Do You Work From Home?

[Limo]

We should do a poll how many people on WATMM own those godawful Ikea record cabinets.

I have four of them.

[thebotmakes]

47 minutes ago, rhmilo said:

We should do a poll how many people on WATMM own those godawful Ikea record cabinets.

I have four of them.

Guilty as charged 

[IDEM]

55 minutes ago, rhmilo said:

We should do a poll how many people on WATMM own those godawful Ikea record cabinets.

I have four of them.

 

6 minutes ago, thebotmakes said:

Guilty as charged 

I hope they're at least all vintage Expedit and not that evil usurper Kallax.

I have two big ones and two of those half ones, I think.

[sidewinder]

I've got two 2x4 ones as shown, a 2x2 next to it (out of view), and another 2x2 in the living room for my record player and amp. Record player on top, amp sitting on the middle shelf with vertical divider removed, and some records below. I think they're all Kallax though, sorry to say.

[Braintree]

On 4/13/2020 at 2:00 PM, manmower said:

Just read the news that some experts are hoping to start relaxing the lock-down around mid-May and my first reaction was: shit, already?

I feel like it's been a thousand years.

[Limo]

18 hours ago, IDEM said:

 

I hope they're at least all vintage Expedit and not that evil usurper Kallax.

 

We get Ikea hipsterism now?

Or am I just too much of a prole not to notice the difference? As far as I can tell, they're both shit. I mean, I get that Kallax is much lighter, but for actual functionality it doesn't matter.

To me, because I don't throw furniture around.

Often.

[manmower]

I have a bunch of Kallax and Eket around the house and some old Expedit that I still need to get out of storage.

If I thought any of them were shit I wouldn't have bought them, but that's just me.

[Limo]

When I said "they're both shit" I meant that, well, they're both shit, I guess, but not shit enough to not buy them and go for an alternative instead. Which, as far as I know, doesn't even exist.

I've thought about having a furniture maker replace the Expedit in the living room with something that has the same dimensions but that is at least made of proper wood, but it's not super high on my list of priorities. Especially since it would be about ten times more expensive.

 

 

[IDEM]

4 hours ago, rhmilo said:

We get Ikea hipsterism now?

Or am I just too much of a prole not to notice the difference? As far as I can tell, they're both shit. I mean, I get that Kallax is much lighter, but for actual functionality it doesn't matter.

To me, because I don't throw furniture around.

Often.

My tongue was of course placed firmly in my cheek when I said that. But I guess I actually do like Expedit a little better, because it at least looks a bit sturdier. Not that it really makes a difference either way. Sure, Ikea will always be Ikea, but I'm certainly not a shelf snob (Billy forever), and yeah, you won't get anything that convenient for your records at anywhere near that price. I care much more about what's on the shelves anyway; somehow I don't even seem to see them anymore as soon as they're filled with my books and records.

[Amen Warrior]

On 4/16/2020 at 10:52 AM, rhmilo said:

When I said "they're both shit" I meant that, well, they're both shit, I guess, but not shit enough to not buy them and go for an alternative instead. Which, as far as I know, doesn't even exist.

I've thought about having a furniture maker replace the Expedit in the living room with something that has the same dimensions but that is at least made of proper wood, but it's not super high on my list of priorities. Especially since it would be about ten times more expensive.

 

 

I've run out of space on my current kallax but I don't want to buy another one because like you I'd really prefer something made of actual wood, sturdier and maybe not so utilitarian in design. Problem is I have no idea where to buy classy furniture, for a normal price. Auctions? I'd love to make something myself but don't have the space for woodworking...I made wooden side panels for the bath and even that drove my wife mental (happy with how it turned out though!)

[dingformung]

I love Ikea because it's cheap and functional and their designs make a lot of sense. I have different sorts of Kallax, they store my belongings fabulously

[Limo]

26 minutes ago, Amen Warrior said:

I've run out of space on my current kallax but I don't want to buy another one because like you I'd really prefer something made of actual wood, sturdier and maybe not so utilitarian in design. Problem is I have no idea where to buy classy furniture, for a normal price. Auctions? I'd love to make something myself but don't have the space for woodworking...I made wooden side panels for the bath and even that drove my wife mental (happy with how it turned out though!)

My wife and I have been starting to buy antiques now to solve this problem. They’re very cheap now that the last of the boomers’ parents who used to buy them for insane amounts of money have mostly died out and the boomers themselves are starting to move to smaller houses and can no longer keep everything they’ve inherited. 50 to 100 euros will get you quite reasonable pieces that used to cost a 100 times as much.

Of course it’s an aesthetic that has to agree with you and finding the right piece takes a bit of patience and effort, but if you’re into it it’s well worth it.

Only thing I can’t seem to find is a Kallax / Expedit replacement. It’s almost like people in the 19th century didn’t need  to store their record collections.

[drillkicker]

I work at a farm and live at the farm where I work.  So yes, I do technically work at home.

