Office Work

Sometime in the middle of 2022, I wanted to start coming into the office a couple of times in the week - for all the reasons that are usually cited for collocating with those who you work with. After a few turns, it became painfully obvious that times had changed and that most people simply did not want to do what used to be norm once. It would take days and weeks of pre-planning to make sure atleast some of the people I wanted to meet in person were infact going to there when I was. That was uphill to say the least. 

When I did meet folks who just happened to be there that day, chances were that they wanted quiet time like they have at home even while in the office. It would be rare to find anyone sitting in an open area showing any signs that they want to engage in a random conversation. Given the abundance of space relative to the number of people in the office, I would find people in small conference rooms working alone or even sitting in phone booths. It seems like we got too used to having our privacy and space during the pandemic and are loathe to give it up. Being in the office at the point is only symbolic. Maybe if you are lucky you meet a few folks physically instead of on Zoom but that does not move the needle in anyway. 

The article in Slashot aligns very closely with my own experience. There has got be a certain critical mass in any office environment for it to be able to confer the benefits of collocation and face time with your co-workers. If that is not achieved, people are like ships passing each other in the night and come a point when they make decisions like my friend E. 

When I asked him for the fifth time in the year if he planned to be in the office on the days I was planning on, instead of his usual "Sorry, I won't be in that day. Let me know next time you are around", he was more assertive "I don't plan on returning atleast until summer of 2023. Every trip to the office is two hours wasted on commute and I don't need that". E is a very sociable person and this was interesting coming from him. I am guessing he met a ghostown on the majority of his forays into the office much as I have in mine.