Remote Working News and Discussions

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[Yuli Ban]

[caltrek]

If You Need Help at Work, Ditch Email, Text and Ask in Person
December 20, 2021

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/938555

Introduction:

(EurekAlert) ITHACA, N.Y. – According to new Cornell University research, asking in person for help maximizes one’s chance of getting a “yes.” If you must ask from a distance, though, choose video or a phone call, rather than email or a text, the researchers found.

Those takeaways are detailed in “Should I Ask Over Zoom, Phone or In-Person? Communication Channel and Predicted vs. Actual Compliance,” published in Social Psychological and Personality Science. The article was co-authored by Vanessa Bohns, associate professor in Cornell’s Industrial and Labor Relations School, and M. Mahdi Roghanizad, assistant professor at Ryerson University.

“If you really need a ‘yes,’ it’s best to ask in person,” Bohns said.

The researchers conducted experiments with 490 people and 1,490 respondents to their requests for help proofreading a half-page of text.

In one exercise, help-seekers asked five friends over varied channels to see which ones elicited the most compliance with requests. Those findings were compared with what help-seekers predicted would be the most effective channels.

[wjfox]

Shifting conferences online cuts carbon footprint by 94%

29th December 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic – unexpectedly – has shown humanity a new way to reduce climate change: scrap in-person meetings and conventions.

Moving a professional conference completely online reduces its carbon footprint by as much as 94%, while shifting it to a hybrid model, with no more than half of conventioneers online, curtails the footprint to 67%, according to a new Cornell University-led study in Nature Communication.

The annual carbon footprint for the global event and convention industry is on par with the yearly greenhouse gas emissions of the entire U.S., according to the new paper.

"We all go to conferences. We fly, we drive, we check in to a hotel, give a talk, meet people; and we're done," said senior author Fengqi You, Professor in Energy Systems Engineering at Cornell University. "But we looked at this problem comprehensively – and behind the scenes, conventions generate a lot of carbon, consume a lot of energy, print a lot of paper, offer a lot of food; not to mention create municipal solid waste. Yet, video conferencing also requires energy and equipment use. Conference planning means a lot to consider."

By studying the amount of carbon needed, adding regional conference hubs at the right locations and boosting virtual participation levels, carbon-reduction benefits can be achieved, according to You. "But environmental benefits become less prominent as the number of regional hubs increases," he said.

In 2017, more than 1.5 billion participants from 180 countries travelled to attend conferences in person, according to the paper. The number of regular, international convention events – of more than 50 people – doubles every 10 years, and the convention industry's market size is expected to grow at a rate of 11.2% over the next decade.

Read more: https://www.futuretimeline.net/blog/202 ... meline.htm



Photo 181678988 / Online Conference © Mongkol Chuewong | Dreamstime.com

[caltrek]

Not Everybody Hates Looking at Themselves on Zoom
January 3, 2021

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/938908

Introduction:

(EurekAlert) PULLMAN, Wash. – Zoom fatigue may be a real condition, but for some people, the “constant mirror” effect of seeing their own faces didn’t appear to make virtual meetings more unpleasant, a Washington State University study has found.

The study surveyed two groups who attended regular virtual meetings as a result of the pandemic: employees and college students. The participants’ attitudes toward the self-view feature depended on an individual trait—public self-consciousness. Those low in this trait tended to have more positive attitudes toward their virtual meetings the more often their own faces were visible to them.

“Most people believe that seeing yourself during virtual meetings contributes to making the overall experience worse, but that's not what showed up in my data,” said Kristine Kuhn, associate professor in WSU’s Carson College of Business and author of the study published in Computers in Human Behavior. “It depended on the individual.”

In the summer and fall of 2020, near the start of the pandemic, Kuhn surveyed two sets of people: more than 80 employees from different parts of the U.S. who had been shifted to remote work and about 350 business college students whose classes had been moved online. All the participants answered a variety of questions about the nature of their work or class meetings and their feelings toward them. They also completed an assessment of their public self-consciousness.

For both groups, the study revealed there was not a simple correlation between how often people saw their own faces during their virtual meetings and their overall attitude toward them. Rather, for highly self-conscious people, more frequent self-view was associated with worse attitudes, and the opposite was true for those low in self-consciousness.

[Yuli Ban]

[caltrek]

The Verge Guide to Working from Home


https://www.theverge.com/22870253/work- ... lack-video

Introduction:

(The Verge) Working from home is normal now. For some of us, it has become a permanent change.

Thankfully, in these days of videoconferencing, texting, and file-sharing, it has been possible for many of us to move to home desks and offices and thrive that way. It helps that remote working was already a part of many people’s lives before COVID-19 appeared. But that doesn’t mean it’s been easy. It’s been an adjustment for many of us here at The Verge, too.

Now we’re taking the tech expertise of our staff, and the experience of our writers and editors, to put together our best tips and advice on working from home. For example, we give advice on looking for the best monitor, choosing a business-level file-sharing service, and buying a printer. (Yes, you might actually want a printer again!)

