How are you planning to go back to the Office?

Firm has asked me to return in 2 months. Personally speaking, I'm excited to go back, but am wary of a couple of things.

1) Will everyone in the building be vaxed?

2) Can I take off my mask when when I'm on the desk? Figures that I'm next to a major subway station that I will still have to wear it at the desk

3) Are you comfortable just taking the risk? (Given effects of  Covid and vaccinations are still relatively unknown to us and NYC variants are popping up left and right, so there may be a nasty mutation that can get past the vaccine) 

Wondering how you all are planning to return to normal.

19 Comments
 

I want to go back in too and don't feel particularly nervous about COVID itself. One thing I'd like employers to confirm though is more acceptance of WFH, so that it's less implicitly frowned upon. I don't necessarily see myself using it that much, but it is very helpful for running some errands that can really only be done during the working day.

Quant (ˈkwänt) n: An expert, someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing.
 

I might return to corporate life soon.

I'm not very eager to jump into a job at a desk in an office. I want to demand WFH, but I think it hurt me in my last encounter. I had a really good PE contact that would hook me up with a job whenever I wanted, but he told me I was going to have to move to a different state and I'm currently a caregiver for my parents in a different state, and he wasn't down for WFH and I requested 20hrs/week work of WFH at his PE company and he just ghosted me. I'm not willing to move to a different state until my parents pass, so am just super picky right now. Also, in my current city, there are basically no good finance jobs. It's mainly corporate finance in random crappy companies.

Ironically, we currently live in the same city so he was basically inferring to me that I can do WFH, but not you... I said I was willing to travel at times.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Is the neuroscience research just a temporary thing? I recall you saying that's your current type of work.

I’m a fun guy. Obviously I love the game of basketball. I mean there’s more questions you have to ask me in order for me to tell you about myself. I'm not just gonna give you a whole spill... I mean, I don't even know where you're sitting at
 
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I did neuroscience research in 2016 as I was preparing for an application to MD programs or PhD/MD programs in psychology/psychiatry. These programs typically require a year of research in a hospital. Neuroscience research was a lot slower than I had imagined and also I really struggled with studying for the MCAT. I didn't have a pre-med undergrad, but did have a B.S., so had taken physics and chemistry, but not biology or biochem and organic chem, so I was having to teach myself on these subjects. I also took some PhD 700 level neuroscience classes and didn't find them extremely difficult, but the MCAT was just such a wide scope of information. It wasn't like the CFA exams where all the info is in the books, I needed to learn some of the core information from the classes, and the books were sort of a review. 

In the end, it looked like I need to go to a post-bac pre-med program, like the one at Columbia. I didn't want to pay for the program so interviewed for a financial operations position at Columbia and met with the head of HR there to discuss and hopefully get free tuition. I didn't end up getting the position and then kind of put my MD hopes on hold. I still am interested in getting an MD, maybe later in life. 

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

About to start my first year as an analyst. I've been in Florida since the pandemic started and we had reopenings in May of last year and since last summer everything has been back to normal. I really don't want to WFH, and I'm thankful that after training it'll be in person. That being said, I don't know what the mask policy is. Again, coming from Florida, I don't care if I have to wear a mask to the grocery store or on the subway, but if I have to wear a mask all day at work for 14 hours I'll be pretty pissed, especially since I'm vaccinated.

 

i can't wait to go back to the office. Atleast as a junior, comradery, building relationships are a huge part of the benefits for me. 

Especially if you work at a huge firm, think of all the relationships you are missing out on if you never cross paths with people who aren't directly on one of your teams by only doing WFH.  This is mostly relevant to juniors though but still. 

 

Not in IB but CB in a sales role. Pre-COVID I was traveling a few times a week. Going forward I would prefer to be able to WFH (when I’m not traveling) and come into the office when necessary.

If i’m close to a major airport, and able to come into the office for team meetings/events then I really don’t see why this setup wouldn’t work. I really don’t want to pay NYC taxes anymore. It shouldn’t be a big deal for me to hop on a 3 hr flight from Miami to NYC and stay in the city for a couple of work days.

 

2) Can I take off my mask when when I'm on the desk? Figures that I'm next to a major subway station that I will still have to wear it at the desk

Is your desk outside or something men?

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[Comment removed by mod team]
 

I’m not sure I really want to return to the office, to be honest. I was asked to return pretty soon. I am vaccinated and am not going to take the mask off while at my desk so I’m not really that scared of COVID. Other than that working from home has been hell. Concentrating is a real challenge with a wife and kid running around. There is no working atmosphere either. I fixed this issue by starting to work in a co-working space that I found here coworking space austin. I got really used to working there and I think working from the office again will be quite daunting. However, I believe it is time for us to start getting back to our regular lives.

 

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