After going back in for the first time in a year, I’ve determined that people who would prefer to work at the office are crazy

[RedMercury]

Aw, come on EBF you're old enough to know that some people thrive in different environments than other people.

I like working from home too but I'll say this, I guarantee once people start going back to the office it's gonna be the people who go in in-person who get a lot more promotions than the people who never go in, in most cases

 

[Saito]

I'm hybrid and it's the greatest thing I have ever experienced. WFH 3 days a week and then 2 days in surgery. Fortunately I work for a very progressive company so everyone is on board from the very top down.

 

[HardRojo]

Hybrid is what I'd like, I miss interactions in the office and meeting people, but my company has already basically moved to a full WFH environment.

 

[BoboBrazil]

I go to work because I love my co-workers. So much so I'm just about to quit my current job as they've forbidden me and others from interacting with any coworkers outside of work.

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That sounds illegal. Your job can't tell you who you can and can't interact with outside work.

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

It does depend on your job and I bet the vast majority of office jobs are probably better for people WFH, and I hope more than not of those people get their preference.

I work a job where I have a strong, strong preference for work/life separation. Partly because of the politics of my workplace and partly because of the actual high-stress experiences there. I'd hate to have my living room or office be where I remember having a particularly difficult day of work. I go home to escape work, not to live it.

 

[HandsomeCharles]

Hybrid is only the future if I get to stay at home and its all of you weirdos that go in.

 

[kmfdmpig]

I personally agree. Do I miss the social elements to some extent? Yes. With that said, there's no way that even approaches balancing out all of the negatives (time, gas, inconvenience, wearing uncomfortable clothes, being unable to run errands, etc...). Even if I was unmarried and didn't have a kid I'd still find other ways to fill the social void rather than deal with all of the annoyances of going into an office.

 

[Pein]

Same reason I don't want a home gym, I like getting out and being around other people and the atmosphere work is work and home is home for me.

 

[Hoggle]

That sounds illegal. Your job can't tell you who you can and can't interact with outside work.

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Spoiler

Yeah, I'm currently seeking council on that. But at the same time if they going to act that way I'll also be looking else where. Was going to make a seperate topic on the weekend, so I won't derail this one.

 

[808s & Villainy]

We have this thread every other month.

Some people have non-ideal working environments at home and would like a hybrid approach.

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For real. I don't know why it's so hard for some people to get some of us don't want to be working on a small desk in our small apartment everyday

 

[Deleted member 4869]

I'm respect your opinions, dude, but I'm really tired of people telling me I'm "crazy" for liking my coworkers and wanting to get out of the house, even if in jest.

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This.

I have a great friendship with my coworkers and taking coffee breaks, chatting, laughing, socializing (which is extremely important for mental health), is just something I miss every day.

I've also found that being at home all day has made me lazier, so I'm trying to recover my office schedule like waking up early, taking a shower immediately after, etc. I just can't stand getting to work on my laptop on my pajamas. It makes me feel like a lazy slob.

I also like the mental separation of home = rest and comfort, and office = work and socialize. When the two of them start mixing together I become miserable.

I really, REALLY can't wait to go back to office and see my friends every day again.

 

[AncientReptileBrain]

I'm respect your opinions, dude, but I'm really tired of people telling me I'm "crazy" for liking my coworkers and wanting to get out of the house, even if in jest.

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seriously.

 

[Deleted member 19070]

I understand this. Though, it's unhealthy that work is the only social interaction people are getting. People who work from home could ask their coworkers to go out after work to bowl, coffee, etc.

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a lot of ppl work remotely in smaller companies where they have very few coworkers living in the same state as them (many who they don't even directly work with) and the rest are spread across the states and world.

i moved to a new state in middle of pandemic working remotely. Not as bad for me but can't imagine with shy ppl.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

im just venting. It's annoying because I feel like the people who want to go back won't be happy unless we all go back.

