The pandemic these last 2 years has been a horrible experience. Countless lives have been lost and there has been great disruption to our every day lives.

However, because of the disruption COVID-19 has caused, it has forced us to work and operate in ways which we originally thought weren’t possible.

After I graduated university, I started to work in September 2019. Therefore, I only really had 6 months of ‘normal’ work before the pandemic hit in March 2020. Throughout this period, I spent every day except one in either the office or at a client site. This one day I actually worked from home and I can remember being so excited to do so. I can remember thinking ‘I could go to the gym before work’ or ‘I don’t have spend an hour commuting to and from the office’.

Fast forward another 2 years, and I have spent the majority of the time working from home. Generally, I have loved it, and can’t imagine going back to the office full time. However, since restrictions have lifted, I have started to go back to the office a few days a week. This got me thinking, whilst I love working from home, there are certainly some things I miss from working in the office.

Firstly, why do I love working from home?

Working from Home Benefits

Commuting

According to a study, on average, Indians spend 7% of their day commuting to the office. That equals roughly two hours on the road per day. That’s quite a lot of time and a lot of boring traffic, right?

All that time can essentially be saved by telecommuting. Telecommuting simply means working remotely or from home by making full use of the internet, email, and phone.

While there are still some people who enjoy the travel and want a separation of home and office, there are others who think differently. People would rather prefer to spend more time with their family or indulge in their hobbies than spend it cursing the traffic.

So, given a choice, people would like to escape the rush hour commute and settle to working from the comfort of their homes.

Flexibility and Agility

Working from home enables more agility and flexibility in working arrangements. With employees no longer tied to an office, they may be better placed and more willing to work flexible hours such as earlier or later in the day or even at weekends. This may help you meet certain business needs eg if you are trading with customers residing in a different time zone.

For me, this extra flexibility has been such a big positive. As I don’t have to spend the extra time commuting, I can spend my mornings in the gym and be back in time for a 9am start.

Productivity

Bit of a controversial one, but I actually feel like I’m more productive working from home. I just love putting my headphones in, and getting some real focused work in. I feel like this is more difficult for me in the office as I find there are more distractions (conversating with colleagues etc).

However, I must point out that I have my own working space in my house away from everyone else. I am also fortunate to not have any parental responsibilities which I know so many people have.

Saving Money

Again, another big one. You save money on transport, food etc. However, it is important to consider that if you do work from home long term, you will have to invest in a decent working space setup first.

Working from the Office Benefits

Communication

This is something that was even more emphasised to me since I started to go back to the office. Initially, I thought communication via Zoom and Microsoft Teams was fine, as I feel the technology has become so advanced and reliable now.

However, you can’t beat face-to-face communication. Just asking a simple question that takes 5 seconds in real life, which online, can take far more time, especially if the person you’re sending it to is away and doesn’t see it.

Training and Coaching

As stated above, I was quite lucky to start work about 6 months before the pandemic. Therefore, if I had any questions or needed training on certain areas, I could just turn to my senior and run through anything with them.

Since the pandemic, this has been much more difficult, as training and coaching isn’t as effective when doing it online. A lot of this is tied into the communication aspect noted above.

Burnout

An office provides a clear physical distinction between work and home life. It’s definitely a nice feeling leaving the office and not having to open my laptop again once I get back home.

Hybrid Approach

Overall, I think there is positive and benefits to both. With restrictions now lifting, does that mean employees should return to the office full time? In my opinion, absolutely not. Clearly, there have been some benefits from working from home. However, I also feel that working from home full time isn’t the most effective and healthy option long term either.

Therefore, I think the best option is to strike a balance between the two. I am currently working from home 3 days a week, and going to the office or client site 2 days a week. Of course, depending on certain circumstances, this can change.

However, its certainly a nice feeling when you can choose between the two.