After more than three years of working from home. I’m considering going back to work at the office for most of the weekdays days (if not every weekday). While contemplating the idea, I am writing about what I see to be the positive side of working from the office and the positive side of working from home.
Until recently, I had a strong opinion about working from home, that working from home was the best decision for me because I’m a lot more productive and I also waste a lot less time commuting and in things like dressing up and this kind of stuff. But after reading some articles, and also listening to some podcasts, I had some second thoughts about that which triggered me to start to think more about and that maybe returning to the office was not that bad.
The goal of this article is to outline the pros of both going to the office and working from home in my opinion, and with that make a more informed decision on which approach I should take, or even which one to do the most.
This is my point of view, and based on my situation. While your situation and priorities can differ, it may be informative for you as well.
5 positive points about working from home
more productivity
I feel more productive at home as at home I have fewer distractions and more focus on my own work. Fewer interruptions with things that are not related to my tasks
time-saving
No getting dressed and committing. For me, it accounts for around 1 hour and a half each day.
money saving
No transportation cost and a cheaper lunch as I like to eat home-cooked (I meal prep on the week for the week). Also, a need less clothes in general.
more comfortable
Working from home I have less exposure to heat and cold. For example, today here is cold and raining a lot.
Also, going to the office in rush hour is sure to see full metro and buses.
quieter
At home it is quiet. No other people in meetings or chitchatting on your side. Also, I can do meetings without noise and private meetings without caring much about what I say. (let’s say a 1:1 is a lot easier)
5 positive points about working from the office
better relationships
Being surrounded by people creates stronger relationships. Be a teammate or people from other teams, it is a lot easier to start a conversation and build trust.
better knowledge sharing
When you are in the same physical space, it’s easy to check what other people are working on and to ask questions. You sometimes start a simple conversation and things go a lot deeper.
I move more
When I stay at home, I tend to be seated for more time. At the office, I get up and move more. On an office day, I get more than double of steps that I get in a day at home. So I need to spend less time on the gym treadmill.
more context separation
I work at a desk in my living room, so when I sit at that desk, it feels like work, even if I am doing it during a weekend to write something like this. Also, at home with the computer on the table, it is easy to open the computer to check something about work outside business hours.
But working from the office the context separation is a lot better. I don’t even unpack the laptop from the backpack.
more randomness
When I go to the office I am exposed to more things. It’s like something random that happen on the way or just a random conversation with someone at the office. For example, I’m writing this line at lunchtime from a bench on the waterfront where I just spotted a seal.
Randomness can be good or bad, so there’s a risk of being exposed to bad ones, like an accident for example. But maybe that is what life is about, chance events. Our brain has an incredible capacity to not remember boring repetitive things.
So, summarizing both points, home is more comfortable and productive, while going to the office is more about randomness and relationship building.
One question that I like to ask myself when I make decisions like this is: When I am at my deathbed, say like when I am 90 years old, which option would I be happy and proud that I choose? Would I be proud that I delivered a lot of tasks when I was young, or would I be proud of the people that I built relationships with?
So, which one is the best for you?