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Most people who can work from home are forced into the office by presenteeism. They want to work from home regularly, their team all want to, the team leader won't let them, because their boss likes to see people in the office, heads down and working. Now my employer isn't so bad, I can work from home but even they think they need to order us in far too frequently, and its got worse, they now think its good for us! 
The media is complicit. They love stories about how people are unhappy and having mental health issues. They quote texts and tweets from the self-important people who love being on TV or radio (so a self-selecting group) saying how much they miss the other people in the office. This reinforces the popular narrative discussed in board rooms worldwide: We have a duty of care to our staff ---> their mental health is suffering at home ---> bringing them in is good for them.... and its good for our culture, we are one big family after all. (the last one makes me laugh  )
I am sure others are pointing out many of the reasons why working from home is a good thing: no commute; availability for accepting deliveries at home; more comfort; and, most of all, less exposure to disease (which given context is pretty important but when was the last time you had a cold and what was it like two years ago?). So in terms of mental health there is generally much less stress, I am a whole lot happier, I chat with my colleagues frequently on teams (in our case). Very rarely I do get frustrated but its hardly ever, but with hot desks in the office if I need to go in I can.
I'd say a few days in the office per month would be a good idea but more than that is just pointless. In fact it is a step forward for society. The problem for this is the media is spinning it that we are all fed up with working from home 
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Eek Ten Bears wrote: The problem for this is the media is spinning it that we are all fed up with working from home
My POV, it does not matter. Companies have realized how much money they can save with WFH option and when money is involved, media cannot spin it as per they like.
Last months have proved WFH can work out, employees will work and give acceptable output (probably higher). It seals off for hybrid until unless some security or compliance kind of need forces people to be in office.
Moving ahead, I see WFH part of more and more companies.
Probably, Ideal state for individuals would be to have hubs across the country and people can work from multiple cities via those hubs if presence is needed (which still seems a little long way to go as of now).
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More and more companies will be enabling employees to work from home because the pandemic made them comfortable with it, forced them to create the infrastructure for it, which they now have, and they realized they could save money.
For my part, my main client is 3,000 miles away so working from home is a must.
I don't like it. I never have. I like having a separate environment for doing work. Otherwise my work and home life tends to blend together and both suffer. A home office helps some, but it's not the same.
I would prefer to have the *option* to work from home most days, but come in when I felt like it, which for me would be quite a bit.
Real programmers use butterflies
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Eek Ten Bears wrote: They love stories about how people are unhappy and having mental health issues
So are you saying that those struggling to stay motivated, to have social contact, to get that change of scenery that getting out of their house / apartment / basement provides - especially those living alone - isn't something worthy of acknowledgement?
I get what you're saying: companies may be using this as an excuse to drag people in. However, mental health is a serious issue and has huge implications on productivity and staff retention. Sure, companies should just come straight out and say "we want staff in the building because more gets done", or "we want them here because managing remote employees is like herding cats", but I'm not sure many companies are brave enough to just come out and be honest about it
cheers
Chris Maunder
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When I started my current job, I had to relocate (lived 300 km / 200 miles from office). Thanks to WFH, I may live anywhere now. That's a great point - I think of buying a house somewhere and move there, without restrictions by commute duration. Unfortunately, there's a severe hyper-inflation in the real-estate sector ...
Oh sanctissimi Wilhelmus, Theodorus, et Fredericus!
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Bernhard Hiller wrote: Thanks to WFH, I may live anywhere now. That's a great point - I think of buying a house somewhere and move there, without restrictions by commute duration.
... as long as you're happy working as a contractor, or for a mega-corp whose accounting dept already is setup to pay employment taxes and comply with local laws everywhere. For smaller businesses adding a new state is a significant expense and time suck and generally not worth it for a single employee.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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Fortunately, there's no difference between all the German states in this regard.
Moving to a different country in the European Union might be more difficult - but it is not so uncommon. Already in the 1990ie, it was possible for German people to live in France and work in (still non-EU) Switzerland.
Oh sanctissimi Wilhelmus, Theodorus, et Fredericus!
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I've been working from home for the last 5 years. Nothing about this pandemic has changed my job or my home life. I'm one of the lucky ones.
Bond
Keep all things as simple as possible, but no simpler. -said someone, somewhere
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...and it's Remote thingy (Direct Access) that works seamlessly via VPN within our network I can work from home as easily as I can from a cube at the office. I am pleasantly surprised by this feature, very surprised actually, but it just works. The biggest issue is ComCast dropping out every now and then.
