I really miss the office "vibe"

[Pwnz]

Don't miss it.

When it provides no function:
1. It wastes about 6-8 hours per week in commuting.
2. Reduces productivity by having to physically move to different meeting rooms, wait for participants, wait for previous meeting to exit, time to figure out projector/TV/setup.
3. Emits fuck tons of carbon
4. Results in tens of thousands of traffic related deaths

 

[bionic77]

I am middled aged and most of the people I work with are older than me.

So I don't miss the social aspect of it.

 

[Lukar]

Must be nice.

Never stopped for me and I dislike it same as always.

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Eeyup.

 

[Radec]

In the first few months, I missed it. Since moving to Singapore, I only spent 3 days in the office when I move here last feb. Then they asked us to go wfh.

But now, I rather wfh. I can watch, play, sleep easily while working. No transportation. waking up at 10am. Don't have to wear office clothes.

And I'm learning how to cook and leathercraft as well.

I meet with my office friends regularly anyway

 

[Ogodei]

I don't. If I'm working on a project instead of short-term tasks, my working style is very start-stop, where I'll procrastinate for a while, work up a storm and get a lot done, then stop again. It's not a great fit for the office space because it seems like I spend a lot of time goofing off (and I do, but still get the work done because of the fast work on the uptime).

I always felt stressed at the office because it forced me out of that comfort zone. Only time I really liked working in the office was a job I disliked otherwise working helpdesk for a software company, because the task-based work was a steady flow and the open office meant we could shoot the breeze in between heavy runs of work.

But now that I'm doing something more involved, I'm much better off at home.

 

[RPGam3r]

Those of you dying to go back, you know it isn't going to be like it was before, right?

Most large companies are moving to a hybrid model with hoteling, and a large portion of employees are going to be home.

You are never going to have all your coworkers there with you again.

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There are many large companies that will be returning to a "normal". I know some teams that intend to fully go back save for a day or two that they all agree on. I don't think you can make this kind of blanket statement for all the companies out there let alone within any given company.

 

[Deleted member 8752]

Yea, I miss it at times. Working from home has its benefits, but working in the office was a ton of fun too.

I have a group of great friends from work and they made the job feel fun. My office is also in a great geographical location full of restaurants and great shopping that I miss too.

There was also something intangibly satisfying about face to face meetings that feels completely lost now. Plus it was cool to just bump into people and catch up. Now, it's really all business without the same personal touch.


There is no "shooting the breeze" as a post above mine has put it. If you want to shoot the breeze with colleagues, then even that has to be put on a calendar appointment as a zoom now. So it never happens.

 

[Tobor]

There are many large companies that will be returning to a "normal". I know some teams that intend to fully go back save for a day or two that they all agree on. I don't think you can make this kind of blanket statement for all the companies out there let alone within any given company.

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The company I work for and others I am hearing about are all changing up. There are always exceptions, but there is a major shift happening. There is a ton of talk of a major crisis in commercial real estate coming as so many companies are planning on shrinking their footprints.

I guess I'm saying people in here wishing for things to go back to before might not get what they want.

 

[Deleted member 14400]

I prefer WFH. I actually have energy that would otherwise be sucked from me as soon as I walk in the door until I leave. Have started working out and having more free time in general. It's been amazing and I dread the day of being asked to come back in. I may seek a new job if I'm not allowed to WFH in some capacity

 

[Pet]

I'm more productive, personally, in the office. I would miss my office more if the AC wasn't so goddamn cold, but can't say I miss the "vibes." Maybe I'm too old but all I want to do is get my work done, and then go home to my family and my hobbies. My coworkers are great and we text each other outside of work, but we generally all have our own lives and friends already and don't really have the time to get together outside of work.

 

[captive]

There is no office environment good enough that it can compare to working at my own desk in my own office in my own house.

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yup.

ive worked in offices where we did beer after like 2 o clock on fridays. Couldn't care less.
worked in office where we were so close one person could send out an "emergency meeting" email to our group of people and everyone would meet in the mail room and have ice cream. Don't miss it at all.

I work because I have bills to pay and i like food, not because i need to be friends with the people i work with.

 

[Mr Spasiba]

One of y'all really said you miss commuting and it's shaken me to my core

 

[NewDayMarch]

I view a Hybrid Model as my ideal going forward. But I do agree with OP in missing the vibe. De-compressing with other people after work, expensed lunches, beautiful women- a lot more visually pleasing then my ho-hum home. I've spent time with people I worked with on vacations in two other countries-you don't get that connection over Zoom.

 

[soundtrack]

i don't really miss the office but i do miss not being stuck inside alone all day. if i ever go back to an office when things are normal again, i hope i still have the option to work from home because it has its perks for sure.

 

[Deleted member 36054]

One of y'all really said you miss commuting and it's shaken me to my core

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I only miss my commuted because that's where I get 90% of my reading done lol.

