Working from home: I don't miss a single thing about going to the office

[Ruby Slippers]

I've been working from home for about 4 months now, and it's pretty clear this will continue for a while, one silver lining to all this. I don't miss a single thing about going to the office.

I've been paying attention to the ongoing discussion about it. It's amusing that pretty much any article you see about the subject comes from one extreme viewpoint or the other: this is why remote work is awesome and the future, or this is why remote work is awful and I hate it.

It seems to me the obvious solution is to let those people who love working in the office come back to the office when the time is right, and let those who love working from home and can be productive doing so continue to do that. 

I'm hoping this is how it will all shake out. 

[sothereiwas]

My observation is that for places where WFH was always an obvious if not available option, the forced availability has forced WFH on a massive scale to be taste tested. Once the first swallow was over, a lot of orgs are seeing that it's not so bad after all. Google for instance, is suddenly reversing course and saying that WFH will be available and possibly even encouraged, with the office model transitioning from each full time employee having an assigned desk to a model where people who need or want to come in for that day homestead a desk and set up camp for the day. 

Smaller companies are seeing opportunities to reduce costs in this way as well. 

On the other hand, obviously a lot of work doesn't fit the WFH model well at all. 

[Ruby Slippers]

I think a lot of higher-ups don't like people working from home because it diminishes their control and clout. In the office, evidence of the top-down hierarchy is all around. On a video call, everybody looks and sounds pretty much the same. Nobody cares what you're wearing, how big or well-situated your office is. It's all about the caliber of your work and none of the typical politics and BS - which I love.

[sothereiwas]

6 minutes ago, Ruby Slippers said:

I think a lot of higher-ups don't like people working from home because it diminishes their control

In the case of places like Google and those who tried to emulate them it's even simpler; they sunk a lot of money and PR capital into making their office space a home away from home where the employees were encouraged to come early and stay late for the free food, games, pretty surroundings, and lots and lots of work. If the workforce is suddenly going to WFH that not only negates a lot of that effort, but it also shines a spotlight on the question of how wise that plan was to start with, and some high up corporate officers who were perhaps championing this might not like the sunscreen they need to wear now. 

[vjk]

Yeah,  I also prefer working at home. As a software engineer, I'm just as productive at home.   There, I have the benefit of a better office, better equipment, and a clean work environment that doesn't look like a garbage dump. My dog loves it too.  She has the run of the house all day.

I'm hoping another silver lining will come out of this.  The death of the open office.  I really want to change jobs, and I past up many jobs possibilities last year because of it.  Open offices were at almost every company I interviewed at.  To me, the open office is a display of disrespect  and low status for professional workers. 

[Ruby Slippers]

Amen to that. Good luck finding an office these days that doesn't have an open plan. I know people in very highly paid positions who are working at tables in open offices. Employers say it's "great for collaboration," but in practice it's just the opposite, and the real reason they do it is it's cheaper - they can cram more workers into less space. 

[sothereiwas]

10 minutes ago, Ruby Slippers said:

Employers say it's "great for collaboration,"

They say collaboration, I see distraction. 

[Ruby Slippers]

Totally. I had a really nice-looking office at my last job, but it was an open plan and the offices had no doors so it was impossible to focus without white noise in my ears all day. 

Excerpt from a National Geographic article on the subject: 

Quote

One 2018 study published by the Royal Society measured changes in employee habits when offices transitioned to open layouts. In each case, they found face-to-face communication declined by 70 percent, while electronic communication increased. Worried about distracting others or being overheard, the study says employees began to “socially withdraw.”

Many recent articles are discussing how the open office no longer makes sense. I agree, another silver lining. 

[snowcones]

I love WFH but ideally I prefer to go into the office maybe once a week for a few hours just as a change of scenery.  It's still up in the air at my job if this will be an option.

[thefooloftheyear]

8 hours ago, Ruby Slippers said:

I think a lot of higher-ups don't like people working from home because it diminishes their control and clout.

It's not just that, though.....

My brother is a fairly high paid middle manager for a major company...Since he's been home from the covid, he has bought a house and spends at least half the day while he's supposed to be on company time working on the new house...Even he sheepishly admits he is getting over on them at this point...Ive heard the same from some of my clients as well...

