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Do remote workers actually work? Yes, but they also shop and shower (eu.usatoday.com)
submitted 2 days ago by 1984@lemmy.today to c/workreform@lemmy.world
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My favorite quote:

While employees in the office might kill time messaging friends or flipping through TikTok, remote workers take advantage of being far from the watchful gaze of bosses to chip away at personal to-do lists or to goof off.

Nearly half of remote workers multitask on work calls or complete household chores like unloading the dishwasher or doing a load of laundry, according to the SurveyMonkey poll of 3,117 full-time workers in the U.S.

Oh noes, people actually doing things that are useful for their families instead of even more computer time.

It's insane that this is even considered strange or surprising. When I work from home, I take longer lunch breaks and I often stop working earlier, but I'm still three times as productive compared to sitting in an office.

At home, I actually get focused time to do something and think. At the office, this is extreamly difficult with all the distractions and noise constantly interrupting my train of thought.

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[-] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 10 points 1 day ago

I agree, though I have to admit that my kitties yelling at me for pets (one is especially loud) while I'm on the phone is a bit of a nuisance. But I'll take that over the old office I was in where there'd be three conversations competing across space rather than people just walking over to the desk of a coworker and talking at a normal volume. God, I hated that!

[-] buddascrayon@lemmy.world 27 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

There is a concept that companies and managers need to wrap their stupid brains around. And that is that they are paying for your work not your time. So long as you complete the jobs and tasks they ask of you and need from you it shouldn't matter what the hell you're doing otherwise.

But they're dumb Boomer infected brains have been programmed to expect people to sit in cubicles and offices like drones and stare at computer screens all day long. All so rich CEOs can walk through the building and feel more impressive.

P.S. obviously this is referring to salaried jobs not hourly jobs.

[-] DillyDaily@lemmy.world 2 points 22 hours ago

My partners boss took a lot of issues with multitasking and I can't understand his logic.

I was getting fed up of my partners breakfast and lunch dishes piling up in the kitchen.

I'd come home from work to find the kitchen a disaster zone. I wouldn't even have a clean spot of bench space to put my water bottle down.

My partner would explain he didn't have long enough on his lunch break to wash the dishes, and his boss was cracking down on people doing personal chores during the work day.

I suggested if he can't clean up like he's at home, he needs to prepare food like he's in the office. Ie, make a lunch box the night before so there aren't 40 dishes on the day.

He explained that this is how he used to eat in the office, because they had a cleaner who worked while everyone was in, tidying up after them, they'd cook meals for each other and eat family style, and his boss still encourages family lunches via teams/zoom.

So his boss used to hire someone to clean while the pencil pushers were pushing pencils. Now there is no one who's job is to clean, but his boss won't let anyone clean up after themselves, but still expects them to generate mess for team building.

I told my partner he can either get a lunch box, or he can tell his boss "I'm doing the dishes during the work day, if you'd prefer I don't, I won't, but I'll need a raise because divorce is expensive"

If it was any other boss, I'd tell my partner to suck it up and eat faster so he can wash up on his break, but it's the fact the boss is still working in the office with the cleaner, so he's got someone cleaning up as he works, but he won't allow his staff to also work in a safe and clean environment.

[-] buddascrayon@lemmy.world 1 points 22 hours ago

Yeah that's a terrible boss. There are a shit ton of those. And the fact that they're arranging his work at home the way he would work in an office is just ridiculous. The idea that you have a "lunch break" at home is just stupid. You should be able to do the work as it's needed not clock-in clock-out style like they're in an office.

[-] HowManyNimons@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Gonna blow some fucking minds here: There are dishwashers in offices! And all sorts of other bits and pieces like coffee makers to futz around with. Got to be seen to be doing your share! Make a pot of coffee! Unload the dishwasher!

Honestly I am sure I waste just as much time or more when I'm in the office. And I'm interrupted more often so I'm less productive generally.

[-] WoahWoah@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

It also comes from the fact that many jobs, and many more historically, are/were, in fact, paying you for your time. If you're fortunate enough to work in a job that doesn't care how much of your time is "company time," and you can work 5 hours a week to get everything expected of you done, that's great, but I would be quiet about it.

Any manager I've met would likely make a decision to give you 8x the amount expected of you each week, if that's your situation. That would indicate to me that we can find find someone less skilled that will take longer to complete objectives but we can pay significantly less, or we're not getting as much out of you as we're paying for.

Most people don't have the luxury you're describing, so I would hold on to that job situation!

[-] naught101@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

The backlog at my old job was a solid couple of years long. Probably a decade if you included all the non-critical stuff

[-] buddascrayon@lemmy.world 1 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

If you're fortunate enough to work in a job that doesn't care how much of your time is "company time," and you can work 5 hours a week to get everything expected of you done, that's great, but I would be quiet about it.

