We hear a lot of backlash when prominent CEOs call for a return to office work culture, but I'm curious if others may feel opposite of the public sentiment?
I support the option for people to work remotely within an org if their roles and responsibilities can be performed asynchronously, but my personal preference has always been to operate in-office. That was taken away from me as a result of the pandemic as my company ended up shuttering the local office.
After spending these last 3 years working 100% remotely, I find myself with a renewed desire for a hybrid working environment. It's not an option with my current company, but I can't deny that it's what I think is best for my career progression. I'm far more effective with some in-person collaboration on a regular cadence. Do you share similar sentiment, or do you find yourself freed by remote work?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below ⬇️
Top comments (39)
We just had an in-person team retreat. Not everyone could make it, but it was a real breath of fresh air.
There are things about working remote which are really awesome. There are parts that are really brutal.
I think somehow before the pandemic it was a little easier to be realistic about the good parts and the bad parts, but I think it's become a more religious issue that isn't super realistic about the problems and tradeoffs.
For what it's worth, I partly work from a co-working space which is really good for breaking the monotony, though not a full replacement over the positives of actual side-by-side collaboration.
Before the pandemic, the people doing remote understood they had to learn it, that they had to explain it, they had to find ways to compensate the bad aspects.
This all got thrown away with COVID because
Hopefully after those thesis and anti-thesis, we will slowly move to the synthesis that it's all about choice
Not at all.
Personally, I see no drawbacks with working remotely, and plenty with working in an office or hybrid.
But everyone's different, and some people will have a better home-working environment than others. There can be distractions in both. Offices and neighbours both have people putting up shelves with hammer drills from time to time, and both can have problems where the Internet connection drops out. Offices can have canteens and fire drills, homes can have a private kitchen and a dog you have to walk.
I accept that some people need to be around others, whether to explain things face to face rather than over a screen, to enjoy a chat over coffee or for the pure pheromones of it, but I don't understand them on an emotional level.
We shouldn't penalise people for wanting social interaction, we should help them.
I think the idea of companies paying for shared environments or whatever is fair enough. We should support people who have had difficulties working remotely but we should look on it as a combination of practicality, environmentalism and accessibility.
We should understand that offices can be expensive but can also cut costs by sharing resources.
We should try to cut down on energy costs and unnecessary pollution by encouraging people not to use cars to commute. That can be working remotely but it can also be using a cycle-to-work scheme.
Above all, we should try to make the work environment as inclusive as possible, and that includes providing both remote support and shared spaces for people who have difficulty working alone.
Not really.
Going remote was the best thing I did. I did it in 2014, and would never go back.
The whole pandemic didn't even bother me from a career perspective.
Time zones are a bit of an issue, but if you work with people who prefer remote work, they're usually more invested in good communication and mindful of keeping synchronized meetings (i.e., calls) down to a minimum.
For me, going to the office would only lead to additional overhead, and while I liked my co-workers, I wouldn't call them my friends or something. So, staying at home, saving a few hours a week on commute, could be nicely reinvested into my private life.
But I understand it, some people don't have much going on besides their work and are good friends with their co-workers, if that's suddenly gone, they fall it a hole.
I love reading all these different perspectives on it, and despite all the mixed feelings I have about remote work, I definitely like the new options that have opened up (at least in my bubble) after the pandemic.
Personally, I found it really difficult to be forced into a remote setting as a Junior Dev - I felt like I was missing out on a lot of context and many things that could have been picked up in water cooler conversations, got lot in the void. Even when things went back to somewhat "normal" the hybrid model meant a lot of akward semi on-site video calls and left a feeling of a compromise gone wrong.
I would have never thought that I would actually one day enjoy remote work - but these days I work for a fully remote company and I am still so surprise at what a difference it makes if a company is founded remotely from the start, everybody opts in consciously and makes a real effort to connect.
I would never go back to commuting and open floor plan offices. But I can see why some people like the office.
The office can be a social outlet, a way to compartmentalize the stress of remote work, and a way to avoid the distractions that home might have. And some people just find it easier to collaborate in person.
Humans are hard-wired to desire camaraderie and closeness with others - both as a survival mechanism and as means of growth.
I've felt the same way since going 100% remote. As much as I value being home and having the "freedom" that entails, I also see so many negatives to this new lifestyle - something we don't talk about enough.
I'd noticed my social skills had greatly diminished due to lack of practice with face-to-face communication. I'd also seen my social anxiety skyrocket - especially in and around large groups of people. Even things like being able to read other's body language is much harder to do (likely because it's much more difficult to do over a zoom call or slack thread).
