Open Thread: Would You Go Back?
Although we write for all types of web workers, we know that a lot of our readers have migrated to web work from a more traditional corporate environment. Corporations know it too, and the drain of knowledge workers to freer pastures is starting to get noticed. This is one of the reasons why we see things like the fabled benefits at Google, cubicles redesigned to help “recruit and retain top talent,” and the emergence of employee retention consulting as a specialized field.
The question is, does any of this matter? Once you’ve tasted the digital bedouin lifestyle, or gotten used to telecommuting, are you really enticed by chef-prepared pasta and prettier cubicles? If the rock-bottom requirement was that you had to show up physically in the office every day, what would a company have to do to hire you?
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I’m not interested in more than a five minute walk to work. If Google or Facebook or the next big thing are willing to pay me enough to live near them I would give it a try.
I recently took on a six-month full-time assignment (in a horrendously boring location) that requires me to get up at 6am everyday for the first time since high school. The position includes significant amounts of responsibility and lots (and lots) of diverse projects, which keeps my attention span. Admittedly, I am mostly here because the owner has been a mentor of mine for some time and I wanted to return some of his many favors. He wooed me with a new car, the promise of a 40-hour workweek (so I can continue pursuing my other projects), a generous salary, and flexible vacation time.
I’m only on month two and I’m ready to rip all of my hair out. Not worth it. Don’t do it — for any salary or any length of time exceeding a few weeks. The only way I’m going to make it out of this and retain my sanity/happiness is to think of how much better/faster I’ll be able to accomplish my own personal goals after this experience (or, more honestly, after these paychecks). I suppose if you need a reminder of why you quit working for “the man” in the first place, going back might make for a rude awakening.
No way, Jose. Nuh-uh. If Corporate America really wants to employ me and my ilk, Corporate America needs to revisit its dreadful office design (why no natural light? No windows that open? The locations far from public transit?), its miserly vacation and leave policies (ten paid days a year?!), and its steadfast assumption that butts-in-chairs==productive, “team player” employees.
Where do/did you guys work? I used to work in Portland, I had to get up at the crack of 9am to hop on a bus to go into work where my desk sat next to a window. That I could open. It was a government job, so the vacation and holidays were pretty plentiful as well.
I’ve worked from home most of the last decade, and 100% for the last year.
I absolutely love it. I am far more productive, better rested, and ready to go at the beginning of each day.
I can’t imagine losing those advantages. Whatever the future may hold, I’ll find a way to tackle it from here.
For me to go back? They’d have to let me work my own hours, let me have my children underfoot (particularly my 11 month old nursling) and pay me a boatload of cash in addition to it otherwise being my dream job. Honestly, even after the kids are older and in school, I can’t really see myself working for someone else. I love what I do. I love getting to work with my husband and my virtual officemates (fellow webworkers). And I particulalry love that I don’t have to choose between having my career and being a good parent.
I’m just getting set to make the jump now, so in case anyone needs his or her memory refreshed…
- meetings where only two people out of seven are paying attention
- busy work
- writing documents obviously destined for a drawer
- waking up early so you can get to work early so you can get back home early
- having to request time off
- summertime commutes on public transportation
- summertime office air conditioning
- dealing with HR departments
- corporate retreats with PowerPoint presentations about “strategy”
Had enough?
Wow. I like being around exciting, creative, funny people. I did the whole work from home thing but needed, craved, the crucible of creativity that is being around people from admin assistants to account managers to creative directors. For me it’s people that make life fun, not the size of your cubicle.
I don’t think it would happen unless it was for a lot of money. After all, my hourly rate went up substantially for the same type of work! Plus I can work in pyjamas if I want, plus fireup the laptop at night and do work, or take a day off whenever I want, or just coast for a couple days without doing billable work.
If I were to go back to the corporate life it’d need to be awfully flexible, and pay better than my last job.
I’m about 3 weeks out of the corporate grind. I’m at that point where I can’t tell why I didn’t do this years earlier.
I had asked myself this question in my second week, because I’m treating my departure from the corporate world as a trial separation. I’m not sure it’s something I’m going to be into — I’m already lonely for co-workers. Being the dad, and my wife a stay-at-home mom, I was also sure that we would get sick of each other more often (we do), and that I’d simply become a 3/4 time babysitter while still trying to put in billable hours.
So far, all of my fears have come true, but I’m working through them. The upside is that productive time is really productive time, so I don’t generally need 8 hours a day to get everything done that needs doing. A lot of the advantages mentioned above have been realized too — I love taking the kids to a doctor’s appointment, having to wait 2 hours, but not feeling guilty about missing work (okay, I don’t love the waiting 2 hours part… but you understand).