

Working from Home Part 2: Now about how it doesn't suck - shimon
http://geeksinboston.com/2009/02/04/working-from-home-part-2-why-its-great/?

======
whyleyc
I can definitely relate to the time aspect mentioned here. I find that for
very complex design or architecture issues it can sometimes take an hour just
to "load" the problem into my memory, such that I can then start thinking
around creative solutions to it. I just couldn't do that in the typical open
plan office.

~~~
alabut
This is absolutely true for me as well - since working from home in Nov, I've
noticed the _quality_ of my work has gone up even more than the quantity
because I can concentrate on just the output rather than being self-conscious
about looking like I'm working during the runup to the output.

As a designer, for example, I've hit stumbling blocks with certain layouts and
now that I think about how I've often solved the problem, I'd probably get
tossed to the curb as a weirdo from even the trendiest of open plan offices -
I'll list all the UI elements on a sheet of paper, then go lie on the couch
for an hour or so and mull them over in my head to let it marinate, maybe go
to the corner coffeeshop to read the paper to get my mind off of the gig but
with index cards and sharpies by my side in case an idea occurs. I can't
isolate when or why, but sometimes that's way more productive than just
staring at an empty screen or trolling through CSS gallery sites.

------
ilamont
I am glad that the author(s) revisited this topic, and acknowledged a few of
the benefits.

The earlier "Working from home: Why it sucks" link and discussion (including
many benefits) is here:

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=450408>

~~~
markup
Duplicate of: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=466704> ... honestly I
liked both the first article and this second one, but I don't get it why
shimon posted it twice on HN -- so I flagged this one.

~~~
ionfish
Maybe he forgot that he'd already posted it. Easy to do.

~~~
graywh
But it was yesterday--only ~15 hours earlier. Plus, he added a ? on the end to
force the system to accept the duplicate.

------
amix
We are different and a lot of "these" matters are subjective. E.g. some use
Vim while others use Emacs and some people prefer to work from home while
others prefer to work from an office. What's better is not that objective and
people should do what they feel best with.

~~~
pasbesoin
What can be very frustrating in a corporate environment is the unrelenting
"one size fits all" attitude. Your workspace. Your toolset (not just what
language to use, where I can understand a need to standardize, but what editor
and utilities and such). Your flexibility is limited to what pictures you put
on your desk.

For me, the distraction in an open space environment kills my productivity. I
don't want to be disconnected from my coworkers, but I can't take the constant
noise and immediate presence. I get along much worse in such a situation. Give
me a little separation, and I'm much more relaxed and focused in face to face
meetings, on the phone, in email and IM.

When things are like this, I do quite well. Then something will change and the
work environment will suck again. I'll tell my management exactly what has
happened and why my productivity has declined. But there is nothing they can
do. "But we all work in cubes" is one response I received.

One size fits all. If we do it for you, everyone will want it. We must treat
everyone "equally". In the name of "fairness", they force department
management to turn a blind eye to individual variances and differing needs.

At least working from home seems to provide some disconnect, in the company's
mind. The home environment is not their jurisdiction, and your performance is
measured more in terms of results rather than conformity.

One suggestion I have with regard to open space: If you insist on it for your
employees, then let them self segregate to some extent. There is always a
subset that wants a quieter work environment, but they are spread throughout
the organization. Let them colocate in a designated quiet area, akin to the
"quiet floor / quiet hall" arrangement at some colleges and universities.

I suppose this would be viewed as overly burdensome in terms of management.
Further, I've observed a continued strong drive to physically colocate team
members whenever they are at the same facility. But it would take no more
physical space, and it would make that portion of the population much happier
and more productive.

Next step, let them use decent tools. Don't force them to do finger gymnastics
because you keep them on the 5-releases-past version of some commercial editor
that has been "blessed". But now I'm just dreaming...

------
alexk
Speaking about the "concentration span" I can't but notice that sometimes it's
very easy to get lost when you are overly concentrated. That's why it is
extremely important to discuss new ideas, algorithms or implementations within
the team.

You physically reduce possible sources of distraction when working from home,
but you still need to work hard to improve your concentration skills.

That's why I think that a good office ( the one with some private and quiet
space for developer) + good discipline ( reserve some time for hanging around
and talking, be concentrated all the other time) will work way better than
working from home.

