Ask HN: Is it worth it to go back into the office?

[libra1]

I work for a large firm that is pressuring us to come back into the office. While it isn't mandatory, the pressure is still there. I'm debating whether or not to go back. I don't want to lose out on opportunities or be seen as "not a team player," but I also feel like I would be putting my health at risk. I was wondering if anyone has found themselves in a similar situation and what your conclusion was.

[gcheong]

I wouldn't feel comfortable going back into an office setting until a vaccine is developed and available. It hardly seems worth it until that happens considering the amount of effort that would need to be put in with mask-wearing, social distancing, keeping the number of people in the office down to an acceptable level, testing, contact tracing, surface sanitization, shutting down if a case is discovered, etc. - all for what? So people can have face-to-face standups? If they're pressuring you now, without giving a very good reason, my feeling is they wouldn't be worrying about putting much effort into keeping people safe either.