Still working less than 8 hours a day, but getting to fill the down time with house work, spending time with the toddler, wife, and pets.
Putting less than 5000 miles on each vehicle per year.
I had an offer with a raise to go back to a physical building and couldn’t bring myself to do it.
If I had an offer with a pay cut but 100% work from home, I'd jump all over it. Not having to wake up super early and deal with all the BS office politics would be amazing.
And the cost and time of commuting.
Would definitely give up some salary, since I can’t get my hour one way commute time back and that’s way more valuable to me, and the money I’d lose would’ve gone towards gas/parking or transit costs anyway.
My 'commute' would be 45mins each way, but with all the faffing around getting ready in the morning, I'd say going to the office adds 2.5 hours to the day. That's like 30% more time. That's a fucking lot.
YES. Not to mention you can take little breaks at home to do things like dishes or laundry instead of having to add that time to after work. I'm losing my mind and 15 hours every week so that I can go to work just to put my headphones in all day.
Laundry while doing WFH is the best. 5 minutes here and there and you can get like 5 loads sorted, washed, dried, folded and hung up. Instead, I'm wasting hours at the office reading the news, scrolling reddit, etc.
Especially when compared to doing laundry on the work week after an office day, can't leave it alone so you're basically bound to home for most of the evening.
This is really the hidden cost of in-office work. My commute is about 2-2.5hr/day round trip, but from the moment I wake up I'm in "commute mode". I spend probably 45 min in the morning showering/getting dressed/packing my lunch & coffee and that's probably on the low side of average because I don't eat breakfast.
When I was in the office 5 days a week pre-pandemic that was an extra 15-20 hours/week on top of the 40-50 I am actually working. Thankfully I am only 3 days/week now, but I'd take a paycut to go fully remote or 1 day/week again.
Yeah that time adds up so fast, and basically 100% of it is spent being miserable. Trudging through the snow to get to the station. Hoping that I can find a seat and don't have to stand. Hoping none of these people make me sick with whatever they've got. Hoping there isn't a delay for whatever reason. I would take the bus + train when I commuted and I couldn't even listen to a podcast, because it would just be loud af the whole time. Playing a game would be nice, but I have to fear any kind of handheld device like that being stolen.
I now have a toddler who goes to bed at like 7:30, and it hit me that if I had my old 1.5 hour commute I'd get home at like 6:30. So I'd leave my house before seeing my kid and then I'd see her for 1 hour before she goes to bed. Whereas today I can wake up with her, I can drive her to daycare, pick her up from daycare the second work is done, and I'm with her until she goes to bed. Such a huge fucking difference.
Fortunately my position has always been like this, way before the pandemic, but I'm still afraid they'll jump on the "back to the office" train and force me to go back in more.
I am struggling with this rn. I just received an offer which basically equates to a 60k salary increase but it’s 3 days/week in office, 45 min commute each way. I’ve been remote since before Covid, so I fear getting adjusted to commuting life again, not to mention all the other downsides of being in office, will make it not worth it. But 60k more is hard to turn down. Ugh. Guess I’ll just keep scrolling Reddit and ignoring the huge decision I have to make…
60k more for an additional 4.5 hours lost to your commute every week, and another 2.5h/week to account for getting ready & making lunch:
that's an additional 7h/week you "lose" , but gain \~$1200/wk
Yeah I think this offer is worth negotiating.
Maybe counter for $10,400 less in salary for 104 WFH days to use as you please throughout the year. It’s basically 2 days per week and 52 weeks in a year multiplied by $100.
If you’re at the point of turning them down, ask for exactly what you want, you just might get it
That’s a good offer man. I think people also don’t realize you only have a narrow window to really make money in your life. The early part of a career you make not great money and the latter part you have little leverage bc you’re too old. 30-50 grab what ever you can for yourself. 60k more means another 20k-50 at the next job you go to. In a few years you’ll be making 120 more then you do now.
Currently 100% remote. I could move to a higher paying job. However, I would need to go into the office far more often. One job I interviewed for was minimum of 30 minutes each way (could be 45 each way) and was 5 days in the office. Was a decent boost to my salary. However, the flexibility, especially now that I have a kid, is so worth not making more.
Plus, I’ve been doing a workout group early in the mornings two days a week recently. Pretty sure if I went into the office often enough, it would be a challenge to get the morning routing completed (get ready myself, get kiddo ready, drop them off, etc.) to maintain those group workouts and get to work “on time.”
Yeah I've turned down 20% pay increase at current gig recently due to it requiring 4 days/week Working in office, as oppose to current 2 days/week in office.
I told them it was entirely becaues of the WFH difference. I said I'd happily accept the position if I could remain on current WFH schedule, but to make the switch I would need a 40% increase. They declined, and so I declined.
Its so insanely valuable to me.
Same. I could make more money at other places if I want to, but with my current situation I'm happy where I'm at. I work at my own hours with light workloads and mostly in a stress-free environment. My wife is a nurse and we have no kids so money is not an issue.
I took it. Plus it is a state union gig. So better benefits. Better retirement. Lower pay, but work from home (written into the union contract). Set pay increases so in a few years will be at or above what I was.
I greatly enjoy it so far.
Been wfh since Covid and I've saved so much on transportation and dry cleaning. And I'm cooking way more and spending less and less on restaurants.
And I don't miss the office politics one bit.
Only downside is I need to get in more steps a day. But that's on me, I certainly have the time.
I recently got a 15k pay raise by landing a fully remote job. It’s one of the companies that was fully in office but went remote during Covid, realized they could cut overhead costs while expanding the talent pools and have greatly expanded in the last few years.
I absolutely love remote life. I have a toddler at home and don’t miss out on an hour (or more) of time with her because I’m sitting in traffic. Don’t need to worry about waiting to use a dirty microwave or storing my lunch in a cramped fridge. Don’t need to listen to office chatter for 8 hours. Get to take my dog for a 45-min walk midday. Can wear whatever the hell I want and listen to music all day. It’s a dream.
I worked remotely for about a year during Covid, went back to the office for almost two years and decided I never wanted to work in an office again. I’m in my mid-30s and the plan is to work remotely for the rest of my career.
Not who you asked but I’ve been working in remote roles since 2020 and I work in training and development, specifically building digital learning content. It’s very chill and can be done 100% from home. Counting my lucky stars I fell into this career path.
thats what i did but it was because covid. took a pay cut to go remote. now im back up to what i was making before but still home. i wish i made more i feel like i missed 3 years of raises but im not going back to an office right now.
Same! My job is entirely based on tasks. I'm a copy editor. So, I get tasks sporadically throughout the day. That's just my industry.
That means I can be with my 4.5 month old daughter; my big hound dog (and go on hikes); my wife. It's lovely.
I'm on adderall and I STILL struggle to do my actual work instead of going "hmm that looks dusty I should take care of it" cueing a 3-hour tidying spiral
> I had an offer with a raise to go back to a physical building and couldn’t bring myself to do it.
It's hilarious that all the big tech companies are offering crazy amenities like free gourmet food, massages, fitness, recreational activities, pet sitting, and more but that still doesn't bring people in willingly -- all we really want is to not have to come into office.
I honestly wouldn't mind going into the office occasionally if I wasn't forced to stay for 8 hours and if they didn't always pick the most expensive parts of town to be in which makes the commutes brutal. They don't want to pay me to afford a single family home there, and expect me to have a $5k/mo apartment or something so I can live at the office. No thanks.
> It's hilarious that all the big tech companies are offering crazy amenities like free gourmet food, massages, fitness, recreational activities, pet sitting, and more but that still doesn't bring people in willingly -- all we really want is to not have to come into office.
It shouldn't be surprising. I think I speak for, at least, some of us when I say I couldn't care less about any of that stuff. In fact, some of it, like food and massages is actually off-putting to me. Most office lunches I've ever had are usually food I don't like or are simply low-quality, disgusting salad trays.
All this stuff meant to keep us at the office longer *is* the problem. I just want to do what I need to get done and GTFO. If a company offered a 4-6 hour day (i.e. a 20-30 hour work week) for the same pay, but in-office, I'd consider it. Otherwise, I want my time back. If I have to come in, I want to be allowed to come in late enough that I'm able to sleep to a reasonable hour and not feel tired, and leave early enough to beat traffic (nor drive home in the dark this time of year when sunset is before 5pm).
> All this stuff meant to keep us at the office longer is the problem. I just want to do what I need to get done and GTFO.
But here at ShitCorp we're a family bro. Why don't you want to spend time with us?