[Dinobeats]

I already worked from home too - so the only big difference for me is having my kid at home full time since schools are closed. And now instead of leaving the house once a week for groceries, I go once every two weeks instead to space it out. So I feel pretty lucky/grateful - I know it's been a pretty big adjustment for a lot of folks.

[sidewinder]

Clearly many of us desk jockeys will be working from home for some time longer. But I think a lot of companies are or will be re-evaluating the need for some staff to actually work in the office. Mine included! We just had an extended version of our Monday morning stand-up in which this was announced. We already knew there would be a phased approach to getting folks back in the office, they did a survey asking employees for thoughts and concerns about going back to the office, they've looked at space planning and have been talking to experts, etc. But this morning they specifically said they're re-evaluating WFH policies and may go as far as to suggest that some employees don't come back to the office full time. While fully acknowledging that people will need to get together occasionally as being face to face is beneficial for planning, brainstorming, etc. and some work just requires that along with whiteboards and such. Seems I, along with everyone else on my team, will at least be WFH full time through the summer and then maybe getting some office time in the fall. 

I have enjoyed the flexibility of being able to WFH when I need or want to with my last 3 jobs over the last 7 years. In the job I left last December, I was WFH too much because our local staff had dwindled to 3-4 and we often found ourselves alone in the office so it was pointless unless we coordinated to go in on the same days. I got tired of WFH so much and not really collaborating with people. So despite the longer commute I had with my new/current job, I enjoyed being back in an office environment. My ass is tired of sitting at home and not moving around as much. I think it's harder to manage anxiety too, with the reduced movement. I'm getting a little claustrophobic. But anyway, I totally understand why we're doing this and why we need to keep doing this. Times is weird and what are you gonna do?

I think a lot of people are gonna have to buy portable or window AC units in Seattle this summer. Glad I already have one, just haven't set it up in this house yet. 

[markedone]

wfh

[goDel]

15 hours ago, sidewinder said:

Clearly many of us desk jockeys will be working from home for some time longer. But I think a lot of companies are or will be re-evaluating the need for some staff to actually work in the office. Mine included! We just had an extended version of our Monday morning stand-up in which this was announced. We already knew there would be a phased approach to getting folks back in the office, they did a survey asking employees for thoughts and concerns about going back to the office, they've looked at space planning and have been talking to experts, etc. But this morning they specifically said they're re-evaluating WFH policies and may go as far as to suggest that some employees don't come back to the office full time. While fully acknowledging that people will need to get together occasionally as being face to face is beneficial for planning, brainstorming, etc. and some work just requires that along with whiteboards and such. Seems I, along with everyone else on my team, will at least be WFH full time through the summer and then maybe getting some office time in the fall. 

I have enjoyed the flexibility of being able to WFH when I need or want to with my last 3 jobs over the last 7 years. In the job I left last December, I was WFH too much because our local staff had dwindled to 3-4 and we often found ourselves alone in the office so it was pointless unless we coordinated to go in on the same days. I got tired of WFH so much and not really collaborating with people. So despite the longer commute I had with my new/current job, I enjoyed being back in an office environment. My ass is tired of sitting at home and not moving around as much. I think it's harder to manage anxiety too, with the reduced movement. I'm getting a little claustrophobic. But anyway, I totally understand why we're doing this and why we need to keep doing this. Times is weird and what are you gonna do?

I think a lot of people are gonna have to buy portable or window AC units in Seattle this summer. Glad I already have one, just haven't set it up in this house yet. 

I think WFH has changed with this crisis though. The way I read your post, the old WFH was a lonely thing. Which was also my experience. The Corona-WFH is much more collaborative though. Video conferencing has become the norm. Much more than before. And in my experience this can work even better, compared to sitting together in a room.

For one thing, it's way more easier (or physically possible even) to look at all people in a meeting at the same time. Non-verbal communication in this sense can be way better. You can clearly see whether people are paying attention and whether they agree or not. And the structure of meetings is more clear. It depends a lot on everyone involved though, in terms of discipline. But when done right, a video conference can be way more effective.

Also, it has brought people closer together, strangely. As you can literally see people in their personal, private space. Without all the nonsense of suits and all that. Physical distance might be bigger, but emotionally I'd argue contact is closer. Another example of this is that I've noticed a lot of women stopped putting on make-up after a while. Don't want to turn this into some sexist rant. Just an observation. I consider this another example of a "professional" shield being dropped, which improves intimacy in an unexpected way, imo. You're looking at a real human being instead of a wall of facial paint.

Before Corona, when working with people who worked from home, video-conferencing was never an option. We didn't even think about it. We just tried to plan around people being unavailable. Nowadays, people are available. And yes, that makes collaborating an entirely different thing.

This new WFH though, is basically people trying to reinvent how to keep on collaborating. And it's way more effective than I would have thought before. It's different. But def not worse.

[Limo]

One thing I’ve found is terrible working from home and video conferencing is student assessments. Meetings, with other teachers or even with students, are fine. People communicate and work around the inherent limitations of video and audio conferencing no problem at all (well, maybe it’s a *little* easier with colleagues than with students).

