"New Normal" Work Schedules

[Popeye_Card]

I recently read that some companies are moving towards permanent 60:40 work weeks - 3 days in the office, 2 days telecommuting. An interesting compromise, where you still have set days with people in the office for in-person collaboration, with 2 days being more flexible.

Looking in the macro, there's pros and cons if such schedules are widely adapted. Pros: Less traffic congestion and transportation fuel use. Cons: there would likely be a big impact to restaurants that rely upon business lunch crowds.

Anyway, consider this a thread to discuss different work schedules than the "standard business" 5 x 8 = 40 hour work week.

[Fat_Bulldog]

It has to be the new normal for companies to be competitive in keeping good talent.

I read a Gartner report/analysis that organizations might lose up to 30% of their talent if they expect employees to go back to 5 days a week in the office. I think it's true.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

I don't understand people that want to work from home. When I do that, I feel like I'm constantly working. I want to go to work, get my [expletive] done (like post on GRB) and then go home and not worry emails, phone calls, etc etc etc until the next day. For me, the physical separation acts as a strong mental separation as well. And, when I have the computer open on the dining room table and get emails even at 7 PM, let alone at lunch, I am very tempted to take care of it right then.

I realize I'm probaly in the minority, but I despised working from home with a passion.

[Fat_Bulldog]

I love working from home. I get 2 hours of my life back everyday without the hassle of commuting and stress of dealing with people.

[mikechamp]

I don't understand people that want to work from home. When I do that, I feel like I'm constantly working. I want to go to work, get my [expletive] done (like post on GRB) and then go home and not worry emails, phone calls, etc etc etc until the next day. For me, the physical separation acts as a strong mental separation as well. And, when I have the computer open on the dining room table and get emails even at 7 PM, let alone at lunch, I am very tempted to take care of it right then.

I realize I'm probaly in the minority, but I despised working from home with a passion.

It's certainly not for everyone, but my observation has been that the separation you mention is fading in many jobs.

For instance, I always used to keep my cell number personal. Briefly had 2 phones; one for work and one for personal. Now, my personal number is an all-inclusive number. Work, personal, new business venture, contract work (that falls under the first "work" umbrella), etc.

Since I've been working from home for nearly 11 years, my advice on this is you have to be disciplined to not check e-mail or do work. The boundaries become self-imposed instead of physical, like you mention.

[Popeye_Card]

I don't understand people that want to work from home. When I do that, I feel like I'm constantly working. I want to go to work, get my [expletive] done (like post on GRB) and then go home and not worry emails, phone calls, etc etc etc until the next day. For me, the physical separation acts as a strong mental separation as well. And, when I have the computer open on the dining room table and get emails even at 7 PM, let alone at lunch, I am very tempted to take care of it right then.

I realize I'm probaly in the minority, but I despised working from home with a passion.

For me, there were certainly advantages and disadvantages to working from home. I don't have a long commute in the first place (I'm house to desk in less than 10 minutes), and I like being with my team for the camaraderie. Working at home allows me to be more flexible to help my wife throughout the day, but that also can be a distraction too. If we went to a 60:40 ratio, I'd probably like having the flexibility, but I would likely still go into the office at least 4 of the 5 days. For me, I am best with keeping a standard in-office schedule, just with greater flexibility to work from home as needs arise. That's the unspoken agreement I've come to with my boss, and what I apply with my staff.

I will say that as a manager, keeping up with telecommuting employees is much tougher. You have to make an effort to routinely check in on everyone to make sure they are keeping busy and engaged. You have to have a greater level of trust that they are getting their work done, without micromanaging them - easier to do with established employees than folks that are newer to your group. Staff meetings are fairly easy to run in a Microsoft Teams, but they don't have the same feel as having everyone in the room - people are not as willing to speak up, etc. I've always been a big fan of "water cooler talk" for my team too. Getting to know your co-workers on a personal level is critical to building trust and teamwork. That is much harder to do when everyone is telecommuting, especially for new members of the team.

Anyway, I'm a proponent of semi-rigid work schedules, with available flexibility for corporate environments. 60:40 seems like a decent compromise, as long as everyone's 3 days in the office are the same days.