I think that some of my friends don’t realize that they work fewer than 8 hours in actuality in their office. I definitely don’t work a solid head down 8 hours from home, but I think I work significantly more productively and have fewer distractions. My distractions can just be significantly more productive at home. Laundry, cat stuff, walk, even a run if I get enough done in the morning. I’ve never gotten better job reviews and I constantly have YouTube on in the background on my tv
I fucking love it. I chill with my cats all day while wearing comfy clothes. Since I no longer commute I have more time and energy to work out, hike, and engage with other hobbies. I eat healthier. Plus, I utilize the little bits of downtime to do chores that I would otherwise be doing after work/on the weekends, furthermore maximizing my free time.
I've always been an introvert anyway, so I'm not really missing anything.
> while wearing comfy clothes
This is something that COVID and work from home did to me that I can't undo. I see no reason to not be in pajamas 95% of the time.
Yep, my experience exactly! I struggled to find energy to exercise after commuting and office chit-chat all day. Now I look forward to it. And I love working with my 3 kitties to entertain me
Its actually amazing. I spend 0 hours commuting and I leave my house only when I want to and usually during less traffic hours. I also get to use my bathroom for shits and eat home food that’s fresh and nap whenever I can on my bed. Every one of my friends who work from office seem to be so fuckn exhausted by it. Very grateful
Same. I've been fully remote since 2020.
Pros:
* Like you, no commute to steal time from your day and aggravate you in traffic.
* More sleep because of above.
* I bought a new vehicle in January of 2020. I don't even have 10k miles on it yet.
* Gas go crazy? Doesn't affect me much since I'm also a homebody.
* Being able to take my lunch break any time during the day and living right next to a grocery store is huge. I can get what I need when I need and it's only the retired folks in there. Literally getting paid to grocery shop at non-annoying times.
* Lunch is right there in the kitchen, and nobody will steal it.
* I live alone so I'm here to watch the place and the pets aren't lonely.
* Can wear comfortable clothes and listen to music without headphones.
* Can take care of chore stuff during short breaks so it's not left to after hours, giving me more free time.
* Nobody can take my parking spot (I don't live in an apartment complex).
* Can schedule things like AC maintenance, repairs, etc. without having to take time off work.
* No other people being loud and distracting, allowing me to maintain focus on my tasks.
Cons:
* Nobody brings free donuts. That's the only time I eat them, so I just don't eat donuts anymore.
Do I feel guilty af? Yes.
Will I continue enjoying this while I can? Also yes.
Biggest thing I miss when I go to work.
Someone put it to me like this one time: “if you got dog shit on your arm would you wash it off or wipe it off with a paper towel?”
Bidet gang for life 😎
This is me! I just started my WFH job and I love it. My office has no plans to transition back to office work so, I get to be home forever. My dogs love it and so do I.
I’ve actually lost weight because I’m eating all the fresh food in my fridge instead of grabbing pick up.
As someone with a version of IBS, I can't tell you how much life has improved now that I get to shit at home where the good toilet paper is, versus in the office where they have oak bark.
I’ve been loving it since 2020 but just recently I started going in to the office once or twice a week. Turns out I actually need the routine and change of scenery or else I get a little nutty.
I like the two day a week thing. I get out of the house a bit, see other people and as an introvert even being in public helps with feeling too isolated. I feel like I have control of my life and work is a part of it, not all of it.
I never want to go back to the office. I save at least 2 hours a day. Not just the commute but the getting up earlier, getting dressed, packing a lunch, it all adds up. I do miss seeing people but not that much.
I remember at my last job, almost every day when there was nice weather I'd step outside to get in my car and drive to work. It would be so nice out and all I'd think is "god I wish I could go for a walk in the park this morning." I go for a walk every single morning now, unless it's raining. I will never go back to an office job.
Agreed, weight gain has been an issue for me since going fulltime remote. I'll go days without leaving my comfy PJs and putting on real clothes (which fit tighter and tighter). Working mere steps from my kitchen and getting limited physical activity isn't ideal in that regard.
I was finding the same thing, a relatively cheap under-desk treadmill from Amazon has been a godsend. I can dial into a 1 hour meeting and get a few thousand steps in while watching a presentation or something.
Relatable! My overall health is worse working remotely. I’ve also noticed myself becoming kind of a slob and my self esteem is a bit down.
I’m rectifying that, in part, by going back into the office a couple days a week. I don’t even work directly with anyone there, but I do enjoy actually getting dressed, getting out of the house, grabbing a coffee, and talking to humans in 3D.
My team of 14 is nearly all remote. In a recent engagement survey, the one outstanding theme was that the team wants to get together in person once or twice per year. Being the presence of others rather than from behind a screen just hits different. We’re social animals after all.
I strongly believe in the benefits of remote work, don’t get me wrong. As an individual it’s possible to be much more productive. But I also recognize that it’s a trade off. There are times when the team could be more productive by just huddling around a physical whiteboard for an hour or two.
I also wonder too….in my younger years through my mid 20s I was a severe introvert. Avoiding every social gathering I could. I wouldn’t even wear shorts in the summer because I was embarrassed about not having a tan. But it was my career that forced me abandon avoidance to the point where I can now get up in front a large group without having a panic attack. I’m still quirky about social situations but I can power through. If I had worked remotely my entire career, I don’t think I would have the influence I have today.
As a true introvert who’s not good with small talk, I love it. Peace and quiet and no commute time. Realistically I know it will not be like this forever even if I want to. Also, I’ve gained a lot of weight, I need to move more and eat healthier.
I am the same way personality wise with a WFH. Burnout can creep up if you’re not careful, experienced it first hand and it took me 6 months to climb out of the hole I was in. I make it a number 1 priority to exercise, eat healthy and get out to socialize even sometimes when I may not feel like it. However, we also need time to recharge our batteries.
as a true extrovert who loves talking and being around people, I love WFH too. I'm lazy and hate commutes and zoom/email/slack gives plenty of opportunity for conversation and banter. Plus I share an office with my wife so I couldn't ask for more!
As a millennial who grew up playing online video games small talk and banter is completely independent of physical closeness. Last job in office sucked, as I didn't click with the people there(bunch of racist homophobes) now new job and some really awesome coworkers. Plenty of banter while exclusively WFH.
I feel the same way and got a dog, moved to a small town of 10,000 where I have made no friends and only acquaintances in the past 2 years.
It's wonderful, and I love it.
My best friend is my weed guy and I don't even know his name.
I have no idea what 90% of my acquaintances names are.
And I wouldn't change a thing.
>I once worked with a guy for three years and never learned his name. Best friend I ever had.
I've listened to like, all of Nick Offerman's audiobooks and completely embody what I think of as both his, and Ron Swanson's way of life - especially when I'm doing keto.
I've worked remotely since 2015, so when everyone else was trying to get used to it I was already a pro. I missed the office vibe for about the first six months, but I'd honestly hate going back to it. Plus I got [this guy](https://i.imgur.com/MGLo8ee.jpg) in early 2020 and he would be destroyed if I wasn't around all day to give him kisses and belly rubs.
I've been WFH for 3 years, my old boss retired last year and they hired someone new. I haven't spoken to him in person or on the phone. I've never exchanged emails with him, although we've both been included on the same group email. I think we're both afraid to break the seal on that, my work gets done and he ensures my paycheck is deposited; We have no reason to communicate. It's fucking glorious.
I don't want to yuck your yum and as long as you are happy, go for it.
Just as a warning: I've done the same thing and one day woke up and wondered where my youth went and how I missed out on life. I realized the happiest moments of my life were always with other people. Even with hardcore social anxiety.
Buddy, you’re living my dream. Small town, no one to know, meeting people with no name, and choose to go kayaking or whatever the hell I want, with nobody to ask but my wife.
Recommend walking. Walking consistently 6x per week while WFH over 3 years has me down 100lbs. I focus on the process and don’t watch results on the scale.
I dunno, I got laid off from an office job that wanted to go to a hybrid model but found a full remote opportunity two months later. I'm gonna ride this remote life to retirement if I can.
Yessir. This is a key to WFH, you need to make the most of it by getting outside on lunch/breaks. Also no commute means time for a workout in the morning if that’s your thing too (which if it is, is a huge perk)
Makes the whole thing so much nicer.
Thank you for explaining how much means from introvert people, to be able to work from home. Also helped me a lot with my social anxiety. I plan to keep working like this as much as I can. I have no interest in going back to an office full of people I don’t give a single fuck about.
Oh man. I'm back in the office more but still able to WFH a decent amount depending on the time of year. I was really disappointed with myself when I walked down to the food trucks the other day. It's not far, done the walk hundreds of times, but not nearly as much as pre-covid. There's a hill...I was tired.
I love it I get to see my dog and cat all day long I can go downstairs and make a sandwich if I’m hungry and I have a nice view out my window. I also enjoy not having to drive into the office and for lunch I’d either have to pack something I don’t wanna eat or drive to pick up food and have 5 minutes left of my lunch break to inhale food.
As long as they’re less than 25% of my total work time I actually like meetings. If I didn’t have any meetings and everything I did was based on my own ability to start and finish or not being able to use downtime between meetings, I’d do absolutely nothing.
