Principal Financial-Remote work

[BillBrasky4Cy]

When I did my internship in Des Moines in 2008, I remember someone telling me back then how downtown used to be a ghost town. Definition of a commuter city. But he was really talking up how in the last couple of years how some new housing went up to increase the full time downtown population. I assume it's gotten better, but probably not where it needs to be to support a lot of other social amenities.

2005-2010 is when downtown really started to improve. Yes, there is definitely more residential but it doesn't even come close to filling the void left behind by the businesses. I have several friends who work for Principal and WF they had end of work day happy hours and dinners all the time. Those events have drastically shrunk.

 

[cycloneG]

You, my fellow compadre, are what management is supposed to be. You understand what your employees do and accordingly can manage the proper expectations. BUT, you are the exception to the rule as EVERY manager I ever had, had no understanding what my job entailed. BUT, the very best managers I had, gave me the latitude to do it right and, best of all, understood their role in the total scope. And that was 'funding' my projects.

My first question in every meeting with my group is do you have enough resources?

 

[NoCreativity]

Not to mentioned the sick bastards that microwave fish. Those people should be fired on the spot.

How about the ones who steal other people's food when it's in the fridge? That happened at my workplace a couple times.

 

[MJ271]

I listened to a podcast last week that covered some of the changing research around remote work. Some of the recent research does point to significant decreases in productivity for fully remote work. Even in a field like software engineering, where it seems like proximity to coworkers shouldn't matter much, there's a study that found that coders got significantly less feedback from colleagues when they were simply not working in the same space, and during the pandemic and fully remote work feedback decreased further.

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/01/1191379033/when-remote-work-works-and-when-it-doesnt

That's not to say that you can't be successful working on a remote team. In my small working group, I work in the office, but others work remotely enough that I might as well be remote. We still produce good work while being primarily remote. But I can also tell that when we do have several of us in the office, in-person conversations tend to pack in a lot more information and it's easier to see additional ideas flowing from one conversation to the next.

 

[Cybone]

Two of the most condescending and rude employment rejection letters I ever got in my life came from companies in Des Moines.

Principle told me that they don’t hire “college educated idiots” and Access Data told me that “my skills have no market value”. I now live down the street from Access Data and they keep reaching out to me on LinkedIn.

 

[isucy86]

Some managers can manage remote workers and some can't. It takes a slightly different skill set and mindset. Companies need to have managers that can leverage remote work. Remote work opens companies to better candidates for positions that can make the company better in the long run.

Some companies. Maybe even most companies, what you say is true. But there is not a one-size fits all solution for remote work.

 

[CycloneDaddy]

How about the ones who steal other people's food when it's in the fridge? That happened at my workplace a couple times.

Some dude pooped his pants at work last week and was so dedicated he was getting water in the breakroom.

 

[MJ29]

My company allows a hybrid schedule, but employees are expected to provide their own WFH equipment (monitor, docking station, etc.). This has been a deterrent for many (which I believe is management's intent).

 

[Mr Janny]

100% remote and I'm managing other employees that are 100% remote on both coasts. As long as they meet their project goals on time, I'm happy.

Same boat for me. I manage people from all over the place, all remote. I love our team. We do great work and have a good time doing it. Our company has one week per quarter where they have in person activities in the main office that people are able to attend if they choose. It's completely optional. We usually do big outings during those weeks. Department golf event, group volunteer events, team meals, etc. Not a ton of heavy work gets done then. It's truly about getting to see the people you work with, in person. Thankfully, the company has stated that they have no intention of ever requiring in office work, unless an individual prefers it.

 

[NoCreativity]

Some dude pooped his pants at work last week and was so dedicated he was getting water in the breakroom.

There used to be a guy at my office that would go to the bathroom numerous times throughout the day and never wash his hands.

 

[cycloneG]

Some companies. Maybe even most companies what you say is true. But there is not a one-size fits all solution for remote work.

100% agree but every company should find a way to leverage remote work. It's the natural evolution of doing business.

 

[carvers4math]

If empty downtowns are a reason to make people commute, maybe get creative with your downtown. Imagine providing affordable housing and more park space. I assume the east village is still doing fine with work from home?

 

[SCNCY]

My company allows a hybrid schedule, but employees are expected to provide their own WFH equipment (monitor, docking station, etc.). This has been a deterrent for many (which I believe is management's intent).

While managements intent is probably true, I'd still see this as a win for a WFH employee. The cost of that stuff is probably small compared to when you calculate commuting costs, in addition the value of your own time.

 

[Cyched]

We have a hybrid arrangement on our team and I think I prefer that over 100% wfh or 100% in office. That’s my preference though, and we let people be flexible as long as they complete their work.

 

[NoCreativity]

If empty downtowns are a reason to make people commute, maybe get creative with your downtown. Imagine providing affordable housing and more park space. I assume the east village is still doing fine with work from home?

I took a job outside this summer in Des Moines for the Parks and Rec department. The homeless situation in the whole city is getting really bad right now.

 

[carvers4math]

Not to mentioned the sick bastards that microwave fish. Those people should be fired on the spot.

A co-worker stopped a guy from taking my breast milk from the office fridge. He claimed he thought it was creamer even though it was marked with my name on it.

 

[KnappShack]

I took a job outside this summer in Des Moines for the Parks and Rec department. The homeless situation in the whole city is getting really bad right now.

In Des Moines? Yikes.

 

[Urbandale2013]

On this topic I get a chuckle out of people who take the approach:

My Company is entirely remote, so there must be something wrong with management at companies that choose to have employees on-site.

All businesses are different. And even within a business certain roles lend themselves to remote work more than other roles. Heck even within a role, some people have the discipline to work remotely and other workers don't.

So then the response is, if a worker gets all their work done who cares!

Some truth to that. But I have never been in a job or worked with others whose job had a finite amount of work. So I think managers feel they have a better idea who can handle more when people are on-site.

I worked remotely for a couple years and I feel it is tougher to create a cohesive corporate culture when the majority of workers are remote. I think it is natural to take a more individualistic/selfish approach when working remotely.

And there are people who abuse remote work. I won't ever be convinced someone can "multi-task" and watch TV while doing their job. Or someone can be entirely engaged in a meeting while shopping at Target.

That’s the point though if you can’t manage people to work remote you are bad at your job. Managing people requires flexibility. Some positions may require more in person activities than others. That’s fine but there’s no reason to force people who can be 100% remote into the office because some people need to be in the office.

I’m in the office everyday except when there is something I need to be flexible on such as a personal meeting. That’s because I have to much stuff that is in the Stone Age on paper. We are currently working on modernizing that process but until then I will be in person. There are plenty of others who can do more from home and therefore they can. My job isn’t even good at WFH and other companies are moving back behind mine without mine even improving.

 

[JM4CY]

A co-worker stopped a guy from taking my breast milk from the office fridge. He claimed he thought it was creamer even though it was marked with my name on it.

 

[SouthJerseyCy]

I WFH and have since way before the pandemic. I work on a daily basis with colleagues from UK, Israel, India, Philippines, Canada and all over the US. Some have local offices, some do not. The sites with offices have mostly gone to a 'hoteling' concept where you don't have a permanent desk, but reserve on when you want/need to come in.