The off topic thread 6.0

[Jatz]

Meetings are definitely easier to have in the office with everyone together and I think having one forced day (at most) and any other optional day is fine.

But as SM said, forcing people to go in (my old work was 3 days a week) and you couldn't have Monday or Friday at home which was ****ing ridiculous, is just bad for morale. Management know best though

Just because you might not slack off, doesn't mean others don't.

I think motivation is generally lower on a Friday anyway, I suspect work getting done on a Friday arvo at home would be pretty minimal.

 

[Cruyff14]

Just because you might not slack off, doesn't mean others don't.

I think motivation is generally lower on a Friday anyway, I suspect work getting done on a Friday arvo at home would be pretty minimal.

Actually, I was wrong, you coulnd't have both Friday and Monday as your WFH, I did Thurs and Fri home.

I generally worked pretty solid until 4.15 or so (finished at 4.30).

But yes, not everyone can be trusted at home.

 

[Frank Bunn]

I think there is definitely some value in having office days for these kinds of in person interactions but agreed that forcing people in every day isn't necessary anymore.

If you are working in a team, some days in the office are usually beneficial. You get the ad-hoc conversations round someone's screen or a whiteboard. Decisions can happen informally and immediately rather scheduling a video call or waiting for an email chain to play out. You get the social interaction with colleagues - footy bantz, beers or sport after work, Christmas or Diwali celebrations etc.

Depending on the role, working from home also has its place. People can go to the doctor etc without taking the whole day off. It gives you a break from the drudge of commuting. I probably worked longer hours at home because I would start and finish at the times of my usual commutes. My biggest bugbear was large dial-in meetings. It was common for sub-conversations to start in the room and the 4 microphones would pick it all up leaving anyone on the phone listening to garble.

Hot-desking was the worst of both worlds. You had to go into the office most days but you were not sat with your teammates.

 

[SM]

Just because you might not slack off, doesn't mean others don't.

I think motivation is generally lower on a Friday anyway, I suspect work getting done on a Friday arvo at home would be pretty minimal.

You're right, I know plenty who slack off in the office. Multiple coffee runs, long lunches, loitering in the kitchen chatting, just chatting at their desk in general. Fridays would be a long pub lunch and then clocking off by 4 anyway.

You also then factor in the commute time for people getting to and from the office and the fact once people are on their way home from the office they're 'switched off' whereas from home it's far easier to pop back onto the laptop to answer a quick question or shoot across a link to a piece of work someone may be looking for.

There's pros and cons to both, and all I started by saying is taking away the power of choice is the offensive element, not the notion that some prefer one or the other.

 

[Quivorir]

Hot-desking was the worst of both worlds. You had to go into the office most days but you were not sat with your teammates.

I'd quit if we ever moved to hot desking. Our Melbourne office is that, and a shared office with other businesses and its a shit show. Glad I don't ever have to go there.

 

[SM]

Actually, I was wrong, you coulnd't have both Friday and Monday as your WFH, I did Thurs and Fri home.

I generally worked pretty solid until 4.15 or so (finished at 4.30).

But yes, not everyone can be trusted at home.

I think it's pretty easy to track though isn't it? Everyone has deliverables, you can catch up on a Monday team meeting, set out expectations for the week, what needs doing, etc. then you have a regroup Friday afternoon to cover off on what's been achieved, where any hurdles were for achieving deliverables, etc.

Like Jatz's earlier comparison to schoolkids, I find it pretty crazy to think adults need to be treated like children in their workplace rather than just having a more stringent expectation on managers to know what their team are actually achieving. And if everyone's achieving the goals then who cares if they're doing that from the office or at home, or how many hours of the day it takes them to do that?

 

[SM]

I'd quit if we ever moved to hot desking. Our Melbourne office is that, and a shared office with other businesses and its a shit show. Glad I don't ever have to go there.

We've recently moved to a new office and you have to book a desk - there's literally not enough desks if everyone decided to go into the office at once. I actually find it a pretty big disincentive to going in if I look to book a desk and there's nothing available. There's floating unbookable desks that you can use as a fall back but it doesn't seem the best way to go about it.

 

[Cruyff14]

Hot desking is awful. I've had to do it and it's ****ing shithouse. I like to keep some possessions (cup, notebook, pens etc) and hot desking completely removes that, rubbish. I used to book the same desk for at least two weeks in advance just so I could leave all my shit in the one spot.

I think it's pretty easy to track though isn't it? Everyone has deliverables, you can catch up on a Monday team meeting, set out expectations for the week, what needs doing, etc. then you have a regroup Friday afternoon to cover off on what's been achieved, where any hurdles were for achieving deliverables, etc.