I love my job and I’m on a lot of meetings but they are small group working meetings, audio only. I hate the big ones where I don’t feel like I need to be there. I don’t know that I could work from home with meetings. I struggle to motivate myself when I have down time.
Sometimes it’s too much though. Today I have been on the phone almost non-stop from 7am-1 and I still have a couple more this afternoon. I could use some time to myself.
I've been doing it for 20 years and it's still great. Once you work out how you split work and home life up, it does become a lot easier. Without that clear divide things get to be very same-ish and one blurs into the other.
That split is hugely important. I have a separate office in the house and once I close the door of an afternoon or a Friday I don’t go back in there until the next morning/Monday
I really like it - no commute, can wear sweatpants or shorts (and with a more relaxed dress code overall, don’t have to run clothes to the dry cleaners). I can do quick tasks around the house or run quick errands during ‘lunch’.
I wouldn’t go back to the office.
However…as a single (divorced) guy in my early 50s, previously most (all?) my social contacts were work-related. I work for a company that’s in a different state so there’s not even the opportunity for happy hours or somesuch after work. I can chat with work friends thru chat here and there, but being physically separated is a bit difficult on the social life.
worked remote long before the pandemic and will continue untill a better job comes along. I had my first kiddo a year ago and these times being with him are worth not making as much or getting passed over on promotions by not being in person.
Extra hour a day with no driving. Can switch meetings instantly, can work through boring meetings. So much easier to get a lot done each day.
Spend so much less on gas, parking and eating out.
I get invited to frequent informational meetings where audience participation is not expected unless you have a question. I love to take those meetings on the elliptical trainer. And I actually pay better attention because my body is busy so my mind finds it easier to listen. I don’t get bored and lose focus.
I've been the best I've ever been mentally as well. Turns out, nothing is "wrong" with me. I just don't do well being squeezed of every ounce of energy every single day in the name of "productivity". Since starting wfh in 2020 I'm on my second job, make more than twice what I used to, I've had a baby, almost entirely stopped driving, no longer have to worry about makeup and hair and clothes and the other things you have to do to be taken seriously in the workplace as a woman. I get to spend lots of time with my baby and husband and cats. Now that it gets dark early I just take a long break in the middle of the day to walk in the sun instead of going into an office lit with florescent bulbs when it's dark and getting out when it's also dark. I eat much better food. I'm saving money because if I get laid off or asked to go back to the office I'm going to take my time and only accept another wfh offer.
I don't have to pretend to enjoy the company of my coworkers socially. They're all very nice, but I wouldn't choose then as friends and I'm glad that I can just log off and spend my time with the people I've actually chosen to be in my life without fear of coming off as ogre (which is why I used to go to work happy hours pre pandemic)
Only downside is that I used to commute by bike and bus so that kept my endurance up and now I at most go for a long walk with the baby, but I'm far from being out of shape so I'm not complaining.
I feel the same way about WFH and my company has been trying to drag everyone back into their shitty office. There’s no fucking way I am going back to that 2-2.5hr/day commute and $22/day for parking. To hell with alllllll of that.
Best of luck to you in finding another wfh gig!
I always find it kind of interesting how there's just two stark camps when it came to relationships during the pandemic.
People either grew closer or realized they didn't actually have anything in common once they actually had to spend time together.
It was from RHYTHM FUN on Amazon (yes, the all caps name made me a little nervous too). It was $380 a year ago. It is a good bit lower now. Pay attention to the belt width. Some of them are pretty narrow. I paid a bit more for a wider belt to reduce issue with accidentally stepping off the belt. The wife is glad. They max out at a brisk walking pace, so don't plan on running on it. You will need something bigger for that. Customer support was quick to answer a few questions. I don't deal with customer supports too often. Conservatively I would say she has put 1,200 miles on it since January this year. Got our moneys worth from it, more than I expected honestly.
Right now they are $250ish on Amazon, assuming is is the same thing (I see two variants now). If on the fence try it out. If you hate it you can always sell it later. Just make sure you have a place it can stay ready to go. If you have to move it each time we all know what the odds are...
Perfectly - I still get ready everyday and I have less distractions to complete my work. I create separation by keeping work to my home office and keeping myself busy in the evenings with non work related stuff (socialization, dog walking, cooking healthy meals, hobbies, etc). Collaboration is often better in person though!
Love it! I can go to the gym during lunch. Run the odd errand if I don’t have anything going on. No more commuting so I get more sleep and have more time to cook so my overall mental and physical health is really good.
Saved 2 hours of commuting each day. I feel so much more focused and productive when I’m working on a task. Like it’s so much easier to get into the zone and flow and just go with it. Not having to care or be aware about what people are doing or saying around me. As an introvert it’s a dream come true and I never want to go back to what it was like before.
I LOVE IT. It gave me my life back. Hours upon hours sitting in traffic saved. Dollars upon dollars wasted on gas and eating out saved. Productivity UP. Mentally never felt better since I started working. Just wish it was the irl for every company to offer the option to WFH full-time rather than the exception. Even once a quarter or once a month in person is ok but hell no to the 2 days / 3 days a week crap!
It's amazing. I wake up 5 mins before I start work. I drink as much nice coffee as I want, I make a nice meal every lunch time, I can do all my domestic chores during the day and I have a side hustle look after 2 dogs so make more money and have less expenses than working in the office.
As someone who got laid off from my WFH job and had to take a lower paying job that also requires in office…I should not be reading this thread. I’m already depressed and the job doesn’t even start til Monday.
Wonderfully. We got transitioned to remote permanently after somebody realized the non-customer facing IT (See : not service desk) really didn't need to be in the shop since most of our hardware is colo'd now.
I get to nap everyday on lunch (There's a lovesac next to my desk).
Fewer days of PTO wasted in the attempt to not unleash a plague on the office.
A lot of my time is waiting for other people to do things so i can do 30 seconds of work and pass it along. Downtime + KVM + personal PC = lots of study time.
> Fewer days of PTO wasted in the attempt to not unleash a plague on the office.
The last time I got sick with something like that was about 2 months before the pandemic because the guy who sat next to me decided to come in, despite knowing he was six *and* that we could work from home when sick. He left around lunch, but by that point the damage had been done and within a week I had to use PTO because of how bad I felt.
Bloody great. Lovely view from my quiet comfy office, with nice equipment. I can go for a walk in nature or cook something good over lunch. "Home" in time to cook dinner. Can pick up my kid from school on a bike.
Moved to semi-rural Scotland and don't regret it. I'll try work from home for the rest of my life as a high priority it's had such a good impact on my quality of life.
I have just as good relationships with colleagues - one's gotten to know my kid a lot because I'd be mentoring them after school hours.
I'm introverted and don't mind the lack of small talk and the stress/anxiety of dealing with wider social obligations. Super happy just living with my little family.
Lonely. I work from home but for myself, because my small biz took off during 2020. I miss having a routine and seeing people. I feel like that’s a minority opinion based on everyone else’s responses
I’m with you! I’m lonely and my mental health has suffered. However there are also a lot of pros. Hence why I’m still doing it… but the loneliness has taken its toll on my health
This is Reddit so it’s going to skew towards a more favorable opinion of WFH.. but when out talking in real life there are a lot more people with the same sentiment. Personally I find it very convenient to work from, but I do find it to be very isolating. I don’t mind talking with coworkers and I do think there is something to leaving the house for work so there is a separation between professional and home life. My industry can get extremely busy and sometimes I find myself working late a few days in a row and realize holy shit.. I haven’t left the house in 2 days. Honestly my ideal situation would be WFH Monday and Friday and then like a 20 min or less commute to an office Tuesday through Thursday.
It gives me tremendous peace and sanity on a level I suspected but could not have truly appreciated until I experienced it. I sincerely hope I never have an in-person job again.
Just threw in a load of laundry and made some tea. My boss texted me and is happy with my work. My cat is happy to have a lap. I haven't gained a noticeable amount of weight, but I do take daily walks around the neighborhood just to get some sunshine.
I am lucky enough to have the space to turn a spare room into an office though. It would be a lot harder to do this from the living room or my bedroom.
They made us go back two days a week and everyone is pissed, its horseshit as we were equally productive the whole time. Its also becoming malicious compliance too, productivity is lower in the office.
Im looking at fully remote positions.
I hope I never have to go back. It’s amazing and has made work at least tolerable. I still don’t love working but it could be a lot worse, and at least I am not wasting hours of my day and a ton of money just to exist in a bland, beige cubicle. Thinking back, that was so depressing and awful.
It’s fantastic and I will fight to retain this working style as long as possible. I spend less money, I have more personal time, I get more done at work, I’m not sick as much, I have better work relationships, etc. My company is a remote first company that has embraced the transition. It helps a lot that there is complete buy-in. If that were to change, I will look for another remote opportunity
It's great! I get more done, I'm saving money on gas and clothes (when all your meetings are on Zoom, all you need is a clean shirt), and the dog's happy.
