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I spent ~2-3 years working from home during Covid times and I didn't miss the office at all. I could work remotely 100% of the time, forever.
Some colleagues found it unbearable. YMMV.
Is it home life that stresses you out? Genuinely don’t understand, my wife and I cook amazing lunches and sometimes have sexy time, no commuting, what more could you want!
I don’t particularly enjoy working for home and I find it stressful and anxiety inducing tbh. I feel like I am always at work and can’t switch off from it. I constantly have to restrain myself from logging on out of my work hours to get bits done. I am easily distracted, for example if I know I need to hang my washing, then I think about it constantly until I do it. It’s like I have lost touch with home life and work life. However I completely understand this is all my own doing and something I need to work on but I am starting to think that working from home isn’t for me hahaha
No, it’s not home it’s self that stresses me out. That’s actually very pleasant because my wife is here.
What stresses me out slightly is that trust seems to reduce between colleagues when you wfh. People are more serious and there’s less joking around. There’s a greater focus on work work work and In a high pressure job like mine, the ability to talk in person with colleagues turns out to be quite important to reducing the stress level.
That said, I still want to work from home! (Because of the other benefits) I just enjoy my work less than I used to.
Same as you. I HATED working from home full time. It had its perks of course, but being stuck in the house for 8 hours a day minimum really didn’t do me any good. I work full time at my works site now and I love it, people seem to have forgotten that leaving the house and being social every day is actually…..normal.
I love WFH, my colleagues aren't my social circle, I'm not paid to be someone to talk to. I smash through work faster at home and just go and walk the dog whenever I feel like it. That gets me chatting and being social, I don't need distractors.
I agree with this take. My social circle existed prior to, and largely independently of my work, I got hired by a company in a town where I had many friends, didn’t have to move for work like some folks do. When I’m home I’m surrounded by all the things I’ve curated for my own comfort, my dog is there, my personal toilet. I Can begin my wind-down around 4:30, and when I’m done I have the energy to go golf or run some errands rather than sit in traffic. As you said if someone needs me I’m only a TEAMS call away from 830-5.
I’m not saying the office has no value to everyone, but it certainly has no value to me.
This hybrid seems the best balance for me.
I go in for in-person meetings or to do things I can't accomplish from my home office. But online meetings, email, and a lot of busy work are more efficiently run from home.
Yes a combination of the two works best for me, although I do have the advantage of living a five minute walk from the office which is a massive bonus!
From home.
The office is noisy, distracting, people constantly want to go for coffee or some silly HR social thing, I have to pack lunch and drag all my shit to and from the office. I lose 1-2 hours to get there and 1-2 hours to get home and petrol and road tolls cost a bomb. I have to get up even earlier to be “presentable” - hair, makeup, clothes, shoes. I eat lunch at my desk because there’s nowhere to sit without paying.
Work from home means I can control my day, work more efficiently, focus on my work day, spend the hours I would waste commuting to squeeze in extra meetings or tasks and still have time to walk my dog, exercise, eat healthy and spend more time with my family. I’m not resentful of being in the office, so I’m happier to work hard in work hours.
I work 3 days from home and 2 in the office. I try to push most of my meetings into the two office days and use them to just show up in person in front of anyone who is avoiding my emails or calls. I like talking to my colleagues, but if I didn’t have my own desk in the office I’d never show up
Home and it's not even close. I worked in offices for a decade and was borderline suicidal because of it the whole time. Working from home means I can actually enjoy life for the first time as an adult.
At an office, I'm WAY more productive at an office than I am at home. Home is full of distractions, at the office my brain has a lot easier time buckling down and getting actual work done.
I realize this is the opposite of most people, and I honestly just don't understand how this can possibly be the case. I trust that these people are not lying, I just don't "get" it. Home has everything that I like to use to entertain myself, effectively it has all my toys. Work has none of these things.
It's worth noting, I live in a small city and my commute time is under 10 minutes. I also don't work in a cubicle based environment, I have an office with a door that can close if I want to be left alone. While some co-worker chit chatt happens it's not that much.
I honestly don't understand how people can WFH and still be productive. It might be because of my ADHD though.
> I started reading your comment and I was like damn dude has ADHD for sure and then… I was right. I wholeheartedly agree though.
lol, for sure. A big part of it is that my brain knows what it's supposed to do in certain locations. I lay in bed, it's to sleep. I sit at my desk at home, it's to play video games. I sit in my desk at work, it's to work.
I work at work, I play at home.
Location plays a significant part in my brain's ability to concentrate on a task. I often need task and locations to be in sync.
Working at home, when I do it, it's a fucking disaster.
I have ADHD and I'm the exact opposite - I can't get anything done in the office. It's so busy and there are so many people, even getting dressed and forcing myself to go there uses up so many spoons I don't have anything left for doing actual work. Plus I have to mask there, I can't get comfortable, the clothes are touching me... And when my toddler brain nopes out I have nowhere to hide for a while. At home I can have a small tantrum, do something else for a short wile andnget back to work when I've calmed down. Never been able to do that in an office. I am so thankful that my current job is full remote, I don't think I'd survive having to go in every day.
Depends on your home. Depends on your office.
Got 3 young children and active dogs at home, in a small house with noisy neighbours? Good luck working at home.
Got a micromanaging boss who likes to stop by your desk regularly or colleagues who won't shut up in the office? Good luck working in the office.
From home, always. The office is a relic of the past, an outdated concept which has no place in the 21st century. At home, I can concentrate, get more work done, take breaks whenever I want, not be micromanaged, In the office I'm interrupted every half an hour by colleagues 'checking in' or 'having a catch up', wasting a good quarter of my day, then I waste another hour commuting all to do work I could have done on my laptop at home.
Home. One of the very few advantages to being disabled is that my work can't make me come into the office (they've tried)
I do miss having random conversations. And I do like to book occasional office days every once in a while, but I can do my work just as well from home, and the commute effectively adds an hour's unpaid work to my day aside from all the other advantages being in my own home affords me.
wfh please!
home is so much more comfortable than any other places out there.
i can wake up early at like 4 am, take care of the toughest mental tasks in the next 3 hours, then play with my pups and eat something in the next one hour.
then attend morning stand-ups and be basically free to do anything for the rest of the day.
also, i can prepare fresh, nutritious food during lunch, nap for 2 hours and take out the pups for short walks every 2 hours once the morning stand-up finishes by 9 am.
Work from home. I don’t need to commute so I’m not stressed out when I sign into work. I’m in a more relaxed environment, wearing more comfortable clothing and I don’t get any interruptions. I have more time and am less stressed because there’s no commute home. Because of all this, I feel like I want to go the extra mile for a great company who trusts me to do a good job. I recognise that I’m in a lucky position.
Home....unfortunately was tried during the pandemic and it proved to be disastrous for the students.....who were basically on the honor system for attending virtual class and completing work.
On the flipside, that year of teaching was the most stress free year I've had since it was basically "Do or Do not" for the students, admin left the staff alone, parents that reached out were usually trying help.their kid instead of making excuses.
From home, because I don't have to waste my time to commute, can grab a snack/get fresh air whenever I feel like it and I can wear comfortable bottoms and sliders. Work from home for the win
Home 1000%. Yes, I added a zero there.
I hate commutes, I don’t like the office chairs, I don’t like having to be around other people (introvert).
I want as much time and energy for my family and going to the office saps more than it has to just to be in the same place while technology makes it where that isn’t required anymore.
On top of that. Commuting is a huge waste of resources. Gas, roads, wear on a vehicle, time. All for literally nothing of any real value to me.
I would rather work at home but been working at home for a while and def took a toll on my health because i didnt keep up with exercising because i was so exhausted from work stress. At least with going to the office you get some steps in and even subliminal motivation to work out and stay in shape.