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if you worked at a law firm for example, there are things that must be done in person and at least in my experience many people are abusing the WFH model since they will have others do things for them who are at the office when they should be coming in themselves. so...yeah. time to get back in. at least some of the time.

 

[Deleted member 6263]

I've noticed the people who love working in office are either not hard workers who depend on the office to make them look like they're doing something or sad people who depend on their coworkers as a means of not feeling alone.

Edit: in my office

 

[Wishbone Ash]

If I worked from home, I'd literally never do anything. Going to work is the only reason I get out of the house, but I justify doing other things after because I'm already out and about.

Maybe that's a sign of horrible depression or something but my work habits/schedule haven't changed one bit since COVID hit so I don't know. Just imagining from what happens on my days off I guess

Edit: I despise my coworkers and I have a lovely wife and plenty of friends, not at all like the pretty strange generalizations Stilztkin made above me

 

[jph139]

After a year and a half I started missing going into the office, so when they started us going back 1-2 days a week I was almost looking forward to it.

But nah, fuck that. It's a nightmare - I do the same stuff, just in an uncomfortable place that takes an hour to get to. No idea how I ever tolerated doing it five days a week. If I never see the office, or any person I've worked with, every again, I won't complain. And I even like my coworkers/the company I work for!

 

[Royalan]

I've noticed the people who love working in office are either not hard workers who depend on the office to make them look like they're doing something or sad people who depend on their coworkers as a means of not feeling alone.

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Ok.

Clap Clap.

What we're going to do, is we're going to have this conversation without resorting to gross and offensive assumptions on why we think people like going into work or working from home.

 

[Thordinson]

a lot of ppl work remotely in smaller companies where they have very few coworkers living in the same state as them (many who they don't even directly work with) and the rest are spread across the states and world.

i moved to a new state in middle of pandemic working remotely. Not as bad for me but can't imagine with shy ppl.

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Which I totally understand. This would make things harder. But it seems most posters are talking about working from home instead of going to the office that they normally would. So their coworkers would likely be in the same area and they could still find ways to socialize with them. Granted, it is much easier said than done.

Definitely. I can see that. But relying on coworkers as one's sole means of socializing isn't exactly healthy.

if you worked at a law firm for example, there are things that must be done in person and at least in my experience many people are abusing the WFH model since they will have others do things for them who are at the office when they should be coming in themselves. so...yeah. time to get back in. at least some of the time.

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I worked at one over the summer and we were at the office most of the time and I had no idea why. The lawyers would work from home often. Us paralegals could work from home if needed. I never saw a reason we needed to be there all the time. None of the tasks I was ever given needed to be done at the office. Hybrid would have been so much better at the very least.

 

[Dennis8K]

Bosses are pissing themselves because millions of workers are realizing how shitty their boss and office culture was all along.

 

[ferma]

Sleeping later, not wearing pants, lighting how you like it, music, flexibility for lunch and errands, occasional workday snuggle break…

vs.

Driving to an office and sitting in an office.

Are you kidding?

Come on.

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Certain things are easier - access to office equipment, no VPN lag. I'm leaning more towards hybrid.

 

[skillzilla81]

I've noticed the people who love working in office are either not hard workers who depend on the office to make them look like they're doing something or sad people who depend on their coworkers as a means of not feeling alone.

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What a tremendously stupid and shitty thing to say.

 

[Tobor]

if you worked at a law firm for example, there are things that must be done in person and at least in my experience many people are abusing the WFH model since they will have others do things for them who are at the office when they should be coming in themselves. so...yeah. time to get back in. at least some of the time.

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I don't work in a law office. My job is 100% doable from home and my productivity is up.

The reality is I may not have to go back in. Maybe once in a while. I hope it stays that way.

 

[Br3wnor]

I'm respect your opinions, dude, but I'm really tired of people telling me I'm "crazy" for liking my coworkers and wanting to get out of the house, even if in jest.