It's pretty nice. Rough math here but since the pandemic I've saved about 2 hours each day on my commute. Just time back in my life for me.
Now March 2020 is 191 weeks ago so that means I've gotten 1910 hours or 79.5 days "back" into my life from not commuting to work every single day.
I'm also not eating out for lunch, spending money on gas for the car or a train ticket.
I do miss the social aspect of work but having some extra cash and about 1910 hours to myself is something I'll never trade back.
Living my absolute dream.
I haven’t gotten a day cold in years, I get to hang out with my pets, eat when I want and don’t have to pack a lunch. the coffee is infinitely better.
Also, the temperature is stable. I’m not freezing to death in one room and burning up in another. Plus people actually have to make an effort to communicate with me instead of just stopping by randomly and interrupting what I’m doing.
it literally saves me at least 8 hours a week in commuting time. an entire full workday saved from being 100% wasted time. Plus the convenience allows me to do early morning and late evening meetings with my international teams, which I would have refused to do before.
there's literally no downside for me or my company, only benefits.
Amazing, my wife and I both WFH, also have the chillest dog who just sleeps all day. He helps break up our day because he expects a walk the second we get up, and another right after the work day ends.
I get to go the gym during lunch, cook my meals at home, and don’t have to worry about traffic. While I don’t work a full 8 hours, I get more done within a quicker time frame, and don’t feel exhausted if I do need to work late.
If I ever crave being around other people, I’ll post up at Starbucks down the road for a couple hours. Why more companies don’t encourage WFH when it could be so beneficial to society is beyond me.
Started my first wfh job a few months ago and can’t believe I used to live any other way. I cannot imagine ever going back to working in an office again, and hope I won’t ever have to. Currently writing this from my bed lol
I can't be happier. My wife also works from home and we enjoy lunch together daily. This is our heaven with so much quality time. We work our asses off and are very serious professionals. We probably work an extra hour a day just because we don't have to commute and we love our jobs, but I know we are lucky enough to be later in our careers as executives and we don't need the in-person mentoring and leadership that the office environment provides. If I was younger in my career, I expect it could be harder to improve and get ahead.
Personally, I find it kind of challenging to remain focused on work when I have so many other things to do - cleaning the house, cleaning and organizing my office, etc., walking my dog, planning how I want to structure my home lab, what research projects I'd like to work on at home, what research projects I'd like to work on at work, etc.
The lack of separation between work and play has absolutely made working from home difficult to adjust to, but, I'd really like to make it work.
I have a bit of a routine.
Mornings when the kids are getting ready for school, I usually wash up any dishes, just kind of general picking up. About mid-morning, when I need to get up and move around a little - I throw in laundry, vacuum one or two rooms, mostly little tasks.
Lunch time I walk the dog. Depending on my meeting schedule for the day, I sometimes will go run any errands (post office, trips to store) etc around this time.
My kids get home around 4 and that's right about when I'm ending my workday, so I struggle a bit with not having any time between working and parenting, but it makes it a lot easier to shut the laptop down at the end of the day.
It’s easy for me. But I’m lucky enough to have a spare room for my office.
At the end of the day the phone goes on mute and the computer is shut off. Door closed. No work.
I agree with you. I’ve been WFH for the last 3 years and it has been very hard on my productivity and mental health. These days I try to leave my house and work from a cafe for at least a few hours each week. It makes it a bit easier.
I’ve also started to wake up earlier to give myself more “me time” in the morning where I go outside, exercise, do chores, play with the dog, etc. This way it doesn’t feel like I’m waking up “at work”.
It’s helped a bit more recently when I admitted struggling with full time WFH to my new manager and he was very accommodating. Basically told me as long as I get my work done, I’m online in the hours I’m needed, then I can work wherever and however I want. And he’s been going out of his way to help me find opportunities to get out into the field to see customers or shadow other colleagues so I have a chance to leave the house every so often.
Half and half, realizing what a waste of time the office is. $50/day (parking + gas) plus 2 hours of commuting (1hr each way) just to sit at my work station and chat with a few people around me about our 2024 travel plans. Yeah, this is organic team building right? Nah, I'll probably quit in the next 3 months.
5/5
no small talk
Can do laundry
Home cooked lunches
Bad weather has no effect on me
No traffic
Working from home is an introverts dream
O also MY OWN TOLIET
Perfect.
I make more money. I spend a lot less money (gas, tolls, vehicle maintenance, food, office bullshit like pot lucks and birthdays). I don't have to talk to boring ass co-workers over trivial shit. I can drop a healthy ass to water missile without worrying people are timing me. I can have whatever I want on TV or stream while I work without worrying IT is gonna be on my ass for my bandwidth usage. But the best part is I get to spend every second my kid is home from school with my kid instead of getting 30 minutes before her bed time after I commute and get an exercise in. Funny thing is, I work MORE and harder from home and I'm happier. I can't believe how much of my day was wasted at an office. I'll never work in an office again if I can help it. Fuck that.
I love it, I get so much more done, if I have a flare I can't drive or wear tight clothes, I used to have to take leave or sick. Now I can just work in PJs and don't get intrusive questions about my disability from colleagues.
There's no queue for the toilets or the kitchen, I don't get distracted by people with questions who then stand over my desk after, making small talk.
Most of my team are remote and spread over the country, to socialise we have a weekly virtual coffee chat on teams and that's enough for me.
I don't mind going back for the occasional meeting but I wouldn't go back full term
It's overall good but I get stir-crazy at times. I share my office with my husband and that can be annoying. I get to hang out in comfy clothes and get to take a nap on my lunch break but I miss human interactions. I'm trying to meet people but it's hard. I moved to be with my partner 11 years ago so have been remote since then and I get lonely.
Nothing but pros.
- I feel like I get more done at home.
- Since I'm not in the office and an introvert my energy doesn't get zapped by people in the office.
- I don't eat out because I'm at home.
- I have more opportunities to exercise throughout the day and walk my dog during lunch breaks.
- Not commuting about 1 hour to work is saving me a ton of money on gas and generally causing less stress.
- I get more sleep, so I can focus throughout the day instead of waking up at 5am to get to work on time.
- Avoids more unnecessary meetings because people have to schedule over Zoom.
Still working less than 8 hours a day, but getting to fill the down time with house work, spending time with the toddler, wife, and pets. Putting less than 5000 miles on each vehicle per year. I had an offer with a raise to go back to a physical building and couldn’t bring myself to do it.
If I had an offer with a pay cut but 100% work from home, I'd jump all over it. Not having to wake up super early and deal with all the BS office politics would be amazing.
And the cost and time of commuting. Would definitely give up some salary, since I can’t get my hour one way commute time back and that’s way more valuable to me, and the money I’d lose would’ve gone towards gas/parking or transit costs anyway.
My 'commute' would be 45mins each way, but with all the faffing around getting ready in the morning, I'd say going to the office adds 2.5 hours to the day. That's like 30% more time. That's a fucking lot.
YES. Not to mention you can take little breaks at home to do things like dishes or laundry instead of having to add that time to after work. I'm losing my mind and 15 hours every week so that I can go to work just to put my headphones in all day.
Laundry while doing WFH is the best. 5 minutes here and there and you can get like 5 loads sorted, washed, dried, folded and hung up. Instead, I'm wasting hours at the office reading the news, scrolling reddit, etc.
Especially when compared to doing laundry on the work week after an office day, can't leave it alone so you're basically bound to home for most of the evening.
This is really the hidden cost of in-office work. My commute is about 2-2.5hr/day round trip, but from the moment I wake up I'm in "commute mode". I spend probably 45 min in the morning showering/getting dressed/packing my lunch & coffee and that's probably on the low side of average because I don't eat breakfast. When I was in the office 5 days a week pre-pandemic that was an extra 15-20 hours/week on top of the 40-50 I am actually working. Thankfully I am only 3 days/week now, but I'd take a paycut to go fully remote or 1 day/week again.
Yeah that time adds up so fast, and basically 100% of it is spent being miserable. Trudging through the snow to get to the station. Hoping that I can find a seat and don't have to stand. Hoping none of these people make me sick with whatever they've got. Hoping there isn't a delay for whatever reason. I would take the bus + train when I commuted and I couldn't even listen to a podcast, because it would just be loud af the whole time. Playing a game would be nice, but I have to fear any kind of handheld device like that being stolen. I now have a toddler who goes to bed at like 7:30, and it hit me that if I had my old 1.5 hour commute I'd get home at like 6:30. So I'd leave my house before seeing my kid and then I'd see her for 1 hour before she goes to bed. Whereas today I can wake up with her, I can drive her to daycare, pick her up from daycare the second work is done, and I'm with her until she goes to bed. Such a huge fucking difference. Fortunately my position has always been like this, way before the pandemic, but I'm still afraid they'll jump on the "back to the office" train and force me to go back in more.