Ok, first there are no jobs like this. Or, to be more precise, there are jobs like this but they are few and far between and are always in offices where you can make it look like it's taking a lot of time to get your work done while basically goofing off. And generally speaking they're hourly paid.

Salaried jobs, on the other hand, have a pretty rigorous work load. They don't hire people for a salary position without knowing how much work it takes to get the job done. So whether you are sitting in an office or sitting at your desk at home, the same amount of actual work is required. The only difference is that you don't waste hours getting dressed up and commuting to your job. This is why work from home arrangements tend to be far more efficient for both the worker and the company.

The reason these CEOs and managers are trying to force everyone back into offices is to justify their own egos and jobs. There is literally a ton of evidence that work from home jobs are way more productive than work from office jobs. But these egotistical douchebags don't care. They need to see people slaving away at a desk and to be seen walking through their expensive office buildings in order to feel like they are worthwhile.

[-] WoahWoah@lemmy.world 1 points 21 hours ago

I think your argument overlooks some important factors. First, it might not be the case you're maximizing productivity for the company when, by your own admission, you're regularly taking longer lunches and ending work early. Research shows that while remote work can increase productivity by 10-20% for some people, other research shows a decline in productivity. Additionally a recent study from Harvard indicated the productivity increase is less about daily productivity but rather that there are less sick days being taken because they can WFH and turnover decreases because people don't want to leave for a better job (or get fired for taking sick days while WFH) without WFH benefits, which can also stagnate wages. And your stated dramatic threefold increase in efficiency seems extremely unlikely.

The idea that you can complete all your work in less hours a week I believe, but not without any trade-offs. Studies show that remote workers are often more productive due to fewer distractions and no commute, but employers expect that time saved to translate into higher output, not shorter workdays. If a manager noticed you had that extra time, I'm just saying they’d likely give you more tasks to fill your work hours more effectively.

So, while remote work might make you more efficient, your argument that productivity offsets a reduction in work hours might not hold up if you get an asshole manager or project director that has good surveillance of your workflow. A manager would see the underused time and adjust your workload accordingly to maximize your productivity, so I'm just saying you might not want to make it obvious to any superiors that they can extract more labor from you. Though, I think that's generally good advice for any job! Protect your time.

[-] buddascrayon@lemmy.world 1 points 9 hours ago

if you get an asshole manager or project director that has good surveillance of your workflow. A manager would see the underused time and adjust your workload accordingly to maximize your productivity

There is no accounting for shitty bosses. And this happens in the office as well.

I also don't see why you seem to be arguing against work from home. Most people who do work from home are pretty happy with it, the only ones who tend to not be happy with it are corporate execs. And I've already stated why I think they don't like it.

And my main point remains the same. The problem is that corporations and companies think they own your time. That is the problem. They are paying you for work they need done, your time is your own. Or at least it should be.

Honestly, what pretty much all office workers truly need is a union. They all need to unionize and develop contracts with these companies that outline exactly what they can ask of them and what they get in return.

[-] WoahWoah@lemmy.world 1 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

I agree with your last point, and while I'm not against working from home—in fact, I think it's fantastic for employees—I don't believe it's equally great for businesses. The shift to remote work has really highlighted just how much of the work people do is, in Graeber's words, "bullshit." As David Graeber aptly said, "It's as if someone were out there making up pointless jobs just for the sake of keeping us all working."

This realization is a bit uncomfortable for many companies because it suggests that a significant part of their operations might not be as crucial as they thought. Instead of streamlining and rethinking these roles, they're currently expanding managerial surveillance. Companies are now using intrusive monitoring tools that track every keystroke, mouse movement, and even how long you're inactive. Eventually that could reasonably lead to efficiency firings and that "comfort buffer" that WFH has created will be replaced with additional tasks and expectations.

This heightened surveillance turns the promise of flexibility and freedom that WFH initially offered into a kind of digital panopticon, where employees feel like they're constantly being watched. It raises concerns that we might be heading toward a hyper-Fordist nightmare—a future where the efficiency being chased at the expense of worker well-being is given new and more powerful tools, and the lines between work and personal life become hopelessly blurred.

It also seems like an obvious answer is to dramatically decrease salaried employees who take long lunches and quit work early because they've "completed their tasks," to task-dependent contracts with assumption (but no guarantee) of renewal. It sounds like you're in the sweet spot between the previous reality of work and the possible future reality, and I'm just saying you should ride and extend that situation as long as you can.

