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Comment by input_sh | Hacker News Reader

I'm with you. I'd love a one-time budget for modifications to my home that will actually make it viable as an office. I've invested in a better chair, monitor(s), peripherals etc. That money shouldn't have came out of my pocket.

That's being said, I don't work for Google, but the guarantee that I'd be able to move some place cheaper for a year would make these expenses easier to swallow.

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My company (in Norway, so not FAANG) shipped all their office stuff to us. So before the first week of WFH was over I had gotten my chair, desk, screen, keyboard etc all set up at home.

But if these things last longtime or become permanent, I think people will start reconsider where they live. For instance, we could need an extra room for a proper office.

You will even more so if your part of a couple - a lot of places wont want your SO listening in of conference calls.

Google did give employees about $1300 to spend on office equipment.

That seems to cover either a decent workstation OR a good chair, but not both?

You don't need to buy a 'workstation'. It's mainly for furniture. Everyone gets corp laptops and monitors.

Googlers can't use our workstations at home, but we can use our laptops for remote desktop/SSH. Everything else is processed in data centers which means great performance everywhere. We've also got monitors and office chairs to bring home.

Wait a minute, you now have to do all your work on a laptop? For 8 hours a day? That sounds like pure hell.

So like https://www.forbes.com/sites/beasleydavid/2020/05/27/google-...

That's a good point and I will use it during our next all hands meeting.

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