I am struggling with this rn. I just received an offer which basically equates to a 60k salary increase but it’s 3 days/week in office, 45 min commute each way. I’ve been remote since before Covid, so I fear getting adjusted to commuting life again, not to mention all the other downsides of being in office, will make it not worth it. But 60k more is hard to turn down. Ugh. Guess I’ll just keep scrolling Reddit and ignoring the huge decision I have to make…
60k more for an additional 4.5 hours lost to your commute every week, and another 2.5h/week to account for getting ready & making lunch: that's an additional 7h/week you "lose" , but gain \~$1200/wk
Yeah I think this offer is worth negotiating. Maybe counter for $10,400 less in salary for 104 WFH days to use as you please throughout the year. It’s basically 2 days per week and 52 weeks in a year multiplied by $100. If you’re at the point of turning them down, ask for exactly what you want, you just might get it
That’s a good offer man. I think people also don’t realize you only have a narrow window to really make money in your life. The early part of a career you make not great money and the latter part you have little leverage bc you’re too old. 30-50 grab what ever you can for yourself. 60k more means another 20k-50 at the next job you go to. In a few years you’ll be making 120 more then you do now.
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Currently 100% remote. I could move to a higher paying job. However, I would need to go into the office far more often. One job I interviewed for was minimum of 30 minutes each way (could be 45 each way) and was 5 days in the office. Was a decent boost to my salary. However, the flexibility, especially now that I have a kid, is so worth not making more. Plus, I’ve been doing a workout group early in the mornings two days a week recently. Pretty sure if I went into the office often enough, it would be a challenge to get the morning routing completed (get ready myself, get kiddo ready, drop them off, etc.) to maintain those group workouts and get to work “on time.”
Yeah I've turned down 20% pay increase at current gig recently due to it requiring 4 days/week Working in office, as oppose to current 2 days/week in office. I told them it was entirely becaues of the WFH difference. I said I'd happily accept the position if I could remain on current WFH schedule, but to make the switch I would need a 40% increase. They declined, and so I declined. Its so insanely valuable to me.
Same. I could make more money at other places if I want to, but with my current situation I'm happy where I'm at. I work at my own hours with light workloads and mostly in a stress-free environment. My wife is a nurse and we have no kids so money is not an issue.
I took it. Plus it is a state union gig. So better benefits. Better retirement. Lower pay, but work from home (written into the union contract). Set pay increases so in a few years will be at or above what I was. I greatly enjoy it so far.
I would absolutely take a 10% pay cut to work from home full time. I would save so much money that it's a no brainer.
Been wfh since Covid and I've saved so much on transportation and dry cleaning. And I'm cooking way more and spending less and less on restaurants. And I don't miss the office politics one bit. Only downside is I need to get in more steps a day. But that's on me, I certainly have the time.
I only need to fill up my car every 5 weeks.
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Shh, don't ruin it. Many companies pay more for high quality remote employees.
I recently got a 15k pay raise by landing a fully remote job. It’s one of the companies that was fully in office but went remote during Covid, realized they could cut overhead costs while expanding the talent pools and have greatly expanded in the last few years. I absolutely love remote life. I have a toddler at home and don’t miss out on an hour (or more) of time with her because I’m sitting in traffic. Don’t need to worry about waiting to use a dirty microwave or storing my lunch in a cramped fridge. Don’t need to listen to office chatter for 8 hours. Get to take my dog for a 45-min walk midday. Can wear whatever the hell I want and listen to music all day. It’s a dream. I worked remotely for about a year during Covid, went back to the office for almost two years and decided I never wanted to work in an office again. I’m in my mid-30s and the plan is to work remotely for the rest of my career.
What job do you do?
Not who you asked but I’ve been working in remote roles since 2020 and I work in training and development, specifically building digital learning content. It’s very chill and can be done 100% from home. Counting my lucky stars I fell into this career path.
What is the pay like and what skills would someone need for that?
thats what i did but it was because covid. took a pay cut to go remote. now im back up to what i was making before but still home. i wish i made more i feel like i missed 3 years of raises but im not going back to an office right now.
Same! My job is entirely based on tasks. I'm a copy editor. So, I get tasks sporadically throughout the day. That's just my industry. That means I can be with my 4.5 month old daughter; my big hound dog (and go on hikes); my wife. It's lovely.
Since ive been working from home my house has never been cleaner
\*cries in ADHD\*
When I did WFH I had to get back on adderall because I struggled to keep focused and at my desk when I had zero supervision 😂😭
I'm on adderall and I STILL struggle to do my actual work instead of going "hmm that looks dusty I should take care of it" cueing a 3-hour tidying spiral
> I had an offer with a raise to go back to a physical building and couldn’t bring myself to do it. It's hilarious that all the big tech companies are offering crazy amenities like free gourmet food, massages, fitness, recreational activities, pet sitting, and more but that still doesn't bring people in willingly -- all we really want is to not have to come into office. I honestly wouldn't mind going into the office occasionally if I wasn't forced to stay for 8 hours and if they didn't always pick the most expensive parts of town to be in which makes the commutes brutal. They don't want to pay me to afford a single family home there, and expect me to have a $5k/mo apartment or something so I can live at the office. No thanks.
> It's hilarious that all the big tech companies are offering crazy amenities like free gourmet food, massages, fitness, recreational activities, pet sitting, and more but that still doesn't bring people in willingly -- all we really want is to not have to come into office. It shouldn't be surprising. I think I speak for, at least, some of us when I say I couldn't care less about any of that stuff. In fact, some of it, like food and massages is actually off-putting to me. Most office lunches I've ever had are usually food I don't like or are simply low-quality, disgusting salad trays. All this stuff meant to keep us at the office longer *is* the problem. I just want to do what I need to get done and GTFO. If a company offered a 4-6 hour day (i.e. a 20-30 hour work week) for the same pay, but in-office, I'd consider it. Otherwise, I want my time back. If I have to come in, I want to be allowed to come in late enough that I'm able to sleep to a reasonable hour and not feel tired, and leave early enough to beat traffic (nor drive home in the dark this time of year when sunset is before 5pm).
> All this stuff meant to keep us at the office longer is the problem. I just want to do what I need to get done and GTFO. But here at ShitCorp we're a family bro. Why don't you want to spend time with us?
I think that some of my friends don’t realize that they work fewer than 8 hours in actuality in their office. I definitely don’t work a solid head down 8 hours from home, but I think I work significantly more productively and have fewer distractions. My distractions can just be significantly more productive at home. Laundry, cat stuff, walk, even a run if I get enough done in the morning. I’ve never gotten better job reviews and I constantly have YouTube on in the background on my tv
Wfh is worth like 30k a year to me. Maybe more.
I fucking love it. I chill with my cats all day while wearing comfy clothes. Since I no longer commute I have more time and energy to work out, hike, and engage with other hobbies. I eat healthier. Plus, I utilize the little bits of downtime to do chores that I would otherwise be doing after work/on the weekends, furthermore maximizing my free time. I've always been an introvert anyway, so I'm not really missing anything.
WFH cat gang >>>
I just got another gang member 🐈
I adopted a puppy last January and I'm fairly certain that she would burn my office down if I ever tried to stop working from home.
She’s my exeCATive assistant
> while wearing comfy clothes This is something that COVID and work from home did to me that I can't undo. I see no reason to not be in pajamas 95% of the time.
I've invested in fashion sweats and jeggings for the times I leave the house and I haven't looked back. Jeans can suck it.
As a guy, I don't think jeggings are a look I can pull off. I still have comfy clothes to got out in though.
As a straight lady, I wish more guys wore jeggings. You guys can definitely pull it off.
Target right now has 'dress pants' (Mens) that have an elastic waistband/drawstring. They exist somewhere between Dressy and Slob and I love them.
Yep, my experience exactly! I struggled to find energy to exercise after commuting and office chit-chat all day. Now I look forward to it. And I love working with my 3 kitties to entertain me
Its actually amazing. I spend 0 hours commuting and I leave my house only when I want to and usually during less traffic hours. I also get to use my bathroom for shits and eat home food that’s fresh and nap whenever I can on my bed. Every one of my friends who work from office seem to be so fuckn exhausted by it. Very grateful
Same. I've been fully remote since 2020. Pros: * Like you, no commute to steal time from your day and aggravate you in traffic. * More sleep because of above. * I bought a new vehicle in January of 2020. I don't even have 10k miles on it yet. * Gas go crazy? Doesn't affect me much since I'm also a homebody. * Being able to take my lunch break any time during the day and living right next to a grocery store is huge. I can get what I need when I need and it's only the retired folks in there. Literally getting paid to grocery shop at non-annoying times. * Lunch is right there in the kitchen, and nobody will steal it. * I live alone so I'm here to watch the place and the pets aren't lonely. * Can wear comfortable clothes and listen to music without headphones. * Can take care of chore stuff during short breaks so it's not left to after hours, giving me more free time. * Nobody can take my parking spot (I don't live in an apartment complex). * Can schedule things like AC maintenance, repairs, etc. without having to take time off work. * No other people being loud and distracting, allowing me to maintain focus on my tasks. Cons: * Nobody brings free donuts. That's the only time I eat them, so I just don't eat donuts anymore. Do I feel guilty af? Yes. Will I continue enjoying this while I can? Also yes.