 

[Deleted member 46493]

Main thing I miss was my office's location. Great area to walk around in and goof off in lol

 

[Sin Jawnz]

I feel as though I am far more productive at home, however my productivity tends to outpace my actual work. So it feels like I'm slacking off more which is weird. Don't miss the shared office space with my co-worker, who despite being WFH still finds ways of wasting my time... just far less than usual. I don't mind going in when I need to; but in the numerous trips we've taken to the office "to get work started" they have amounted to almost nothing. I'd like to WFH on a semi-regular basis when this is all done, but I'll be lucky to get one day a week.

 

[Slacker247]

I don't miss the long commute, but the office was nice and social events were always enjoyable. I always count myself lucky for where I work, despite the long commute. That said, WFH is just better overall.

 

[MonadL]

I don't and I had a super cool office. Great people but being the introvert that I am, working in an office always feels confining. Like I'm flexing a muscle for 8 hours a day. WFH has been incredible for me save for a two month bout of boredom in the beginning when I wasn't used to it. Now? Heaven.

 

[Kunka Kid]

One of y'all really said you miss commuting and it's shaken me to my core

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lmao

 

[Davidion]

Yup, some of my co-workers have become my best friends. And I work for a tech giant so the ameneties are missed too. I only had to buy or cook dinner before COVID.

I've always worked from home on Fridays before this, so the flexibility is ideal. But I can't wait to get back to the office.

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Yeah I don't get a ton of amenities but it's a nice space to be in. People are generally bonuses but the space is even better when mostly empty; I get a massive amount of open space to do work in. Fuck a home office.

One of y'all really said you miss commuting and it's shaken me to my core

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I work in NYC and get more culture walking to the train station than some people get in years.

Would a shorter, 20-30 min commute be better? Sure. Is staying home some better alternative? Hell no

 

[Deleted member 46493]

I work in NYC and get more culture walking to the train station than some people get in years.

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Passing by a bodega and a laundromat on the way to the station is culture now? Feels like NY Era and me all deserve honorary doctorates then 😂

 

[flaxknuckles]

I don't miss anything about working in the office. I am going to miss working at home in my drawls sitting on a yoga ball.

 

[Deleted member 41178]

I don't miss the office at all, I was already WFH 3 days a week before the virus hit but have told them that I'm not coming back to the office if they ever open it again.

I'll just get another job if needs be.

 

[Davidion]

Passing by a bodega and a laundromat on the way to the station is culture now? Feels like NY Era and me all deserve honorary doctorates then 😂

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Swathes of Indian/Pakistani/Columbian/Uruguayan/Tibetan/Peruvian/Mexican/Ecuadorian/Chinese/LGBT/Thai restaurants, markets, shops, nightclubs, so on so forth. That's within about half a mile/10 mins of walking if I so choose.

If you don't love what's around you, that's cool. But that's on you.

 

[Deleted member 36054]

Passing by a bodega and a laundromat on the way to the station is culture now? Feels like NY Era and me all deserve honorary doctorates then 😂

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Maybe where you live, but walking down Nostrand Ave is something I do for fun.

 

[Voidance]

While I don't miss the office per se, I do miss the chance to build some relationships with other experts in the company my role relies on. When I was in the office, I wore noise cancelling headphones to block out the noise from folks in other cubes. When I took them off, it made it hard to focus due to all the cross talk and disparate conversations going on. I've always been a private office guy, so it's a huge shift for me but offices are reserved for senior management. #Goals, I guess.

Ideally, I would be happy with 1 day in the office per week so I can have those interactions but still have 4 days of getting work done.

 

[Like the hat?]

Office vibe is hell to me but I have social anxiety on top of a bunch of other issues

 

[My Blue Heaven]

Let me sum up this thread

People who had good office environments: miss it

People who didn't or had long commutes: don't miss it

(I miss it)

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all of my work can be done remotely so no i don't miss it at all for that reason alone. the other stuff where i don't have to smell peoples' gross food and hear about their kids is a bonus.

 

[shiba5]

Don't miss it.

When it provides no function:
1. It wastes about 6-8 hours per week in commuting.
2. Reduces productivity by having to physically move to different meeting rooms, wait for participants, wait for previous meeting to exit, time to figure out projector/TV/setup.
3. Emits fuck tons of carbon
4. Results in tens of thousands of traffic related deaths

Click to shrink...

#3 is huge. It's not just getting cars off the road, it's all those office buildings sucking up energy too. Making WFH the standard would greatly help air quality - it already has - and help the environment.

 

[Pwnz]

#3 is huge. It's not just getting cars off the road, it's all those office buildings sucking up energy too. Making WFH the standard would greatly help air quality - it already has - and help the environment.

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Yup, especially in hot climates like Texas because you can't turn off home AC during the day. You can raise the temperature to say 80 perhaps, but even that's strenuous on the AC unit when you get home and expect it to lower it 8 degrees immediately when it's 105 outside.

 

[Tamanon]

100% miss it. My team was mainly folks a little younger than me, and we had the benefit of being able to go out to eat next door, or drink next door.

Going on month 10 of WFH, and fucking hate it. Met a couple blokes to down some brews, but it's just too easy to slip into your silo where nobody knows you exist until you have to.

Also, I miss my 45 minute commute on the train, as that's when I did some good decompression from work to home, or home to work.

