Interesting that it’s backed by Sam “remote work ‘experiment’ was a mistake” Altman. As an HSP, I can say that remote work is essential for me. I think many other neurodivergent people would agree.
As an ADHD person I abhor open offices. I do appreciate the ability to socialize and bounce ideas, but it never allows me to get into the zone. Someone walking by my desk or talking near me will disrupt me. Like my text editor, it helps when I can adapt my work environment to me. If you want me to succeed in the office, give me an actual office with a door and a window to the outside. Don't cheap out on the walls and make them thin, optimize long term outcomes not micro actions. A door let's me communicate to others that I'm in the zone and to not come in unless there's a level of importance. This isn't something I can get through slack or an open office. Slack won't let me say "only send me notifications if a user has been told I'm busy and asked if it can wait" (or not ping me until I turn off my focus mode).
The problem really comes down to trying to fit everyone into a neat little box. But we're humans, not automata. Our variance is our strength, not a weakness. To each his own I guess.
I put this in my reviews, my yearly feedback to the company, in-person feedback, etc. Management seems to think its a one way street from full offices to open floor plan and never back again. Their nihilism is exhausting.
I'm just confused why we don't think people are different from automata. We've been calling everyone a unique snowflake for over a decade but pushed harder and harder to make one size fits all
HFA + ADHD. I absolutely agree. I find that I focus easily when I have an ignored distraction just out of sight: a coding stream, a let's play, or what-have-you. It's as though it keeps the distractible part of my brain occupied, so the focusing side can get to work. I would never be able to do that at an office - it would be misunderstood as a distraction in the forefront.
I'm also logical to a flawed degree, and RTO makes me actually angry (yay autism) because it's such an extreme example of illogical stupidity. Altman is the last exec on earth that I would want anything to do with.
> I can say that remote work is essential for me. I think many other neurodivergent people would agree.
Suspect autism spectrum, diagnosed ADHD at 38 (5 years ago), I can say for me at least: Remote is the only way I can function. I've done tech support and hated it, even chats. Chats was better, because I have severe phone anxiety, but just being in an office with so many people (Bluehost) was insane.
I've been doing freelance dev most of my career (10 years), if only because its basically guaranteed remote. Also, I'd like to stay in southern utah, but that's beside the point. If the office was next door, I wouldn't want to go (unless I was paying for the office, and it was only my office, nobody else's - then I'd go there to get away from family while I work).
Now that I think about it, in my life I've had two jobs I didn't much mind: Delivering pizzas back in my 20s, and software dev -- both essentially were remote. Pizza's I did have some in-store time, but I was 'mostly' free to let my mind wander, or chill to tunes in my car. Dev is basically the same, I don't like to deal with people or noise unless its my noise (media devices). I have toddlers, some days that's torture tbh, love them but - those you love can torture you pretty damn good. :)
I wonder if there is a diagnosis available for people that need frequent, in-person, validation from others as that seems to be a main source of distraction in offices (open or otherwise).