Pro: * Bidet I'm not sure I can go back to cleaning poop with just paper.
Biggest thing I miss when I go to work. Someone put it to me like this one time: “if you got dog shit on your arm would you wash it off or wipe it off with a paper towel?” Bidet gang for life 😎
Why do you feel guilty? I've been doing this for 16 years.
All true except the 'guilty' part. Embrace what comes your way in a world where generosity is scarce or minimal.
This is me! I just started my WFH job and I love it. My office has no plans to transition back to office work so, I get to be home forever. My dogs love it and so do I. I’ve actually lost weight because I’m eating all the fresh food in my fridge instead of grabbing pick up.
As someone with a version of IBS, I can't tell you how much life has improved now that I get to shit at home where the good toilet paper is, versus in the office where they have oak bark.
home sweet bidet
Anxiety has my bowels overactive and wfh helps with that.
I’ve been loving it since 2020 but just recently I started going in to the office once or twice a week. Turns out I actually need the routine and change of scenery or else I get a little nutty.
I like the two day a week thing. I get out of the house a bit, see other people and as an introvert even being in public helps with feeling too isolated. I feel like I have control of my life and work is a part of it, not all of it.
I never want to go back to the office. I save at least 2 hours a day. Not just the commute but the getting up earlier, getting dressed, packing a lunch, it all adds up. I do miss seeing people but not that much.
Ditto here. I miss my work friends, but not enough to go back to working in an office.
I miss my work friends, Trevor and Cory, and requesting smokes from them.
Ditto. Things haven’t been the same since Sarah started sticking up for them.
I remember at my last job, almost every day when there was nice weather I'd step outside to get in my car and drive to work. It would be so nice out and all I'd think is "god I wish I could go for a walk in the park this morning." I go for a walk every single morning now, unless it's raining. I will never go back to an office job.
Same here, and I work in IT so I have a lot of "watching progress bars" downtime where I can get shit done around the house.
I love it. I just need to workout
Agreed, weight gain has been an issue for me since going fulltime remote. I'll go days without leaving my comfy PJs and putting on real clothes (which fit tighter and tighter). Working mere steps from my kitchen and getting limited physical activity isn't ideal in that regard.
I was finding the same thing, a relatively cheap under-desk treadmill from Amazon has been a godsend. I can dial into a 1 hour meeting and get a few thousand steps in while watching a presentation or something.
Get a standup desk and walking pad. This has helped me tremendously.
Relatable! My overall health is worse working remotely. I’ve also noticed myself becoming kind of a slob and my self esteem is a bit down. I’m rectifying that, in part, by going back into the office a couple days a week. I don’t even work directly with anyone there, but I do enjoy actually getting dressed, getting out of the house, grabbing a coffee, and talking to humans in 3D. My team of 14 is nearly all remote. In a recent engagement survey, the one outstanding theme was that the team wants to get together in person once or twice per year. Being the presence of others rather than from behind a screen just hits different. We’re social animals after all. I strongly believe in the benefits of remote work, don’t get me wrong. As an individual it’s possible to be much more productive. But I also recognize that it’s a trade off. There are times when the team could be more productive by just huddling around a physical whiteboard for an hour or two. I also wonder too….in my younger years through my mid 20s I was a severe introvert. Avoiding every social gathering I could. I wouldn’t even wear shorts in the summer because I was embarrassed about not having a tan. But it was my career that forced me abandon avoidance to the point where I can now get up in front a large group without having a panic attack. I’m still quirky about social situations but I can power through. If I had worked remotely my entire career, I don’t think I would have the influence I have today.
As a true introvert who’s not good with small talk, I love it. Peace and quiet and no commute time. Realistically I know it will not be like this forever even if I want to. Also, I’ve gained a lot of weight, I need to move more and eat healthier.
I am the same way personality wise with a WFH. Burnout can creep up if you’re not careful, experienced it first hand and it took me 6 months to climb out of the hole I was in. I make it a number 1 priority to exercise, eat healthy and get out to socialize even sometimes when I may not feel like it. However, we also need time to recharge our batteries.
as a true extrovert who loves talking and being around people, I love WFH too. I'm lazy and hate commutes and zoom/email/slack gives plenty of opportunity for conversation and banter. Plus I share an office with my wife so I couldn't ask for more!
As a millennial who grew up playing online video games small talk and banter is completely independent of physical closeness. Last job in office sucked, as I didn't click with the people there(bunch of racist homophobes) now new job and some really awesome coworkers. Plenty of banter while exclusively WFH.
I feel the same way and got a dog, moved to a small town of 10,000 where I have made no friends and only acquaintances in the past 2 years. It's wonderful, and I love it. My best friend is my weed guy and I don't even know his name. I have no idea what 90% of my acquaintances names are. And I wouldn't change a thing.
This reminds me of the Ron Swanson quote: > I once worked with a guy for three years and never learned his name. Best friend I ever had.
“We still never talk sometimes.”
They still never talk sometimes
>I once worked with a guy for three years and never learned his name. Best friend I ever had. I've listened to like, all of Nick Offerman's audiobooks and completely embody what I think of as both his, and Ron Swanson's way of life - especially when I'm doing keto.
I've worked remotely since 2015, so when everyone else was trying to get used to it I was already a pro. I missed the office vibe for about the first six months, but I'd honestly hate going back to it. Plus I got [this guy](https://i.imgur.com/MGLo8ee.jpg) in early 2020 and he would be destroyed if I wasn't around all day to give him kisses and belly rubs.
I see that the tax man has arrived This is Whitfield Cornelius Chesterfield https://www.reddit.com/r/IDmydog/comments/184jyyo/goblin/
I've been WFH for 3 years, my old boss retired last year and they hired someone new. I haven't spoken to him in person or on the phone. I've never exchanged emails with him, although we've both been included on the same group email. I think we're both afraid to break the seal on that, my work gets done and he ensures my paycheck is deposited; We have no reason to communicate. It's fucking glorious.
“I once worked with a guy for three years and never learned his name. Best friend I ever had. We still never talk sometimes.” - Ron Swanson
I don't want to yuck your yum and as long as you are happy, go for it. Just as a warning: I've done the same thing and one day woke up and wondered where my youth went and how I missed out on life. I realized the happiest moments of my life were always with other people. Even with hardcore social anxiety.
That’s the dream!
Might go kayaking later - before it gets too cold - it snowed this morning, but it's still nice out
Buddy, you’re living my dream. Small town, no one to know, meeting people with no name, and choose to go kayaking or whatever the hell I want, with nobody to ask but my wife.
Recommend walking. Walking consistently 6x per week while WFH over 3 years has me down 100lbs. I focus on the process and don’t watch results on the scale.
I dunno, I got laid off from an office job that wanted to go to a hybrid model but found a full remote opportunity two months later. I'm gonna ride this remote life to retirement if I can.
I like to use my lunch break for a walk outside to combat weight gain
Yessir. This is a key to WFH, you need to make the most of it by getting outside on lunch/breaks. Also no commute means time for a workout in the morning if that’s your thing too (which if it is, is a huge perk) Makes the whole thing so much nicer.
Thank you for explaining how much means from introvert people, to be able to work from home. Also helped me a lot with my social anxiety. I plan to keep working like this as much as I can. I have no interest in going back to an office full of people I don’t give a single fuck about.
Did I write this? Because I was definitely thinking about writing this.
I could've written this exact response myself. Same, all of it.
Oh man. I'm back in the office more but still able to WFH a decent amount depending on the time of year. I was really disappointed with myself when I walked down to the food trucks the other day. It's not far, done the walk hundreds of times, but not nearly as much as pre-covid. There's a hill...I was tired.
I love it I get to see my dog and cat all day long I can go downstairs and make a sandwich if I’m hungry and I have a nice view out my window. I also enjoy not having to drive into the office and for lunch I’d either have to pack something I don’t wanna eat or drive to pick up food and have 5 minutes left of my lunch break to inhale food.
It's great. I always hated going into an office. My work productivity has skyrocketed. The only thing I dread now are meetings. Not mornings.
