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Re:Silicon Valley firms in no hurry to open up offices despi... by oblio on Wednesday March 24, 2021 @06:19PM (#26573744)
I will probably work for 50 years (~20 -> ~70).

About 11 months a year (~1 month for holidays). Around 160 hours a month. So 1760 hours a year. And about 88k hours over my entire lifetime.

That works out to <<10 full years>> of my lifetime.

If I'm not socializing at work, albeit a bit constrained by the professional environment, something is super wrong. Restricting socialization strictly to weeknights and weekends seems... super radical to me.

Re:Silicon Valley firms in no hurry to open up offices despi... by supernovae on Thursday March 25, 2021 @10:46AM (#26580928)
Oh, this isn't about sitting at home in isolation like we are doing during covid, this is about being out with people who actually care to have a healthy relationship. Working with people who inspire creativity, challenge your assumptions and actually get to know you as a person - things that are often difficult with direct peers because of corporate policies, competition for positions, hierarchy and career status nonsense...

I think your math actually suggests our way of life is actually extremely unhealthy with the assumption we should develop social systems at our places of employment that absolutely don't exist for any such activity.

We need those relationships - but the office way of work certainly isn't a healthy way to achieve them. People get fired, laid of, move to new orgs, get moved around, corporate policy is dictated from top down without regard to human experiences but rather bottom dollar value line.

Not saying it can't be done - but again - think back on all your working years - were many of your work relationships meaningful or just convenient? Do they know your family? kids? spouse? significant other? Do they wish you a happy birthday? did they call you during covid to see how your doing?

Re:Silicon Valley firms in no hurry to open up offices despi... by oblio on Thursday March 25, 2021 @11:47AM (#26581722)
Re:Silicon Valley firms in no hurry to open up offices despi... by npsimons on Wednesday March 24, 2021 @06:42PM (#26573950)
Working hours taking up so much of our life is an orthogonal, but not totally unrelated issue.

As with complaints against "working from home", I get the feeling that proponents of work socializing recognize there's a problem, but they have mis-identified the root cause.

Re:Silicon Valley firms in no hurry to open up offices despi... by oblio on Wednesday March 24, 2021 @06:47PM (#26574000)
> Working hours taking up so much of our life is an orthogonal, but not totally unrelated issue.

Well, we can complain about it, but it's a fact of life. It's almost like complaining that gravity drags us down :-)

Plus, for a lot of people does give them... something to do. A purpose, an activity, a place where they can use their skills and use their intellect.

It's hard to do this alone if everyone else is working. I guess you could try mingling with the rich people and join charities?

Re:Silicon Valley firms in no hurry to open up offices despi... by npsimons on Wednesday March 24, 2021 @07:13PM (#26574282)
Admittedly, my views on this come from the limits of my own experience - as someone who writes (and sometimes rights) software, I highly prize uninterrupted time in flow. I suppose writing and other such similar pursuits would work very well on an work environment that was isolated.

But I do try to exercise my empathy and recognize for some endeavors it's is useful to collaborate. I just wish that people wouldn't attribute intrinsic necessity of physically close collaboration where it is not warranted.

My purpose or activity, even after I'm financially independent will be writing software, something I can do without having to be in close contact with people I am working with, and I in fact am much more productive when I'm not.

And honestly, even at 40 hours a week, I still have a lot of time in which I've formed my best social relationships. My coworkers are nice people, I just have shockingly little in common with them outside of work.