But assessments: don’t work at all. You ask a question and silence ensues. You can’t send out encouraging glances or assess the body language of the students to determine whether followup questions are needed. It’s just stone cold silence until either an answer does finally come or one of the teachers has enough and expresses the conviction that no answer will be forthcoming. You can imagine what that does to the overall atmosphere. Instead of having a conversation with students in which you gently determine their ability you end up grilling them. Very unpleasant.

[goDel]

14 minutes ago, rhmilo said:

One thing I’ve found is terrible working from home and video conferencing is student assessments. Meetings, with other teachers or even with students, are fine. People communicate and work around the inherent limitations of video and audio conferencing no problem at all (well, maybe it’s a *little* easier with colleagues than with students).

But assessments: don’t work at all. You ask a question and silence ensues. You can’t send out encouraging glances or assess the body language of the students to determine whether followup questions are needed. It’s just stone cold silence until either an answer does finally come or one of the teachers has enough and expresses the conviction that no answer will be forthcoming. You can imagine what that does to the overall atmosphere. Instead of having a conversation with students in which you gently determine their ability you end up grilling them. Very unpleasant.

Is that in a one on one context? Or with an entire class where no-one responds to a question?

Sounds to me like something which can be addressed with different "techniques". What I've noticed to be ineffective is to ask general questions to groups. It's better to ask that question and then ask a specific person, like "John, I'd like to know your thoughts. What do you think of ..." "What would you do?" Or "how would you " and so on.

I'm operating from a different context though. More collaborative. I'm basically asking for help or opinions, instead of trying to get people to jump through hoops like a dog.

It works best when I'm honestly interested. People tend to be helpful problem solvers. Present them a problem, and they autimagically try to formulate answers. And that even works when you don't ask for help.  (like what i'm doing now)

From memory, my experience at uni is mostly professors/teacher treating students like dogs. At which point I mostly log out and only cooperate when absolutely necessary. I think the whole academic concept was fundamentally flawed though. Professors were mostly forced to teach, while their only interest was research/themselves. Although there were exceptions. And they tend to be good at both as well. Good at teaching and at research. The average professor though, sucks at research and forced to teach. Pitiful creatures.

Edited May 6, 2020 by goDel

[Limo]

2 hours ago, goDel said:

From memory, my experience at uni is mostly professors/teacher treating students like dogs.

HBO is a bit better in that regard. At least, I'd like to think I don't treat students like dogs.

But when the meeting you're in is billed as an assessment and they know the outcome of a conversation is that you will slap a grade on their performance, the automagically trying to formulate answers thing stops working. In fact, it doesn't work that great to begin with in situations where one participant is the teacher and the others are students. In my experience, anyway. 

Anyway, just wanted to complain

[diatoms]

I RAVE from Home:)

[bronchuseven]

Normally I work hands-on in a research lab, but that's not possible at the moment. I have been reading loads of of scientific articles to write a review on a specific topic that our lab researches. It's very hard but I can manage it; progress is slow though.

[Guest]

I worked from home for 6 weeks, will lose my job end of July (not because Covid, but loss of a big customer, before Covid). There was some disagreement with my boss so for the sake of peace I will get extra money plus I will not have to go to work any more there. Effectively, I get 3 months of not having to work at full payment. Plus the home office time before, it was tbh not stressful - ugh, will I get fat and lazy? I feel the urge to ask my next boss if I can get 12 months of payment per year for not working .

Obviously, need a new job starting in August. If I don't find one, German "job center" will pay 60% of my last years average payment every month. Not bad for me. I'm not considering it, but it's an interesting new opportunity - I was never unemployed. Lots of time for doing self education.

Edited June 2, 2020 by Guest

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, Wurstwasser said:

I worked from home for 6 weeks, will lose my job end of July (not because Covid, but loss of a big customer, before Covid). There was some disagreement with my boss so for the sake of peace I will get extra money plus I will not have to go to work any more there. Effectively, I get 3 months of not having to work at full payment. Plus the home office time before, it was tbh not stressful - ugh, will I get fat and lazy? I feel the urge to ask my next boss if I can get 12 months of payment per year for not working .

Obviously, need a new job starting in August. If I don't find one, German "job center" will pay 60% of my last years average payment every month. Not bad for me. I'm not considering it, but it's an interesting new opportunity - I was never unemployed. Lots of time for doing self education.

Im in the IT admin biz, keeping medium corporate IT alive, finding non-complex solutions, scripting, Servers, the more conservative/old school side of IT admin - in a world full of outsourcing and modern workers just adding complex systems on top of complex systems and not having real responsibility, because they are just service contractors.

[Centurix]

Software Developer, work from home. Lots of projects on. Main gig has an office in Brisbane and was like 50/50 home/office but now more like 95/5 home/office.

 It's OK, I've had lots of times in the past with long stints working from home. The main issues are noise and fridges.

Also, do a fair bit of electronics, here's half my office.