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I'm fully remote since the pandemic. I've seen my co-workers once since then at a social gathering. It's slightly different because I was in the office in the same company for a few years before the pandemic, so I have worked in person with some of the key people involved. Though at this point many of the people I personally knew in the office have left and been replaced by people in far-flung locations all over the country. I think it works for me because my role isn't really one where I have teammates who I would talk to all the time anyway.
I think one big element in this is just how much of the action really is at HQ. If it's a company where you're one of like a small number of peripheral staff that's remote but everyone else is in the office then I can imagine you will feel *very* left out, but if it's a company where a pretty significant % of staff at all levels is remote then I think this is a lot less of a factor.
Funny thing is that one of the guys I have meetings with pretty frequently is someone I worked with in person before the pandemic quite a bit, so we've known each other for a good few years. But we never really talked personal stuff before I went remote, so we've probably actually gotten more on friendly terms just via Zoom calls than we ever did in person. I think if you have a 1 to 1 Zoom call you may actually be more comfortable shooting the you know what than you would be in a busy office environment (might be different for older generations less comfortable with the technology involved).
Judging from several preceding posts, it looks like the pro/con of WFH is a matter of our position with respect to society and kin-group. Family-people or those with a strong circle of friends outside of work, may be inclined to think of their workmates on a strictly-business basis. Then Zoom is just as good as sharing a physical space... possible even better, as it forestalls distractions. Paradoxically, it's the loners without family or network of friends, who look towards their workmates as the basis of social interaction. Zoom doesn't replace that.
Thanks to the pandemic, people are demanding more flexibility in their jobs. Some are bolting from their current employers to ones that will allow them to work remotely 100% of the time.
But would you feel a little skittish about making this move?
While WFH all the time is very enticing, I can't help but think that:
1. If the new employer falls on hard times, it's easy to put the remote employees on the chopping block first. Out of sight, out of mind, out of a job.
2. Since you can't build connections over Teams like you can in person, it might be more challenging to get promoted. If the company is based in California and you live in Maine, for example, you may sometimes feel uncomfortably distant from where all the "action" is. That not only includes your team but HR, etc.
3. Adding to the two points above, if you don't have people in your corner to talk up your achievements, you might find yourself stagnant in the same role for years, or out of a job entirely.
Does anyone here work remotely (fully) and disagree? What has your experience been like?
This is all hogwash. My partner has been a remote employee for 16+ years. They have built plenty of connections through Teams. Smart organizations today have plans and steps in place so employees can be promoted. When you work remotely, your managers and team know how much you are producing. Most people actually get more work done working remotely because they don't have constant interruptions of people coming to the cube talking about nothing. They also work longer hours because they're not commuting.
Again, the mythical "promotion". Casting such a wide net... promotion means different things for someone in banking vs jurisprudence vs construction vs bus driving vs medicine vs engineering vs welding...
All three points are "meh" in IT. A company folds, you move on. Hard to build connections on Teams per se, but for talking shop it matters little, anyone can check the work in Github. It's impossible to get stagnant in a role, you invariably move from junior to intermediate to senior... at which point you understand that managing teams may not be what you want.
I would not want to work at a full time remote position in accounting. While it would seem like it could be done fully remote, there truly are some things you need to be onsite and in person for. A company that does not understand this, doesn't understand accounting and I would not want to work for them.
You may not realize this, but most people don't really care about their coworkers. Some coworkers are more pleasant than others, and some may become "work friends," but as soon as they leave or you leave the job, most of the time you will never hear from them again unless they need a reference.
Thanks to the pandemic, people are demanding more flexibility in their jobs. Some are bolting from their current employers to ones that will allow them to work remotely 100% of the time.
But would you feel a little skittish about making this move?
While WFH all the time is very enticing, I can't help but think that:
1. If the new employer falls on hard times, it's easy to put the remote employees on the chopping block first. Out of sight, out of mind, out of a job.
2. Since you can't build connections over Teams like you can in person, it might be more challenging to get promoted. If the company is based in California and you live in Maine, for example, you may sometimes feel uncomfortably distant from where all the "action" is. That not only includes your team but HR, etc.
3. Adding to the two points above, if you don't have people in your corner to talk up your achievements, you might find yourself stagnant in the same role for years, or out of a job entirely.
Does anyone here work remotely (fully) and disagree? What has your experience been like?
Those may be potential concerns in some cases but pale in comparison to the day to day benefits of WFH. You're mostly worrying about things that may never happen or come into play. And I think you're viewing it in the context of being a remote worker where everyone else is on site. If all the workers in your department are remote then you are not at a disadvantage relative to others, even by your criteria. Why would a new employer be any more likely to fall on hard times than your old employer? Sometimes being out of the office politics and drama is a positive.
You may not realize this, but most people don't really care about their coworkers. Some coworkers are more pleasant than others, and some may become "work friends," but as soon as they leave or you leave the job, most of the time you will never hear from them again unless they need a reference.
Correct. You have maybe 1% of former workers who will send you a facebook message like "hey what are you up to" but that's it. Most people have their own jobs, lives, and families to be concerned with over who left the office. When I left my last job, my office got me a going away gift... No one signed it. Yet when I worked there, we were pressured to sign every "get well soon" giftcard over every person who was out for just 2-3 days for a cold.
Out of sight, out of mind.
If you don't actually hang out with these people outside of work, and it's not mandatory or expected by management, then they don't really care about you and you don't really care about them. The work is just a means to an end.
I've worked remote since 2020 and refuse to go back to an office at this point in my life. I've realized how much I've missed out on, specifically being around my family during the day. I'm able to get more work done and do things I want around the house.
This is all hogwash. My partner has been a remote employee for 16+ years. They have built plenty of connections through Teams. Smart organizations today have plans and steps in place so employees can be promoted. When you work remotely, your managers and team know how much you are producing. Most people actually get more work done working remotely because they don't have constant interruptions of people coming to the cube talking about nothing. They also work longer hours because they're not commuting.
Exactly this.
Good managers/owners can work this to their advantage and keep good people. Poor/insecure managers and owners will lose good people (many already have) to better managers and owners.
This is a win-win-win (employees-employers-society).
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