Car Collectors Increasingly Are Working Full Time From Home

[Trulyvintage]

 

One of the few Silver Linings to The Covid Cloud is the acceleration of some companies having folks 

work full time from Home.

So you are free to choose the area to retire to while you are still working …

 

Which is changing the Demographics 

of younger car collectors throughout 

the lower 48 states.

 

That - in turn - will change the Demographics of car shows & swap meets

along with car tours and other events.

 

 

Jim

[CChinn]

I took advantage of my company offering full-time telework. Got out of the DC area morass and relocated to central North Carolina. Much better quality of life and driving my pre-war car is much more enjoyable now

[Steve_Mack_CT]

WFH, software co. Account Manager, best part was ability to change out my car for a pick up, no more driving customers around! 👍😊

[Trulyvintage]

I noticed the trend last year.

It is affecting vehicle sales in certain markets

which - in turn - affects vehicle transport.

For example - the rural areas starting 

north of Tacoma, Washington

thru Seattle are filling in

( including the Olympic Peninsula ).

As a result - locals are buying up low to

moderate priced collector cars.

That puts a dent in the demand for 

vehicle transport in and out of the area.

 

 

Jim

Edited March 5, 2022 by Trulyvintage (see edit history)

[hidden_hunter]

We were sent home March 2020 and even now my employer has settled on 3 days a week in the office as a starting point for negotiations.

 

 It’s been fantastic for me with a young family not having two hours of commuting every day

[SC38dls]

For some of us we get to just work on our antique cars as our business has been shut down because of Covid. Not all bad I never knew I would enjoy retirement until it was forced on me. Now I love it!  Have fun

dave s 

[hidden_hunter]

2 hours ago, SC38dls said:

For some of us we get to just work on our antique cars as our business has been shut down because of Covid. Not all bad I never knew I would enjoy retirement until it was forced on me. Now I love it!  Have fun

dave s 

Only 30 more years to go….

[avgwarhawk]

I'm not one of them.  My b-hind showed up to the office every day.  No complaints because I was working.  Others were not. I can say some I deal with daily abuse the teleworking from home. Slow to respond to emails. There is no number to call.  Respond during nonworking hours and expect a response back soon there after. In short, unsupervised leads to doing whatever. Not a fan of teleworking.  Just one man's thoughts and experiences with  teleworking.  

[hidden_hunter]

18 minutes ago, avgwarhawk said:

I'm not one of them.  My b-hind showed up to the office every day.  No complaints because I was working.  Others were not. I can say some I deal with daily abuse the teleworking from home. Slow to respond to emails. There is no number to call.  Respond during nonworking hours and expect a response back soon there after. In short, unsupervised leads to doing whatever. Not a fan of teleworking.  Just one man's thoughts and experiences with  teleworking.  

I manage a team of about 35 software developers, due to the nature of the work it's pretty obvious when someone isn't pulling their weight. I also don't really care when the work is done, but across the board have found productivity is up and people are working longer 

 

People that are lazy are going to be lazy at work or home has been my experience

[30DodgePanel]

I've done both and much prefer the routine and seeing coworkers daily. W@H isn't bad at first but after a few weeks/months it gets old very quick. 

 

Biggest benefit to it now is the savings on fuel if you're driving any kind of truck or suv and percentages of having car accident is greatly decreased but other than that there isn't anything appealing about it to me. I'd rather be in office or in the field where troubleshooting and resolution is more efficient and the waiting game on the computer nerds can be bypassed with other projects. When you're W@H they seem like they are the ones who go on hiatus way too often and in turn creates customer dissatisfaction and reflects negatively on you as a worker as the trickle-down scapegoat effect is very real in the corporate world as we all know.

 

Laziness has nothing to do with the frontline workers, it's the sheer laziness and incompetence of the monkeys behind the scenes who can't do the one job they are asked to do when updating operating systems, hardware or software. The ones in the field can get blamed all you want but those on the front lines in any business are always the hardest workers, and sometimes not by choice. I'm just thankful I don't have to deal with that type of incompetence anymore now that I've moved on from corporate life. 

Edited March 6, 2022 by 30DodgePanel (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

My office is on the first floor of my house, my shop is in the backyard. But I am a contractor and have yet to figure out how to remodel a bathroom or put a deck on while sitting behind my desk. Honestly I feel bad for people that have to sit in front of a computer all day long. I see different scenery and get to enjoy the outdoors most of the time.  Weekends come around and I want to set roots and work around the house. My wife is an office manager for a small outfit and sits behind the same desk looking at the same computer day in day out. Her time off all she wants to do is run.