The early excitement about working from home could unintentionally lead to significant downsides for employees. Invasive monitoring can ramp up stress, erode privacy, and make people feel dehumanized. Plus, the loss of trust between employers and employees can hurt morale and actually decrease productivity over time. It seems important to address these issues now to prevent remote work from becoming a tool for unprecedented employee exploitation, which is why I think of all your commentary so far, your last paragraph here is probably the most agreeable and important.

[-] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Me as a programmer

  • Exhausted working on something realizing I'm no longer being productive and stuck on a problem.
  • Decide to take a break and go empty the dishwasher
  • Comes back more refreshed and almost immediately solve the problem.

Edit: Side note - companies I worked at that had dishwashers also expected employees to take turns emptying it / loading dishes others didn't put in it.

[-] aesthelete@lemmy.world 27 points 1 day ago

Do office workers actually work? No, but they make coffee, collaborate, and network.

[-] AstridWipenaugh@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

Collaboration is actually useful. The phrase you're looking for is synergizing the cross-functional modalities.

[-] aesthelete@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

Alright stop, collaborate and listen

[-] grudan@programming.dev 8 points 1 day ago

While experiencing overwhelming anxiety that their boss is going to come around the corner and chew them out for not working.

[-] Dasus@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

Don't forget smoking.

Offices still have smokers, right? The nearly retired old lady who smokes two packs a day and is way too familiar with the young men?

I've not worked in an office in like a decade, so I don't know.

[-] TheLoneMinon@lemm.ee 5 points 1 day ago

Yeah she's still there and her name is Pam. Really interesting lady when you get her talking.

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[-] Mediocre_Bard@lemmy.world 34 points 1 day ago

Fuck this corporate propaganda.

Work from home and be happy.

[-] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 32 points 1 day ago

Businesses during covid: we are seeing an all time high in productivity from our workers due to them working from home, this is amazing!

Businesses after covid: these people working from home are nothing but lazy leeches who probably arent even doing their job and are robbing us of our money, despite all our previous statements to the contrary and verifiable statistics counter to this narrative we're now pushing!

[-] skyspydude1@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

despite all our previous statements to the contrary and verifiable statistics counter to this narrative

This was by far the most frustrating part of the RTO push at my old company. The unofficial motto I was always told was "Show me the data", as it was basically impossible to push for any sort of decision without solid data to back it up, even if everyone in the group thought it was a good idea.

When RTO was announced and the big all people town hall was held, multiple group heads stood up and asked the execs why they were doing this, and what data they had to back it up. Literally, and I quote from one of the execs, "Well, we don't really have any, but we feel that people will be more productive, will be sharing more ideas and innovating when in the office."

Yes, the executive at a multi-billion dollar automotive company literally said with a straight face to thousands of engineers who'd been working almost entirely from home for the past 3 years "This decision is based on feels, not reality". Even better was since there was already an initial non-mandatory RTO push, some absolute chads even interrupted them to pull up hard data showing they had been tracking productivity since the RTO push, and their group members were significantly less productive on days they were in-office. Not only that, but they also showed there literally wasn't the office space to fit everyone. The exec just hand waved it away and said "I'm sure we have plenty of desks for everyone".

It's absolutely infuriating seeing these people getting paid millions, if not billions, to suck so hard at basically everything.

[-] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 3 points 1 day ago

I worked at a different company that was big on "data driven decisions". They had tshirts made that literally said something like"data > feelings"

Before the pandemic, someone mentioned that studies were showing 4 day work weeks were effective and made people happier. The CEO just said "Yeah we're not doing that." Didn't read the article or the study. Just nah.

After the pandemic, they were making people go back into the office. Same energy.

So what I'm saying is management and leadership are often just gutfeel idiots. Expensive babies.

[-] TheKracken@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

It was never about RTO or Productivity. It was all about getting people to quit to reduce the bottom line. Otherwise they would have had layoffs and would have looked bad and cost more money in severance. It's all just trying to save money.

[-] JovialMicrobial@lemm.ee 15 points 1 day ago

If they're mad about people shopping while working from home I have bad news.

People shop from their phones while working at the job site too. I see several of my coworkers doing this frequently. Shit, I've done it.

Sure, we can't shower on site unless you're a firefighter or something, or have a gym at workplace, but still.

Employers need to reign in their power hungry bullshit. You don't own your employees, and if the work is getting done on time, you have nothing to complain about.

[-] volvoxvsmarla@lemm.ee 7 points 1 day ago

I once worked with a colleague within an academic setting for a EU wide project. We were understaffed. She constantly complained about how she works extra hours at home and on weekends. Well, my problem was she wouldn't let me work at work because she used at least 5 hours of the day to trash talk colleagues behind their back (including me when I was on sick leave or, probably, out to pee). Damn I wonder why she had to work that much after working hours.