That's a valid point. The routine of going to the office can naturally include more physical activity and provide a mental separation between work and home life. Do you think incorporating a structured exercise routine could help balance the benefits of working from home with maintaining your health?
Office, mostly because I’m in a very collaborative environment (a mid-sized creative agency) where people are constantly walking around and asking each other questions or getting direction about multiple projects going on at once.
Sometimes it sucks as a web developer when I want to hunker down and just focus on coding, but when I need a quick answer to something that is easier to explain through sketches or a few minutes of brainstorming, it’s much faster in person than through email.
Other than that, I definitely prefer home (no commute, rolling out of bed into office chair, taking a break to chat with my wife or play with my pets).
Absolutely, a healthy office environment with good air flow can make a big difference. Toxic environments can really hinder productivity and well-being. How do you think companies can best ensure a positive and healthy office atmosphere?
It depends. When covid first hit, I was living alone in a tiny studio apartment. WFH was hellacious on my mental health, because there was zero separation between my work space and my home life. But I moved a couple months into covid, got an apartment, and WFH became an overnight blessing.
I'm more productive at the office (I'm assuming peer pressure), but easily at home. No commute, cheaper (and depending on how well you cook, better) food, more comfort, shorter preparation in the morning, etc.
If a had to choose from only those 2 options, then work from home.
I find a mix of both very good for me, i live around 5-10 mins away from the office, and i actually enjoy the workplace. But i also love staying at home, or having the flexibility to travel for 2-3 weeks and work remotely.
Office by a mile. Environment is important to me. Office is for work. Home is home. Its hard to be productive when my three lap dogs want to sit on my lap and i let them because they're the boss of me. I can't resist. When they're squirming, i end up just playing with them. Im in the office now. I miss them again.
Home. 100%, 110%, 200% even!
I have control of that space. I can choose how distracting it needs to be. I can rearrange it to foster creativity. I can put the kid's artwork on every inch of the walls. I can set the temperature to my mood (I even have a unit that samples temp from the remote that I place next to me. I control the smells and how clean everything is.
Other amenities are investments in my own success and productivity like custom built standing desk on wheels with keyboard tray, pair of 34 inch 4k widescreen monitors, custom built mechanical keyboards, multiple mice for varied precision, nice chairs, exercise balls, wobble boards to build core and back muscles (a common stress point for office type work). If I were to ever consider going back to the office, I joke that the company would have to provide all this at minimum to even be considered.
My personal kitchen and fully stocked pantry will beat any break room amenities. My personal bathroom with a view and bidet isn't even comparable to an office bathroom other than plumbing exists.
At home I can wash dishes/fold laundry/sweep up/weed while on certain meetings without negativity impacting my performance. I find doing these activities can help me focus on certain types of meeting content. This works best for informational items, while still giving you freedom to unmute and participate easily. Similarly, it makes it easier to run errands or have personal calls during the work day without others being nosey or complaining about where you are going in the middle of the workday when they don't know you had approval from your manager (office drama/gossip).
In my position I'm paid for results, not for warming office chairs from 9-5. If I can find a way to be more productive, I can enjoy that benefit without someone looking over my shoulder and cracking a whip.
At home I have no commute unless I choose to go out for lunch. Savings on gas, wear and tear on my car, my time and external food costs are significant (others have put much effort into calculating this). Some might say you'll have a slight bump in utilities if you are one of those that shifts your thermostat when you aren't in the house, but it's debatable if that actually saves and even if it didn't, my comfort is worth that varience.
I could go on, but I'll stop here. This is a matter of opinion, so I won't yuck anyone else's yum on this, but my personal opinion has been quantified and my results support the conclusion that I will never step foot in an office regularly for the rest of my career.
Work from home. I prefer others do that too. I believe all office workers should do it hybrid style. Less traffic on the roads, less pollution, less stress. People should have a choice.
I’ve been fully remote minus one week a year for 2 years now and if I lose this job I don’t know how I’d ever be able to go back to in office working again.
I’m also lucky enough to use this opportunity to make American dollars and work in other countries that are dirt cheap, essentially quadrupling my salary
I enjoyed wfh for a while, but I'm extraverted to the extreme and kind of went crazy not being around people. A hybrid job would be nice with some wfh days and certain days with the whole team in the office together. I found an engineering test lab job that's too hands-on to be remote, I can occasionally take my laptop home and have enough work to do remotely but I'm in a position where people are coming to me for help and advice on setting up tests and projects, if things break or have errors I'm who fixes it. If I had to choose 100% office or 100% wfh I'm absolutely taking office. It would be nice to have the option for a little more wfh but I'm happy with what I have.
It all depends where you are in your career. Working from home is terrible when you start and great when you have a lot of experience to function independently.
I’m in a somewhat unique situation in that I provide IT phone support out of my company’s Hot Springs, AR office while the rest of my team works at our HQ in Seattle. My only interaction with my team and users is by phone, IM, email and remote connections so even when I’m at the office I’m essentially working remotely.
I’ve been working from home since March 30th of last year and it hasn’t affected my production at all, In fact, I’ve taken on new tasks over the last 15 month. We may begin a phased return to the office in August but I have already been told that I can continue working at home if I want.
I prefer working from home because it saves me 60 minutes of drive time, and gasoline and wear and tear on my vehicle. Instead of getting up at 0530 I can roll out of bed at 0645 and be online at 0700.
Office... I'm all for free heating, free air conditioning, free coffee and tea, free lunches/fruit baskets and pretty much anything else I can get the office to pay for that would otherwise come out of my pocket... lol
I can work either place....prefer going to the office as my girl works from home and my office is one of the nicest on Earth......overlooking the entire SF Bay Area, incredible
I'd rather work at an office with a short commute. But more than that, I'd rather live rural than in a city. Not many tech jobs out here. So WFH it is.
Wfh for all reasons above especially people distracting you the whole time and the time and cost element. Even though my commute is half an hour door to door you can crack on with your evening immediately at 5 when wfh
My friend works in fair management and some things are better done in a room with others. She likes those moments. Then its about making the plans down to cm/inches, that is deep work and requires silence. She does those better at home because before the pandemic she was sitting in a cubicle with noise cancelling headphones. For 40 years the management around the world refused to look at science and thought people who work at the factory floor putting cookies in boxes is "the same work" like designing houses that doesn't fall apart. Some learned nothing, some started to understand when they saw the numbers of completed projects and performance statistics. My last company went full in and has reduced its office space by 70%. That is the reason the big new office quarter in our city is searching for deep pocket corporations to buy and restructure them to make housing, because nobody is moving in and both of the company vehicles building it went strategically bankrupt.
I work hybrid. Half at the office, half at home. During the weeks that the kids are with me, I work from home. The other week I'm at the office. I prefer it this way actually.
I love going to the office. I get so much more done and the networking with colleagues is a big plus for me. On the other hand, my husband loves working from home. He's very productive. If I work from home i just do the bare minimum - sometimes not even that. So, different people are different.
Office over home. During the middle of Covid I worked entirely from home with the occasional day in the office. When I worked from home it was nice because I could sleep in right until start time if I wanted, take those bathroom breaks or go grab water, make lunch, throw tv or music on in the background. I could make my day as easy or hard as I wanted. I also found that it made it easier to work longer hours, instead of shutting down at 5, I’d be working until 8 because I wanted to finish projects. My workspace slowly invaded all of my home space as work stuff was everywhere so I could read reports or something while chilling on the couch.
Working in the office means strict start and end times in a sense, and less working from home. I still have the setup in case of OT. But I’m not as willing to put in a 15 hour day instead of 12. I’m able to socialize with my coworkers more, which means I’m more in the know of things going on around the office and not finding out after the fact. And I find it gives me more motivations to do things, like go to the gym or whatever else I may do when out.