Like Jatz's earlier comparison to schoolkids, I find it pretty crazy to think adults need to be treated like children in their workplace rather than just having a more stringent expectation on managers to know what their team are actually achieving. And if everyone's achieving the goals then who cares if they're doing that from the office or at home, or how many hours of the day it takes them to do that?

I think that's the worst bit - it's like, everyone (for who it was possible for) worked from home with COVID, and stuff got done and clearly nothing was impacted. But then suddenly nobody can be trusted? **** off.

 

[RPCB]

I did a $45 Metro/Milkrun shop this morning. I got another persons order (easily over $100) and I live chatted with them straight away. Within an hour I received a new order at home and Metro told me to keep the other persons order as they can’t return it.

Not complaining lol.

 

[SM]

I did a $45 Metro/Milkrun shop this morning. I got another persons order (easily over $100) and I live chatted with them straight away. Within an hour I received a new order at home and Metro told me to keep the other persons order as they can’t return it.

Not complaining lol.

Yeah I've had that sometimes. They give me an extra bag of stuff that isn't mine and I tell the guy and he's like "Just keep it" lol yeah ok. I guess the other person gets their order refunded but still feels weird.

 

[Cruyff14]

I did a $45 Metro/Milkrun shop this morning. I got another persons order (easily over $100) and I live chatted with them straight away. Within an hour I received a new order at home and Metro told me to keep the other persons order as they can’t return it.

Not complaining lol.

Metro? What?

 

[Jatz]

Yeah I've had that sometimes. They give me an extra bag of stuff that isn't mine and I tell the guy and he's like "Just keep it" lol yeah ok. I guess the other person gets their order refunded but still feels weird.

We've had similar...which confuses me a little bit. We now get watched like a hawk at the checkout but they'll just happily let us keep a $150 order that got sent to the wrong location.

 

[RPCB]

Metro? What?

You would probably know about the Milkrun app (Woolworths)? The app used to be called Metro, before rebranding into Milkrun.

 

[Cruyff14]

I usually "forget" to give a few small items to the cashier now.

 

[UnitedWarrior93]

Couldn’t work from home IMO, if I had a job that allowed it that is. I’m someone that needs to be in ‘the work environment’ to get stuff done. Home is home for me, not work.

Again, don’t have a job that gives me the option but if I did I know it wouldn’t work for me.

 

[Cruyff14]

Couldn’t work from home IMO, if I had a job that allowed it that is. I’m someone that needs to be in ‘the work environment’ to get stuff done. Home is home for me, not work.

Again, don’t have a job that gives me the option but if I did I know it wouldn’t work for me.

Yep, and that's OK, and that's what me and SM are getting at, it should be the individual's choice, not that of the workplace.

 

[Jatz]

Oasis were ****ing incredible last night!

 

[Art Vandelay_]

 

[Jatz]

How close are we to having a dedicated transexual competition in the IOC?

As long as they're still able to compete in a capacity (not completely excluded), I don't see it as an issue.

 

[SM]

How close are we to having a dedicated transexual competition in the IOC?

As long as they're still able to compete in a capacity (not completely excluded), I don't see it as an issue.

Wouldn't have thought close at all because they make up such a tiny proportion of competitors. It's a complete farce.

 

[Jatz]

Wouldn't have thought close at all because they make up such a tiny proportion of competitors. It's a complete farce.

Do they still? Surely across the globe there's enough athletes to at least make up (for instance) a swimming race with 8 competitors.

 

[SM]

Do they still? Surely across the globe there's enough athletes to at least make up (for instance) a swimming race with 8 competitors.

Yeah one race of 8 people of hugely varying abilities. What a gripping spectacle.

 

[Jatz]

Yeah one race of 8 people of hugely varying abilities. What a gripping spectacle.

How is that any different to them competing against a gender they weren't born as?

What a gripping spectacle indeed.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

How is that any different to them competing against a gender they weren't born as?

What a gripping spectacle indeed.

It's a very small percentage of competitors but it does ensure the integrity of women's events is maintained.

 

[SM]

How is that any different to them competing against a gender they weren't born as?

What a gripping spectacle indeed.

What are you on about? The difference is if they compete against a gender they weren't born as and they don't make it to the Olympics or wherever then they aren't there. If they do make it it's because they're the most qualified to get there.

If you're one of the nutters who thinks it's essentially men competing against girls maybe do a bit of reading up on the situation.