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Big News At Work Today (1 Viewer)

Mr. Know-It-All

Mr. Know-It-All

Footballguy
After having mandatory work from home since March 13th of last year, today the company announced that going forward while we have the option to come into the office the expectation is we will all continue working from home.  All of the cubicles in our main office will not be assigned and must be reserved if you are planning to come into work.  Not only that but we are free to live ANYWHERE, but they will not pay relocation costs if we choose to move.  As a 53 year old computer programmer who NEVER meets with clients this is the biggest perk the company could have possibly offered.  I literally never have to GO to work again.  Half my team is in India and we meet remotely anyway.

Anyone else have this flexibility and what is the downside I must be missing?

 
AAABatteries said:
Given this and your other thread about now being single I would immediately buy an RV and hit the road and work from different locales weekly.
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Don't say nest. Don't say egg.

But yeah- fantastic opportunity to genuinely start over, especially given the other thread.

But cripes man- I'm the same age as you, my kids are 10 and 14. Fingers crossed no grandkids.

 
I wold get a Ram 2500 outfitted like an RV and hit the road like AAA is saying and work by remote but have lunch in Smoky Mountain National Forrest. 

53 and Single, you better start penciling in a trip to Florida when the snow birds flock once again in Jan and Feb, be like shooting ducks in an RV for you. 

BLM...Bureau of Land Management 😉  and you can find lots of free land to park and camp on with their site and information. BLM 

 
Congrats! I've been remote for a decade now and will never step foot in an office again. Haven't traveled much for past year or two but being able to visit family/do whatever across country whenever you want to me is the biggest perk could ever be offered.

 
Mr. Know-It-All said:
After having mandatory work from home since March 13th of last year, today the company announced that going forward while we have the option to come into the office the expectation is we will all continue working from home.  All of the cubicles in our main office will not be assigned and must be reserved if you are planning to come into work.  Not only that but we are free to live ANYWHERE, but they will not pay relocation costs if we choose to move.  As a 53 year old computer programmer who NEVER meets with clients this is the biggest perk the company could have possibly offered.  I literally never have to GO to work again.  Half my team is in India and we meet remotely anyway.

Anyone else have this flexibility and what is the downside I must be missing?
Click to expand...
That's how long I've been working from home.  I was told we wouldn't be coming back before September 20th, but I've already lobbied my boss to stay WFH.  At 57 and maxed out at my paygrade, I could use a bennie like this.

 
Mr. Know-It-All said:
After having mandatory work from home since March 13th of last year, today the company announced that going forward while we have the option to come into the office the expectation is we will all continue working from home.  All of the cubicles in our main office will not be assigned and must be reserved if you are planning to come into work.  Not only that but we are free to live ANYWHERE, but they will not pay relocation costs if we choose to move.  As a 53 year old computer programmer who NEVER meets with clients this is the biggest perk the company could have possibly offered.  I literally never have to GO to work again.  Half my team is in India and we meet remotely anyway.

Anyone else have this flexibility and what is the downside I must be missing?
Click to expand...
I've been permanently remote since 2008.  Love it and is the only reason I've stuck with it for so long.  

Downsides:

  • Work is always 'there'; I have hard times pulling myself away if I'm in a groove on something.  
  • There are times meeting face to face is more productive
Do yourself a favor and establish a real office in your house.  Having that dedicated space/room is key to making it work long term.

 
I don't think I would have wanted my whole career to go that way, but now that I'm approaching 50, long-term WFH would be pretty damn appealing.  My wife and I like our community a lot, but we don't plan to retire here.  Given the option, we would probably jump at the chance to relocate now. 

Congrats.

 
I've worked remotely since 2015 and never plan to work in an office again.  Love the flexibility and not having to deal with office drama, politics and shananigans.  I hadn't thought much of traveling and working from different locations but it's an intriguing idea.  

We are taking a beach trip in a couple of weeks and I plan to work from there a few days to save PTO.  Congrats on the freedom.  

 
Mr. Know-It-All said:
Anyone else have this flexibility and what is the downside I must be missing?
Click to expand...
This is more or less the system we are moving to in October. The difference is that anyone who wants to be in the office 3 days a week or more will have their own cube/office. Anyone else will reserve a cube on the days they come in. In my department, everyone was asked to come in at least once per week on the day your team meets (Wednesday in my case). 

