Isn't that more an effect of your local social scene being shut down though, and not lack of commuting to an office?
If all the local bars/clubs/libraries/whatever you like to do were open, wouldn't that solve the problem?
If all the local bars/clubs/libraries/whatever you like to do were open, wouldn't that solve the problem?
Honestly, I think we mostly spent our time shit-talking people that weren't there, which isn't super healthy.
Honestly, I often feel like that shit-talking helps to keep people bonded over what can be pretty awful situations. I know that in my current job (to which I've given notice), I'd have loved to have a bunch of people from the office to talk to about it, and it might have lead to me staying longer.
Hard to know for sure though.
A response I can offer you is this, And it’s loaded with empathy because I def get that people derived real fun from it.
A lot of people attended those after-hour drinks as the semi-mandatory things they are, either for career survival or career acceleration reasons. This was always a large background narrative, and the death of it as of now is a nice thing. I’d take quarterly team dinners and an 30 min zoom with beers any time.
7am-5pm, and the 5-7pm additions to work life on a often weekly basis demands a lot out of people went to them just to manage their career.
What frustrates a lot of people, and generates the tone on HN perhaps, is that this aspect isn’t acknowledged in exchange for “but it was my social life!” Your social life cut into my real non-work social life (or so the comment would go).
But, I personally enjoyed people being forced to socialize with me ;)
You might not like it, but after work drinking is one of the areas where a lot of the meat of innovation and progression in the company happens.
I think a lot of people who double down on full remote are going to be surprised when they wake up in 5 years and realize they're pretty stagnant and have just become cogs to do the boring work. Which they might be fine with but I'm sure I'll be reading comments from them complaining about how their pay matches that too.
Referring to their death literally because the bars are closed for the last year and a half, despite the hit to innovation and progression that causes.
And I'll go to them once they're back, see "career progression reasons." The light ire my last comment contains is directed at the people that view these as lightweight friend happy hours, which these events have never been.
Golden rule - if my boss is remote, I'm still ok with remote. That said, your theory takes a hit with a full remote company at the eng and exec level, which many Series B/C/D startups are turning into.
I'll stop trying to help you and stop giving you cheat codes at this point. In 5 years we'll know who was correct.