this post was submitted on 02 Nov 2023
613 points (98.7% liked)

politics

19145 readers
2808 users here now

Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!

Rules:

  1. Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.

Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.

Example:

  1. Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
  2. Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
  3. No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive. Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
  4. Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
  5. No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.

That's all the rules!

Civic Links

Register To Vote

Citizenship Resource Center

Congressional Awards Program

Federal Government Agencies

Library of Congress Legislative Resources

The White House

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

Partnered Communities:

News

World News

Business News

Political Discussion

Ask Politics

Military News

Global Politics

Moderate Politics

Progressive Politics

UK Politics

Canadian Politics

Australian Politics

New Zealand Politics

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
all 47 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] FlyingSquid 105 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Yes, but have you considered the long-term contract the company has signed with the land leasing agency and the payouts to the construction company that new building and the architecture firm that designed it? Because the company put a lot of work into all of that and you seem ungrateful. Now please ignore the smog warning, you're an essential worker, and come into the office you definitely need to be in where you will definitely be more productive. Remember, there's a pizza party on Friday for all employees. You can donate to the pizza party fund straight from your paycheck!

[–] EatYouWell 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)

That's why I'm glad the Biden administration is pushing to have business space converted into residential space.

[–] Prox 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes, but the Biden administration is also forcing federal workers back into the office sooooo...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Fuck's sake. Why can't something just be good. Why does it have to be ruined?

[–] frizop -1 points 1 year ago

So the billionaires can grift more US dollars? Ugh

[–] porksoda 3 points 1 year ago

But the pizza party doesn't start until 3pm so don't think about trying to beat traffic.

[–] jordanlund 53 points 1 year ago (2 children)

True story:

I started working from home following a heart attack and open heart surgery at the end of 2018. 2019 was one complication after another, but I was finally cleared to return to the office in 2020 - just in time to go back home for covid.

This month is 5 years WFH. I drive 1 day a week for groceries, prescriptions, and comic books.

After doing it for 3 years, I had saved enough money to buy a house. Got that sweet 3.25% interest rate too!

So, yeah, bad for commercial real estate, for me it was pretty good for residential real estate. ;)

[–] FlyingSquid 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I drive 1 day a week for groceries, prescriptions, and comic books.

I mean you have to pick up necessities.

Also, groceries and prescriptions.

[–] jordanlund 7 points 1 year ago

Well, they aren't going to buy themselves. :)

[–] Crackhappy 10 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I've been fully wfh since 2015. I do miss the social interactions but I'm much more productive at home.

[–] jordanlund 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't, but then I'm antisocial. ;)

And yeah, you do get more done when you aren't pulled into meetings that could have been emails.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And even if you do get pulled into a meeting that should be an email, you can multitask on the Zoom call

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

The best is when you multitask during a meeting and put two hours down on the ol time sheet because if I have to even listen to you then I'm working on that thing as well.

[–] FlyingSquid 7 points 1 year ago

I would love to miss the social interactions. I am out on FMLA after being obviously sick for months. Did one single person at the office other than my boss even say "get well soon?" Fuck them.

[–] _wizard 3 points 1 year ago

Same. I miss donuts in the break room.

[–] MrSilkworm 26 points 1 year ago (2 children)

WFH not only cuts emissions. It also helps the worker spend way less money that would otherwise be spent in food, gas and other. It also saves a lot of time commuting from home to work.

As long as there is a life - work balance, and there is no effect in mental health, WFH is a blessing in more than one ways

[–] assassin_aragorn 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's worth keeping in mind too for the mental health that your situation in the office may have been deceptive. My first job, I had a very close knit and friendly work group, but we only very rarely met up after work or on weekends. There were a handful of people, sure, but at the end of the day I was still lonely, and drinking to fill that hole.

I may not have made many friends while working at home, but I can at least deepen the friendships I do have with my college friends and try to chat with people casually at coffee shops. And work from coffee shops too.