[pkhammer]

 I've been working from home since March 2020 and love it! I feel more productive because I have no distractions and can get more work accomplished in less time. The added bonus of flexible working hours (I start earlier even though I sleep a little later and quit earlier because I get my work done faster and take a shorter lunch) and huge savings on fuel and meals are icing on the cake. I used to get up at 5:45 and get to work at 7:00, take an hour lunch and work until 4:30 and get home around 5:00. Now I get up at 6:00, am working by 6:45, take a half hour lunch and quite around 3:30-4:00. Instead of $100/week for fuel it's now $100/month. It does take discipline. I'd love to go fool around in the garage during the day but if my work doesn't get done it wouldn't be long before that gets discovered.

[alsancle]

1 hour ago, TAKerry said:

My office is on the first floor of my house, my shop is in the backyard. But I am a contractor and have yet to figure out how to remodel a bathroom or put a deck on while sitting behind my desk. Honestly I feel bad for people that have to sit in front of a computer all day long. I see different scenery and get to enjoy the outdoors most of the time.  Weekends come around and I want to set roots and work around the house. My wife is an office manager for a small outfit and sits behind the same desk looking at the same computer day in day out. Her time off all she wants to do is run.

 

I spent most of my life behind a desk, and then did a solid 10 years working in the field.    I honestly could not manage sitting that long anymore.    It is hard to transition one way or the other, and it took me some time getting used to not sitting on my ass all day long.  

 

Did spent a couple of years working from home way back when.   It is a horrible trend.   Having the option for a day or two at home once in a while is a nice thing,  but it is just furthering the lap top class's isolation from the rest of the world.

[Trulyvintage]

Quality Of Life

Your life consists of more than work.

 

For younger guys raising a family

the option to live in an area of 

your choosing - not your job’s choosing

so you can have your kids grow up in

a quality environment is essential.

 

Jim

 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Every situation is unique.  I have done mostly office based type jobs but did sell into building materials market for a couple years with a local territory (little overnight travel) selling to cabinet makers.  That was a fun job in a lot of ways but like WFH you must be self managed.  I wouldn't mind doing it again but honestly this is also interesting and it pays a bit better...

I get out for occasional client visits and spent first week of February at our annual meeting in Vegas.  That's OK, as long as it's once a year.  I don't mind some  travel but it get's old as well.

Here, I never do long lunches in the garage as that could be the start of a very bad habit.  I have always been able to compartmentalize work and home which helps.  

But, getting back to the original point of the post, I have taken advantage of being around and sold off some parts that were picked up during biz hours.  Much better than waiting for Mr. No show on a beautiful June weekend!  Obviously it would be convenient to be home in the event we buy anything that would need to show up via transport.  Had to rush on home for that once, you make the time though, right?

Oh, I jump on here throughout the day same as always... 😁👍

I do think for those who can do it, the option of living a little further out, or staying at a second home is appealing, interesting take on impact to the market.  The high end likely less but I could see local cars getting snapped up as Truly Vintage describes.  Part of this hobby is around opportunity, timing and logistics.

 

Oh, my current supervisor is on site and a huge benefit to WFH! 👍😁

 

 

Edited March 7, 2022 by Steve_Mack_CT (see edit history)

[hidden_hunter]

The other thing that seems to be forgotten by alot of the detractors (at least at my work) is that you're still entitled to breaks as you would be in the office, what do I care that instead of going up the street for a coffee they stick on the kettle and do some washing 

[edinmass]

Working from home would never work out for me........I need the separation from home and work life. Only being three blocks away doesn’t allow for decomposition on the ride home from work.........but two snorts of Crown Royal on the way out the door from work just starts to kick in by the time I get my boots off at home. 

[SC38dls]

It only takes one of Woodford Reserve that Canadian stuff must be weak! 
dave s 

Edited March 8, 2022 by SC38dls (see edit history)

[39BuickEight]

My “office” is at home, but, I can go into any number of regional offices when I need or want to-for work and/or to visit co-workers I like to converse with.  I have a territory that I manage how I see fit.  If the weather is bad, I just stay home.  It’s the best of both worlds.  I am very fortunate, but it’s also a job I worked very hard to get for several years.  People say I am lucky, but I made some of my luck.  Now I get to work where I want, how I want, and almost even when I want.

[3macboys]

44 minutes ago, edinmass said:

.I need the separation from home and work life. Only being three blocks away doesn’t allow for decomposition on the ride home from work

Funny you say that - just over 20 years ago I went from a 45 min drive to a 10 block one, then I started to walk just for the wind down on the way home.  

