Before the pandemic, my old company allowed us to remote work on occasion, but it was rare. With the pandemic we started to work from home regularly and it was a game changer. Little bit after the pandemic they forced us to go back to the office (also, in summer, in spain, to a office with broken AC), so I changed jobs.
Best decision I ever had. The company I work for now is US based, so obviously its remote only for me. There’s a big culture shift, both from being American and for being remote focused, but I think its fantastic. Never have been as productive in my life.
There’s a great difference between companies allowing remote and being remote oriented as well. Management has to fully buy into it and promote using remote tools, otherwise it won’t work.
Little bit after the pandemic they forced us to go back to the office (also, in summer, in spain, to a office with broken AC)
I don’t know what the relative humidity is like wherever in Spain you are, but if they had the windows open – and I assume that they could open and did, if the AC was offline and people were in there in the summer – and the humidity was low enough, could have thrown a portable evaporative cooler next to yourself. That can’t get things as cold as a sufficiently-powerful air conditioner, but it’s got a lot more punch than just a fan.
Before the pandemic, my old company allowed us to remote work on occasion, but it was rare. With the pandemic we started to work from home regularly and it was a game changer. Little bit after the pandemic they forced us to go back to the office (also, in summer, in spain, to a office with broken AC), so I changed jobs.
Best decision I ever had. The company I work for now is US based, so obviously its remote only for me. There’s a big culture shift, both from being American and for being remote focused, but I think its fantastic. Never have been as productive in my life.
There’s a great difference between companies allowing remote and being remote oriented as well. Management has to fully buy into it and promote using remote tools, otherwise it won’t work.
How was the adjustment in office/work culture between Spain and US for you?
Maybe I’m an ignorant American, but isn’t work culture much more relaxed in Spain than much of the US? “Siestas” and all that?
I don’t know what the relative humidity is like wherever in Spain you are, but if they had the windows open – and I assume that they could open and did, if the AC was offline and people were in there in the summer – and the humidity was low enough, could have thrown a portable evaporative cooler next to yourself. That can’t get things as cold as a sufficiently-powerful air conditioner, but it’s got a lot more punch than just a fan.