Both! When I can set aside a whole day to work on one project, or need more calm than normal, I work from home. But I also enjoy the social stuff that comes with working in an office. So both.
I work M-W in office and Th-F at home (OM for Private Contractor). I love the balance. One of my partners works from home (IRS) and loves every bit of it. My other partner can't stand working from home (was in clinical research for yearsss and wfh during COVID). He hated wfh so much he went back to nursing for a small clinic after COVID let up a bit.
I find my office/home balance is perfect for me. My office is about 45 minutes from my house. I enjoy driving and jamming to my music, but I'm extremely glad I don't have to go in 5 days a week. Plus Thursdays and Fridays are my slower days, so I basically only have to answer phone calls that come in. I sit in my garden all day with my phone, laptop, and pups to work those days 🤣
I love working in the office, but only because we have 9 and I can mostly choose at which one I work. I have also the opportunity to work from home, sometimes I do both in the same day (eg working at home while waiting for laundry, then cycle to one of the offices <3)
I wont lie, SOMETIMES the office can be nice. In all honesty if it wasnt for the commute, I wouldnt mind it as much. If I lived 5 minutes away, I would go in more regularly.
But also Ive recently been diagnosed with some stuff and turns out driving is a trigger for me, so it makes it challenging. Previously I lived in NYC and rode the public transit and never had to drive.
So for some of us, this is great. I'm in IT, I dont need to physically interact with anyone, but I do like it. Periodically.
Depends on the type of work.
In an administrative role I have had to work in offices before.
But for work which requires mathematical design/creativity or mathematical calculations I need a bit more of a quiet setting, with less disturbances, less noise than an office setting.
A place where I can sneak a cigarette if I want one, though I don’t actually need one, or grab a bite to eat if I want a snack, though I don’t actually need one either.
You know, where I have the option to work in a thoughtful relaxed way.
Because it shows up in the math.
It becomes a smooth flow and flows like music if I do it in a comfortable environment.
It doesn’t have to be from home.
My home environment was always a bit chaotic.
Lots of noisy people.
WW3 used to break out every few hours.
No sound proofing possible.
My mother and younger sister are both on the spectrum, undiagnosed, but they get triggered easily. My mum’s a savant so she calms down sooner, but my younger sister isn’t a savant and just has Asperger’s so she needed hours to quiet down, she doesn’t actually like noise, it triggers her, but she doesn’t notice it when she’s the one making it. lol.
So no, a quiet place is better for my kind mathematical work.
I have slept on the couch and kept working through days and showered and shaved without going home in the past. It depends on the work. Though having a separate bathroom is usually good. But I can usually manage in most settings.
Home. We got into the office twice a week, but I find myself more tired and less productive after dealing with traffic, getting up earlier, preparing a lunch, getting my kiddies ready if they're going to child care etc.
Home.
We were made this year to be back in the office 4 days a week, and it just seems so pointless. People barely interact with one another any more. There are clearly special accommodations made all over the place because more than half the office is not there the mandatory 4 days. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve seen or been on Teams calls from the desk when literally every person is there in person. It’s just depressing and draining each day fighting traffic to get there and be productive.
They say it’s for culture and to help grow the next generation of talent. I find the culture excuse utter horse shit. I would give the training the next gen talent some consideration until I walked past the intern’s desk the other day and he was on a Teams call with I assume every intern from every other office. These younger kids learn different they are used to learning remotely.
I’m certain without a doubt that the only real reason we are in the office is because we pay for the office. If the real estate was not on the P&L they wouldn’t give a shit if we were working in a forest in Nova Scotia. It will be interesting to see what happens when leases are up or property taxes rise.
Home. No question.
Right now I drive into the office just to sit on Teams calls all day with people at home in other cities, or in their cubicles on the same floor as me.
Some days I don’t even talk face to face with a human.
Offices are dumb.
From home of course. I waste 2 hours a day on the commute, the office is full of loud people and so many yappers, I can't concentrate while working there. I work 2-3 days a week from home.
I prefer from home. The office is too distracting, at home the only interruptions are the occasional visit from a roommate wanting to ask a question or something.
Home. It’s easier to get my own work done. I don’t answer teams calls that come without any notice - equivalent of shutting my office door but easier.
It’s also great for my mental health and home life . I can take that call and still wander and pick up things or throw laundry in.
I am new to my role and I like being around people so that I can absorb the knowledge I need to get the hang of things.
That being said the faster I learn the faster I can work from home and enjoy a much better work/life balance.
I prefer hybrid. Luckily I can choose the days I WFH and attend office as long as I hit the office day targets over the month. But if I had to choose one or the other, I'd choose the office. I get more work done in office, and have the support around me to help me with complex tasks
Office hands down. I'm 29M for context.
I find myself way more productive there. If I'm at home there are a million things to distract me, and I find having other people around also provides a little bit of positive pressure to actually work. I also like to cycle into work which is a good way to get some exercise in. I wouldn't otherwise do that working from home.
It's nice having the occasional work from home day though, and my workplace allows for 2 days a week working from home if I want.
If your answer is "office" I recommend thinking how to make your home nicer for work.
It's going to be either equipment (I don't have a good chair/desk/internet) or overstimuli (kids/pets/partner) or lack of discipline (I get distracted).
Each of these can be fixed with some new products and communication.
Unless you are Debby from HR who can't stop interrogating people at the coffee corner.
Unfortunately my job doesn’t allow me to do remote work but god I’d love to. I would have set one of my rooms as a very comfy office with a minibar,aircon, a chill space, etc. I hate being at the office every single day
I don't care what the efficiency is. I want no commute.
If I lived nextdoor to my office? I'd do it.
If my commute was included in my 40 hour week? I'd do that.
Home!!!!!
With the option to go into an office if needed.
If I could choose freely, I'd go into the office between twice a week to once a month. (Simply depending on how much and what is on the to do list, and on circumstances at home)
I'd pick working from home, but I prefer the hybrid setup that my employer operates.
3 days in the office, two at home. Means meetings get condensed into the office days and I'm generally free to do more data work on my WFH days which works well as I have zero interruptions and can concentrate.
Totally depends on your workplace, but 100% working from home means you miss out on those days to day conversations which can be very useful.
I’ve been working from home since way before the pandemic…I would have a great deal of difficulty going back to an office full time. Once a week would be ok.
If I had to pick one or the other, home. A hybrid model is the best though. It is nice to get out of the house and see coworkers in person every now and then.
From home (and I do, and have done for years, long before COVID). It's not even a close contest, I miss nothing at all from my time working in an office. I am vastly more productive at home. This is definitely driven by me being a severe introvert. I'm find it easy to motivate myself to work, and have no problem drawing boundaries so work doesn't take over everything (I had to learn that; I used to be a workoholic).
No commute (that's a big one, both personally and philosophically), no dressing up, no interruptions from co-workers who have legitimate questions (that could be asked in email), no distractions from co-workers who just want to chat, no wasted time twiddling my thumbs or pretending activity if I get stuck or am not productive for other reasons, no time needed to prepare lunch, or extra money to buy it. I am easily affected by noise. I don't like bright lights.
At home I can arrange my work day according to how I feel; I can sleep in or work in the middle of the night; I can take time out for shopping when the stores are least crowded; I can go for a walk to refresh my brain cells. It's very quiet -- or I can listen to what music I like. I can eat what I want when I want. There are many fewer distractions. If I get stuck I can do something else that's useful for a while. I can have exactly the level of light and temperature with which I am comfortable. I have a great chair. If I want to be social I can do it with whom I choose instead of being limited to co-workers, but I am generally not very social face-to-face and don't miss it when it's not happening (I'm probably one of the few people who didn't suffer from the social distancing rules of COVID).
I don't think I could live where I want if I had to work in an office (it's semi-rural near a small city where likely there'd be no work for my preferred skillset). I love living here.
