I returned to the office after two years of working from home, and I must say – I was surprisingly happy about it!
Here’s my story, and what I noticed most.
We cubicle bumblebees love to idealize work-from-home arrangements. The reclamation of commute time, the quiet space, the sweatpants…
I transitioned to an exclusive work-from-home arrangement with my employer just before 2020. Although our hands were forced (thanks to the pandemic), I couldn’t help but think this was my chance. After years of contemplating a work-from-home model, I finally had the opportunity to prove it could work.
Work-wise, I thought it went pretty darn well. I had strategies to stay productive and make the most of the work-from-home arrangement, and it turned out to be everything I had wanted it to be!
Despite that, I must admit: being back in the office is a huge relief.
To be fair, some of that relief is coming from my association between the office and good health. In the beginning, working from home was a matter of health and safety for everyone, and today, if I’m working from home it’s probably because one or both of my kids are sick.
So, an in-office day is a product of the good health of my family and our community. Can’t be mad at that!
Nevertheless, now that I’ve had the opportunity for exclusive at-home work, I’ve developed a newfound appreciation for maintaining a physical presence, both from the perspective of my own work, and from observing the trials and tribulations of others.
I threw “the drawbacks of working from home” in the title because I’ve already gone over the benefits of it in a previous post, and I think what makes in-office work so enjoyable implicitly illustrates the drawbacks of working at home.
Without further ado: Why I’m so happy to be back at the office!
The people (and that’s coming from an introvert)
I’ve worked at the same place for almost twelve years. We’re small enough that you can know and talk to every single person at some point in the year, but large enough that you probably wouldn’t work with everyone. Naturally, there’s a fair amount of turnover in accounting firms as people go on to have different experiences, or move into industry, and so-on.
This means two things:
- There’s a whole new group of people to meet and get to know each year.
- You become very close with the people who do stick around and have been working with you for your whole career.
It’s so much easier getting to know your colleagues in-office
I don’t think there’s any other way around this one – I just can’t get to know people through the screen.
Yes, we use video chat frequently and as a proxy for in-person visits, but it’s as though conversing with a 2D image of someone leaves only a 2D imprint on your mind. The connection lacks depth, literally and figuratively, when compared to an equivalent conversation in-person.
Plus, there are some interactions you just can’t recreate.
I probably wouldn’t call a random coworker to casually chat about the weekend while I wait for my coffee to brew at home, but I’d be surprised if I didn’t get that same opportunity in-office!
I missed the little things that Teams calls just couldn’t recreate
There’s no awkward I-go-left, you-go-right hallway dance when you’re working from home. What a relief for introverts!
…Except, don’t those usually end in a shared laugh and just a little bit of reinforced connectedness?
When you’re working from home, you don’t get that boost from the distinctive laugh from the other end of the office. There’s no shared glance when you spot your boss coming down the hall. You’re missing that hit of fashion inspiration, the creative cubicle aesthetic, the joke you overheard that almost made you spit out your coffee…
I once spent a few weeks sitting in a small room with a colleague while we were out on a job, and it was because we were sitting there staring at each other every day that we learned the art of conversing with only our eyebrows. (It turns out years later, we can still speak fluent eyebrow.)
Speaking of which, have you ever tried having a fluid group conversation over video chat? (These days, I assume so!)
I’m a huge introvert, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to get to know my colleagues, and sometimes it’s these random in-person interactions that facilitate and reinforce those relationships the most.
Work feels less like work when you’ve got work buddies to “hang out” with
I learned how to be pretty productive while working from home. It wasn’t until I went back to the office that I realized I was missing a whole other aspect: the ease of productivity when you’re surrounded by other people who are also working.
You don’t even need to speak to each other get this benefit. There’s just something about looking out, seeing everyone working, and not feeling so bad about getting down to business yourself.
But if you do speak to each other because you actually enjoy one another’s company, all the more power to you!
We must have been working late one evening, and one of our cubicle mates who had left for the day came back.
“What are you doing here?”
“Oh you know, just hanging out…”
We had a good laugh because it was sort-of true. (It was also busy season, so we then proceeded to “crush tax returns” for the rest of the evening.)
It’s absolutely not the same grinding away at home by yourself versus grinding away in an office setting with your coworkers, all doing the same thing. Not only is it not as “fun”, but when you’re by yourself you just don’t get the same team spirit.
Really though, I missed my work friends. Many of them I’d seen almost every workday for over ten years, so to go back to seeing them at least every week was awesome.
As an aside, I think a lot of us take for granted that friendships take effort and maintenance. You have to communicate, and to make time for each other. It’s hard when you’ve got your 9-to-5, your family, and hobbies to engage in.
Is it cheating to see your friends at the office? I don’t think so – I prefer to see it as efficient, and I think my accounting friends would agree. 🙂
The irreplicable ease and flow of the workday
This is all about those little things that make your work life easier and more fluid. If you haven’t done the work from home model yet, you can probably imagine, with the benefit of solitude comes the drawbacks of – well, solitude.
What I mean is you’re at the mercy of technology and the receptivity of the person on the other end of your call. You’re also limited to that specific interaction, and no more. Here are a few work-flow benefits of working in-office that are lost at home.
The end of awkward calls
I used to think video calls were awesome. If you’re exclusively working from home, yes, they are a lifeline. But can they really hold a candle to an in-person interaction?
Tell me there’s not an inherent delay – even if ever so slight – that makes your conversation that much more clunky than in person.
Now tell me that doesn’t impact your freedom of thought and speech or your overall contribution to a conversation.
