To struggle to see the appeal of full time remote working?

[YasminaJ]

I’ve been fully remote in a new role for the past month and had heard so many positive things about remote working, no commute etc.

I am finding the opposite though. Cabin fever despite having a healthy social life outside of work and teams calls really don’t replace that in person connection for me. I just feel like there’s more to life than staying in my house all week for work. I have a seperate office room etc.

I will give it a bit longer but am thinking maybe I’m just someone who needs to be around people? Has anyone been in a similar situation and found it improved?

I agree. I’m hybrid although WFH for the majority and it’s definitely something that suits my phase of life (3 young kids who need school drop offs etc and a big house to renovate and keep on top of) but I wouldn’t recommend it for those in the first 10yrs of their careers and I’m definitely looking forward to getting back into an office environment in a few years time.

I miss learning from others, having a laugh, talking about mundane stuff. WFH has kept everything very surface level for me, it’s lonely.

I’m a massive introvert so it suits me.

I do have to go out and about meeting clients and am sometimes in court. I would prefer it if I could just do all my meetings online/from home.

My employer sold our offices after covid as they realised we just don’t need them.

Hi I have been more or less fully remote since the Pandemic and in my experience it gets worse not better. I enjoyed it to begin with but now find it really lonely and isolating. Work also bleeds into the rest of your life as it can be hard to switch off and the temptation is always there just to "hop on" to a Teams call or answer an email during your time off. Sorry not to be more positive

It's a personality thing. Personally I love it but I'm an introvert. I can understand that it could be a nightmare for some.

Is there a way you could change to hybrid or go to a shared work space? Some friends of mine are remote but travel to each other's houses on alternative days for company.

If not try to work regular breaks and lunch hour into your day, go out for lunch/a walk, change your desk setup so you have a view etc.

I agree, I don't think it is ideal for most people.
I have houseful of children/young adults and do volunteering /see friends/hang out with DH in the evenings but I do struggle with it. I miss the human connection

However, due to my health condition it is very much the reason I can keep my career on track and be a higher rate tax payer rather than dependent on benefits.

And I do think it has to power to have a decent environmental impact if people use it to reduce the amount they are commuting/driving to meetings

So I guess I feel ambivalent about it .

My happy balance would be two days a week in the office I think (we are limited to one day a week in the office)

I’m full time remote and love it.

But my DH also wfh so I have someone to chat to and go for walks at lunchtime. I also get to go to in-person meetings, events or conferences at least once per
month.

i won’t ever go back to being based in an office but I get why others do enjoy wfh.

I have mobility issues so getting even once a week to an office is physically painful so I’m very grateful to my employer who lets me work remotely most of the time. I get far more work done when I’m at home too

I did it for 5 years, and it was fine, but I found I was getting too used to being happy not leaving the house. I changed job and moved to hybrid this year

Some love it and some hate it and you need to know who you are

I’ve been hybrid since the dreaded Covid fiasco currently on 60:40 about to start a job where it’s just one day wfh and I can’t WAIT!! My office is demoralising it’s so quiet with staff on multiple patterns so can never see a team together. No one socialises for the same reason. New job everyone does same days, such a better vibe, buzzy, busy, social.

I think remote working is terrible for those just starting out, but useful in some circumstances. We are hoping to spend a year in Spain in a couple years and my DD will be a fresh graduate then and remote working would be her most likely job. She did an internship over the last summer doing research and interviews, all remote. But otherwise I think working in a office environment is great - when I started out work was my social life, I learned HOW to work really, and the roles others had and where I might want to go next in my career. I would not have had any of that if I was working remotely.

I have to go in the office 4 days a week and its killing me. Pre-pandemic I didn't think anything of it but now all my friends are at least hybrid any many 100% WFH and I'm so envious. I'm constantly stressing about being late for work and late for school pick up and I'm so fed up of being around people at work who want to talk shit all day long. I have no energy to go out in the evenings and weekends because I'm wiped out from it all. Im actively looking for a job where I can WFH all week if I want to.

Remote working doesn't mean you have to be stuck at home all day.

Find a shared working space, use local coffee shops, or the library, or, if you have another friend nearby, work from each others' houses occasionally.

I'd also make the most of your lunch hour - go out for a walk (borrow a dog, maybe?) or meet a friend, or arrange to do an exercise class etc.

I agree. I love the freedom and flexibility of wfh but couldn't do it full time. I wfh 3 days a week and go into the office twice. My office also offers really cheap massages and beauty trearments, amazing subsidised restaurant and no end of perks, plus it's great to meet with colleagues face to face so I feel I have the best of both worlds

I’d only like it if it meant I could go live in Thailand or Mexico City and work, I’m an introvert but I couldn’t work from home full time. I’d go up the wall. Hybrid suits me fine.

No, of course not. Different strokes for different folks. It would only be unreasonable if you were making daft generalisations about remote working in general because you don't like it, but you clearly aren't. You have given it a go and the cons don't outweigh the pros for you.

I am full time wfh and it is fine. I have absolutely no need to be friends with my colleagues. However I am absolutely not glued to my screen and get out and about for a walk or something every single day during the working day. I also have my own completely self contained office which helps. Even though the commute is only down the garden it is still enough to reset me. Job is completely unstressful though

I've been WFH full time for 13 years. I love it, would hate to be working in an office again. And it's allowed me to live in my dream location (very remote) and still earn a decent salary.

It depends on your personal circumstances I guess. I'm in the "oh my god if this train is 3 minutes late I'll be too late to get DS from nursery and DD from school before they both close" years so I bloody hate going to the office. But at other stages of life I'd feel differently.

My line manager is the same. They prefer being around other people and is happy to spend 3 hours of their day commuting and getting stuck in traffic to achieve this. I'm the opposite and they think I'm weird, although they've never blurted this out to my face. Yet.

Some people get their energy from being around others = extroversion.
Some people get their energy from being alone or with one or two other people they are close to = introversion.

I'm a homebody and prefer stress avoidance, my own company with the freedom of not being interrupted, my focus undisturbed and to not get pulled into meetings that are unconstructive and generally descend into chaos.

Can you switch to a job that requires being in the office? Apply for them.

I love it when I can full time remote. I enjoy chatting on Teams messages and calls and prefer this kind of interaction.

I have lots of friends in the real world!

I have come to realise that hybrid works best for me. I do enjoy WFH but every day just is too much.

During the pandemic, I paid to work in a local co working space based in a yoga studio so you got free classes. It was really nice!

I am an introvert but too much time on my own at home and I get a bit weird. I enjoy it on one level but a mix keeps me healthiest

I am an introvert and I WFH full time. Absolutely love it.

I hated it too. I just don't think it's for everyone. I'm an introvert and a homebody but I just didn't get on at all with remote working. I prefer having a nice big clear divide between my work life and my home, I actually like having a commute so I can catch up on my podcasts and audiobooks, I like socialising with my colleagues face to face, I despise Teams with a passion, and can't be fucked with paying to heat my house all day in winter!

Well I love my job and I used to commute up to 3 hrs a day to it, 5 days a week.

Now im fully remote and i couldnt be happier.

I meet friends for lunch, or coffee after school drop off. Also speak to colleagues both individually and in meetings regularly throughout the day.

Love it...