Back to the office after telecommuting
August 15, 2016 10:21 AM Subscribe
I've been telecommuting on a full-time basis for almost 5 years. I applied for a new position that would bring me back to the office. I'm excited for this, but I'm looking for some input from people who have come back to the office after working from home, because I'm sad to give it up and I need some upsides!
It is beyond time that I leave this job, for several reasons. Working from home has become kind of a 50/50 thing for me - I obviously enjoy the benefits of not having a commute and working from the comfort of my own home, but I've started to feel kind of bored and isolated as well. I also have a son in daycare, and the school is very close to my home (this won't change if I go back to the office). I'll miss being able to get him right after school - a commute will take away some time that I now have to spend with him. So I need to pump myself up for this change.
If you went back to the office after telecommuting for a while, how did you transition? Were there any unexpected upsides to having made the change? I'll be glad to be out of the position I have now and I can use that as motivation, but what about a return to office life worked for you?
It is beyond time that I leave this job, for several reasons. Working from home has become kind of a 50/50 thing for me - I obviously enjoy the benefits of not having a commute and working from the comfort of my own home, but I've started to feel kind of bored and isolated as well. I also have a son in daycare, and the school is very close to my home (this won't change if I go back to the office). I'll miss being able to get him right after school - a commute will take away some time that I now have to spend with him. So I need to pump myself up for this change.
If you went back to the office after telecommuting for a while, how did you transition? Were there any unexpected upsides to having made the change? I'll be glad to be out of the position I have now and I can use that as motivation, but what about a return to office life worked for you?
Worked from home for around the same amount of time as you, and the ability to have lunch with different people every day is wonderful. Little conversations and shared moments when something awesome/crazy/sad/hilarious happens are something you don't get working at home alone. If you can swing it now and again too, I love after-work happy hours.
I switched to a bus commute from working at home, and that half hour a day I spend catching up on podcasts and reading has been great for my mental state and continuing education. I know I could have done the same at home, but it's nice that it's forced on me, in a way, because there's no way I'd do it otherwise.
posted by chillin411 at 10:47 AM on August 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
I switched to a bus commute from working at home, and that half hour a day I spend catching up on podcasts and reading has been great for my mental state and continuing education. I know I could have done the same at home, but it's nice that it's forced on me, in a way, because there's no way I'd do it otherwise.
posted by chillin411 at 10:47 AM on August 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
There are definitely valuable connections that get made working in the office that are very hard to replicate working from home. (My boss and I both work from home in the same city, the rest of the company works in-office in another state, and lately she and I have been renting an executive conference room every so often just to sit and work together, and we end up giving each other a ton of incidental help that we don't get on regular days. It's really different.)
The psychological cut-off that office time is for work and home time is for not-work is nice, if you maintain it.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:58 AM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
The psychological cut-off that office time is for work and home time is for not-work is nice, if you maintain it.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:58 AM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
I don't know if you'll find this super-convincing, but I do still work from home, and I have so many pretty clothes I never get to wear / show off.
posted by ClarissaWAM at 12:15 PM on August 15, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by ClarissaWAM at 12:15 PM on August 15, 2016 [3 favorites]
Someone else cleans the toilet.
Possible downside: No one cleans the toilet often enough.
posted by Bruce H. at 12:27 PM on August 15, 2016
Possible downside: No one cleans the toilet often enough.
posted by Bruce H. at 12:27 PM on August 15, 2016
More adult conversations and the sense of ease and validation that comes from being my grown-up career self.
posted by crunchy potato at 1:37 PM on August 15, 2016
posted by crunchy potato at 1:37 PM on August 15, 2016
For me, one upside is that I can keep my work space meticulously clean and organized. I don't have any visual clutter around, and no distraction feeling I should be doing housework. I get it, doing all chores in evenings and weekends is harder than having minutes here and there through the day to do it, but that mental separation helps me focus more.
It is also nice to feel I have somewhere to go, defined work hours, a need to look presentable, and the opportunity to meet with other people.
posted by JenMarie at 2:17 PM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
It is also nice to feel I have somewhere to go, defined work hours, a need to look presentable, and the opportunity to meet with other people.
posted by JenMarie at 2:17 PM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
I worked from home for 3.5 years before going back to an office job about 20 months ago.
Downsides to going back to the office include: less time/urge to clean; inability to scream-sing along with Rage Against the Machine without offending cubemates/cube neighbors; commuting; lack of ability to stretch my workday; having to wear pants EVERY DAY.
