HACKER Q&A
📣 l2silver

Has the open office contributed to the remote work diaspora?


I never experienced cubicles or actual personal office rooms, but I wonder if part of the reason people like remote work is because the open concept office is just not the way people want to be working (commute time aside). Does anyone work at a closed office, and if so, are you just as interested in working remotely?

  👤 PaulHoule Accepted Answer ✓
I am lucky to have a private office even though it's above my pay grade.

Certainly it is a good thing in the era of coronavirus because I have zero fear of getting infected in my office even if there is some risk in common areas.

I live in an 1850s farmhouse with no central heat, air conditioning, and only DSL internet so I probably go to the office more than anyone in my unit. Lately I've been packing my work laptop when I go home so the work-from-home option is available. We just went to "Code Red" for Coronavirus this morning.

In the past I have been a remote worker for places that had open offices of various types.

One of them had a very crowded space near Union Square in NYC, maybe 8 people stuffed into an area about the size of my current office. This was part of a startup accelerator and there were also common areas shared with other startups (I loved setting up here) as well as conference rooms, breakout rooms, places to videoconference.

I worked from home most of the time but I found the office space to be energizing. I'd hate to be stuffed in a tiny bullpen in the pandemic though, cause a sneeze would go off like a hand grenade.

👤 sigmaprimus
I would think that the personal expenses and time costs required for in office work have a greater effect. Transportation to and from the office, Clothing and hygiene requirements, Food costs and quasi imposed social expenses like lottery pools, birthday and retirement gifts, secret santa etc.

I'm sure most people like having their own private space to unwind in from time to time, but those same people probably have feelings of imprisonment within those same walls.