And that's the thing....If companies are paying people a lot of money to basically waste(some) of their time, then how long will that go on until they figure out they don't need to pay people as much when they are home??  Or maybe have less people and make sure they stay busier??  And think about how anyone would feel if they are paying someone a high salary only to know his/hers head isn't really into the work, with all of the distractions one can come up with while at home..??

Right now the ugliness of the economic downturn hasn't really been felt yet, so I don't think it will happen tomorrow, but the party is going to end eventually when balance sheets start to get lopsided..

And here is something else to consider...

As a business owner, I had an insurance matter to deal with recently..My agent working from home, calls me and I have to listen to her wash dishes in the background and heard the dog bark a couple of times...Its just "unprofessional"....Maybe I am just old school, but it just didn't feel right to me, and its not only in this situation, but its been other times,...I had an issue with a vendor recently and asked if they could check stock on something...In any other case, they'd either check with the warehouse/shipping department and give me an  immediate answer, now he tells me he's at home and needs to call me back so he can "figure out what's going on" as he's not there and has no clue what's happening in the warehouse...

All in all,. support to businesses since this started has been absolutely horrible and I believe a lot of it has to do with this one issue(although there are other obstacles for sure)...Companies are forcing customers to now email all orders and inquiries...In large part for the reasons mentioned and its complete pain in the ass. A simple 2 minute call gets it done, while now you have to email back and forth, wait like an idiot for a response, etc....I don't know what the end result will be, but my guess is the companies who want a competitive edge will resume back to the old school way...once its acceptable to do so, obviously...

TFY

[Ruby Slippers]

My work is 99% brain work on the computer, has been for years. My main function right now is to strategize and develop materials for a huge project that won't even launch till next year, as well as delegate some aspects to other people. My boss shields me from any distractions from this. He gave me a nice compliment the other day by saying I'm an expert in my niche, my project is extremely difficult, and very few people in the world could do what I'm doing. He cherry-picked me out of my last job and almost doubled my salary. My project has board approval and enthusiasm, will have high visibility, and everyone I've talked to in the organization via video calls says they're excited and it's long overdue.

Nobody can sit there for 8 hours straight and do this kind of high-level brain work. I work in intensely focused 1- to 3-hour blocks and get a ton of work done in that time. I get as much or more done from home than I ever did in the office. Chit chat and all the distractions of the office only slow me down and take me out of the zone. I created a very aggressive plan to have everything ready by the end of the year, and so far I'm right on track. I was supposed to immediately hire a direct report to help me with this, but due to the circumstances there's a hiring freeze, so I'm doing everything myself. 

The organization is super tight. When I email or call anyone asking for anything, up to the highest levels, I usually get an answer within 5 minutes - or an hour or two from those who have lots of meetings. 

So while it may not work for some, for me it's perfect and I love it. 

Edited July 8, 2020 by Ruby Slippers

[snowboy91]

I'm going to go against the grain and say that I miss the office and hate working from home. So many of the organic conversations that tend to happen around tea or lunch breaks can lead to ideas that help solve problems and generate new ideas. Although I might be slightly biased because my apartment is too small to fit a desk so I'm on the couch 12 hours a day.

I do completely agree with this though...

9 hours ago, Ruby Slippers said:

It seems to me the obvious solution is to let those people who love working in the office come back to the office when the time is right, and let those who love working from home and can be productive doing so continue to do that. 

The important thing is for people to have that choice. If people can work where (and when) it's most effective for them (knowing that it varies from person to person), that can only be a good thing for productivity.

[LivingWaterPlease]

I've had a space totally dedicated to my business at home that I operate from since I opened thirty years ago. And I'm out and about on site with my work some, too. I'm spoiled, I guess. I love it and get lots done or I wouldn't stay in business. 

I was dating a guy during the first several months of the lockdown who works as a systems administrator. He'd just moved from an office out into the open space floor plan. Seeing projects were being handled and completed well after a couple months into the lockdown the company began discussing scaling down their footprint and integrating working from  home part time and office part time for employees. Guess they'd have approximately half the overhead doing that. He told me he was actually working longer hours from home than he did at the office. He had projects he had to complete so they would have realized he was sloughing off had he been doing so. However, I'd think most people in his type of work would be highly disciplined. I don't know where his company is at on the decision now, though.

