[0xd171]

You're expected to be at work for ~8 hours, not to problem solve for that long. (Hopefully, if you're at a half-decent company). You have email and chat to manage, stand-ups, other meetings and calls, coffee breaks, lunch. Most people can set up their day in a way that they can be productive without feeling like they need to be constantly 100% concentrated.

[guitarbill]

Some people prefer working intensely, some people don't. So why demand 8h of presence from everybody as long as the work gets done?

From my experience, policies of being in the office for <x> hours significantly reduces productivity, as people spend more time trying to fill their days instead of doing the work.

Regardless, it's patronising to effectively treat highly paid professionals like children with dumb, simplistic rules, and morale will also suffer appropriately.

[WorldMaker]

> So why demand 8h of presence from everybody as long as the work gets done?

Because butts in seats will always be an easy metric? Companies love easy metrics, they are safe and considered "fair" / "objective" (numbers are objective, values ascribed to them or derived for them will always be subjective but companies love to confuse the two).

[toomuchtodo]

> So why demand 8h of presence from everybody as long as the work gets done?

The inability to manage and unreasonable expectations. Good managers are rare. Hold on to them like your life depends on it when you find them. Take care of them and they will take care of you.

[techslave]

no one works in a vacuum. people need to communicate and collaborate, even when the work is prescriptive. core hours requirements stem from making sure that there are times when everyone can have rich, immediate interactions. not from childish supervision.

[Viliam1234]

"There needs to be some time when everyone is here, so that we can talk" does not imply "you need to be here for 8 hours a day".

In theory, you could have a job where the core hours are just 4 hours a day (most coders do not spend more time having rich interactions), and if you succeed to get your work done, you can leave afterwards.