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Chief
Hold tight. This is temporary. A year from now well be in the office just as before but with a lot more flexibility to wfh when we desire.
Completely agree with EY11 here. Offices are the prisons these days - cube farm, no walls, minimal perks. I’d rather wfh full time, go into an office / travel when real meetings/pitches are needed and be able to see my wife, be at home get projects done etc then waste time and money commuting.
Create a life you don’t need to escape to the office from.
Rising Star
Well I have a 20 month old, so I am getting more time with her than I ever have. I love it.
As others have pointed out, you never took a break to get coffee or refill your water bottle? You didn’t run into someone in the hallway or break room while you did that? Did you eat lunch at your desk every day or did you go out as a group?
My boyfriend and I have been working more during this time but we also see each other more. We eat all our meals together and take 5 min breaks to grab coffee.
I also sleep more soundly since I don’t have to worry about whether he made it home safely and didn’t fall asleep at the wheel from lack of sleep.
You pointed out all the socializing aspects that you miss. Others have other priorities. But if hanging out with your coworkers is what you miss, then maybe you should make a conscious effort to hang out with them.
I feel more like a prisoner in an audit room, no thank you.
Exactly! Why would I want commute just to sit in the clients back conference room with no windows when I can sit in the comfort of my own house.
I am not going to lie OP you sound like someone who does not have a very fulfilling life outside of work. And if your accounting job is what gives you fulfillment then that is very unfortunate.
I don’t need “office humor” and “small talk”, I have great friends and family with whom I can share actual humor and actual conversations. I’ll take going for a run at lunch and cooking at home over spending $15 on a takeout salad and I’ll take the 1+ hour I save commuting each day to enjoy my evenings more because I can afford to wake up later and still get my sleep.
EY18 I get it and honestly don’t mean to hate on anyone who’s starting out in a new city, I’ve done it before. Really was just responding to OPs attitude in not seeing other people’s perspective (as well as the tone deaf/dramatic “prison” of working from home) and wanted to push his buttons with a little bit of his own medicine. Of course there are parts of being in the office I miss - I prefer WFH (ideally 1-2 days in the office per week would be my dream) but can see why some people want to go back.
I love wfh because I genuinely love my husband. I can spend 24/7 with him and he’s now become my “office coworker”. We have lunch together and coffee breaks and all the happy hours we want.
The other benefits:
-no need to dress up or makeup (~20 min per day, less laundry, less makeup expense)
-no commute (~1 hr per day)
-home cooked food for lunch
-steady and consistent dinner times. previously would be starting to cook (or more often, buying takeout) dinner when I get home at 7, but now I can get something started in the oven and be eating at 6.
-meetings can be time efficient bc when you sit in useless meetings, you can actually do other work
I actually have a selfie record of myself (as many girls do). And you can visibly see my face look MUCH better once work remote started. I look fresher, I’m getting more sleep, I have more time in the day for myself, and I’m eating healthier. Skin is better, eyes are brighter, everything looks healthier when I wfh.
E13: I started taking selfies about 2 years ago (not the kind where I post on social, I never post). I was suffering from acne at the time so I wanted to track my progress. The habit stuck even after I resolved it, and nowadays I take a selfie when I wake up or before I sleep (no makeup), once a week or every two weeks.
iPhone has a photo album that is specifically “selfies”, so it’s easy to compile and view there. The main differences I saw was in my eyes. Office work made my eyes look SO tired, heavy, and droopy at the end of the day. The fine lines were more clear, and my skin looked splotchy and dull. Nowadays, the main benefit is probably being less tired and eating healthier- my eyes look bright at the end of the day, and my skin has more of a casual glow. I didn’t notice it until watching my selfie log and feeling “wow, I looked like shit 8 months ago”.
I had a three hour total commute time daily to the client. My life has been so much better since work from home started. Have time to get long workouts in, picking up tennis, hang out with my friends every night.
All these things I felt I did not have enough time to do or would have to rush when I was commuting. Let me explain why. When I was making that commute I would have to wake up by 7 AM and be asleep by midnight (which for me means in bed by 11:00-11:30) I would be out of my apartment from 7:30am to 7:30pm on the average day. Id get home at 7:30, eat dinner it’s already 8:00. Go to the gym and workout for 40 minutes. By the time I get home and shower it’s already 9 and I have about two hours of relaxation time. Do I muster up the energy to go hangout with friends? Sometimes yes and sometimes not. All in all this day is an absolute grind and I’m left feeling constantly tired day in and day out.
Compared to now I basically have an extra 3 hours everyday to do all the above. I’m getting 8 hours of sleep now on average instead of 7 which has made me feel great, and not feeling rushed when doing all the above.
