Who is back in the office? (Boston: sublet, move to, estate)

[BostonMike7]

I will say, my commute (during peak hours) has creeped back up almost to where it was pre-covid. I travel I-95 from Lynnfield to Burlington


Pre-covid, it was 45-50mins in the AM.

When the shutdown hit, went down to 17 mins. (that was glorious)
Settled around 20-25 mins when remote work was widespread for about 2 years give or take.

Now, this year, it's creeped back up over time and the last two weeks has been averaging 35-40 mins in the AM. I don't have numbers for my evening commute due to varying the times i leave and trying to leave before peak traffic. Friday AM is still quiet, but monday's don't seem to be as empty as they used to be. I used to look forward to a quick Monday AM commute but it's not like it used to be.

There's still a lot of empty parking lots in the offices near me. But if folks are still working remotely, at least in my neck of the woods, it's certainly not as many as there were a year or two ago.

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

There's still a lot of empty parking lots in the offices near me. But if folks are still working remotely, at least in my neck of the woods, it's certainly not as many as there were a year or two ago.

I still think we're going to see things change on May 12 (public health emergency ends on May 11). How widespread remains to be seen.

[NewfieMama]

I haven't been on this forum in months, but for some reason I always find the in-office/hybrid/remote changes within companies in this area to be interesting. I also like hearing your views on how your attitudes about working in the office vs. home have changed over the past few years. Or not changed.

I've definitely seen a shift in the last couple of months. In late 2022, half of the positions at my company were remote eligible and now they are all hybrid. Hybrid for us means you need to be in the office 3 days/week. My husband will need to be back in the office 2 days/week starting this fall. I only go into the office 1 day/week, which is ideal for me, but I feel like my life is structured around WFH at this point, so the idea of going into the office more would disrupt the schedule we have.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by NewfieMama

I haven't been on this forum in months, but for some reason I always find the in-office/hybrid/remote changes within companies in this area to be interesting. I also like hearing your views on how your attitudes about working in the office vs. home have changed over the past few years. Or not changed.

I've definitely seen a shift in the last couple of months. In late 2022, half of the positions at my company were remote eligible and now they are all hybrid. Hybrid for us means you need to be in the office 3 days/week. My husband will need to be back in the office 2 days/week starting this fall. I only go into the office 1 day/week, which is ideal for me, but I feel like my life is structured around WFH at this point, so the idea of going into the office more would disrupt the schedule we have.

I think this is the hardest part for companies looking to get people back in the office. The starts and stops during the waves of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 (and even in 2022) were a problem, but now we're more than 3 years into all of this which means undoing long established routines for workers. That's not easy to do.

Our policy is 3 days in the officer per week. I've been going in between 3-5 days since late 2021 since the office is close and I prefer the environment, but if we end up moving a little further outside of the city, I'll probably stick to the minimum 3.

[newenglandgal123]

Still status quo remote/WFH for me with some visits to client sites in the mix. One of my former coworkers whose husband is in the financial services industry just had an interesting experience though. Last week, after business hours his boss showed up unannounced to their home to let him know he's done (along w/the whole division) as of the end of May. Nice way to get a lay off notice, huh?!

[robr2]

Originally Posted by newenglandgal123

Still status quo remote/WFH for me with some visits to client sites in the mix. One of my former coworkers whose husband is in the financial services industry just had an interesting experience though. Last week, after business hours his boss showed up unannounced to their home to let him know he's done (along w/the whole division) as of the end of May. Nice way to get a lay off notice, huh?!

It's better than an e-mail or a FedEx envelope with your last check in it. At least his boss told him face to face.

[msRB311]

Originally Posted by newenglandgal123

Still status quo remote/WFH for me with some visits to client sites in the mix. One of my former coworkers whose husband is in the financial services industry just had an interesting experience though. Last week, after business hours his boss showed up unannounced to their home to let him know he's done (along w/the whole division) as of the end of May. Nice way to get a lay off notice, huh?!

Wow that is strange. Had his boss been to his home before? That would just never happen in most work situations. It seems intrusive kind of. I would be freaked out if my boss showed up at my door.

Did this person you know invite the boss in? Lol I just can't imagine

[newenglandgal123]

Originally Posted by msRB311

Wow that is strange. Had his boss been to his home before? That would just never happen in most work situations. It seems intrusive kind of. I would be freaked out if my boss showed up at my door.

Did this person you know invite the boss in? Lol I just can't imagine

No, it's not like they were best buds and hung out together. I guess they got along well and there was no animosity or anything but the guy legit just showed up unannounced at 8:30 at night to give the news about the lay off! I've never heard of anyone being laid off like that before. Being in the financial services industry, the husband's clients were also high net worth individuals so it's possible the boss was coming to collect the computer and equipment at the same time? On top of that, I guess he is still owed a very big bonus and he's unsure if the company is going to be paying people out their bonuses.

[msRB311]

I think I'd rather just have my boss set up a zoom call and tell me that way. I don't need face to face for many things.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by newenglandgal123

No, it's not like they were best buds and hung out together. I guess they got along well and there was no animosity or anything but the guy legit just showed up unannounced at 8:30 at night to give the news about the lay off! I've never heard of anyone being laid off like that before. Being in the financial services industry, the husband's clients were also high net worth individuals so it's possible the boss was coming to collect the computer and equipment at the same time? On top of that, I guess he is still owed a very big bonus and he's unsure if the company is going to be paying people out their bonuses.

I'd guess that's probably the big reason. It's not unusual during a termination to immediately stop access to sensitive information. I'm not sure what his employer's IT logistical capabilities are (i.e. could they coordinate suspension of his accounts with the "You're Fired!" Zoom call), but it's probably just easier to have the conversation and collect devices at the same time.

The 8:30pm timing is strange. I can see that in a quirky tech startup, but financial services is more of a traditional field (at least in my limited knowledge). You'd think it would happen during business hours at the very least - what if he was out to dinner? Or hit the bottle hard after a long day?