Upsides: alleviated fear that, despite working for a company with a pretty decent record for handling remote workers, I was missing vital pieces of information because water-cooler/pediconference information never made it to our remote communication channels; more variety in people that I saw/things that I ate for lunch; well-defined boundary between work time and life time.
posted by hanov3r at 5:07 PM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Downsides to going back to the office include: less time/urge to clean; inability to scream-sing along with Rage Against the Machine without offending cubemates/cube neighbors; commuting; lack of ability to stretch my workday; having to wear pants EVERY DAY.
Upsides: alleviated fear that, despite working for a company with a pretty decent record for handling remote workers, I was missing vital pieces of information because water-cooler/pediconference information never made it to our remote communication channels; more variety in people that I saw/things that I ate for lunch; well-defined boundary between work time and life time.
posted by hanov3r at 5:07 PM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
I *just* returned to an office environment after 8 years of working from home 100% of the time. One of the hardest things to leave was my 100% telecommuting. However, it has been really good for me - mostly on the mental health side.
Upsides:
- Leaving work at work. Often at home, I'd putter around until my significant other would get home, and this could stretch my workday into the 10-11 hour range. Now, home is home, and work is work.
- Easier to get "facetime" with co-workers. I've only been at my new job for 2 months, but the value of this is already paying off. Being present is something I couldn't be at home.
- Less 'hermitting' - now that I work outside the office, I am getting more into the swing of doing things after work. When I worked at home, it took a lot of energy for me to go and do other things - the gym, grocery shopping, meeting up with friends, etc. This has also been good for my spouse who would get the brunt of my pent up lack of communication all day. Now we are both too tired from being around people to talk to each other. :)
- Easier access to office supplies, ergonomic equipment, etc. When I worked at home, it could be very difficult to get an extra monitor sent to me, or something else (I work in tech.) Now, I can just request this type of equipment, and that's a positive. Same goes for office supplies. It was a huge hassle for me to expense things like printer paper, and I am glad I no longer am paying for supplies that were 100% used for work.
I will agree with taffeta, darling - I do miss having time to pick up around the house as the day goes along as well as run out to do quick errands like pick up a prescription, or drop off laundry. I think that's my biggest adjustment so far.
In my current role, I do have the flexibility to work from home - and knowing that the option is there if I absolutely need to have a day like I used to, is nice. Perhaps you'd be able to negotiate something similiar? Work from home on an as-needed basis?
posted by carmenghia at 5:37 PM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Upsides:
- Leaving work at work. Often at home, I'd putter around until my significant other would get home, and this could stretch my workday into the 10-11 hour range. Now, home is home, and work is work.
- Easier to get "facetime" with co-workers. I've only been at my new job for 2 months, but the value of this is already paying off. Being present is something I couldn't be at home.
- Less 'hermitting' - now that I work outside the office, I am getting more into the swing of doing things after work. When I worked at home, it took a lot of energy for me to go and do other things - the gym, grocery shopping, meeting up with friends, etc. This has also been good for my spouse who would get the brunt of my pent up lack of communication all day. Now we are both too tired from being around people to talk to each other. :)
- Easier access to office supplies, ergonomic equipment, etc. When I worked at home, it could be very difficult to get an extra monitor sent to me, or something else (I work in tech.) Now, I can just request this type of equipment, and that's a positive. Same goes for office supplies. It was a huge hassle for me to expense things like printer paper, and I am glad I no longer am paying for supplies that were 100% used for work.
I will agree with taffeta, darling - I do miss having time to pick up around the house as the day goes along as well as run out to do quick errands like pick up a prescription, or drop off laundry. I think that's my biggest adjustment so far.
In my current role, I do have the flexibility to work from home - and knowing that the option is there if I absolutely need to have a day like I used to, is nice. Perhaps you'd be able to negotiate something similiar? Work from home on an as-needed basis?
posted by carmenghia at 5:37 PM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Upsides to the office:
- I ride my bike to work, so fresh air and exercise
- free coffee, free food
- nice to chat with other adults
- proximity of office to shopping, dining, and other amenities (mine is in a good location)
- opportunity to wear nice clothes
- laptop is left at the office, clear separation between work and life
- occasional parties
- better Internet (up/down, but mostly up) than I care to pay for at my house
I like working from home sometimes but it's nice to have the structure of an office. My job could be done entirely remote but I go to the office for the reasons above.
posted by crazycanuck at 8:28 PM on August 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
- I ride my bike to work, so fresh air and exercise
- free coffee, free food
- nice to chat with other adults
- proximity of office to shopping, dining, and other amenities (mine is in a good location)
- opportunity to wear nice clothes
- laptop is left at the office, clear separation between work and life
- occasional parties
- better Internet (up/down, but mostly up) than I care to pay for at my house
I like working from home sometimes but it's nice to have the structure of an office. My job could be done entirely remote but I go to the office for the reasons above.
posted by crazycanuck at 8:28 PM on August 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
I have to echo those who say being onsite is a big deal as far as gathering intel about what's actually happening with people and projects.