I can genuinely say my life is much better WFH then commuting. Do I miss the office/happy hours a little bit every now and then - sure. I’d be fine going in like once a week. But, all in all I’ve loved the wfh routine and been much happier than before.
For me, I live in a city with tons of traffic, and we drive everywhere. Mileage-wise, I don’t live far away, but the traffic is so bad, it makes it that much worse.
Pro
Prisoner? Wow, calm down
Structure your breaks
Having some thing personal to do while you’re away from your computer really helps to create boundaries and reduce stress. I’m getting used to cooking in the middle of the day or going for a walk or doing laundry. My place has never felt so clean and I can’t believe I’ve neglected so much at home while I was away at a client.
Go to happy hour with your actual friends. I do not miss going to the office and i hope we never have to go back!
100% with you D1.
Like this is it. This is why we work so hard ? This is why we kill ourselves every year so we can wake up every day and be home like we are on house arrest ? You guys like this ? You guys don’t miss the office ? Getting to know your coworkers. Making small talk ? Going to clients ? Stopping at someone’s cube shooting the shit?
Chief
And let's be honest. Its also about being able to wear shorts and no bra and not having to wear real shoes. Thats like 50% of the reason why I chose wfh now (our office is opened now on voluntary basis)
Some of us felt like prisoners in the office
Office culture? Wtf are you talking about?
My commute was only 20-30 minutes each way but I still 1000% prefer WFH. It’s easier to work on my schedule, I get more time with my kids, I get more done, and I’m an introvert by nature so I don’t miss the socializing that much at all.
I have found I am more productive at home because I am not being distracted by the office environment. I’m pretty anti-social as well, so I don’t mind being away from my co-workers. My health is benefitting because I am actually finding time to take care of myself and am enjoying more time outside when I’d usually be stuck inside an office building. Personally, I would never go back to the office if I don’t have to.
Rising Star
I would like more of a mixture. I am far more productive at home because I have fewer interruptions. I also like the flexibility that WFH provides and the amount of time I am spending with my husband and dogs. I do miss the impromptu interactions with colleagues, happy hours, and in person meetings. Ideally, I would do WFH 2-3 days a week and in the office 2-3 days a week. I really don’t want to go back to 5 days in the office again. That seems like too much time away from home now.
I hate commuting, especially because I live in NYC. However, ideal case scenario would be going to the office 2-3 times a week. Wasting hours by Commuting to work just kills me😖
Ohh and also working from home in such expensive places like NYC just doesn’t make sense.. will move somewhere else if this is going to be permanent
Take a chill pill bruh. Get a tinder, reconnect with old friends, knit a scarf. You sound mega super stressed. Work is just a portion of your life. Find other ways to make it fulfilling. You keep referencing feeling like a prisoner. Have you been to prison? You’re super fortunate to even have to option to WFH. Chill B.
I agree. I do not like working from home. I love human interaction. I guess it’s different when you get a long with all of your co workers- so going to work is actually fun for me!
I think the ideal solution for me would be work from the office 1-2 days a week and work from home 3-4 days. I love the time saved not having to get ready, not having to commute, and not having to go out to lunch everyday with your team. It allows me to have more time for sleep, more time to be with family, more time to exercise, just more time overall to do things that make me happy. I don’t mind going in occasionally but definitely prefer the WFH lifestyle. I think my dogs are a lot happier too always having someone home. But to each their own.
Pro
I believe this is how a lot of people see it!
Imagine calling your own home a prison, oof.
Lol, it sounds more to me that you are holding yourself prisoner at your own home. No one force you to stay home after working hours. You can work outdoor, invite your colleague to your house to work together. You can invite them over for an after-hour drink, or dine-in somewhere that opens. There are Skype, Zoom, Microsoft Team so that you can chit chat, gossip about office stuffs. You can't do the physical stuffs like walking around the office and stopping by your colleagues cube and chat, but you can still connect virtually. Being connected with people is not about the physical but is about the mind.
The time has changed, how we network and socialize have changed, adapt to it. People who hate coming into the office to surround themselves with strangers they don't particularly love, have adapted before, why can't you?
Find something new to do beside working and socializing might help you feel less like a 'prisoner' in your own home where you can basically do whatever you like and no guard standing out your door.
Chief
I think it will naturally evolve to more time together during crunch time and more wfh during slower times. Like I cant imagine having to do full public ye from home. But those who want to work always from the office will certainly have the option and those that want to work always from home will likely have to meet us half way and do some purposeful face time when needed (client meetings etc) but won't have to come to the office just for the sake of it.