The "you can move out of the area" angle hasn't been discussed but I suspect the same will apply. Before the pandemic, I was randomly selected to have breakfast with the CEO (he would do that with four randomly selected employees per quarter) and during that conversation, he mentioned that if someone wanted/needed to move out of the area, they could still work here. So given that, I can't imagine they'd have any issues with people moving away and working remote full-time. 

 
Government IT contractor. Originally hired to work onsite at local base. They sent us home during the Pandemic and discovered production went UP considerably.  They were in no hurry to bring us back. 

Meanwhile with time saved with no commute, I earned several cloud certifications. Now I switched jobs to a different DoD department for permanent remote job.  I honestly am not sure if the company office is in NoVa or MD but it's somewhere on the Beltway. I'll have to go up there once or twice a year. Lots of remote opportunities with govt clearance and IT certifications.  During my job hunt I specified ONLY remote opportunities. Turned down opportunity to interview with local company because I was worried it would be WFH to start then come into office a day or two then come into office most days.

Echo the sentiment for separate office. Get a nice chair and monitor(s). Make sure you have really good internet. Try to get into some routine that gets you out of your chair every 60 to 90 minutes.

 
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Mr. Know-It-All said:
After having mandatory work from home since March 13th of last year, today the company announced that going forward while we have the option to come into the office the expectation is we will all continue working from home.  All of the cubicles in our main office will not be assigned and must be reserved if you are planning to come into work.  Not only that but we are free to live ANYWHERE, but they will not pay relocation costs if we choose to move.  As a 53 year old computer programmer who NEVER meets with clients this is the biggest perk the company could have possibly offered.  I literally never have to GO to work again.  Half my team is in India and we meet remotely anyway.

Anyone else have this flexibility and what is the downside I must be missing?
Click to expand...
Pretty much in the same boat. I love being able to sleep 30-40 minutes longer in the morning and still start work at the same time.

The only downside for me is kind of work-adjacent. It was handy to be able to stop at the grocery or my local brewpub on the way home with just a 5 minute detour. Now it's about an hour round trip.  And my wife and I used to have a standing lunch date once a week where we'd rotate through various local restaurants. I kind of miss that for the variety.

 
Only flaw in the crosscountry RV plan would be finding reliable internet. I would think you'd want 30 mbps minimum for meetings/downloads. 

 
IvanKaramazov said:
I don't think I would have wanted my whole career to go that way, but now that I'm approaching 50, long-term WFH would be pretty damn appealing.  My wife and I like our community a lot, but we don't plan to retire here.  Given the option, we would probably jump at the chance to relocate now. 

Congrats.
Click to expand...


A few thoughts on this.

1. I'm envious of folks who have their path to retirement "set".  I'm close but the problem is I work for a place where restructuring and layoffs are still a part of it.  I couldn't relocate without being sure where I'm going would have jobs in my field if the worst happens and I get laid off

2. Having said that - I think my wife and I are set to retire in the area we are now.  I'm not sure I could think of a better spot

3. The reason I suggested an RV is that's what I would do in a heartbeat if I knew WFH was permanent.  It would allow my wife and I to do some traveling immediately and also see if that lifestyle is for us.  I already know it would be for me - she's a little uncertain.

 
JaxBill said:
Only flaw in the crosscountry RV plan would be finding reliable internet. I would think you'd want 30 mbps minimum for meetings/downloads. 
Click to expand...


Yep - it's about the only flaw I can see but several folks I know have done it.  By the time I probably will be able to do it I imagine things will be even better than they are today.  If you do it starting today you probably just need to avoid remote areas and make sure your hotspot can handle what you need in a pinch.

 
Ned said:
I've been permanently remote since 2008.  Love it and is the only reason I've stuck with it for so long.  

Downsides:

  • Work is always 'there'; I have hard times pulling myself away if I'm in a groove on something.  
  • There are times meeting face to face is more productive
Do yourself a favor and establish a real office in your house.  Having that dedicated space/room is key to making it work long term.
Click to expand...
Great concise post here. 

 
Mr. Know-It-All said:
After having mandatory work from home since March 13th of last year, today the company announced that going forward while we have the option to come into the office the expectation is we will all continue working from home.  All of the cubicles in our main office will not be assigned and must be reserved if you are planning to come into work.  Not only that but we are free to live ANYWHERE, but they will not pay relocation costs if we choose to move.  As a 53 year old computer programmer who NEVER meets with clients this is the biggest perk the company could have possibly offered.  I literally never have to GO to work again.  Half my team is in India and we meet remotely anyway.

