Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

hemlockone t1_j8oqheu wrote

Reply to comment by FlimFlamMagoo728 in Federal Government’s Return To Office Delayed By Union Disputes by Super_lobbyist

That version of hybrid makes a lot of sense for random connections. Just put everyone in the same room periodically.

The problem, I see, is that it takes a ton of infrastructure. I work in contracting, and the rate difference for an onsite (hosted by the contractor) vs offsite (hosted by the customer) is huge. Some of that is IT load and similar, but a lot is just who owns the building. Keeping that up, but only getting 25% utilization is very wasteful. Perhaps multiple users per desk, but that takes some build out (is it like hotdesking, a timeshare? does everyone have a personal drawer?)

I think the other challenge will be hiring for positions that aren't suitable to do remote. Worse, ones that require the same skill-set as ones that are. Think IT that requires touching the actually hardware, mailroom, anything with sensitive data, etc. I know I won't be applying for any of those jobs anytime soon.

14

BansheeLoveTriangle t1_j8orj9u wrote

I do desk shares, and honestly I’m fucking sick of it - people are disgusting, I shouldn’t have to pick up people’s trash and wipe away their filthy every day before I sit down at a workstation

17

hemlockone t1_j8ov76i wrote

That seems not done right, then.

A hot desk is a communal space, just like a breakroom table. The space needs to be obviously built to be shared, part of the cleaners' rotation (an added cost, yes, but perhaps less the 4x desks, and the built setup matters. Design for cleaning.)

I'll say that I've worked remotely for 4 years, but I do occasionally (monthly?) use a hot desk at my HQ. They are clearly designed and treated as communal spaces, and I haven't had a problem as a result.

6

FlimFlamMagoo728 t1_j8p9pkd wrote

Yeah, it's definitely not the most ideal usage of office space but the flipside is that the flexibility of hybrid makes it easier for them to hire and retain top level talent within their specific industry

2