My employer has two offices in two cities about an hour apart. I'm a program manager set up in Office 1 but with projects going on Office 2 also; even though our higher-ups are big fans of using technology to communicate, there is a night-and-day difference between what I learn from calling/emailing people at Office 2 and what I find out by going there once every two weeks and just spending time there in the office.
Someone else cleans the toilet.
Possible downside: No one cleans the toilet often enough.
Alternate downside: Someone always seems to be cleaning the bathroom right when you need to use it most. (Ask me how I know!)
posted by psoas at 8:38 AM on August 16, 2016
My employer has two offices in two cities about an hour apart. I'm a program manager set up in Office 1 but with projects going on Office 2 also; even though our higher-ups are big fans of using technology to communicate, there is a night-and-day difference between what I learn from calling/emailing people at Office 2 and what I find out by going there once every two weeks and just spending time there in the office.
Someone else cleans the toilet.
Possible downside: No one cleans the toilet often enough.
Alternate downside: Someone always seems to be cleaning the bathroom right when you need to use it most. (Ask me how I know!)
posted by psoas at 8:38 AM on August 16, 2016
Response by poster: I appreciate the replies! Some of these I had already thought of, but it's good to know that they are things that are actually helpful and not just my wishful thinking :) Because I found out yesterday that I got the job so this change is definitely coming!
I don't have any visual clutter around, and no distraction feeling I should be doing housework. I get it, doing all chores in evenings and weekends is harder than having minutes here and there through the day to do it, but that mental separation helps me focus more.
I hadn't thought about it this way, and I think that will definitely be a plus for me. Being able to do small chores is great, but sometimes it can be distracting to have my at-home to-do list literally in my face all the time.
Less 'hermitting'
Yesssss, I am starting to realize that I have become a hermit, and that's not good for my mental health (even though before telecommuting, I always described myself as having hermit-like tendencies. Little did I know.)
inability to scream-sing along with Rage Against the Machine without offending cubemates/cube neighbors
I actually think that my time at home has helped me improve my scant singing abilities!
Someone else cleans the toilet.
Possible downside: No one cleans the toilet often enough.
Alternate downside: Someone always seems to be cleaning the bathroom right when you need to use it most. (Ask me how I know!)
Alternate alternate downside: you have a a mystery coworker who doesn't flush the toilet. Ask me how I know.
I am definitely feeling the effects of not being in the office in terms of socializing/water cooler gossip/visibility to others. For a while I was able to coast without that being an issue, but due to changes in my department, not being visible is becoming a liability.
posted by DrGirlfriend at 9:07 AM on August 16, 2016
I don't have any visual clutter around, and no distraction feeling I should be doing housework. I get it, doing all chores in evenings and weekends is harder than having minutes here and there through the day to do it, but that mental separation helps me focus more.
I hadn't thought about it this way, and I think that will definitely be a plus for me. Being able to do small chores is great, but sometimes it can be distracting to have my at-home to-do list literally in my face all the time.
Less 'hermitting'
Yesssss, I am starting to realize that I have become a hermit, and that's not good for my mental health (even though before telecommuting, I always described myself as having hermit-like tendencies. Little did I know.)
inability to scream-sing along with Rage Against the Machine without offending cubemates/cube neighbors
I actually think that my time at home has helped me improve my scant singing abilities!
Someone else cleans the toilet.
Possible downside: No one cleans the toilet often enough.
Alternate downside: Someone always seems to be cleaning the bathroom right when you need to use it most. (Ask me how I know!)
Alternate alternate downside: you have a a mystery coworker who doesn't flush the toilet. Ask me how I know.
I am definitely feeling the effects of not being in the office in terms of socializing/water cooler gossip/visibility to others. For a while I was able to coast without that being an issue, but due to changes in my department, not being visible is becoming a liability.
posted by DrGirlfriend at 9:07 AM on August 16, 2016
When my husband switched to an office job last year after telecommuting for years, he told me that he was looking forward to getting to use my collection of bento boxes! Granted, that's a bit of an edge case.
posted by telophase at 2:21 PM on August 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by telophase at 2:21 PM on August 17, 2016 [1 favorite]
« Older How to co-parent with someone you still love? | Beach Vacation Recommendations in South and... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by kindall at 10:40 AM on August 15, 2016 [3 favorites]