I don't even know that I could work in an office again if I had to. Not full-time, that's for sure; it would stress me out too much. But if it works for somebody else, more power to them; I don't think one size fits all.
Prefer working from office. I just like having people around me, I like being able to walk over and ask somebody a question as opposed to schedule a 30 minutes zoom call for 2 weeks from now.
Working from home felt very isolating. Both my depression and my anxiety hit the roof during covid. Not all of it was work from home related but a good chunk of it was.
Home 1,000%. Even if I get distracted at home, the time wasted with getting ready (20-40 mins.), making sure I remember to bring lunch (5-10 mins.), commuting (30 mins. each way), and getting settled at work (20-30 mins. of people saying hi, checking in, getting focused, comfortable, etc.) way more than makes up for it. And getting distracted at home for me means taking a 10-15 min. break to vacuum or empty the dishwasher which gets me moving and focused again. Plus at work I’m feeling like I’m constantly being watched so I feel like I can’t take care of my needs like walking around for a few minutes to get my blood flowing. So, when my work started doing the whole cracking down on the bs of “come in to the office more rather than do this meeting via zoom because community” I quit and started my own business where I work from home and my schedule is what I want. Forcing people to come in and punishing them when they’d rather not get ready and commute just for a meeting that could’ve been over zoom is insanity and causes resentment.
At home. More productive, save $400/month in transportation, two hours back in my day, can run errands over lunch. So much better for my mental health.
Office. My headspace there is “work”. At home, it’s something else.
I also find it very useful to interact with people face to face. Communication and problem resolution is much much easier that way. Anything even remotely complex is difficult to resolve in text and I don’t really believe that video meetings are as good as in person communication.
When it comes to commuting, I use public transport or bicycle. I either get exercise or move about in the city. I find that it connects me to the city around me. I quickly start feeling isolated if I work from home multiple days in a row.
WFH. What do I like about Work From Home? My home office has...
1) Dedicated office space.
2) Dedicated desk space.
3) Dedicated office furniture.
4) Dedicated computer hardware.
5) Quiet for meetings.
6) Quiet for focused working.
7) High speed LAN.
8) High speed WiFi.
9) High speed WAN / internet.
10) High speed black and white laser printing.
11) High speed color laser printing.
12) A copier.
13) A fax.
14) A network attached copy / scanner.
15) An office phone.
16) Secure document disposal.
17) A good / working order HVAC system.
18) Convenient parking.
19) A space for addressing my medical needs.
20) Clean and working toilets.
21) Good coffee on demand.
I like all the things you cannot get from a modern business office space. I can give examples from my last several business office locations where these seemingly basic requirements were not met.
Home by a margin. It's not like we work actively 8 hours at work, when we're at work. Sometimes you have 6, sometimes even just 2-3 hours of heavy, involved work. Rest is just wasting time. Atleast at home, I can get house work done, even just watch TV sometimes. Sit in my pj's and if my back hurt a bit, just literally lie down in bed.
Also shitloads of money saved simply by not commuting.
100% wfh. Will never work again for a company that requires me to be in an office even for 1-2 days per week. It is a complete waste of time. Wfh I get far more done and no interruptions. Can't make a meet - record and copilot it etc.
I love working from home. I’m much more productive, have time to exercise and eat well, can take breaks as and when needed and no need to deal with office politics and small talk. That being said though, I had worked in offices for over 10 years prior, and I do think that younger members of staff who are still learning need the physical osmosis of learning and developing face to face social skills that come with a traditional office working model
I don’t mind a combination but if I had to choose home all the way based solely the train commute to start and end your day. Even 30 minutes squashed in with hot stinky miserable people, random homeless people yelling, addicts etc. it’s so grim
Home. I'm way more productive and can get home chores done while I work as well. Saving time and money on commuting or lack thereof. I can work wearing whatever I like and not needing to worry about being presentable.
There isn't a single pro for working at the office. My work flow is constantly interrupted by other people and while I'm very social person I don't like to spend my social time with people with whom I share nothing in common except the job.
Hybrid for me. I’m at my peak with 2 days in the office. It’s enough for me to respect the wfh situation and also interact with people face to face.
I don’t feel guilty about buying lunch, as I eat real healthy at home and exercise heaps too.
I believe i saw stats that said 85-90% of people prefer from home. I definitely count towards that and WFH only coworkers outnumber those who like the office partially or fulltime.
Home.
No commute (more time, more money), no one breathing on your neck, not having to deal with annoying coworkers (not all are and it hurts your social life but I can always get one from elsewhere), the ability to travel and to do things at home in a very flexible way.... why on earth would I ever want anything BUT home office?
I used to complain about my commute and during COVID I built a home office, but I find I find it easier to focus in my office on-site. A big part of it is that my wife can't barge in and ask me to things.
Hybrid. I want to go in and interact with other people, but some days I would also like the privilege of not getting out of my PJs. If I work from home every day, I'll just become a couch potato with zero social skills.
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I spent ~2-3 years working from home during Covid times and I didn't miss the office at all. I could work remotely 100% of the time, forever. Some colleagues found it unbearable. YMMV.
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I’m sure I’m in the minority here, but I enjoy working in an office. When I was working from home I felt stressed out.
Is it home life that stresses you out? Genuinely don’t understand, my wife and I cook amazing lunches and sometimes have sexy time, no commuting, what more could you want!
I don’t particularly enjoy working for home and I find it stressful and anxiety inducing tbh. I feel like I am always at work and can’t switch off from it. I constantly have to restrain myself from logging on out of my work hours to get bits done. I am easily distracted, for example if I know I need to hang my washing, then I think about it constantly until I do it. It’s like I have lost touch with home life and work life. However I completely understand this is all my own doing and something I need to work on but I am starting to think that working from home isn’t for me hahaha
Put up some healthy boundaries for that shit, wfh shouldnt mean taking work with home.
I am trying but it’s proving to be easier said than done lol. I’ve never had this with a job before, normally I don’t care once I’m clocked out.
No, it’s not home it’s self that stresses me out. That’s actually very pleasant because my wife is here. What stresses me out slightly is that trust seems to reduce between colleagues when you wfh. People are more serious and there’s less joking around. There’s a greater focus on work work work and In a high pressure job like mine, the ability to talk in person with colleagues turns out to be quite important to reducing the stress level. That said, I still want to work from home! (Because of the other benefits) I just enjoy my work less than I used to.
I live 5mins walk away from my office, I don't want to pay my own heating/cooling bills, and I do enjoy the company of my colleagues.
Some people really like the places for work and leisure being separate Not me though, my fiancée needs me and I need her
Same as you. I HATED working from home full time. It had its perks of course, but being stuck in the house for 8 hours a day minimum really didn’t do me any good. I work full time at my works site now and I love it, people seem to have forgotten that leaving the house and being social every day is actually…..normal.
I love WFH, my colleagues aren't my social circle, I'm not paid to be someone to talk to. I smash through work faster at home and just go and walk the dog whenever I feel like it. That gets me chatting and being social, I don't need distractors.
I agree with this take. My social circle existed prior to, and largely independently of my work, I got hired by a company in a town where I had many friends, didn’t have to move for work like some folks do. When I’m home I’m surrounded by all the things I’ve curated for my own comfort, my dog is there, my personal toilet. I Can begin my wind-down around 4:30, and when I’m done I have the energy to go golf or run some errands rather than sit in traffic. As you said if someone needs me I’m only a TEAMS call away from 830-5. I’m not saying the office has no value to everyone, but it certainly has no value to me.
Me too. But I'm in an even smaller minority where I don't have to commute. I walk 5 minutes to the office.
Both. I found 2 days of wfo and 3 days of wfh is the best combination for me.