I also got a great doctor's note saying how close to death I apparently am and so I need to work from home "indefinitely". My only likely health change would be the aforementioned death so I am here in my home office effectively forever.
I like working from home, the coffee and food is better, the A/C works well - I can maintain my private stuff on my private PC right here on my right - and the commute is great!
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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Not dying would be great, too. Just a thought.
cheers
Chris Maunder
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You are dead right!
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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The link to the current survey in the Daily News goes to View.aspx instead of Vote.aspx.
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While WFH works fine most of the time, and both management and I don't think overall productivity has dropped, there are times it'd be easier if I could just walk over to a coworkers desk to shoulder surf them, or to have them come to mine to try and troubleshoot an intermittent bug that they can trigger about 1 time in 5 vs 1 in hundreds when I or any of the other devs attempt it.
But if most of the people on my team decide to 100% from home there'd be a lot less gain for me coming in once a week or so.
Equipment could also be an issue: I've brought one of my two work monitors home (my spare's better than my secondary work screen); and would need to come up with a second good monitor if splitting my time between two locations. What level of redundant equipment they'll offer for part time remote staff's TBD.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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I'm staying at home as it's better for me. No commuting outside of walking into my office, less stress, able to get things done around the house more easily (I'm right here). I don't see the need to always be in the office when we have videoconferencing, email, Slack, etc. It's not a substitute for meeting people face to face of course but that's why I would leave the option for going into the office 1-2 days at the most.
"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music."
-- Marcus Brigstocke, British Comedian
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My IT management is discussing a permanent 2 days/week in the office, although I'm happy with zero. Love my commute!
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In the beginning of December (2019) I was asked to just work from home as they needed my office space. I should have expected this when the put in a wall and door so that privacy would become possible.*
Soon after, the Director came by and wanted to know if I could be out before the new year. I told him it would take until the end of January and he was satisfied. So, bit by bit I packed and left. My Xeon moved to the server room. Actually, the only person I really worked with has been working remotely (very literally remote locations) for a couple of years. In a practical sense, nothing has changed in our logistics.
* They tricked me with respect to the wall/door because, when the put in doorknob with the lock it only could be locked form the outside, which, having not given a key, would make me a prisoner. Seeing as how that seemed possible I didn't think beyond demanding the it either be reversed or removed. They did the latter so a big round hole remained where the knob should have been. No doubt in my mind, whatsoever, that they fixed it properly once I was properly gone.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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I'm allowed to WFH on the weekend, or outside business hours. In the office otherwise. 
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working harder than I did when I was working.
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I know that feeling!
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But I do work from home often.
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I do hope that those who want to go back to the office, can.
However, companies are realizing how much money they can save by having employees work from home.
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Are they really saving money though?
Productivity is down. I don't just mean trusting the employees are working, but a make-shift home office can be restrictive and unmotivating. Then we have connection issues for those who rely on a lot of network traffic. What was once a quick question shouted across the room is now a scheduled video call. Hardware faults can no longer be fixed by the "inhouse IT guy".
Also, I expect if this was to become more permanent then companies would be required to subsidise utility bills, assuming they aren't already doing it now.
Plus, they already have the existing building which they still need to pay the same rent for. Moving to a smaller location will not be a cheap or easy process.
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musefan wrote: Productivity is down.
I don't know where you work but where I work, if you don't produce, then you have no job.
and yes, they save hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in leasing, and utility bills, among other costs, per year.
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You're quite right.
Here, when everyone started working remotely, there was an induction period and then a substantial cut in workforce. And some (but far less) new hiring. Now a few in the cut were old-timers who clearly retired but others were (you should excuse the expression!) slackers.
Meanwhile, just before all of this happened, their sublease on NYC office space was just about up and that cost was going to go up insanely high. They own a building in the suburbs and this is a great opportunity for them to cut costs many hundreds of thousands/year. They even eliminated their transit subsidy (over $2K/yr for 450 employees) since non one was going anywhere. It's available for those who have to come in. There are some few of those left.
Adverse times do offer (possibly unasked for) opportunities to try new things.
| Ravings en masse^ |
|---|
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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I have been doing both since the very beginning. Once Covid came I got some WFH days per month but I still have to do stuff presential in the office (or better said in the field).
I try to do a changing model 2+3 one week and 3+2 the next one, so I come to a full week at home and a full week in office every 2 weeks.
There are exceptions were I do 4+1 or 1+4 or even 5+0 or 0+5, but not usual.
M.D.V. 
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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