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Yeah it's exhausting. I have my own office who's door I can shut whenever I want and coworkers I like, my commute is 25 minutes driving and I'm home every day by 5. I enjoy having separation between my work and my home, and I have 2 dogs and a 10 month old, I'm fine being back in the office.

A lot of it is bitterness from people who have to return to their offices in some capacity and really enjoyed remote work who are realizing the "everyone will be able to work remote forever" dream isn't happening so they make people who don't despise their office seem like they're nuts.

I've noticed the people who love working in office are either not hard workers who depend on the office to make them look like they're doing something or sad people who depend on their coworkers as a means of not feeling alone.

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Hahahahahaha, I rest my case.

 

[Deleted member 6263]

What a tremendously stupid and shitty thing to say.

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Why? Do you know my coworkers?

 

[zero_suit]

I think hybrid is the best, with most days being WFH.

 

[skillzilla81]

Why? Do you know my coworkers?

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Don't act like you didn't come into a thread about this topic with inflammatory language that sounds like you're making a blanket statement.

You could have easily said "I've noticed my coworkers..." etc, but you didn't.

Miss me with that.

 

[B-Dubs]

I've noticed the people who love working in office are either not hard workers who depend on the office to make them look like they're doing something or sad people who depend on their coworkers as a means of not feeling alone.

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I mean, no offense, but what the flying fuck?

I worked freelance for like 5 years after leaving college, do you know what I learned? You need to have a change of pace at some point. You can't do your work in the same place you have fun or you'll have a hard time turning off. Having an actual place to work that is separate from where you play can be good for your mental health. It helps turn off and get away from work after the job is done. I damn near lost it before figuring that out and getting a separate desk to work at.

 

[totowhoa]

Why? Do you know my coworkers?

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Edit your first post so you don't sound like an aggressive asshole. It doesn't sound like you're just talking about your coworkers.

 

[Dalek]

Bosses are pissing themselves because millions of workers are realizing how shitty their boss and office culture was all along.

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Bingo

 

[DMczaf]

I prefer to work in an office, but I don't judge anyone who wants to work from home.

This thread is way too aggressive against people that want to work differently than you.

 

[Deleted member 6263]

Don't act like you didn't come into a thread about this topic with inflammatory language that sounds like you're making a blanket statement.

You could have easily said "I've noticed my coworkers..." etc, but you didn't.

Miss me with that.

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I'm sorry English isn't my first language, and it isn't perfect and I write with one hand on my cellphone while I hold my newborn. Honest mistake, seriously.

 

[Tobor]

Yeah it's exhausting. I have my own office who's door I can shut whenever I want and coworkers I like, my commute is 25 minutes driving and I'm home every day by 5. I enjoy having separation between my work and my home, and I have 2 dogs and a 10 month old, I'm fine being back in the office.

A lot of it is bitterness from people who have to return to their offices in some capacity and really enjoyed remote work who are realizing the "everyone will be able to work remote forever" dream isn't happening so they make people who don't despise their office seem like they're nuts.




Hahahahahaha, I rest my case.

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This goes both ways. There are those whose office situation is better than home, and those where the office is much worse.

I have a private office now in my own house with my own bathroom.

So yeah, I don't want to go back to sitting so close to my coworkers that our elbows are touching in an open office floor plan with shared bathrooms.

 

[Deleted member 6263]

I mean, no offense, but what the flying fuck?

I worked freelance for like 5 years after leaving college, do you know what I learned? You need to have a change of pace at some point. You can't do your work in the same place you have fun or you'll have a hard time turning off. Having an actual place to work that is separate from where you play can be good for your mental health. It helps turn off and get away from work after the job is done. I damn near lost it before figuring that out and getting a separate desk to work at.

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Please check the edit, I typed too quickly and it came across as insensitive.