[Bryan G]

I was in the field for several years, and loved it, but was moved to WFH prior to the whole Covid thing. In both cases, as others have said, self-discipline is vital. Some are too easily distracted by the dog, the kids, snacks, etc. 

 

Prior to Covid the company made it clear that the future involved everyone either moving to a corporate headquarters, or finding alternate employment. Nobody talks like that anymore. I know some peers who were able to move to more rural areas (some essentially, places where most folks go to retire) but it still requires a lot of review by management. A big concern is the availability of high speed internet. I've heard stories of a guy who was given the green light to move to a mountain somewhere, and then insisted the company pay for his HughesNet bill. I think he got away with it, but he'll be the last. Now, locally the rural electric co-op is working on getting high speed wherever their power lines run. I can see a day coming where a guy like me could do his job from truly anywhere: an igloo, a motorhome, the Bahamas, a houseboat.  Of course, if I was that mobile...what would I do with my vintage car?

[SC38dls]

Drive it, it’s not meant to be stored in a garage. 
dave s 

[avgwarhawk]

23 hours ago, hidden_hunter said:

The other thing that seems to be forgotten by alot of the detractors (at least at my work) is that you're still entitled to breaks as you would be in the office, what do I care that instead of going up the street for a coffee they stick on the kettle and do some washing 

Not sure what office you work in.  Break is a four letter word in my office.  

[hidden_hunter]

7 hours ago, avgwarhawk said:

Not sure what office you work in.  Break is a four letter word in my office.  

I insist my team takes regular breaks, I get worse performance and people make mistakes when tired 

[kfle]

I have an office and full bathroom at my shop.  So I do my real job out of that office and love it.  Nothing like working around the car collection.  In between meetings or when I need a break, I can just step out and wrench on a car or go for a drive.  The office is right behind the Model T Speedster with a window looking out into the shop.  I also have a loft above the office and bathroom where i setup a sitting area, TV and pinball machines.  The shop is also about 10 miles from the Gilmore Car Museum so I can just head up to their weekly cruise ins or other events throughout the summer.  

[32buick67]

I've been reading and appreciating the variegated posts, and I wasn't planning to comment, but...

I manage a team of engineers and designers in the electrical industry in the USA.

I am very proud of my team for who they are, and how hard they work.

I had to let folks go in 2020 due to covid scrambles, and I rehired old and new folks in 2020-2022, and I am appreciative they were interested in working at my company to serve our customers during such uncertain times.

I am a manager who is very supportive of remote and flexible work schedules...My staff could work on the Moon or Mars, and I wouldn't care and I would work to support them.

As hidden_hunter has summarized, its easy for me as a chief level high-tech manager to judge who is and who isn't working, especially because I am intimately familiar with the day to day work of my staff, and the day to day pulse of the business.

 

In the last 2 years, I am surprised that I have had to tell my staff to take physical exercise breaks away from their computers, take our customers out to lunch, spend time with family over lunch or on neighborhood walks (if the family is also at home), and visit with co-workers throughout the weeks to collaborate on projects and assignments.

I had to tell some of my team to call their teammates and chat about non-work related topics, such as a Monday coffee chat about nothing in particular.

My team said they felt awkward at first, but then realized it was ok and it was a good thing to do this 'non-billable' behavior because the most important thing about a company is its people.

Humans are social creatures, and even us engineers who are introverted like to talk about our accomplishments and successes with solving problems in the day to day work. 

 

Last weekend I was talking with my customer, another very nice and humble engineering manager of a multi billion dollar corp.

He told me very sad news that one of the engineers on his team who was 27 years old died in a car accident in Minnesota, USA.  

This somber and sad news is a stark reminder of how precious life can be, no matter who and where we are.

 

I am reminded that everything is always about people - coworkers, friends, family, customers, etc., its all about the people.

Nation, creed, gender, geography and race matter not, unless its all about appreciation and respect of the individual person.

By grace, I get to serve and live in my community another day, and I hope I can continue to be a good manager for my team, and more importantly be a good husband and father for my family.

 

[Joe in Canada]

How about flying out Monday and flying in Friday and never knowing where you will be next week. I am sure you can not beat working from home by the sounds of it. 

[Marty Roth]

8 minutes ago, Joe in Canada said:

How about flying out Monday and flying in Friday and never knowing where you will be next week. I am sure you can not beat working from home by the sounds of it. 

20 years heading up Information Management for major corporations,

Then 

20 years as an independent consultant-

Hurricane Katrina, and 4 years rebuilding 2 homes and helping re-establish friend's business

followed by 9 years serving the AACA board, traveling to just about every show, tour, and board meeting-

Been There,

Done That,
Retirement is great !