[-] BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

I have a day job and a night job, and I do surveys for money between work tasks and read books on my phone. My night job I can pretty much do one handed while doing whatever on my phone. I don't care at all.

[-] thesporkeffect@lemmy.world 2 points 23 hours ago

Quit hoarding all the jobs, you!!

[-] BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.world 2 points 23 hours ago

Sadly I am too old for Only fans.

[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 1 points 21 hours ago

Do people who work in the office not shower? 🤔

[-] Socket462@feddit.it 10 points 1 day ago

I work from home since 2012, so almost 12 years. The small company where I work started allowing remote working with me, and then many colleagues followed. Now we are 100% remote with one day a week in office. All my workmates and I know very well that we are far more productive when at home compared to when we are in office. My commit history also confirm this. I will never take in consideration another developer position if not allowed at least 80% of remote working.

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[-] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago

I'll absolutely turn off the camera and do laundry or make lunch during a Teams meeting. I'm still on the audio and participate. I'm just able to be productive at work AND at home simultaneously.

[-] KinglyWeevil@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 day ago

Right? Shocker, I'm able to listen to a thing actively and vocally contribute while doing something mindless like doing/folding laundry or making food because they use different parts of my brain.

The meat mech is capable of doing something physical with no thought, while engaging language processing for something else.

[-] RBWells@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

This was my experience as well but I found it a drag. My family loved me working from home, because I did more of the housework, great dinners on time, basically I did more so then they did less. Wildly productive overall, yes. Work took longer for me, less condensed, probably better work product that way, so sure everyone was getting better work from me but it was unbalanced. Husband and kids did less.

I don't have a commute really, 20 minute walk or 4 minute drive, which I know is unusual, but I do like working in the office and leaving my laptop there better. Work stays at work. It's not a strong preference, would do either but life more balanced for me with the office job.

[-] TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

If people realized just how much overpaid goof off was going on in the business positions between Director of Whatever and CEO and Company President most workers would rip their bosses asunder and wear their heads as hats.

[-] exanime@lemmy.world 123 points 2 days ago

Gotta love how the articles frames it. While at work people "kill time" with tik tok but at home they "goof off" folding laundry

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[-] renrenPDX@lemmy.world 33 points 2 days ago

This article can be applied the same way to Office workers. No they’re not working 100% of the time. What’s a problem is if they’re exceedingly unavailable or underperforming at their job and affecting others.

[-] Kichae@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 day ago

Shit, my desk used to be next to the kitchen. I made lunch and ran/emptied the dishwasher at the office and the bosses didn't whinge about how I spent my time. I also did a bunch of my ideation on the office couch.

But do the same things in my home and it's a problem? That tells me what the real issue is: the threat of agency.

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[-] kat_angstrom@lemmy.world 97 points 2 days ago

And in the office there are people who literally hang out at the coffee machine for 30-60 minutes at a time, talking to everyone who comes by under the guise of "networking".

The media gotta stop reporting on the laundry like it's the equivalent of stealing from the company.

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[-] superkret@feddit.org 180 points 2 days ago

A good boss doesn't give a shit about whether the workers do other things during work time, as long as the work is done satisfactorily.

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[-] undergroundoverground@lemmy.world 69 points 2 days ago

You think that's bad, wait until you hear about the shareholders and landlords.

They dont even have to pretend to work to get paid.

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[-] bamfic@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

I take much shorter lunch breaks, but longer naps. Much more comfortable on my couch than in my car like I used to have to do.

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[-] AlecSadler@sh.itjust.works 46 points 2 days ago

When I used to work in office:

  • Wake up at 7am, get ready to go and take a 1 hour commute in, usually there by 9:00
  • Try to find parking, walk to office, morning break room coffee and chatter, usually settle in around 9:30
  • Get interrupted multiple times by desk drive bys
  • Take 2 hour lunch around noon with multiple coworkers because why not
  • Get interrupted multiple times by desk drive bys
  • Leave at 4 to try and avoid some traffic

Now that I work from home:

  • Wake up and hop online to work, usually settle in by 7:30am
  • No desk drive by interruptions
  • Eat at my desk during meetings or while simultaneously working
  • Sometimes start laundry or something during the day, but who cares?
  • Usually work later than 5
[-] Crackhappy@lemmy.world 37 points 2 days ago

Every time I get asked about going back into an office my response is "Why would you want me to be far less productive?"

[-] KinglyWeevil@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 day ago

So that we feel vindicated in actually owning your productive time. So that management can show they add value by watching you work.

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[-] SlopppyEngineer@lemmy.world 128 points 2 days ago

The first hour in the office was spent staring at the screen wiggling the mouse from time to time when the screen saver came on because too tired from commuting every day. But, it was at the office so it was productive staring I guess.

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this post was submitted on 20 Sep 2024
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