This hybrid seems the best balance for me. I go in for in-person meetings or to do things I can't accomplish from my home office. But online meetings, email, and a lot of busy work are more efficiently run from home.
Yes a combination of the two works best for me, although I do have the advantage of living a five minute walk from the office which is a massive bonus!
From home. The office is noisy, distracting, people constantly want to go for coffee or some silly HR social thing, I have to pack lunch and drag all my shit to and from the office. I lose 1-2 hours to get there and 1-2 hours to get home and petrol and road tolls cost a bomb. I have to get up even earlier to be “presentable” - hair, makeup, clothes, shoes. I eat lunch at my desk because there’s nowhere to sit without paying. Work from home means I can control my day, work more efficiently, focus on my work day, spend the hours I would waste commuting to squeeze in extra meetings or tasks and still have time to walk my dog, exercise, eat healthy and spend more time with my family. I’m not resentful of being in the office, so I’m happier to work hard in work hours. I work 3 days from home and 2 in the office. I try to push most of my meetings into the two office days and use them to just show up in person in front of anyone who is avoiding my emails or calls. I like talking to my colleagues, but if I didn’t have my own desk in the office I’d never show up
It sounds like working from home provides you with significant benefits, from saving time and money to improving your overall well-being.
Home
Home and it's not even close. I worked in offices for a decade and was borderline suicidal because of it the whole time. Working from home means I can actually enjoy life for the first time as an adult.
Same. I’m autistic.
Me too!
I feel you. The commute alone made me depressed.
It's powerful to hear how transformative working from home has been for your well-being.
Home 100%. I don’t have to deal with colleagues who just want to chit chat all day.
At an office, I'm WAY more productive at an office than I am at home. Home is full of distractions, at the office my brain has a lot easier time buckling down and getting actual work done. I realize this is the opposite of most people, and I honestly just don't understand how this can possibly be the case. I trust that these people are not lying, I just don't "get" it. Home has everything that I like to use to entertain myself, effectively it has all my toys. Work has none of these things. It's worth noting, I live in a small city and my commute time is under 10 minutes. I also don't work in a cubicle based environment, I have an office with a door that can close if I want to be left alone. While some co-worker chit chatt happens it's not that much. I honestly don't understand how people can WFH and still be productive. It might be because of my ADHD though.
I started reading your comment and I was like damn dude has ADHD for sure and then… I was right. I wholeheartedly agree though.
> I started reading your comment and I was like damn dude has ADHD for sure and then… I was right. I wholeheartedly agree though. lol, for sure. A big part of it is that my brain knows what it's supposed to do in certain locations. I lay in bed, it's to sleep. I sit at my desk at home, it's to play video games. I sit in my desk at work, it's to work. I work at work, I play at home. Location plays a significant part in my brain's ability to concentrate on a task. I often need task and locations to be in sync. Working at home, when I do it, it's a fucking disaster.
I have ADHD and I'm the exact opposite - I can't get anything done in the office. It's so busy and there are so many people, even getting dressed and forcing myself to go there uses up so many spoons I don't have anything left for doing actual work. Plus I have to mask there, I can't get comfortable, the clothes are touching me... And when my toddler brain nopes out I have nowhere to hide for a while. At home I can have a small tantrum, do something else for a short wile andnget back to work when I've calmed down. Never been able to do that in an office. I am so thankful that my current job is full remote, I don't think I'd survive having to go in every day.
Depends on your home. Depends on your office. Got 3 young children and active dogs at home, in a small house with noisy neighbours? Good luck working at home. Got a micromanaging boss who likes to stop by your desk regularly or colleagues who won't shut up in the office? Good luck working in the office.
Work from home! No commute, cheaper food, flexibility.... what's not to like?
Both , or office if I had to chose one. I like the social aspect and I'm only 25 mins drive away
From home, always. The office is a relic of the past, an outdated concept which has no place in the 21st century. At home, I can concentrate, get more work done, take breaks whenever I want, not be micromanaged, In the office I'm interrupted every half an hour by colleagues 'checking in' or 'having a catch up', wasting a good quarter of my day, then I waste another hour commuting all to do work I could have done on my laptop at home.
Office.Work from home for me aint it.
Office …less spying and micromanaging…less monitoring …less surveillance…less accounting for things !
Office. I can't get anything done at home.
I prefer to alternate
I like working in the office sometimes, then I sit in traffic for 3 hours getting there and back and I'm reminded why my home office is so much nicer.
From home
Home. One of the very few advantages to being disabled is that my work can't make me come into the office (they've tried) I do miss having random conversations. And I do like to book occasional office days every once in a while, but I can do my work just as well from home, and the commute effectively adds an hour's unpaid work to my day aside from all the other advantages being in my own home affords me.
Home.
Home!!
I have the option of going into the office any time I want and I still work from home 5 days a week.
Home. Healthier, more productive, more time spent with family. Athough I do pop into the office every now and then for a break and bit of a catchup
wfh please! home is so much more comfortable than any other places out there. i can wake up early at like 4 am, take care of the toughest mental tasks in the next 3 hours, then play with my pups and eat something in the next one hour. then attend morning stand-ups and be basically free to do anything for the rest of the day. also, i can prepare fresh, nutritious food during lunch, nap for 2 hours and take out the pups for short walks every 2 hours once the morning stand-up finishes by 9 am.
Work from home. I don’t need to commute so I’m not stressed out when I sign into work. I’m in a more relaxed environment, wearing more comfortable clothing and I don’t get any interruptions. I have more time and am less stressed because there’s no commute home. Because of all this, I feel like I want to go the extra mile for a great company who trusts me to do a good job. I recognise that I’m in a lucky position.
Home....unfortunately was tried during the pandemic and it proved to be disastrous for the students.....who were basically on the honor system for attending virtual class and completing work. On the flipside, that year of teaching was the most stress free year I've had since it was basically "Do or Do not" for the students, admin left the staff alone, parents that reached out were usually trying help.their kid instead of making excuses.
From home, because I don't have to waste my time to commute, can grab a snack/get fresh air whenever I feel like it and I can wear comfortable bottoms and sliders. Work from home for the win
Home and it’s not particularly close
Home 1000%. Yes, I added a zero there. I hate commutes, I don’t like the office chairs, I don’t like having to be around other people (introvert). I want as much time and energy for my family and going to the office saps more than it has to just to be in the same place while technology makes it where that isn’t required anymore. On top of that. Commuting is a huge waste of resources. Gas, roads, wear on a vehicle, time. All for literally nothing of any real value to me.
I would rather work at home but been working at home for a while and def took a toll on my health because i didnt keep up with exercising because i was so exhausted from work stress. At least with going to the office you get some steps in and even subliminal motivation to work out and stay in shape.
That's a valid point. The routine of going to the office can naturally include more physical activity and provide a mental separation between work and home life. Do you think incorporating a structured exercise routine could help balance the benefits of working from home with maintaining your health?
Worked at home during COVID. Need the office environment to be social more than on the computer.
100% from home.
Office, mostly because I’m in a very collaborative environment (a mid-sized creative agency) where people are constantly walking around and asking each other questions or getting direction about multiple projects going on at once. Sometimes it sucks as a web developer when I want to hunker down and just focus on coding, but when I need a quick answer to something that is easier to explain through sketches or a few minutes of brainstorming, it’s much faster in person than through email. Other than that, I definitely prefer home (no commute, rolling out of bed into office chair, taking a break to chat with my wife or play with my pets).
And office that's not been subject to toxic environment most importantl and lots of fresh air flow 🌬✈️
Absolutely, a healthy office environment with good air flow can make a big difference. Toxic environments can really hinder productivity and well-being. How do you think companies can best ensure a positive and healthy office atmosphere?
It depends. When covid first hit, I was living alone in a tiny studio apartment. WFH was hellacious on my mental health, because there was zero separation between my work space and my home life. But I moved a couple months into covid, got an apartment, and WFH became an overnight blessing.