[Eternal Sunshine]

To be honest, I miss the office. I currently have a permanent WFH role (regardless of the COVID). I love dressing up and am lonely living alone and WFH. I am losing motivation and not getting out of my pyjamas all day. I am actually seriously considering looking for a non-WHF job once COVID is over. I also end up doing less and spend a lot of time watching movies and making personal calls. It just feels too comfortable/casual and doesn't work for me. 

Edited July 8, 2020 by Eternal Sunshine

[regine_phalange]

I love WFH. I'm quite sensitive to noise, especially chatter - it disorients me. Before lockdown it was really hard to write content while two (quite lovely) colleagues sitting nearby had phone conversations about work all day long. Also London tube at rush hour.. No comment. Let's just say 2 hours of my life wasted daily.

Now, I can even apply the pomodoro technique at home! I listen to piano music all day and if I need 10 minutes to clear my head I grab my art supplies and doodle. My extra 2 hours a day are spent on housekeeping, working out, cooking... What a bliss!

[Ruby Slippers]

If you're not used to working from home, it's an adjustment. I was self-employed for years and it took time to train myself to be productive at home. There are all kinds of tricks you can use to get focused. One of my favorites when I'm feeling distracted is to set a timer for however long I think I can focus, even if it's just 20 minutes. During that 20 minutes, I don't allow myself to do anything else - no mindless surfing, no visiting LS, etc. 

20 minutes later, the buzzer goes off, and by then I'm totally in the zone and before I know it, I've worked for another hour or two or three.

Edited July 8, 2020 by Ruby Slippers

[RecentChange]

For the most part, I am enjoying working from home, I miss the hustle and bustle of the financial district, but I do not miss the commute at all.

For the last 15 years, I have always had private offices - if I had to deal with an open floor plan I would definitely not want to be there. I'll admit, a few years ago moved into the corner office with a view - it was (here I am talking about it in the past tense, it's still my office at the moment, but I haven't been there since March) - impressive and I miss the prestige of that. It's a really nice space to invite clients or even other employee to. Plus I just like staring out the window at ty view of downtown and the bay. That office makes me feel like "I made it". Thinking that I will never go back there (a possibility at this point) makes me a little sad. That place was a huge part of my life since 2008.

I am also thankful that I am in a place in my career where working from home is not a hindrance. If I had been forced to work from home 10 years ago, I wouldn't have been able to closely collaborate with my mentor as I had. I wouldn't have been able to accumulate the same experience and further my career at the same pace. 

It just happens to be that my mentor had retired, I had moved to a national level where the vast majority of my work was done over email and the phone anyway.

For me, and this point in my career, working from home - works. But I feel bad for those that I mentor, because now that we are remote, it's harder to collaborate on the same level. 

We don't plan to go back to the office until there is a vaccine. And even then, there is talk of not renewing the lease for this space we have had for the last 25+ years. 

So, mostly I like the working from home gig, but I do miss some of the pomp and circumstance of FiDi office. 

Edited July 8, 2020 by RecentChange

[Philosopher]

14 hours ago, snowboy91 said:

I'm going to go against the grain and say that I miss the office and hate working from home. So many of the organic conversations that tend to happen around tea or lunch breaks can lead to ideas that help solve problems and generate new ideas. Although I might be slightly biased because my apartment is too small to fit a desk so I'm on the couch 12 hours a day.

I do completely agree with this though...

The important thing is for people to have that choice. If people can work where (and when) it's most effective for them (knowing that it varies from person to person), that can only be a good thing for productivity.

I too am one who prefers office to home working. I live close to my office, live by myself and prefer to keep my home and personal life separate,. Therefore the lack of commuting saves me very time but I miss out on the social interaction and a more defined work / personal life. The only advantage I can see for me for home working are the fewer distractions.

Ideally I think companies should give the choice of where their employees work for at least four days of the week. However I am concerned that if companies regard the 2020 home working experiment as a huge success, the drive to cut costs will result in most formerly office based employees having little choice but to work from home.