 

[Forsaken82]

I love how these threads always devolve into "I have to put on pants to go back to work?!" it turns WFH into a fucking joke and it's not surprising that every time I talk to someone who mentions that they enjoy the "not wearing pants" aspect of WFH, they also include the fact that they enjoy the freedom they have to do less work while at home because they don't have to worry about their supervisor walking up behind them randomly while they are browsing the internet. (and no i don't mean the supervisor is looking over their shoulder, I mean the occasional walk to the bathroom or or kitchen or outside, or whatever reason they have to get up, and they happen to walk passed)

I am absolutely in favor of WFH practices, or hybrid approaches, but I am not one of these people who think WFH should be mandatory for all jobs that allow it.

As Feep said earlier in this thread, some of us just like being around our coworkers and the overall culture the office environment brings and it's honestly insulting every time someone says we are crazy because we enjoy the office life.

Also before anyone says "well you must not have a long commute" I have a 40+ minute train ride followed by a 10 minute walk to and from the office. I save over 200 dollars not having to commute into the office (which is is the difference between me working paycheck to paycheck currently) , and i'd STILL be OK going back. I guess i'm crazy.

 

[Deleted member 9241]

Add poopin in your own bathroom, mid day hot showers, and playing video games during conference calls to the WFH list of positives.

 

[B-Dubs]

I love how these threads always devolve into "I have to put on pants to go back to work?!" it turns WFH into a fucking joke and it's not surprising that every time I talk to someone who mentions that they enjoy the "not wearing pants" aspect of WFH, they also include the fact that they enjoy the freedom they have to do less work while at home because they don't have to worry about their supervisor walking up behind them randomly while they are browsing the internet.

I am absolutely in favor of WFH practices, or hybrid approaches, but I am not one of these people who think WFH should be mandatory for all jobs that allow it.

As Feep said earlier in this thread, some of us just like being around our coworkers and the overall culture the office environment brings and it's honestly insulting every time someone says we are crazy because we enjoy the office life.

Click to shrink...

I gotta be real, I worked hard but I also really enjoyed not needing to wear pants or get all dressed up to do a job that didn't require it. The jobs that make you wear a suit into the office when you don't ever actually deal with anyone outside the office are pure bullshit.

 

[Maximo]

I can see it being really great for people that are already established and comfortable with their job. Starting a new job WFH was fucking horrible during Australia's second lockdown, help and assistance from managers was garbage, 4 out of 9 new hires left in the first month. Plus the being monitored all the time is not fun.

 

[MonoStable]

I'm sure office managers are amongst the group pining to go back to full office work, can't piss your day micromanaging if everyone's working from home.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

I love how these threads always devolve into "I have to put on pants to go back to work?!" it turns WFH into a fucking joke and it's not surprising that every time I talk to someone who mentions that they enjoy the "not wearing pants" aspect of WFH, they also include the fact that they enjoy the freedom they have to do less work while at home because they don't have to worry about their supervisor walking up behind them randomly while they are browsing the internet. (and no i don't mean the supervisor is looking over their shoulder, I mean the occasional walk to the bathroom or or kitchen or outside, or whatever reason they have to get up, and they happen to walk passed)

I am absolutely in favor of WFH practices, or hybrid approaches, but I am not one of these people who think WFH should be mandatory for all jobs that allow it.

As Feep said earlier in this thread, some of us just like being around our coworkers and the overall culture the office environment brings and it's honestly insulting every time someone says we are crazy because we enjoy the office life.

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Why do you have "not wearing pants" in quotes?

Also, this wasn't meant to be a super serious thread. Obviously people work better in different environments. As someone with social anxiety, working from home was a godsend. And now it's all over.

 

[Deleted member 79451]

I do feel a bit about pro-office people like I feel about scabs, even though I rationally understand that it may be helpful for some people, and even though I don't hate the office. I think for me I just get very very little out of going of the office, and the negatives of the commute, wasting that time on the commute, the somewhat inferior creature comforts, etc make it a considerable net loss.

