WFH is not encouraged
I think the norm out there in the industry today is that it is acceptable to do work-from-home once in a while. For some companies it is ok to do more, but for others it is not encouraged. I am wondering for companies that do not encourage WFH, what are some of the reasons behind it? The main reason I have heard so far is that “you need to be in the office to collaborate with others”, but I feel that is only an excuse. Maybe the real and only reason is that they don’t want you to slack at home while “working” from home? For those who slack from home, it is obvious to see why WFH is not encouraged. But for people who are equally productive from home, why would company policy disallow them to WFH when there are no meetings to attend? Most of the time I will go to office, sit in front of my computer all day, and then leave at end of day, with little interaction with others none of which cannot be replaced by using some messaging software or the phone.
So you can be micromanaged.
There’s this weird perception that if you’re a WFH employee, you take more breaks and don’t work as hard. And if you’re in the office you’re not “distracted” by your house, tv, etc. I actually find it to be the complete opposite. When I work from home, I work from my home office and take less breaks because I’m in the zone. When people in the office are constantly walking by and stop in for the “5-10 minute chit chat” it interrupts my work and I need to refocus. 6-7 of those a day and that’s a waste of 30-45 minutes plus the time to refocus. Also, if your manager can “see” you, he/she is more likely to have you “stop by the office after lunch or before you leave for the day” and all that BS. Out of sight, out of mind, let me do my work.
I would add about 1-2 hours per day for that dreaded commute... 😩
The productivity gap between wfh and office will only widen with age. Just a heads up.
I work from home almost full time and am the most productive person on my team. It has affected my promo cadence though.
I think we know that msft does not promote productive people.
Companies don't want you to take advantage of it. Like my company says, wfh is a privilege not a right. Further, they cannot modify policies based on productive vs not so productive employees. So they just discourage it altogether. And the screen sharing and signal bullshit consumes time too. Although personally I don't agree with any of it.
I agree it is a privilege and not a right, but we are now in year 2018? Maybe you mean they just want people in office to make sure they are not slacking off?
I think so. People tend to have a notion that if you are working from home, you are not working and just chilling, or at least not as much as you would do at office.
To collaborate with others is the real reason, not an excuse. Engineers spend a lot of time trying to sub-optimise for their own productivity, but your individual productivity isn't what leadership is wants to optimize for. It has absolutely nothing to do with trying to prevent you from slacking off.
Our management hates WFH and does all but require a doctor’s note for it. They also say it’s for collaboration, not that I trust them.
So much collaboration...
WFH is best ..............
I used to WFH full time for a corporation that strongly encouraged it to save on overhead. I now work for Amazon and although my manager has encouraged me to WFH more if I please, I find that meetings are more productive in person. Otherwise I’m more productive working from home.
I worked strictly from home for years and my manager didn’t care so long as I produced the results he wanted. Working from is great only if you are disciplined about clocking in and clocking out. One of the interesting drawbacks of working from home is the lack of human interaction and not having to wait for responses via IM or email. I think is okay to work from home several times a week but I would definitely want people to come into the office at least twice a week to interact with their teammates.
Does MS have full time remote employees?
Yes, this question is not specific to any company. 😀