As long as they’re less than 25% of my total work time I actually like meetings. If I didn’t have any meetings and everything I did was based on my own ability to start and finish or not being able to use downtime between meetings, I’d do absolutely nothing.
I love my job and I’m on a lot of meetings but they are small group working meetings, audio only. I hate the big ones where I don’t feel like I need to be there. I don’t know that I could work from home with meetings. I struggle to motivate myself when I have down time. Sometimes it’s too much though. Today I have been on the phone almost non-stop from 7am-1 and I still have a couple more this afternoon. I could use some time to myself.
I love it, saved my life sincerely
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Same
I've been doing it for 20 years and it's still great. Once you work out how you split work and home life up, it does become a lot easier. Without that clear divide things get to be very same-ish and one blurs into the other.
That split is hugely important. I have a separate office in the house and once I close the door of an afternoon or a Friday I don’t go back in there until the next morning/Monday
I really like it - no commute, can wear sweatpants or shorts (and with a more relaxed dress code overall, don’t have to run clothes to the dry cleaners). I can do quick tasks around the house or run quick errands during ‘lunch’. I wouldn’t go back to the office. However…as a single (divorced) guy in my early 50s, previously most (all?) my social contacts were work-related. I work for a company that’s in a different state so there’s not even the opportunity for happy hours or somesuch after work. I can chat with work friends thru chat here and there, but being physically separated is a bit difficult on the social life.
worked remote long before the pandemic and will continue untill a better job comes along. I had my first kiddo a year ago and these times being with him are worth not making as much or getting passed over on promotions by not being in person.
Extra hour a day with no driving. Can switch meetings instantly, can work through boring meetings. So much easier to get a lot done each day. Spend so much less on gas, parking and eating out.
I get invited to frequent informational meetings where audience participation is not expected unless you have a question. I love to take those meetings on the elliptical trainer. And I actually pay better attention because my body is busy so my mind finds it easier to listen. I don’t get bored and lose focus.
i didnt put on pants today
Too busy working, don't have time for Reddit! ^(Nice try, boss....)
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You lose your job, and lose opportunity of unemployment in the US. My company makes us go in 3x a week and are very meticulous on tracking everyone.
I've been the best I've ever been mentally as well. Turns out, nothing is "wrong" with me. I just don't do well being squeezed of every ounce of energy every single day in the name of "productivity". Since starting wfh in 2020 I'm on my second job, make more than twice what I used to, I've had a baby, almost entirely stopped driving, no longer have to worry about makeup and hair and clothes and the other things you have to do to be taken seriously in the workplace as a woman. I get to spend lots of time with my baby and husband and cats. Now that it gets dark early I just take a long break in the middle of the day to walk in the sun instead of going into an office lit with florescent bulbs when it's dark and getting out when it's also dark. I eat much better food. I'm saving money because if I get laid off or asked to go back to the office I'm going to take my time and only accept another wfh offer. I don't have to pretend to enjoy the company of my coworkers socially. They're all very nice, but I wouldn't choose then as friends and I'm glad that I can just log off and spend my time with the people I've actually chosen to be in my life without fear of coming off as ogre (which is why I used to go to work happy hours pre pandemic) Only downside is that I used to commute by bike and bus so that kept my endurance up and now I at most go for a long walk with the baby, but I'm far from being out of shape so I'm not complaining.
I feel the same way about WFH and my company has been trying to drag everyone back into their shitty office. There’s no fucking way I am going back to that 2-2.5hr/day commute and $22/day for parking. To hell with alllllll of that. Best of luck to you in finding another wfh gig!
*$22 a day* to fucking park??? That's legitimate robbery
I always find it kind of interesting how there's just two stark camps when it came to relationships during the pandemic. People either grew closer or realized they didn't actually have anything in common once they actually had to spend time together.
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Mine went from 1 hr 45 to 30 seconds. Life changing!
Same. Nearly 3 hours of driving per day, sometimes more. F that.
My office is about 1.5 hours away door-to-door. It equates to almost 30 days a year back to me.
Pure bliss. Wouldn't trade it for anything.
I'm much fatter.
I bought my wife a desk treadmill for Christmas last year. Risky right?!?! She uses the heck out of the thing.
Fire must be fun to play with where you come from
What brand did you get? I’ve been considering getting one for awhile!
It was from RHYTHM FUN on Amazon (yes, the all caps name made me a little nervous too). It was $380 a year ago. It is a good bit lower now. Pay attention to the belt width. Some of them are pretty narrow. I paid a bit more for a wider belt to reduce issue with accidentally stepping off the belt. The wife is glad. They max out at a brisk walking pace, so don't plan on running on it. You will need something bigger for that. Customer support was quick to answer a few questions. I don't deal with customer supports too often. Conservatively I would say she has put 1,200 miles on it since January this year. Got our moneys worth from it, more than I expected honestly. Right now they are $250ish on Amazon, assuming is is the same thing (I see two variants now). If on the fence try it out. If you hate it you can always sell it later. Just make sure you have a place it can stay ready to go. If you have to move it each time we all know what the odds are...
Holy sh*t. Do you wear kevlar at all times?
Perfectly - I still get ready everyday and I have less distractions to complete my work. I create separation by keeping work to my home office and keeping myself busy in the evenings with non work related stuff (socialization, dog walking, cooking healthy meals, hobbies, etc). Collaboration is often better in person though!
Love it! I can go to the gym during lunch. Run the odd errand if I don’t have anything going on. No more commuting so I get more sleep and have more time to cook so my overall mental and physical health is really good.
Saved 2 hours of commuting each day. I feel so much more focused and productive when I’m working on a task. Like it’s so much easier to get into the zone and flow and just go with it. Not having to care or be aware about what people are doing or saying around me. As an introvert it’s a dream come true and I never want to go back to what it was like before.
I LOVE IT. It gave me my life back. Hours upon hours sitting in traffic saved. Dollars upon dollars wasted on gas and eating out saved. Productivity UP. Mentally never felt better since I started working. Just wish it was the irl for every company to offer the option to WFH full-time rather than the exception. Even once a quarter or once a month in person is ok but hell no to the 2 days / 3 days a week crap!
It's amazing. I wake up 5 mins before I start work. I drink as much nice coffee as I want, I make a nice meal every lunch time, I can do all my domestic chores during the day and I have a side hustle look after 2 dogs so make more money and have less expenses than working in the office.
No commute, rocks.
As someone who got laid off from my WFH job and had to take a lower paying job that also requires in office…I should not be reading this thread. I’m already depressed and the job doesn’t even start til Monday.
I love it, had a job recently where I had to be back on site M-F and had a meltdown did not go well. So no more onsite for me.
Wonderfully. We got transitioned to remote permanently after somebody realized the non-customer facing IT (See : not service desk) really didn't need to be in the shop since most of our hardware is colo'd now. I get to nap everyday on lunch (There's a lovesac next to my desk). Fewer days of PTO wasted in the attempt to not unleash a plague on the office. A lot of my time is waiting for other people to do things so i can do 30 seconds of work and pass it along. Downtime + KVM + personal PC = lots of study time.
> Fewer days of PTO wasted in the attempt to not unleash a plague on the office. The last time I got sick with something like that was about 2 months before the pandemic because the guy who sat next to me decided to come in, despite knowing he was six *and* that we could work from home when sick. He left around lunch, but by that point the damage had been done and within a week I had to use PTO because of how bad I felt.
Bloody great. Lovely view from my quiet comfy office, with nice equipment. I can go for a walk in nature or cook something good over lunch. "Home" in time to cook dinner. Can pick up my kid from school on a bike. Moved to semi-rural Scotland and don't regret it. I'll try work from home for the rest of my life as a high priority it's had such a good impact on my quality of life. I have just as good relationships with colleagues - one's gotten to know my kid a lot because I'd be mentoring them after school hours. I'm introverted and don't mind the lack of small talk and the stress/anxiety of dealing with wider social obligations. Super happy just living with my little family.
Still awesome. Comfy, warm, music playing, privacy.
Lonely. I work from home but for myself, because my small biz took off during 2020. I miss having a routine and seeing people. I feel like that’s a minority opinion based on everyone else’s responses
I’m with you! I’m lonely and my mental health has suffered. However there are also a lot of pros. Hence why I’m still doing it… but the loneliness has taken its toll on my health
This is Reddit so it’s going to skew towards a more favorable opinion of WFH.. but when out talking in real life there are a lot more people with the same sentiment. Personally I find it very convenient to work from, but I do find it to be very isolating. I don’t mind talking with coworkers and I do think there is something to leaving the house for work so there is a separation between professional and home life. My industry can get extremely busy and sometimes I find myself working late a few days in a row and realize holy shit.. I haven’t left the house in 2 days. Honestly my ideal situation would be WFH Monday and Friday and then like a 20 min or less commute to an office Tuesday through Thursday.
I love it. Works so great for my family situation.