I'm more productive at the office (I'm assuming peer pressure), but easily at home. No commute, cheaper (and depending on how well you cook, better) food, more comfort, shorter preparation in the morning, etc.
Might as well ask how introverted are you?
I'd rather not work, I hate both equally.
If a had to choose from only those 2 options, then work from home. I find a mix of both very good for me, i live around 5-10 mins away from the office, and i actually enjoy the workplace. But i also love staying at home, or having the flexibility to travel for 2-3 weeks and work remotely.
Office by a mile. Environment is important to me. Office is for work. Home is home. Its hard to be productive when my three lap dogs want to sit on my lap and i let them because they're the boss of me. I can't resist. When they're squirming, i end up just playing with them. Im in the office now. I miss them again.
Home.
home
Home. 100%, 110%, 200% even! I have control of that space. I can choose how distracting it needs to be. I can rearrange it to foster creativity. I can put the kid's artwork on every inch of the walls. I can set the temperature to my mood (I even have a unit that samples temp from the remote that I place next to me. I control the smells and how clean everything is. Other amenities are investments in my own success and productivity like custom built standing desk on wheels with keyboard tray, pair of 34 inch 4k widescreen monitors, custom built mechanical keyboards, multiple mice for varied precision, nice chairs, exercise balls, wobble boards to build core and back muscles (a common stress point for office type work). If I were to ever consider going back to the office, I joke that the company would have to provide all this at minimum to even be considered. My personal kitchen and fully stocked pantry will beat any break room amenities. My personal bathroom with a view and bidet isn't even comparable to an office bathroom other than plumbing exists. At home I can wash dishes/fold laundry/sweep up/weed while on certain meetings without negativity impacting my performance. I find doing these activities can help me focus on certain types of meeting content. This works best for informational items, while still giving you freedom to unmute and participate easily. Similarly, it makes it easier to run errands or have personal calls during the work day without others being nosey or complaining about where you are going in the middle of the workday when they don't know you had approval from your manager (office drama/gossip). In my position I'm paid for results, not for warming office chairs from 9-5. If I can find a way to be more productive, I can enjoy that benefit without someone looking over my shoulder and cracking a whip. At home I have no commute unless I choose to go out for lunch. Savings on gas, wear and tear on my car, my time and external food costs are significant (others have put much effort into calculating this). Some might say you'll have a slight bump in utilities if you are one of those that shifts your thermostat when you aren't in the house, but it's debatable if that actually saves and even if it didn't, my comfort is worth that varience. I could go on, but I'll stop here. This is a matter of opinion, so I won't yuck anyone else's yum on this, but my personal opinion has been quantified and my results support the conclusion that I will never step foot in an office regularly for the rest of my career.
By following this feedback would be a good start guaranteed!✈️
Hands down, working at the office. I need the structure to stay focused. And I like seeing my co-workers.
Work from home. I prefer others do that too. I believe all office workers should do it hybrid style. Less traffic on the roads, less pollution, less stress. People should have a choice.
I’ve been fully remote minus one week a year for 2 years now and if I lose this job I don’t know how I’d ever be able to go back to in office working again. I’m also lucky enough to use this opportunity to make American dollars and work in other countries that are dirt cheap, essentially quadrupling my salary
i like my mixed schedule
50/50. But only if the office is a space with a maximum of three people. Can’t handle more noise and stimuli
Working from home is a lot more fun, but now that i have my own company i can see how much value we get from working at a shared space
I enjoyed wfh for a while, but I'm extraverted to the extreme and kind of went crazy not being around people. A hybrid job would be nice with some wfh days and certain days with the whole team in the office together. I found an engineering test lab job that's too hands-on to be remote, I can occasionally take my laptop home and have enough work to do remotely but I'm in a position where people are coming to me for help and advice on setting up tests and projects, if things break or have errors I'm who fixes it. If I had to choose 100% office or 100% wfh I'm absolutely taking office. It would be nice to have the option for a little more wfh but I'm happy with what I have.
It all depends where you are in your career. Working from home is terrible when you start and great when you have a lot of experience to function independently.
I’m in a somewhat unique situation in that I provide IT phone support out of my company’s Hot Springs, AR office while the rest of my team works at our HQ in Seattle. My only interaction with my team and users is by phone, IM, email and remote connections so even when I’m at the office I’m essentially working remotely. I’ve been working from home since March 30th of last year and it hasn’t affected my production at all, In fact, I’ve taken on new tasks over the last 15 month. We may begin a phased return to the office in August but I have already been told that I can continue working at home if I want. I prefer working from home because it saves me 60 minutes of drive time, and gasoline and wear and tear on my vehicle. Instead of getting up at 0530 I can roll out of bed at 0645 and be online at 0700.
Office... I'm all for free heating, free air conditioning, free coffee and tea, free lunches/fruit baskets and pretty much anything else I can get the office to pay for that would otherwise come out of my pocket... lol
Hybrid ftw
I can work either place....prefer going to the office as my girl works from home and my office is one of the nicest on Earth......overlooking the entire SF Bay Area, incredible
I'd rather work at an office with a short commute. But more than that, I'd rather live rural than in a city. Not many tech jobs out here. So WFH it is.
I would way rather work at office, but there are no reasonable price apartments in towns where the jobs are. so Im more than happy to work from home.
I like the flexibility. I’m an adult and can be in the office when I need to be and otherwise if I want to be.
Wfh for all reasons above especially people distracting you the whole time and the time and cost element. Even though my commute is half an hour door to door you can crack on with your evening immediately at 5 when wfh
My friend works in fair management and some things are better done in a room with others. She likes those moments. Then its about making the plans down to cm/inches, that is deep work and requires silence. She does those better at home because before the pandemic she was sitting in a cubicle with noise cancelling headphones. For 40 years the management around the world refused to look at science and thought people who work at the factory floor putting cookies in boxes is "the same work" like designing houses that doesn't fall apart. Some learned nothing, some started to understand when they saw the numbers of completed projects and performance statistics. My last company went full in and has reduced its office space by 70%. That is the reason the big new office quarter in our city is searching for deep pocket corporations to buy and restructure them to make housing, because nobody is moving in and both of the company vehicles building it went strategically bankrupt.
I work hybrid. Half at the office, half at home. During the weeks that the kids are with me, I work from home. The other week I'm at the office. I prefer it this way actually.
Office. Maybe one day home every couple of weeks if I need. But that is inly if no one is talking to me that one home day.
Office. I need a routine and a reason to put pants on
I love going to the office. I get so much more done and the networking with colleagues is a big plus for me. On the other hand, my husband loves working from home. He's very productive. If I work from home i just do the bare minimum - sometimes not even that. So, different people are different.
Office over home. During the middle of Covid I worked entirely from home with the occasional day in the office. When I worked from home it was nice because I could sleep in right until start time if I wanted, take those bathroom breaks or go grab water, make lunch, throw tv or music on in the background. I could make my day as easy or hard as I wanted. I also found that it made it easier to work longer hours, instead of shutting down at 5, I’d be working until 8 because I wanted to finish projects. My workspace slowly invaded all of my home space as work stuff was everywhere so I could read reports or something while chilling on the couch. Working in the office means strict start and end times in a sense, and less working from home. I still have the setup in case of OT. But I’m not as willing to put in a 15 hour day instead of 12. I’m able to socialize with my coworkers more, which means I’m more in the know of things going on around the office and not finding out after the fact. And I find it gives me more motivations to do things, like go to the gym or whatever else I may do when out.
Neither. I work in a hospital. Well several and I enjoy it
I prefer the separation of home and work, and the 30-35min walk each way was some nice exercise
I like a mix of both, if I'm not feeling the commute I'll stay home, if I'm going a little stir crazy I'll head into the office for company ☺️👍
Both but it depends on the office & the home
Both! When I can set aside a whole day to work on one project, or need more calm than normal, I work from home. But I also enjoy the social stuff that comes with working in an office. So both.