Anyone else have this flexibility and what is the downside I must be missing?
Click to expand...
fellow programmer that now has the same arraignment with my company.   Although I'm tethered to my location b/c of kids, I plan on spending a nice chunk of time in a warmer locale this winter.   

 
Same thing happened to me. Only catch was giving 30 day notice and the company conducted a "Market Analysis" to see if I would need a wage increase. Put the house on the market, packed up the family and bounced. 

Definitely research internet options. I had a lot of places I could not go due to lack of internet.

 
seahawk 17 said:
Same thing happened to me. Only catch was giving 30 day notice and the company conducted a "Market Analysis" to see if I would need a wage increase. Put the house on the market, packed up the family and bounced. 

Definitely research internet options. I had a lot of places I could not go due to lack of internet.
Click to expand...
Would they have docked your pay if that analysis came back the other way?

We had a guy move from NY to NC back in the day.  Was a huge eye opener to me.  One could really make out if they were motivated enough.

 
Our team has been remote for over 8 years. Half my team is in India also. It's nice working remotely although I miss some of the office networking with colleagues. It's been tough on workers in India where most people live in modest sized apartments and may  be living with parents. Not hard to shut down at the end of the day.

 
Ned said:
I've been permanently remote since 2008.  Love it and is the only reason I've stuck with it for so long.  

Downsides:

  • Work is always 'there'; I have hard times pulling myself away if I'm in a groove on something.  
  • There are times meeting face to face is more productive
Do yourself a favor and establish a real office in your house.  Having that dedicated space/room is key to making it work long term.
Click to expand...
Yeah this is great advice - I got a 2BR townhouse and one is my bed room and the other is dedicated office space only.  I have had a hard time separating personal life and work life in m current arrangement where my office was my bedroom.  So definitely this has already been planned for.  The hidden perk though is I can travle anywhere and work ot of a hotel room if I want to go visit a different state for a week.  Work in the day (and sight see during the night or vice versa.

 
AAABatteries said:
A few thoughts on this.

1. I'm envious of folks who have their path to retirement "set".  I'm close but the problem is I work for a place where restructuring and layoffs are still a part of it.  I couldn't relocate without being sure where I'm going would have jobs in my field if the worst happens and I get laid off

2. Having said that - I think my wife and I are set to retire in the area we are now.  I'm not sure I could think of a better spot

3. The reason I suggested an RV is that's what I would do in a heartbeat if I knew WFH was permanent.  It would allow my wife and I to do some traveling immediately and also see if that lifestyle is for us.  I already know it would be for me - she's a little uncertain.
Click to expand...
The other thing I forgot to mention is I got my first US patent and copyright on software I created.  Im still finishing conversion to iOS and Android but when I finish that it goes on the market and maybe I will be retired within the next year or so depending on how well it sells.  Im trying to sell the patent and copyright and be done with it so I don't have to do the marketing and long term maintenance.  Market value assessment was $4-$10M but its worth $0 until I see a check.  The divorce has slowed down my progress on getting it wrapped up.  But the patent is good for 20 years so Im not in a hurry.  Dont think I am not a little happy that she gets none of it according to the divorce agreement.

 
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Ned said:
Would they have docked your pay if that analysis came back the other way?
We had a guy move from NY to NC back in the day.  Was a huge eye opener to me.  One could really make out if they were motivated enough.
Click to expand...
First thing......you do need to remember that companies have to pay taxes based on the majority location of where you work from.
And some companies are not going to want to file taxes in all 50 different states if they can help it do to the hassle.  YOU may not see that......but THEY WILL.

Second thing:    I posted the following in the WORK FROM HOME thread 1 yr ago:

With the pandemic, and more WFH'ers:   Have any of you had concerns for the LONG TERM TRENDS that will come out of this pandemic that are Negative?

