How’s Work?
shailynn
They never tell you what you need to know.
2 years after the start of the pandemic, or 2 years into the pandemic (depending on how you look at things) how is work now?
I know asked previously and it seems most of us still working stayed at their currents jobs and didn’t leave. I know for my supply lines they are getting better everyday (still many hiccups) and finding trucking doesn’t seem to be too much of an issue. A year ago it took a month (or two) to get something, now it takes a week or two.
It’s different all over the country, I know places like Atlanta you wouldn’t even know COVID ever existed, but somewhere like Washington DC is not near back to normal because so many people are still working from home. I had a work counterpart tell me pre-pandemic there were around 2.4 million visitors weekly into DC (workers and tourists) and its improved greatly, but still is only around 1.2 million weekly visitors since tourism isn’t back to where it was and workers aren’t coming into the city everyday greatly affecting local businesses bottom line. On the other hand, businesses in the suburbs around DC are thriving because people working from home are now visiting these businesses where previously they wouldn’t, because they’d be in the city working.
I know asked previously and it seems most of us still working stayed at their currents jobs and didn’t leave. I know for my supply lines they are getting better everyday (still many hiccups) and finding trucking doesn’t seem to be too much of an issue. A year ago it took a month (or two) to get something, now it takes a week or two.
It’s different all over the country, I know places like Atlanta you wouldn’t even know COVID ever existed, but somewhere like Washington DC is not near back to normal because so many people are still working from home. I had a work counterpart tell me pre-pandemic there were around 2.4 million visitors weekly into DC (workers and tourists) and its improved greatly, but still is only around 1.2 million weekly visitors since tourism isn’t back to where it was and workers aren’t coming into the city everyday greatly affecting local businesses bottom line. On the other hand, businesses in the suburbs around DC are thriving because people working from home are now visiting these businesses where previously they wouldn’t, because they’d be in the city working.
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37 comments
Over the past two years, we’ve gotten much more efficient working from home. Now it’s a challenge telling folks they need to come in to do all the stuff they have been doing from home.
I think over a longer period, more folks will develop a hybrid schedule and find it useful to be in 2-3 days a week - and then home the other days. The traffic isn’t bad at all, so I’m not complaining.
I think the large corporations will need to decide how much space they need going forward - and then maybe the office footprints will decrease?
Our suppliers have hit us with the first price increase of the year and tell us to expect 3-4 more. All of them saying this
Personally, I’m burned out and discovered I have a lot more leverage than I thought. Trying to figure out if I should remain where I am or go on my own. My employers are willing to bend over backwards to retain me, but I’ll never get a house next to the boss by working for him
Cacaplop's "recession proof business" is sucking cock behind the bleachers during fifth period. High school boys always ready to grab a nut.
Thanks
SJG
X- Live At The Whisky A Go Go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LInxU2dW…
The real issue is that our economic system is broken. Advancing industrial and information technology means a less and less inclusive economy.
Biden is doing well, but we need more radical things, going beyond what he tried to pass in Build Back Better.
Problem is that with Right Wing Media and our history of racism and a virulent Right, the electorate is not ready yet for more progressive solutions. Biden has a very hard job.
SJG
X- Live At The Whisky A Go Go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LInxU2dW…
Ironically, I will soon be going back to work with some old cohorts, probably between 10 and 20 hours a week. I've had the itch to do more naval architecture work, and the money is just too good to pass up. All work will be from home.
Price increases are coming every 3 months. Several vendors have already indicated they are no longer taking new orders until 2023 at the earliest.
Among my suppliers, they have finally recognized that single sourcing (particularly from China, but also from India or Eastern Europe) was a mistake. They have geared up for dual sourcing and some production is coming back to the US. But that’s going to take time. 18-24 month lead times for machine tools. And then, will there be enough labor in the US to support the extra capacity? There are still rough times agreed in the industrial sector
I agree with being burnt out too. Worked 6 days a week all of 2020 and still haven’t recovered.
This is allowing the company to greatly downsize the amount of office space they have. For instance, in Columbus we used to have offices in 5 buildings with 2 of those occupying the full 3 story buildings. Now we are only going to have 1 floor of one building for our offices even though we currently have almost 100 more employees in the area than we did in 2019.
I've thought about applying for jobs where I can make more money. It's always nice to have more money for things like strip clubs. I might not be able to telework full time on those, though. Also, I only really work about five hours a day on my current job and my bosses all like me. They think I'm a dependable and competent worker who doesn't cause any trouble. Government workers tend to be less competent and cause more trouble than their private sector equivalents, so it is easy to be a better than average employee in the government.
"... [Jerome] Powell said the Fed would maintain its commitment to keep inflation near 2% — a level he suggested could be reached within the next three years as the central bank tightens monetary policy ..."
https://nypost.com/2022/03/21/powell-adm…
So we've gone from "inflation is temporary" to if it all goes well we'll get back to previous levels in 3 years - and some analysts are saying that is being bullish - we need to get ready for a new normal that will be around a good while and hopefully not permanent.
What happens to the price of debt when interest rates go down, dummy? You might learn some finance when you get to 11th-grade math.
I was FT remote prior to the pandemic. My team is across the pond, so what do they care if I'm in the office or not. This exposed face time for the outdated notion that it is. Commute? Fifteen seconds, a minute if I make a jaunt to the kitchen.
My products are needed whether or not there's a pandemic. And there are exciting new pharmaceuticals as long as the NIH grant and venture capital money flow.
In short, I've been very lucky. I've tipped my house cleaners, waiters at my local hangouts, etc extra throughout the pandemic.
I enjoy and believe in what I do, bringing innovative drugs to patients. I also have time to do things I enjoy outside of work.
I'll take purpose over leisure.
It's great to be in my position.
On a broader note, I do a lot of business in NYC and I'm thoroughly convinced that the city will never return to its pre-pandemic glory. Some businesses are NOT requiring workers to come back in at all and many of those that are returning to in-person are using a hybrid model, only requiring workers to come in 2 days per week. Office availability is now at 17.4% in Manhattan, which is a record high. But the worst is yet to come. Many of the companies occupying existing offices are on 5 to 10 year leases, so it will only get worse as time rolls on and those leases expire - basically a multi-year death by a thousand cuts.
While I love being able to work from anyplace with an Internet connection, I fear that many of our largest cities will never fully recover, especially those heavily reliant upon finance and tech workers.
Don't concern yourself with the lives of your superiors.