaps people had to go in every day then because we hadn't invented the internet? Parliament continued to sit during the war. Are we suggesting MPs were shitting out when zooming it in during the pandemic? 

[Mook]

I've said it before & I'll say it again, the only advantage of going into the office, is being able to check out the birds.

 

Other than that, it can fuck right off.

 

I think we're going to be forced to go back in three days a week soon & I am absolutely dreading it. A load of overtime will be gone so I can sit on a bus for two hours a day to spend another eight in the company of morons who continually use phrases like 'reach out' & 'going forward' without engaging their fucking brains.