Not only that, but you’re limited to your specific video interaction from home. In-office, you can really collaborate, and you can do so organically.
To be fair, I work in a pretty collaborative environment, and I know not everyone does. Our cubicle system is designed so that experience levels are mixed, meaning there’s always someone physically near you to help you out if you’re stuck.
That also means if the senior in your area overhears you struggling with a concept, they can jump in and help. Sure, you could call them in if you’re video chatting, but would you think to do so organically?
On the topic of getting help – yes, you can video call someone to talk through a problem. You can message someone with a quick question. You can forward your email for an internal rage-edit.
But rather than leaning over to the person beside you (they don’t look busy, anyways!), now you’ve got a choice to make. Out of 100 people, who should I message this to? Should I even message, or should I call? Are they even there? Are they too busy?
Once you’ve decided, you’re still missing the social cues, the ease of pen-and-paper when explaining things, being able to sit together at a desk looking at a screen, and so-on.
Learning through osmosis is a goldmine
This is what I lovingly call a little non-malicious eavesdropping, and it was so helpful when I was a junior.
There’s a huge benefit to being able to hear how your more senior colleagues handle a client phone call, or how they explain complex topics in a basic way, or how they interact with the big bosses, or how they own up to and fix a mistake. Heck, even what time they actually come in, or how they handle sick leave.
You get ideas from listening and observing. You may even get random well-timed bits of information that are relevant to what you’re working on, and you’d never have thought to ask!
Another benefit: Observing the habits of your colleagues can help you figure out how you wish to conduct (or not conduct) your affairs, and you simply don’t have this kind of exposure unless you’re in the office.
It’s easier to develop a reputation and trust – and this is how you get ahead
It all circles back to people, and the relationship-building discussion above. It’s not just that I want to get to know my colleagues, it’s that I would like them to know me as well.
Let’s say you work in office, and you’ve got a colleague who’s always in with you, and a colleague who’s virtual. You need help on a project. Who do you think of first? Probably the one with the 3D impression left on your brain, rather than the 2D one. It’s just automatic.
That 3D impression makes it that much easier to get to know you. Not every workplace is the same, but in one like mine, if you want a promotion, or you want to get on “good” (or “interesting”) jobs, your bosses need to know you. There’s implicit trust that needs to develop. It’s not a rule, everyone tries their best to be equitable, but at very least there’s an unconscious bias.
Of course, my experience is in a mid-sized accounting firm where everyone works with everyone, rather than in static teams. So does this translate to a small team working together all the time? Probably not so much, but leave a comment if that’s you, and you’ve had virtual success!
Okay, and what if you are already in a leadership position, should you care?
I still say, yes!
A good leader supports their team by building strong relationships through things like clear communication, authenticity, and trust. To really, truly do this, a physical presence is essential.
Bonus: I made peace with the commute
The commute!? Was that not the first benefit of working from home!?
Yes, it was. But as it turns out, now that I’ve come to appreciate my time in-office, I’ve also learned to accept the commute and, dare I say, enjoy it.
Okay, it may just be the novelty that hasn’t worn off yet, but hear me out!
(Edit: A year later, I still appreciate commute time.)
In my last Creative Spaces Series post, I talked a bit about creative space and reprioritizing, and I really do think that this reprioritization has reinforced work-life boundaries that I didn’t have a strong grasp of before.
If you read my work-from-home post, you’ll know I used to be really frustrated on the commute because I’d be thinking of all the hours I could have been working if I wasn’t stuck in the car.
I rarely go to that place mentally these days.
I’ve come to accept that I am where I am (literally, in the car), and getting stressed out about it while trying to weave in and out of traffic is just not worth the extra 3 to 5 minutes gained from doing that.
Now that I can accept the commute as a necessary part of my in-office experience, I can also slow down and enjoy that time. I like listening to podcasts now (some for education and new ideas, some for pure entertainment). I get a lot of creative inspiration from music. Occasionally I will have creative ideas and get Siri to jot them down for me en route. That’s time well-spent!
I also appreciate the separation. This might be because I’ve had kids since I started my work-from-home regime, but that quiet (or bumpin’) length of time spent in the car definitively breaks up my work life and my home life, so by the time I pull into the driveway, I’ve let go of most of the workday drama.
It’s a chance to process, if needed.
It’s a break to just be alone for a bit to recharge.
It’s a chance to reset and refocus.
I never thought I’d appreciate the commute as much as I do!
In short…
I love being in-office for the real human connection, spontaneous collaboration, feeling of togetherness, and ease of growth in my career.
I’ve also learned to appreciate the separation between my work life and home life that a solid commute can provide.
Parting words
Admittedly, I was worried about going back to the office after being home for so long. I think I came back the same but different, just a little bit more balanced, focused and present, and I think that’s made a world of difference.
Everything is a balancing act, and sometimes we need a perspective shift and an alternative experience before we can reframe our current one. For me, the benefits of being in-office outweighed the benefits of being at home, but for others it may not!
I’m curious to know what your experiences have been – have you had the opportunity to work the same job in-office and at home? Which did you prefer, and have your preferences changed? Leave a comment below!
Stay connected: If you’re navigating the pull of creativity amidst the demands of daily life, check out my newsletter for monthly notes the intersection of creativity and career!
Read on:
- This post is part of a mini-series about the spaces we work (and create) in: New Series: Making Space.
- You might also like our posts on work-life balance. Start here: Work-Life Balance: How to Find What Really Works for You