Videoconferencing has become the best way to have face-to-face meetings, but what are the best conferencing apps? How do you keep your Zoom meetings private? And how can you look your best while on camera? We’ll tell you.

We also look at ways you can make your home a more pleasant place to work, and share some of the devices our staffers are using to make remote working better.

[wjfox]

Exclusive: Most commercial landlords are struggling to find tenants for their office buildings

Sunday 16 January 2022 7:38 am

More than three fifths of the UK’s commercial landlords are struggling to attract tenants to traditional offices as businesses’ workspace demands have changed rapidly during the pandemic, according to new research that was exclusively shared with City A.M. today.

In fact, more than six in ten commercial landlords are currently struggling to attract prospective tenants to fill their traditional office spaces.

Almost two thirds (64 per cent) reported having seen a “notable shift” in tenants’ demands during the pandemic, including terms and use of space, flexible workspace provider infinitSpace has found.

[...]

“What businesses want and need from their office has been steadily evolving over the past decade, but the pandemic has kicked the pace of change into overdrive,” said Wybo Wijnbergen, CEO of infinitSpace.

“As hybrid working becomes commonplace and businesses look for more collaborative and engaging workspaces, many landlords are struggling to attract tenants if they don’t have flexible offerings,” he added.

https://www.cityam.com/exclusive-most-c ... buildings/

[wjfox]

Work from home rules axed in England as Plan B Covid restrictions are scrapped

Updated 13:17, 19 Jan 2022

Work from home guidance has been scrapped by Prime Minister Boris Johnson amidst a raft of announcements as England’s Covid Plan B is thrown out.

This comes as Johnson confirmed that Plan B restrictions will be torn up from next week as it appears the Omicron wave has peaked.

Only work from home guidance and Covid passports for larger venues will last until January 26, when the rules expire by law.

Masks are no longer required in shops and public transport, and students in schools can take masks off from tomorrow in class.

The announcement marks a return to 'Plan A' but Johnson did tell the public to "think about" wearing a mask when still around new people in crowded settings.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ ... d-25988771

[Ken_J]

Exclusive: Most commercial landlords are struggling to find tenants for their office buildings

Sunday 16 January 2022 7:38 am

More than three fifths of the UK’s commercial landlords are struggling to attract tenants to traditional offices as businesses’ workspace demands have changed rapidly during the pandemic, according to new research that was exclusively shared with City A.M. today.

In fact, more than six in ten commercial landlords are currently struggling to attract prospective tenants to fill their traditional office spaces.

Almost two thirds (64 per cent) reported having seen a “notable shift” in tenants’ demands during the pandemic, including terms and use of space, flexible workspace provider infinitSpace has found.

[...]

“What businesses want and need from their office has been steadily evolving over the past decade, but the pandemic has kicked the pace of change into overdrive,” said Wybo Wijnbergen, CEO of infinitSpace.

“As hybrid working becomes commonplace and businesses look for more collaborative and engaging workspaces, many landlords are struggling to attract tenants if they don’t have flexible offerings,” he added.

https://www.cityam.com/exclusive-most-c ... buildings/

if this were the US I'd say they should start renting offices out to people needing a place to live.

[caltrek]

Surviving Remotely – What Impact Did Remote Work Have on Employee Psyche?
March 21, 2022

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/947146

Introduction:

(EurekAlert) On March 11, 2020, when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, life changed dramatically for most Americans. While much of the world was already feeling the impact of the virus by that point, the declaration was when the virus “hit home” for Americans. Sports leagues shut down. Public schools closed. And many white-collar workers were forced to turn kitchen tables, spare bedrooms, or garages into “temporary” office space.

What impact did the massive and abrupt move to remote work have on the employee psyche? William Becker, associate professor of management in the Pamplin College of Business, attempts to answer this and related questions in his recently published research, “Surviving remotely: How job control and loneliness during a forced shift to remote work impacted employee work behaviors and well-being.”

Becker’s paper investigates the impact of job control — or a person’s ability to influence what happens in the work environment — and work-related loneliness on employee work behaviors and well-being during the massive and abrupt move to remote work amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In the paper, Becker draws upon job-demands control and social baseline theory to link employee-perceived job control and work-related loneliness to emotional exhaustion and work-life balance. He then posits direct and indirect effects on employee deviant work behaviors, depression, and insomnia.

“Our findings reinforce that greater perceptions of job control are generally beneficial for employee well-being and productivity,” explained Becker. “However, not all employees perceived high job control during the forced change to remote work, which could be due either to the fact that the change was forced by the COVID-19 pandemic or to the way organizations handled this shift, or both.”

As the country approaches the second anniversary of the pandemic, many of the changes brought about by COVID-19 have become permanent fixtures in our day-to-day lives, including remote work. Because of this, organizations and human resource professionals will need to adapt to the new dynamics of work.