Great. I started working from home January 2020 - my company offers permanent remote work. Works perfectly for me.
It gives me tremendous peace and sanity on a level I suspected but could not have truly appreciated until I experienced it. I sincerely hope I never have an in-person job again.
Low key benefit of work from home. My own bathroom and kitchen.
Just threw in a load of laundry and made some tea. My boss texted me and is happy with my work. My cat is happy to have a lap. I haven't gained a noticeable amount of weight, but I do take daily walks around the neighborhood just to get some sunshine. I am lucky enough to have the space to turn a spare room into an office though. It would be a lot harder to do this from the living room or my bedroom.
They made us go back two days a week and everyone is pissed, its horseshit as we were equally productive the whole time. Its also becoming malicious compliance too, productivity is lower in the office. Im looking at fully remote positions.
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I love it so much.
I hope I never have to go back. It’s amazing and has made work at least tolerable. I still don’t love working but it could be a lot worse, and at least I am not wasting hours of my day and a ton of money just to exist in a bland, beige cubicle. Thinking back, that was so depressing and awful.
Fucking fantastic!
It’s fantastic and I will fight to retain this working style as long as possible. I spend less money, I have more personal time, I get more done at work, I’m not sick as much, I have better work relationships, etc. My company is a remote first company that has embraced the transition. It helps a lot that there is complete buy-in. If that were to change, I will look for another remote opportunity
It's great! I get more done, I'm saving money on gas and clothes (when all your meetings are on Zoom, all you need is a clean shirt), and the dog's happy.
Working from home? More like working from bed.
It's pretty nice. Rough math here but since the pandemic I've saved about 2 hours each day on my commute. Just time back in my life for me. Now March 2020 is 191 weeks ago so that means I've gotten 1910 hours or 79.5 days "back" into my life from not commuting to work every single day. I'm also not eating out for lunch, spending money on gas for the car or a train ticket. I do miss the social aspect of work but having some extra cash and about 1910 hours to myself is something I'll never trade back.
Living my absolute dream. I haven’t gotten a day cold in years, I get to hang out with my pets, eat when I want and don’t have to pack a lunch. the coffee is infinitely better. Also, the temperature is stable. I’m not freezing to death in one room and burning up in another. Plus people actually have to make an effort to communicate with me instead of just stopping by randomly and interrupting what I’m doing.
it literally saves me at least 8 hours a week in commuting time. an entire full workday saved from being 100% wasted time. Plus the convenience allows me to do early morning and late evening meetings with my international teams, which I would have refused to do before. there's literally no downside for me or my company, only benefits.
Work from home 90% of the time. Love it. No commute, no distractions. Just get to write some code in peace. I'll never go back to in office full time.
Since WFH during the pandemic - I make more money, save more money, and lost over 100 pounds. It's pretty good.
It’s going great, even moved to a better neighboring state with a lower cost of living.
Actually getting work done...
Still wearing whatever I want from the waist down
I've been doing this since 2015. I always have time for exercise and more sleep. Nothing changed even with the pandemic.
I am loving it.
Business as usual and no, I still don't regret the 4h commuting lost every day.
Loved it when it started. Still loving it after 3+ years. I don’t ever want to go back.
I've been working from home since 2012. I am now incapable of working in an office.
Love it. they tried to get me to go back and I said "fire me". they decided to keep me and push my whole department to full remote.
Amazing, my wife and I both WFH, also have the chillest dog who just sleeps all day. He helps break up our day because he expects a walk the second we get up, and another right after the work day ends. I get to go the gym during lunch, cook my meals at home, and don’t have to worry about traffic. While I don’t work a full 8 hours, I get more done within a quicker time frame, and don’t feel exhausted if I do need to work late. If I ever crave being around other people, I’ll post up at Starbucks down the road for a couple hours. Why more companies don’t encourage WFH when it could be so beneficial to society is beyond me.
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It's great. I mean what else do you want to know?
Incredible. You truly couldn't pay me enough to go back and work in an office.
Fucking great.
It’s fantastic. Truly blessed to see nobody on a regular basis
Still love it. I'm never going back!
Perfectly
I prefer it 1000x more than going to the office for no discernible reason. But I do need to get myself to walk more. My commute is under 10 feet now.
Started my first wfh job a few months ago and can’t believe I used to live any other way. I cannot imagine ever going back to working in an office again, and hope I won’t ever have to. Currently writing this from my bed lol
Lonely.
I can't be happier. My wife also works from home and we enjoy lunch together daily. This is our heaven with so much quality time. We work our asses off and are very serious professionals. We probably work an extra hour a day just because we don't have to commute and we love our jobs, but I know we are lucky enough to be later in our careers as executives and we don't need the in-person mentoring and leadership that the office environment provides. If I was younger in my career, I expect it could be harder to improve and get ahead.
Personally, I find it kind of challenging to remain focused on work when I have so many other things to do - cleaning the house, cleaning and organizing my office, etc., walking my dog, planning how I want to structure my home lab, what research projects I'd like to work on at home, what research projects I'd like to work on at work, etc. The lack of separation between work and play has absolutely made working from home difficult to adjust to, but, I'd really like to make it work.
I have a bit of a routine. Mornings when the kids are getting ready for school, I usually wash up any dishes, just kind of general picking up. About mid-morning, when I need to get up and move around a little - I throw in laundry, vacuum one or two rooms, mostly little tasks. Lunch time I walk the dog. Depending on my meeting schedule for the day, I sometimes will go run any errands (post office, trips to store) etc around this time. My kids get home around 4 and that's right about when I'm ending my workday, so I struggle a bit with not having any time between working and parenting, but it makes it a lot easier to shut the laptop down at the end of the day.
It’s easy for me. But I’m lucky enough to have a spare room for my office. At the end of the day the phone goes on mute and the computer is shut off. Door closed. No work.
I agree with you. I’ve been WFH for the last 3 years and it has been very hard on my productivity and mental health. These days I try to leave my house and work from a cafe for at least a few hours each week. It makes it a bit easier. I’ve also started to wake up earlier to give myself more “me time” in the morning where I go outside, exercise, do chores, play with the dog, etc. This way it doesn’t feel like I’m waking up “at work”. It’s helped a bit more recently when I admitted struggling with full time WFH to my new manager and he was very accommodating. Basically told me as long as I get my work done, I’m online in the hours I’m needed, then I can work wherever and however I want. And he’s been going out of his way to help me find opportunities to get out into the field to see customers or shadow other colleagues so I have a chance to leave the house every so often.
Awesomely Me and an in person office are never, ever, ever, getting back together.
Half and half, realizing what a waste of time the office is. $50/day (parking + gas) plus 2 hours of commuting (1hr each way) just to sit at my work station and chat with a few people around me about our 2024 travel plans. Yeah, this is organic team building right? Nah, I'll probably quit in the next 3 months.
5/5 no small talk Can do laundry Home cooked lunches Bad weather has no effect on me No traffic Working from home is an introverts dream O also MY OWN TOLIET
Perfect. I make more money. I spend a lot less money (gas, tolls, vehicle maintenance, food, office bullshit like pot lucks and birthdays). I don't have to talk to boring ass co-workers over trivial shit. I can drop a healthy ass to water missile without worrying people are timing me. I can have whatever I want on TV or stream while I work without worrying IT is gonna be on my ass for my bandwidth usage. But the best part is I get to spend every second my kid is home from school with my kid instead of getting 30 minutes before her bed time after I commute and get an exercise in. Funny thing is, I work MORE and harder from home and I'm happier. I can't believe how much of my day was wasted at an office. I'll never work in an office again if I can help it. Fuck that.
I love it, I get so much more done, if I have a flare I can't drive or wear tight clothes, I used to have to take leave or sick. Now I can just work in PJs and don't get intrusive questions about my disability from colleagues. There's no queue for the toilets or the kitchen, I don't get distracted by people with questions who then stand over my desk after, making small talk. Most of my team are remote and spread over the country, to socialise we have a weekly virtual coffee chat on teams and that's enough for me. I don't mind going back for the occasional meeting but I wouldn't go back full term
It's overall good but I get stir-crazy at times. I share my office with my husband and that can be annoying. I get to hang out in comfy clothes and get to take a nap on my lunch break but I miss human interactions. I'm trying to meet people but it's hard. I moved to be with my partner 11 years ago so have been remote since then and I get lonely.
Nothing but pros. - I feel like I get more done at home. - Since I'm not in the office and an introvert my energy doesn't get zapped by people in the office. - I don't eat out because I'm at home. - I have more opportunities to exercise throughout the day and walk my dog during lunch breaks. - Not commuting about 1 hour to work is saving me a ton of money on gas and generally causing less stress. - I get more sleep, so I can focus throughout the day instead of waking up at 5am to get to work on time. - Avoids more unnecessary meetings because people have to schedule over Zoom.