 

[Forsaken82]

I gotta be real, I worked hard but I also really enjoyed not needing to wear pants or get all dressed up to do a job that didn't require it. The jobs that make you wear a suit into the office when you don't ever actually deal with anyone outside the office are pure bullshit.

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But let's be honest here, there's a big fucking difference between "not wearing pants" and not having to wear a suit and at this point "not wearing pants" is basically a meme of WFH.

Why do you have "not wearing pants" in quotes?

Also, this wasn't meant to be a super serious thread. Obviously people work better in different environments. As someone with social anxiety, working from home was a godsend. And now it's all over.

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Because i'm quoting you and didn't feel like using the quote feature of the forum, but I think you knew that already.

 

[Weiss]

I think I need a work environment to function, it's too easy for me to get distracted by all my hobbies.

But it's not like you can work as a plumber from home anyway.

 

[hyouko]

I enjoy hanging out with coworkers in person and I like being able to grab lunch that I couldn't cook for myself downtown. But...

Eighteen months into this pandemic, I have my WFH environment set up perfectly. Super comfortable chair, ultrawide monitor that's perfect for the big datasets I work with, a nice clicky mechanical keyboard. I have a nice view out my windows, a bathroom all to myself, and a kitchen full of my favorite snacks and tea. Creature comforts, yes, but a lot of them.

I've gone in to the office a few times and returning to the commute is a very bitter pill to swallow. Our public transit system is still scaled back dramatically, which means I can bet on 2 hours of commute time if I go that route. My other options are taking an Uber (expensive and inefficient) or driving in myself (really expensive with parking, and I hate driving in this city). Some folks swear that they're more productive having meetings in the office, but my team is partially full-remote and juggling meetings that are part-in-person, part-remote is straight up worse than just doing virtual meetings in my experience thus far.

There's a tradeoff, but for me the needle swings pretty hard in favor of WFH. I'll do hybrid 1-2 days per week when it's required, and I'll enjoy the socialization, but I am betting my most productive days will be WFH days.

 

[Dunlop]

Company will be switching to a hybrid system soon, not sure yet if it will be 2 or 3 days. I'm kinda looking forward to it, WFH 5 days a week has taken it's toll

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

Because i'm quoting you and didn't feel like using the quote feature of the forum, but I think you knew that already.

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I didn't but okay.

 

[Lobster Roll]

I could do it once per week, preferably. I do like my coworkers, but yeah. Even the best of offices are unnatural and soul-consuming. However I've met plenty of people who rely on the office as either 1.) a sole opportunity to socialize or 2.) an escape from their family that they sadly dislike. Five days in an office per week, though, is borderline oppressive. And I feel for people who crave it.

 

[Laephis]

Sleeping later, not wearing pants, lighting how you like it, music, flexibility for lunch and errands, occasional workday snuggle break…

vs.

Driving to an office and sitting in an office.

Are you kidding?

Come on.

Click to shrink...

I've been back 3 days a week for a couple months and my productivity takes a significant hit on the days that I'm in the office. When I'm home I'm able to start earlier, be more flexible throughout the day, and manage stress easier. Office days show just how vapid the whole system is.

 

[hikarutilmitt]

Thanks for the mental faculties insult. I appreciate it a lot.

Some of us like or want to be in the office. Some of us get more done when in an office. Some of us miss our environment. The only thing about my office I don't miss is the long drive to get there and the subsequently longer drive to get back. If not for that and literally nobody in my office returning to the office because it wasn't made mandatory, I'd be going down there at least twice a week. I went there a few days after we opened it again and haven't gone back because it was pointless and Delta flared up not long after. I still am planning another day down there to grab some more of my stuff, but I may just go on one of my days off or a weekend instead.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

Thanks for the mental faculties insult. I appreciate it a lot.

Click to shrink...

20+ years of anxiety and depression so you're right. I use it as a coping mechanism, but I shouldn't use language like that in broad strokes among strangers.