[–] Smoogs 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Yeah there is something to be studied about people who yearn to return to office for bonding reasons. I think there’s some deeper issues with people who find their work is the only way to keep/make friends. Or confuse a coworker relationship as a definition of ‘friend’ when the dynamics are actually very different from an intimate friendship dynamic. Not saying that you can’t build a work relationship into a friend but it runs a high chance of not being a sustainable friendship as a family or organically formed friendship that is based on who you are as you not who you are ‘as a work colleague’ which only stretches as far as having someone’s back with a client. (It’s a service relationship that is already about someone benefiting off what you do and not about who you are underneath that)

If anything a healthy interaction benefits from more time away from work (not travelling to) to interact more with family and more organic friends.(and also why I’m always suspicious of people who do want you to travel and start micromanaging how you travel) cuz their lack of care for their own mental health is being unleashed onto others impacting their lives in a negative way.

I think this is why in therapy they ask you to define yourself they are looking for the definition of you that you’re not servicing someone else(hence is the issue with work relationships). As that has lots of problems with it on the ground level of mental health.

[–] assassin_aragorn 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah what I found is that friendships I had with people before we became coworkers felt way more like friendships than those I met first through work. The only exception was when I immediately hit it off with someone at work, and we quickly became friends more than coworkers.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

and there is no effect in mental health

I'm curious about this. Do you have any information I can dive more deeply into when it comes to WFH and mental health?

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (2 children)

awesome stuff! lets plant some beautiful nature all over these unnecessary concrete jungles and house the unhoused! Solarpunk is the future!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Praise the sun

[–] jelloeater85 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Solar punk is the future I want for the people I love. ❤️🌄🌈

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

What about the people you hate? 🤔

[–] nowwhatnapster 13 points 1 year ago

In other news, water is wet.

[–] superduperenigma 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Let's be honest here, it's managers who are forcing employees to commute into the office for no reason that are raising emissions.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The evidence is that, on average, people who spend time in the office are more productive. While I'm 100% on board for flexible work schedules that include time at home, it's not "no reason" that they want people back in the office.

[–] CharlesDarwin 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] regretful_fappo 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Holy shit, 17 days here and you've done nothing but shill.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago

Empty ad hominem, but I guess it your position isn't based in reality, I should expect your defense of it to be based in reality either.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

Not my personal emissions. Now they are released more freely.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Since October, I must do 3.5h of commute per day to manage/operate systems 300km away from the office.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

That really sucks. I hope that changes for ya soon.

[–] CharlesDarwin 10 points 1 year ago

Is that all? I would think it would be more.

[–] blanketswithsmallpox 7 points 1 year ago

70% of all microplastics in the ocean are probably from tire dust. This would help reduce that.

https://e360.yale.edu/features/tire-pollution-toxic-chemicals

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

This should be obvious.

Make people travel sometimes dozens of miles twice a day every day, and of course there's a carbon cost to that. Not to mention a health cost to the worker (less sleep for commute time), a mental health cost (less personal/family time), and an overall better deal for the employee (less money spent on transportation related expenses).
Plus there's other benefits that are considered 'bad for the economy' but are usually good for the worker- for example easier to make breakfast and coffee at home instead of getting Starbucks.

[–] Alexstarfire 3 points 1 year ago

My work wants us to work at the office 4x as much next year.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


People who work remotely all the time produce less than half the greenhouse gas emissions of office workers, according to a new study.

Employees in the US who worked from home all the time were predicted to reduce their emissions by 54%, compared with workers in an office, the study found.

Wider emissions reducing benefits of working from home include the easing of vehicle congestion during rush hour in commuting areas, which is likely to improve fuel economy.

According to the study, this could result in longer commuting distances for hybrid workers and a greater carbon footprint due to the increased use of private vehicles.

The authors said: “While remote work shows potential in reducing carbon footprint, careful consideration of commuting patterns, building energy consumption, vehicle ownership, and non-commute-related travel is essential to fully realise its environmental benefits.”

While the findings do not apply to workers in many sectors – a bus driver, for example, cannot work from home – it provides pointers on how office-based employers can reduce company emissions.


The original article contains 591 words, the summary contains 171 words. Saved 71%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

does this mean i can eat still eat the cows

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes but they have to be wild and you need to hunt them with a rock tied to a stick.

[–] blanketswithsmallpox 1 points 1 year ago

What if I upgrade it to a rock on a stick but thrown, then add 10000 years of technological advancement?