I've had to make a conscious effort to take myself out of my comfort zone and practice spending time around other people. Some things that have helped me are: booking a co-working space a few times a month at least to get out of the home office, being deliberate about scheduling time away from home with friends and others, and plugging into community efforts through church.
Everything is a balancing act in life - finding your balance - your center - is the journey we are all on and something we should not ignore.
Remote work and hybrid are both better than office-only. I think it makes sense for some businesses to allocate money that would have gone toward a lease or building expenses for an additional employee perk: co-working funds.
While also highlighting the value of on-site collaboration and productivity, there is no doubt about how impactful the rise of remote work has been. It’s clear how it has improved productivity and business results and also helped employees have a better work-life balance.
That’s why, rather than rejecting this work model or being completely in its favor during this new adaptation process, we believe it’s important for companies and professionals to consider individual experiences, adapt to changing dynamics, and continually assess and refine approaches to create a supportive and inclusive work environment for all.
Short answer: No
Long answer: Not at all
Longer answer: Since remote work is a reality for me I live with less stress, have been able to spend more time with my family, have less expenses related to moving from one side of the street to another, have more freedom to manage my time as I see fit, I'm less exposed to any kind of risks involved from things like going outside late due to some overtime work, etc.
On the other side, I guess the main drawbacks are the communication to be a little less effective when comparing virtual to in-person meetings and some chitchat with colleagues, however, both were neither that frequent due to the nature of my position to even consider them relevant.
Nope. I've been working remotely 100% since 2018, before that I worked remotely in 2014 and have done contract and freelance work too. I am no stranger to remote work.
The first thing I want to point out is remote during the pandemic is not what proper remote work looks like. Sadly, a lot of people were thrown into the coals of remote work at a time when we couldn't leave our houses. And even myself (a seasoned remote worker) felt the mental strain of being at home. But, that wasn't remote work.
I am not sure if you've noticed, but the cost of literally everything is going up. The cost of food, electricity, transport, rents, mortgages (in Australia we don't have mortgage duration fixed rates, many of us are on variable or short term fixed rates).
Travelling into an office is expensive. If you're driving there is the cost of fuel and tolls. If you work in a CBD, you might have limited parking and have to pay. If you catch public transport, that's gone up too.
On July 1st, 2023 my annual electricity bill is increasing 21% a year. The cost of public transport is increasing over current inflation at 8%. Despite the fact I get paid well for what I do, if I had to travel to the office even three days a week, I would be worse off by thousands a year. I haven't recieved a 21% salary increase, let alone an 8% one. Have you?
And you're probably thinking, "Isn't working in an office cheaper then?" I get to claim electricity use as part of my tax return. There are incentives for me working remotely I can claim on. So, no, I'm not bearing 100% of these costs.
Remote work not only saves money but also saves time. Commuting to an office takes a considerable amount of time and can be stressful, especially if there is traffic or delays on public transport. By working remotely, you can avoid all the stress of commuting and use that time more productively. Additionally, remote work can offer greater flexibility in terms of work hours and location, which can improve work-life balance and overall well-being.
I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to witness my children's growth and development over the years. Being present for their milestones and achievements has been a truly rewarding experience that I wouldn't trade for the world. Additionally, my wife has been able to pursue her academic ambitions, which has been a fulfilling and empowering experience for her. As for me, I have been able to take on the responsibility of school drop off and pick up, which has allowed me to spend more quality time with my kids and engage with their scholastic pursuits. All in all, I am grateful for the life I have been able to build with my family, and I look forward to continuing to cherish these moments for years to come.
If I want to socialise, I'll call a friend. I'm a firm believer that remote work has not only made my marriage stronger, but also my friendships. It has allowed me to have more free time to connect with my loved ones and build stronger relationships.
I've always found it strange that people feel the need to bond and socialise with their colleagues on a personal level. Let's face it, they're not friends or family. If the company needs to downsize, they won't hesitate to fire you. Your colleagues are likely more focused on their own career advancement than on building lasting friendships in the workplace.
I always found the notion of working in an office ironic. When I did work in the office, I would usually be wearing headphones and employees would communicate through messaging tools and emails despite being in the same office. How is remote work any different? Apparently being in an office magically makes you more productive? Have any of the people saying this worked in an office before? Long lunches, regularly leaving for coffee, sneaking out early. I procrastinated more in the office than I do at home.
Understandably, remote work is not for everyone. However, people should get the choice to choose. Isn't it funny the most vocal proponents of remote work are middle aged white billionaire men? Elon champions sleeping in the office and forgoing family and friends. Easy when you have skin in the game and benefit from working more. The average employee no matter how well compensated doesn't.
Overall, I believe that remote work has had a positive impact on my social life and has allowed me to build stronger connections with the people I care about.