[Yuli Ban]

[wjfox]

Working 9-5 doesn’t mean being chained to a desk. Someone tell Jacob Rees-Mogg

Mon 25 Apr 2022 15.32 BST

The joke must have seemed merry at the time. The “minister for Brexit opportunities” leaves a calling card on his absent officials’ desks saying: “Sorry you were out when I visited. I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon.” He also suggests in a Mail on Sunday article that they might like to stick to what he called “the shires” and forgo their London weighting allowance.

The mind reels at the replies Jacob Rees-Mogg may receive. They could include: “Have been up all night trying to think of opportunities for the 98 British scientists told to relocate to the EU if they want any research money.” Or perhaps: “Have been at home trying to think of opportunities for British farmers we have refused to protect from EU imports for a fourth time.” Or perhaps even: “I just can’t face another opportunities meeting in Whitehall.”

Rees-Mogg’s Brexit has been largely responsible for 91,000 extra officials being appointed since 2015-16, of whom about 25,000 are attributable to Brexit. Lockdown and Brexit may have sent civil service productivity plummeting, but that is the fault of ministers, not officials. For two years, Rees-Mogg and his boss have been ordering workers to stay at home, causing many upheavals in their working lives as they have juggled work with other responsibilities, such as home schooling. Not all officials are like butlers, at the disposal of Rees-Mogg’s click of the fingers.

It is clear that the idea of office work as the “white-collar” equivalent of clock-watching factory work is dead. The pandemic and the digital revolution have shattered the relationship between labour and location. After a post-lockdown surge, data is now showing the “return to work” has plateaued. Tube travel into central London midweek has steadied at between 60% and 67% of pre-Covid levels, with a significant rise only on Thursdays, much favoured by the “three-day hybrids”. Law and finance firms are reporting offices at between 30 and 60% of capacity. Retail footfall has stabilised at 80% of pre-Covid numbers. The property consultants Remit estimated in February that clerical occupancy was as low as just 25%, far below pre-pandemic levels. This may change over time, but something drastic has happened and is unlikely to be reversed.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... l-servants

[wjfox]

The comments section is an absolute dumpster fire.

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Apple employees demand more flexibility after returning to office

Allison McDaniel
- Apr. 29th 2022 1:24 pm PT

Earlier this month, Apple had employees return to work at the corporate office in a hybrid format. The process has been gradual. They’re currently in the office one day per week, but according to company policy, by May 23 employees will need to be in office at least three days per week.

However, some employees have not warmed up to the idea of returning to the office. Organizing under a new group called “Apple Together,” these individuals are advocating for employees’ well-being and rights. In a letter addressed to company leadership on Apple Together’s website Friday, these employees push leadership for increased flexibility.

https://9to5mac.com/2022/04/29/apple-em ... exibility/

[R8Z]

The comments section is an absolute dumpster fire.

I agree. These are the people that wouldn't be able to adapt in an automated society. They also represent the ones that follow the motto "if I suffer you must suffer too".

[wjfox]

Half of UK employees ‘threaten to quit’ if they aren’t offered flexible working

Monday 2 May 2022

How would you react if you were suddenly told you had to go back to the office full-time?

If you were in the privileged position of being able to work from home during the pandemic, you might have got used to the flexibility of managing your hours and the increased freedoms of not having to commute.

Now, many bosses want people back in the office – but it looks like they could have a fight on their hands.

New research has revealed that almost half of UK office workers (47%) are ready to walk away from their current job and look for new opportunities if flexibility is not provided by their employer, rising to 60% in workers aged 25-34.

However, almost half of UK businesses (48%) are insisting that their employees return to the workplace, at least on a part-time basis.

https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/02/half-of- ... -16569231/

[wjfox]

Return to office work: Apple’s machine learning director resigns

May 08 2022

After just over three years, GAN inventor Ian Goodfellow is leaving Apple because he finds the three-day mandatory attendance at Apple Park too strict.

After more than two years in the home office, Apple is slowly asking its employees to return to the office. Since April, employees should spend at least one day a week in the office, since the beginning of May it has been two days, and from the end of May it will be three days.

This had already led to protests from some Apple employees, but so far they have not been able to change Apple CEO Tim Cook’s mind. Due to Apple’s home office policy, Ian Goodfellow, a well-known AI researcher, is now leaving Apple Park.

According to The Verge reporter Zoë Schiffer, Goodfellow is leaving Apple because of the company’s back-to-office policy. The Reporter quotes an internal email from Goodfellow: “I strongly believe that more flexibility would have been the best strategy for my team,” the AI researcher writes.

In his mid-30s, Goodfellow is considered the inventor of GA networks, the technology behind deepfakes and numerous AI models for synthetically generated media or features such as AI-assisted upscaling.

https://mixed-news.com/en/return-to-off ... r-resigns/

[raklian]

Return to office work: Apple’s machine learning director resigns

This should be seen as a warning sign to companies something similar will happen should they implement return to office policies.

I predict there will be a boom of remote working startups consisting of former employees who had to quit their former jobs because of this policy.

[wjfox]

[wjfox]