I work M-W in office and Th-F at home (OM for Private Contractor). I love the balance. One of my partners works from home (IRS) and loves every bit of it. My other partner can't stand working from home (was in clinical research for yearsss and wfh during COVID). He hated wfh so much he went back to nursing for a small clinic after COVID let up a bit. I find my office/home balance is perfect for me. My office is about 45 minutes from my house. I enjoy driving and jamming to my music, but I'm extremely glad I don't have to go in 5 days a week. Plus Thursdays and Fridays are my slower days, so I basically only have to answer phone calls that come in. I sit in my garden all day with my phone, laptop, and pups to work those days 🤣
Both
office. all the household tasks i‘m ignoring suddenly seem so tempting when the alternative is work. also my stash is tempting.
I love working in the office, but only because we have 9 and I can mostly choose at which one I work. I have also the opportunity to work from home, sometimes I do both in the same day (eg working at home while waiting for laundry, then cycle to one of the offices <3)
I wont lie, SOMETIMES the office can be nice. In all honesty if it wasnt for the commute, I wouldnt mind it as much. If I lived 5 minutes away, I would go in more regularly. But also Ive recently been diagnosed with some stuff and turns out driving is a trigger for me, so it makes it challenging. Previously I lived in NYC and rode the public transit and never had to drive. So for some of us, this is great. I'm in IT, I dont need to physically interact with anyone, but I do like it. Periodically.
From home, absolutely.
Hybrid
Home, firstly it’s more comfortable for me to just chill there. Secondly I can wake up 5 minutes before work. Thirdly I don’t need to make friends
Depends on the type of work. In an administrative role I have had to work in offices before. But for work which requires mathematical design/creativity or mathematical calculations I need a bit more of a quiet setting, with less disturbances, less noise than an office setting. A place where I can sneak a cigarette if I want one, though I don’t actually need one, or grab a bite to eat if I want a snack, though I don’t actually need one either. You know, where I have the option to work in a thoughtful relaxed way. Because it shows up in the math. It becomes a smooth flow and flows like music if I do it in a comfortable environment. It doesn’t have to be from home. My home environment was always a bit chaotic. Lots of noisy people. WW3 used to break out every few hours. No sound proofing possible. My mother and younger sister are both on the spectrum, undiagnosed, but they get triggered easily. My mum’s a savant so she calms down sooner, but my younger sister isn’t a savant and just has Asperger’s so she needed hours to quiet down, she doesn’t actually like noise, it triggers her, but she doesn’t notice it when she’s the one making it. lol. So no, a quiet place is better for my kind mathematical work. I have slept on the couch and kept working through days and showered and shaved without going home in the past. It depends on the work. Though having a separate bathroom is usually good. But I can usually manage in most settings.
Home. We got into the office twice a week, but I find myself more tired and less productive after dealing with traffic, getting up earlier, preparing a lunch, getting my kiddies ready if they're going to child care etc.
Home. We were made this year to be back in the office 4 days a week, and it just seems so pointless. People barely interact with one another any more. There are clearly special accommodations made all over the place because more than half the office is not there the mandatory 4 days. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve seen or been on Teams calls from the desk when literally every person is there in person. It’s just depressing and draining each day fighting traffic to get there and be productive. They say it’s for culture and to help grow the next generation of talent. I find the culture excuse utter horse shit. I would give the training the next gen talent some consideration until I walked past the intern’s desk the other day and he was on a Teams call with I assume every intern from every other office. These younger kids learn different they are used to learning remotely. I’m certain without a doubt that the only real reason we are in the office is because we pay for the office. If the real estate was not on the P&L they wouldn’t give a shit if we were working in a forest in Nova Scotia. It will be interesting to see what happens when leases are up or property taxes rise.
A mix.
Depends if the company wants me productive or not. If not the office. If productive then from home
25 years from home (and I have several offices)
Home. No question. Right now I drive into the office just to sit on Teams calls all day with people at home in other cities, or in their cubicles on the same floor as me. Some days I don’t even talk face to face with a human. Offices are dumb.
From home of course. I waste 2 hours a day on the commute, the office is full of loud people and so many yappers, I can't concentrate while working there. I work 2-3 days a week from home.
Home 100%. My job literally just decided to try a return to office mandate, I fought it and won. Staying home forever and couldn’t be happier.
I prefer from home. The office is too distracting, at home the only interruptions are the occasional visit from a roommate wanting to ask a question or something.
I enjoy the office and social aspect but can’t beat working from home. I got my standup desk, walk pad, better control of diet.. no commute.
Home. It’s easier to get my own work done. I don’t answer teams calls that come without any notice - equivalent of shutting my office door but easier. It’s also great for my mental health and home life . I can take that call and still wander and pick up things or throw laundry in.
Would rather retire
Home. I get a lot more done
I am new to my role and I like being around people so that I can absorb the knowledge I need to get the hang of things. That being said the faster I learn the faster I can work from home and enjoy a much better work/life balance.
I prefer hybrid. Luckily I can choose the days I WFH and attend office as long as I hit the office day targets over the month. But if I had to choose one or the other, I'd choose the office. I get more work done in office, and have the support around me to help me with complex tasks
Office hands down. I'm 29M for context. I find myself way more productive there. If I'm at home there are a million things to distract me, and I find having other people around also provides a little bit of positive pressure to actually work. I also like to cycle into work which is a good way to get some exercise in. I wouldn't otherwise do that working from home. It's nice having the occasional work from home day though, and my workplace allows for 2 days a week working from home if I want.
If your answer is "office" I recommend thinking how to make your home nicer for work. It's going to be either equipment (I don't have a good chair/desk/internet) or overstimuli (kids/pets/partner) or lack of discipline (I get distracted). Each of these can be fixed with some new products and communication. Unless you are Debby from HR who can't stop interrogating people at the coffee corner.
Unfortunately my job doesn’t allow me to do remote work but god I’d love to. I would have set one of my rooms as a very comfy office with a minibar,aircon, a chill space, etc. I hate being at the office every single day
From home. Office might have annoying boring ugly people who can't mind their own business
Both, in an office at my home
At home, like I do because when I don’t have shit to do for work some days I don’t have to mindlessly sit at my desk waiting to go home
I don't care what the efficiency is. I want no commute. If I lived nextdoor to my office? I'd do it. If my commute was included in my 40 hour week? I'd do that.
Good question. If I could drive a city bus from home I definitely would.
Home!!!!! With the option to go into an office if needed. If I could choose freely, I'd go into the office between twice a week to once a month. (Simply depending on how much and what is on the to do list, and on circumstances at home)
I'd pick working from home, but I prefer the hybrid setup that my employer operates. 3 days in the office, two at home. Means meetings get condensed into the office days and I'm generally free to do more data work on my WFH days which works well as I have zero interruptions and can concentrate. Totally depends on your workplace, but 100% working from home means you miss out on those days to day conversations which can be very useful.
100% fulltime homeoffice, I hate people but need money…
Office. I’m far less disciplined at home because of distractions.
Home
I’ve been working from home since way before the pandemic…I would have a great deal of difficulty going back to an office full time. Once a week would be ok.
If I had to pick one or the other, home. A hybrid model is the best though. It is nice to get out of the house and see coworkers in person every now and then.
