Working from home is the trend of 2020, but it doesn’t feel so hip anymore. However, we still make the best of it together, and working in-house naturally also has its advantages. Here I list for you what I do and don’t miss about working in the office …
What I miss about going to the office
I am currently on maternity leave, so these points do not apply to me at the moment. However, I worked from home from March 17 to August 7. Plus I assume that I will also regularly work from home in December. I also asked my friend for input. Although he is allowed to go to the office, he could indicate what he would miss if he was not allowed to.
Colleagues and social interaction
Especially if you live on your own, or if your partner is allowed to leave the house for work, it can feel quite quiet in the house during the day. Putting on some music can help make it feel less empty and lonely, but if you’re on the phone or in a meeting a lot, that’s not always practical. At the end of the day, and all the way through the week, the thoughts in your own head and the echo of the walls can drive you crazy.
At the office it’s just nice to have your colleagues around you; to chat together at the coffee machine or to have lunch or a walk with the team outside the door. Even when you have to work on a project with several people, or have an important meeting, it all goes a bit more smoothly when you are all in one room together. Who would have ever thought you’d look forward to meetings at the office?
Good coffee and an ergonomic chair
Perhaps you already had a home workplace-ready, but there is a good chance that it still had to be furnished. Has the attic suddenly been promoted to an office? Then you will probably have to arrange an ergonomic desk and a well-fitting chair here. Just like a WiFi repeater for good range and a separate monitor so you don’t have to stare at the small screen of your laptop all the time.
And what about the coffee? A cup of coffee is indispensable for a good working climate. Now, this is something you just get from your own kitchen. Certainly, when there is great equipment à la Giocoffee at the office, the filter coffee at home is slightly less glamorous and less tasty. Unless you also have such a fancy machine at home, of course. The question is also who pays for all those extra coffee, tea, and toilet rolls that you now use at home. The boss may be able to reimburse you for these extra costs to a certain extent, but it is still nicer if we can just go back to the office quickly.
Air conditioning
Need I say more? Think that after this summer we will all understand that this is really a must. We are so done with it that we will have two units installed in the house next November so that we will not be bothered by it next summer.
What I don’t miss about working in the office
Of course, working from home also has its advantages. What do I really not miss about working in the office?
The travel time
The traffic jam problem in the Netherlands, which seemed so hopeless, was solved in one fell swoop. So I don’t miss rushing out the door in the morning to be on the A79 a little before rush hour. For this reason, I always made sure I was at the office by 07:00. That means an alarm clock at 05:30. Now that I can work from home, the alarm does not go off until 06:30 and I still start at 07:00. And then at the end of the day, you could do this ride again but in the opposite direction. The travel time from home to work is now virtually nil, which saves you a lot of time during the week. The time that is better spent on extra sports sessions, good cooking, or watching your favorite series.
Distraction
Admit it, for some jobs or projects you just need peace and quiet around you. Where you sometimes really have to withdraw at the office or give a signal of do-not-disturb with earplugs, you can really focus at home. That uninterrupted calm can be like a salve to your concentration and productivity. Unless, like us, you have started shopping online a lot more and the delivery person is always at the door, of course.
Dress code