[G. Keenan]

I consider myself lucky to be able to work from home for the past year, but personally I prefer going into the office. I'm a person who really requires external motivation, otherwise I'll spend too much time daydreaming, reading, and posting. The structure of an office environment is good for me. It's also just easier to have the stuff you get in an office close to hand, like filing cabinets, big office printer, supplies, etc.

Beyond that, I miss the change of scenery. I miss the energy of being downtown, being able to meet up with friends for a happy hour after work, people watching on the bus or train while I drink my coffee.

Chicago is a beautiful city. I don't really get to experience that when I never have to leave my own neighborhood, which I have done maybe 6 times in the past year. Every amenity I need is a 10 minute walk from my front door so I really can just stay in a 5-block radius and not have to go anywhere.

But the sameness of work from home gets to me. Every day is the same. It's too monotonous.

[mikechamp]

The "New Normal" might become the old normal, and the previous old normal might become new... again...

Tension over return to office mandates portends coming battle in 2025

Remote work is either on its way out or companies are vastly underestimating how attached their employees are to working in their slippers. A handful of recent workplace reports reveal the schism.

On one hand, there are the strident cries of corporate suits demanding workers return to the office at big companies like Amazon (AMZN) and Starbucks (SBUX), veiled with “brush off your résumé” threats. A recent survey by KPMG reported that roughly 8 in 10 CEOs envision a full return to the office in the next three years vs. 34% who had this prediction earlier this year. And 86% of CEOs “will reward employees who make an effort to come into the office with favorable assignments, raises, or promotions.”

On the other hand, flexible work arrangements are crucial to more than 8 in 10 workers, and more than half say they would be willing to turn down a salary increase for more autonomy over when and where they do their job, according to a recent Charles Schwab study. “The evolution of work continues to be defined by flexibility and adaptability,” Ruth Thomas, pay equity strategist at Payscale, told Yahoo Finance. “While return-to-office mandates are gaining traction in some sectors, the enduring appeal of remote work is undeniable.”

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tension- ... 55218.html

However, readers responded to the above article and voiced their opinions on what return to work will really mean/look like:

Working in an office is just about 'looking busy': Readers weigh in on the workplace battle of 2025

Nearly 3,000 of you commented on my recent column about the escalating pressure on workers to get back to the office, sharing your own workplace arrangements and how you see this struggle playing out.

The following is an edited sample of some of your comments and my take on them. Feel free to share your insights in the comments section at the end to keep the conversation going.

"About 75% of my time when I worked in an office was looking busy. That's not counting all of the pointless meetings, emails, and memos that management made me sit through and respond to so they could justify their existence. If the job doesn't require an employee to be on site then having them on site is wasteful of time and resources."

"If you are required to sit in front of a computer all day in a cube farm, there is no reason why you can't do this at home. The savings in transportation costs and hassle of mass transit are exceptional perks."

"I can sit at a desk for eight hours in an office and look productive. It's not that hard. Productivity is not location based, it is energy and engagement based."

"The prime reason CEOs want a return to work is because they rented real estate they need to keep full. The other reason is mistrust. If a CEO cannot foster a culture that can work remotely and anywhere, they are not a good CEO."

"You can't turn back the clock to the 20th century of work. I personally learn better by interacting with other people in person. But what I also learned is that when I have more freedom in my day I can be more productive in a shorter period of time and still have my own personal time. Long work travel commutes don't make sense anymore really for most people."

"Going back to the office is literally taking a pay cut. It’s really archaic and the world just moved on."

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/working- ... 53979.html

[ghostrunner]

I'm at the office about 2 days a week, and pretty short hours when I do go in. I try not to stay past 4 if I can help it. Interesting to see people complain about mass transit. If I could take a nearby bus that went all the way to my office that would take a lot of the sting out of going back full time. I don't ever want to sit in my car in rush hour traffic again.

My wife is at work 3 days a week and they just moved up from 2.

[cardinalkarp]

I’m back in the office 5 days a week with total commuting time of 10+ hours a week. It f’ing sucks.