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Comment by paulryanrogers | Hacker News Reader

Since this article offers few sources for its claims, except cherry-picked anecdotes, here are some claims of my own: forced remote work will polarize opinions. Those of us who enjoy the perks will become further entrenched while those who can't stand the downsides will say it's proof WFH is the devil.

My last full time office job began with a great, downtown location. But it became crowded as the company outgrew the space. Little annoyances like mandatory office music and shared desks made focused work more difficult. Of course management always gets their own offices, so they get control of their space with a choice to retreat when privacy or silence is needed.

Hopefully the shared experience will break the cycle of talking past each other. Though I'm not holding my breath.

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> mandatory office music

What?

Yes, that. It's a thing.

back in the 199x i felt great coming into our small office with 30+ of 20-something guys like me crammed in coding and playing network Quake and the Rammstein blasting in the office over the Quake rocket explosions. Best productive years. These days even mere presence of 20-somethings on the team gives me headache :)

> forced remote work will polarize opinions.

Forced office work already polarizes opinions. Many of us already say Work From Office is the devil.

Why does my typing on a keyboard in the office bring more "value" than when I type on a keyboard at home?

For the same reason why managers and executives love PowerPoint slides and UI mockups: they can see it.

I completely agree with you.

Forced anything will polarize opinions. It largely depends on personalities and how you have your personal life arranged. After over a month of WFH I can't wait until this thing is over.

Personally I feel best when both are the option but the office set in a way that it does not drive people out.

Yes, I'm hoping that the outcome of all this is a more open "work where you want" policy, with support for people to choose what they want.

> "Why does my typing on a keyboard in the office bring more "value" than when I type on a keyboard at home?"

the same reason why you sometimes have to call someone or talk with them in person instead of typing them a text.

> sometimes

Correct. Sometimes.

And sometimes its better to text. See how not having the option to choose is limiting?

notice how I said sometimes and didn't speak in absolutes?

It sounds like your comment defends "Forced office work" (which is an absolute), and many companies absolutely don't allow for "sometimes" WFH.

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