Recently, i listened to a podcast (i think it was McKinsey) and they brought up the topics of:
1-Due to the pandemic, there is a trend where a lot of workers who live in Higher Cost of Living areas have either moved to Lower COL areas or are considering it.  A prime example is the tech sector workers that find California is less desirable due to high housing costs and other issues (taxes, homeless, traffic, polictics).  Heard that since some of those companies are not requiring some workers to be local, that those workers are moving to adjacent states or cities and the unintended consequences affecting the new locations (such as increased housing cost in those new cities affecting long time residents that can no longer afford it)

2-Will companies eventually start to adjust existing worker salaries based on WHERE you live?        
"You want to live in Billings, Montana and work remote.........Then, here's the salary we're offering you (or your COL adjustment) since we know you don't have as many costs as some others."

3-Will companies start to seek lower starting salaries on positions since they can recruit and cast a much wider net than before?

4- With remote working more focused on skills/task completion...... Will companies start to de-emphasize some intangibles and move even more toward looking at employees as just a number or interchangeable costs?   

5-How will employee training be handled in the future?    I would guess we see even more and more remote or online learning available but how will companies react to it for existing EEs and hiring practices?          Will age-ism increase as an unintended consequence?

I know a lot of the above topics sound like the same thing.......but if you peel back the onion, you'll see that the whole system will change at some point.......and some of it will create some speed bumps ahead

 
Nemesis said:
First thing......you do need to remember that companies have to pay taxes based on the majority location of where you work from.
And some companies are not going to want to file taxes in all 50 different states if they can help it do to the hassle.  YOU may not see that......but THEY WILL.

Second thing:    I posted the following in the WORK FROM HOME thread 1 yr ago:

With the pandemic, and more WFH'ers:   Have any of you had concerns for the LONG TERM TRENDS that will come out of this pandemic that are Negative?

Recently, i listened to a podcast (i think it was McKinsey) and they brought up the topics of:
1-Due to the pandemic, there is a trend where a lot of workers who live in Higher Cost of Living areas have either moved to Lower COL areas or are considering it.  A prime example is the tech sector workers that find California is less desirable due to high housing costs and other issues (taxes, homeless, traffic, polictics).  Heard that since some of those companies are not requiring some workers to be local, that those workers are moving to adjacent states or cities and the unintended consequences affecting the new locations (such as increased housing cost in those new cities affecting long time residents that can no longer afford it)

2-Will companies eventually start to adjust existing worker salaries based on WHERE you live?        
"You want to live in Billings, Montana and work remote.........Then, here's the salary we're offering you (or your COL adjustment) since we know you don't have as many costs as some others."

3-Will companies start to seek lower starting salaries on positions since they can recruit and cast a much wider net than before?

4- With remote working more focused on skills/task completion...... Will companies start to de-emphasize some intangibles and move even more toward looking at employees as just a number or interchangeable costs?   

5-How will employee training be handled in the future?    I would guess we see even more and more remote or online learning available but how will companies react to it for existing EEs and hiring practices?          Will age-ism increase as an unintended consequence?

I know a lot of the above topics sound like the same thing.......but if you peel back the onion, you'll see that the whole system will change at some point.......and some of it will create some speed bumps ahead
Click to expand...
Very good points.  Definitely I see our company will not cover relocation and I assume they will pay based on where you live (good or bad).  For instance our QA testers in Chicago have the same function and experience as our QA testers in Omaha - but the Chicago employees make more due to COL.  Same with our employees in Colorado and Arizona.  So the Omaha emplyees tend to make less marginally but there money stretches further.  What will suck is if people move here and the COL goes up but our salaries stay the same (you know you only have leverage when you accept a job and when you accept a promotion).

Ageism I am not as worried about - with all of these new positions create to ensure corporate wokeness, it would be incredibly foolish of them to then even think about ageism.  

Another thing Omaha is part of the silicon prairie - we are drawing a lot more talent from the coast and no one wants to work on the coast due to wildfires, and immigration, and economy etc.  However what worries me more is we now have a 24 hr capability with development teams in the US and mirror development teams in BLR.  They can hire 3 programmers in BLR for the cost of one in the US.  If they are just throwing numbers at programs they can hire 100 BLR for the price of 30 US.  They will suck and have no domain knowledge but some managers see it as just a numbers game not a talent game.

 
While I enjoyed full remote for the last 18 months or however long this plague has lasted, we went back to a hybrid schedule this summer (required in office 3 days a week) and I think that’s a good mix.   I can do my job 100% remote but I think I am more effective being able to have face to face time mixed in 

I’ll also say the 3 days in office is more of a guideline, if I need to do some extra WFH days for whatever reason it’s not a big deal 

 
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