[lana-banana]

I am very shy, introverted and hyper-sensitive to noise. Last year, when my boss gave me the option to telework two days a week it was a total game-changer. This has been a whole new ballgame. I am more productive every day before 8 AM than I sometimes was over the course of a day.

Doing it now full-time is a bit more than I'd like---if I'm honest, even I like seeing some people at the office, and it's nice to hear weird conversations or see what great ideas come out of a few people hanging in the lunch line together---but the upsides are so incredible it's hard to want to go back. I am at least 20% happier as a person without commuting even though my commute wasn't that long. I love being able to take a nap in the middle of the day if I need to. I love having lunch with my husband. I haven't set an alarm since March; I go to sleep and wake up when my body says it's ready.

The only thing I miss is the gym and locker room in my office complex. The gym is very nice and the shower was spa-level luxurious. But all things considered? Yeah, I'll stick with this.

[Prudence V]

I used to work from home a good deal before lockdown, so I’m all set up for it. It’s a 3 hour commute (each way) to my work from my home, and my boss hates presenteeism and would far rather people worked wherever they are productive. That said, there are occasions (teaching, interviewing, meetings, returning library books) where I needed to go in, and (aside from the commute) I enjoyed being at work, too. 
 

Since lockdown, I’ve been seeing far more of (some of) my colleagues, in Zoom meetings - but my office mates (all offices are shared) aren’t people I work with on any projects so I’ve not seen them at all. What I have missed, though, is chatting to my boss. Since lockdown we’ve both been really busy - but his role in particular has been snowed under - so no time just to chat. 

[nospam99]

To each his own. I worked for 38 years and almost always had a private office. Perfect for me and my style. No distractions. If a colleague wanted to talk to me, they came into my office, closed the door, and sat down. Or I could invite them to do so. If they had a private office, I could walk to theirs. Without the in-your-face person-to-person communication, I am nowhere near as effective isolated at home. Add to that my 'office space' at home is smaller and has fewer resources (documents, storage, and multiple servers) than I was able to accumulate 'at the office'. However, I WOULD prefer WFH to 'open plan'.

[QuietRiot]

On 7/7/2020 at 1:51 PM, Ruby Slippers said:

I've been working from home for about 4 months now, and it's pretty clear this will continue for a while, one silver lining to all this. I don't miss a single thing about going to the office.

I've been paying attention to the ongoing discussion about it. It's amusing that pretty much any article you see about the subject comes from one extreme viewpoint or the other: this is why remote work is awesome and the future, or this is why remote work is awful and I hate it.

It seems to me the obvious solution is to let those people who love working in the office come back to the office when the time is right, and let those who love working from home and can be productive doing so continue to do that. 

I'm hoping this is how it will all shake out. 

Yeah, I have a friend that just got her certificate in medial transcriptions. This field is predominant for working from home, even PRE-Internet days (where transcriptions were mailed).  That said, I told her, "Hey, you can work from home with that job!" and she's like "Nah, I wouldn't be able to stand to workf rom home"

[sothereiwas]

The free baked goods and the food court downstairs were nice and handy, but WFH is clearly better overall. The biggest downside to WFH used to be the risks associated with being one of the few, now I'm back to being one of the many. 

[Piddy]

I'm retired, but my wife enjoys working from home.  She and the two women that work for her go in 2 days a week.  But she finds she gets a lot more done at home.  Less interruptions etc.. 

She had to work at home all this week while we awaited our Covid test results, but now she'll go back in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Could be awhile till she goes back in the office full time since Florida is really surging with Covid cases.

 

[introverted1]

I love WFH and all the studies point to it being a good thing for companies:  overall higher productivity, reduced turnover, increased employee satisfaction.  Of course there are people for whom this isn't true, but the overall trend bears out. There are time-wasters in the office, too.  The extended lunch hour comes to mind, as do the people who have to come in late or leave early to drop off/pick up kids from school. 

Nearly all companies are open plan now.  Cube farms rule and, in some companies, meeting rooms have been reduced so much that meetings are handled through GoToMeeting or Teams anyway, with people sitting at their desks with headsets on.  There is nothing more distracting, imo, than the constant noise of other people talking.