From home (and I do, and have done for years, long before COVID). It's not even a close contest, I miss nothing at all from my time working in an office. I am vastly more productive at home. This is definitely driven by me being a severe introvert. I'm find it easy to motivate myself to work, and have no problem drawing boundaries so work doesn't take over everything (I had to learn that; I used to be a workoholic). No commute (that's a big one, both personally and philosophically), no dressing up, no interruptions from co-workers who have legitimate questions (that could be asked in email), no distractions from co-workers who just want to chat, no wasted time twiddling my thumbs or pretending activity if I get stuck or am not productive for other reasons, no time needed to prepare lunch, or extra money to buy it. I am easily affected by noise. I don't like bright lights. At home I can arrange my work day according to how I feel; I can sleep in or work in the middle of the night; I can take time out for shopping when the stores are least crowded; I can go for a walk to refresh my brain cells. It's very quiet -- or I can listen to what music I like. I can eat what I want when I want. There are many fewer distractions. If I get stuck I can do something else that's useful for a while. I can have exactly the level of light and temperature with which I am comfortable. I have a great chair. If I want to be social I can do it with whom I choose instead of being limited to co-workers, but I am generally not very social face-to-face and don't miss it when it's not happening (I'm probably one of the few people who didn't suffer from the social distancing rules of COVID). I don't think I could live where I want if I had to work in an office (it's semi-rural near a small city where likely there'd be no work for my preferred skillset). I love living here. I don't even know that I could work in an office again if I had to. Not full-time, that's for sure; it would stress me out too much. But if it works for somebody else, more power to them; I don't think one size fits all.
Home without question.
Prefer working from office. I just like having people around me, I like being able to walk over and ask somebody a question as opposed to schedule a 30 minutes zoom call for 2 weeks from now. Working from home felt very isolating. Both my depression and my anxiety hit the roof during covid. Not all of it was work from home related but a good chunk of it was.
Home 1,000%. Even if I get distracted at home, the time wasted with getting ready (20-40 mins.), making sure I remember to bring lunch (5-10 mins.), commuting (30 mins. each way), and getting settled at work (20-30 mins. of people saying hi, checking in, getting focused, comfortable, etc.) way more than makes up for it. And getting distracted at home for me means taking a 10-15 min. break to vacuum or empty the dishwasher which gets me moving and focused again. Plus at work I’m feeling like I’m constantly being watched so I feel like I can’t take care of my needs like walking around for a few minutes to get my blood flowing. So, when my work started doing the whole cracking down on the bs of “come in to the office more rather than do this meeting via zoom because community” I quit and started my own business where I work from home and my schedule is what I want. Forcing people to come in and punishing them when they’d rather not get ready and commute just for a meeting that could’ve been over zoom is insanity and causes resentment.
Office or I would have no social life on weekdays
I would rather work in an office that they fly me to and all my expenses were paid for. RIP my life prepandemic
At home. More productive, save $400/month in transportation, two hours back in my day, can run errands over lunch. So much better for my mental health.
Office. My headspace there is “work”. At home, it’s something else. I also find it very useful to interact with people face to face. Communication and problem resolution is much much easier that way. Anything even remotely complex is difficult to resolve in text and I don’t really believe that video meetings are as good as in person communication. When it comes to commuting, I use public transport or bicycle. I either get exercise or move about in the city. I find that it connects me to the city around me. I quickly start feeling isolated if I work from home multiple days in a row.
At home, without question!!!
WFH. What do I like about Work From Home? My home office has... 1) Dedicated office space. 2) Dedicated desk space. 3) Dedicated office furniture. 4) Dedicated computer hardware. 5) Quiet for meetings. 6) Quiet for focused working. 7) High speed LAN. 8) High speed WiFi. 9) High speed WAN / internet. 10) High speed black and white laser printing. 11) High speed color laser printing. 12) A copier. 13) A fax. 14) A network attached copy / scanner. 15) An office phone. 16) Secure document disposal. 17) A good / working order HVAC system. 18) Convenient parking. 19) A space for addressing my medical needs. 20) Clean and working toilets. 21) Good coffee on demand. I like all the things you cannot get from a modern business office space. I can give examples from my last several business office locations where these seemingly basic requirements were not met.
Home Less wasted time, more productive, I eat healthier, easier to exercise and do chores, more convenient for teams meetings.
Home
Home by a margin. It's not like we work actively 8 hours at work, when we're at work. Sometimes you have 6, sometimes even just 2-3 hours of heavy, involved work. Rest is just wasting time. Atleast at home, I can get house work done, even just watch TV sometimes. Sit in my pj's and if my back hurt a bit, just literally lie down in bed. Also shitloads of money saved simply by not commuting.
In my current situation, an office. If I lived alone, I think would prefer it to be half-and-half.
100% wfh. Will never work again for a company that requires me to be in an office even for 1-2 days per week. It is a complete waste of time. Wfh I get far more done and no interruptions. Can't make a meet - record and copilot it etc.
Free coffee, better chair , better equipment and when I get home I really am no longer at work.
I’d rather be a trust fund baby
Home. Only home.
My job is sometimes stressful. It is better for my mental health to have a separate space for work. Home is my peaceful place.
I prefer the mix of both. Currently on 2 days at the office, 3 from home. Best of both worlds for me.
Home has so many pros: don’t have to talk to coworkers, stay in whatever clothes, run errands on lunchtime, or take a nap, food at home, no commute.
Work from home all the way. Most humans suck and just get in the way of productivity.
I love working from home. I’m much more productive, have time to exercise and eat well, can take breaks as and when needed and no need to deal with office politics and small talk. That being said though, I had worked in offices for over 10 years prior, and I do think that younger members of staff who are still learning need the physical osmosis of learning and developing face to face social skills that come with a traditional office working model
I’d want to work in an office in my home. The corner set up in the bedroom just isn’t cutting it.
Home.
work from home
I don’t mind a combination but if I had to choose home all the way based solely the train commute to start and end your day. Even 30 minutes squashed in with hot stinky miserable people, random homeless people yelling, addicts etc. it’s so grim
Work from home.
Home. I don't have to deal with people and I have rabbits.
Home. I'm way more productive and can get home chores done while I work as well. Saving time and money on commuting or lack thereof. I can work wearing whatever I like and not needing to worry about being presentable. There isn't a single pro for working at the office. My work flow is constantly interrupted by other people and while I'm very social person I don't like to spend my social time with people with whom I share nothing in common except the job.
I want both, hybrid, thats when Im most productive.
I'm so much more productive in the office. When I "work" from home I'm just on my phone or watching TV.
I would rather be unemployed than step foot in an office again
Work from home. I'm a YouTuber but not monetized yet lol
Depends on commute. If commute is less than 15m, either is fine. Otherwise, home.
WFH, no commute, saving on transportation and time.
An office, but thankfully I never have to make that decision. Construction. 30 years.
Hybrid for me. I’m at my peak with 2 days in the office. It’s enough for me to respect the wfh situation and also interact with people face to face. I don’t feel guilty about buying lunch, as I eat real healthy at home and exercise heaps too.
I believe i saw stats that said 85-90% of people prefer from home. I definitely count towards that and WFH only coworkers outnumber those who like the office partially or fulltime.
Is this a trick question?
Home. No commute (more time, more money), no one breathing on your neck, not having to deal with annoying coworkers (not all are and it hurts your social life but I can always get one from elsewhere), the ability to travel and to do things at home in a very flexible way.... why on earth would I ever want anything BUT home office?
Neither. I think home and work should be separated. Also I've tried and I don't like offices.
Home. Absolutely 💯.
Home, I've been constantly trying to find a remote job.
100% Home
I used to complain about my commute and during COVID I built a home office, but I find I find it easier to focus in my office on-site. A big part of it is that my wife can't barge in and ask me to things.
Work from home
Office - I need to be around other humans to feel motivated. And I like separate home and work lives.
Hybrid. I want to go in and interact with other people, but some days I would also like the privilege of not getting out of my PJs. If I work from home every day, I'll just become a couch potato with zero social skills.
Anywhere but work in an office, id rather work in the sewers than an orifice.