 

[bananab]

My office vibe was wasting a ton of energy making my inconspicuous-looking work look more conspicuous so everyone didn't just think I was sitting around doing nothing all day so I much prefer the home vibe.

 

[Magnus]

I miss it lots, too. I'm a rare beast that actually enjoys the corporate office vibe. Lol.
Mind you, I think it'll be awesome/ideal to have a 2-3 office and 2-3 WFH scenario going. The future will be sweet.

 

[Lord Azrael]

Nah I'm good. Gonna push to work from home as much as possible after this

 

[Feep]

all of my work can be done remotely so no i don't miss it at all for that reason alone. the other stuff where i don't have to smell peoples' gross food and hear about their kids is a bonus.

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So you work with annoying people? Sounds like a bad office environment to me

 

[direct_quote]

I definitely miss the office I had a great set up at work. I think if I didn't have a tiny apartment and an actual house with a home office I would prefer WFH more I guess. My commute is about 30 minutes.

 

[Vanillalite]

I'll continue to say I'd love the option to do WFH a couple days week. Let me go into the office on like Tuesday/Thursday and then I'll stay home M/W/F.

Then I'd get the best of both worlds.

 

[Mr Spasiba]

I work in NYC and get more culture walking to the train station than some people get in years.

Would a shorter, 20-30 min commute be better? Sure. Is staying home some better alternative? Hell no

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You can just go for a walk my g, you don't need your commute for this.

 

[My Blue Heaven]

So you work with annoying people? Sounds like a bad office environment to me

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sorry i just find it hard to believe you have no annoying people in your office lol

 

[Tyrant Rave]

No way lol

I get to sleep in later, be comfortable at home, and not have to deal with people constantly interrupting me or bothering me. Plus I can take naps in my bed during my lunch break.

 

[Feep]

sorry i just find it hard to believe you have no annoying people in your office lol

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It's true! But even then I wouldn't literally need a hundred percent success rate

 

[captive]

You can just go for a walk my g, you don't need your commute for this.

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culture through osmosis by simply... walking by. likely with headphones in.

 

[Zeusy]

I'm watching a tv show (k-drama - Touch your heart) that's principally shot in a downtown office and it reminds me that i really really miss my office and the "vibe" that comes with it.

I miss talking to people face to face, creating connections and going to restaurant/bars downtown with my team.

I was a big lover of doing WFH but it's going to be 10 months already of not getting a foot in the office and i'm now tired of WFH. I miss my suits and the pride that came with it, going to the office and doing my routine.

Am i the only one?

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I 100% agree. I was loving WFH for the first 3-4 months but going into month 10 I'm over it lol, and we're not expecting to return until June 2021 at the earliest :/

 

[Davidion]

You can just go for a walk my g, you don't need your commute for this.

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I don't need a commute, but It's great for breaking up my day. Why would I want to be stuck at home in the same environment day in day out when I can actually go to different places to work, socialize, learn things?

I'm not even an extrovert and I love my home base, but not if that's the only place I'm going to be in day in day out.

I get some people have to drive for ages through the same jack shit to go to some soul sucking cubicle for years or whatever. But not all of us are in situations like that.

culture through osmosis by simply... walking by. likely with headphones in.

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Yeah I do forget that talking to, eating and interacting with, and learning/observing different people and what they do, is about the same as sitting at home all day jerking around in the internet.

 

[nel e nel]

Swathes of Indian/Pakistani/Columbian/Uruguayan/Tibetan/Peruvian/Mexican/Ecuadorian/Chinese/LGBT/Thai restaurants, markets, shops, nightclubs, so on so forth. That's within about half a mile/10 mins of walking if I so choose.

If you don't love what's around you, that's cool. But that's on you.

Click to shrink...

Steinway street?

 

[Davidion]

Steinway street?

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Jackson Heights.

 

[captive]

I don't need a commute, but It's great for breaking up my day. Why would I want to be stuck at home in the same environment day in day out when I can actually go to different places to work, socialize, learn things?

I'm not even an extrovert and I love my home base, but not if that's the only place I'm going to be in day in day out.

I get some people have to drive for ages through the same jack shit to go to some soul sucking cubicle for years or whatever. But not all of us are in situations like that.



Yeah I do forget that talking to, eating and interacting with, and learning/observing different people and what they do, is about the same as sitting at home all day jerking around in the internet.

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you never said anything of that. You said you "walk by" these things and thats "culture"
and you didnt answer, about headphones cause if you're "walking by" with headphones in, much culture learning!

 

[Davidion]

you never said anything of that. You said you "walk by" these things and thats "culture"
and you didnt answer, about headphones cause if you're "walking by" with headphones in, much culture learning!

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I said I "get" it, as in get exposed to it, participate in it. And even if I was only some passive observer to communities, you gonna tell me that's the same shit as driving to an office park or sitting at home all day?

And do I really have to explain that being in a community may involve actually interacting with the people in it like a normal human being? Come on.

The whole point of my original post was to point out that not everyone's commute is some desolate hellscape.

 

[tacocat]

I miss my office gym. The weights I have at home don't compare at all. Gimmie gym access and I'd be happy to never go back to my office ever again.