Pros / experiences to full time fully remote jobs

[Blueyisnotreal]

Hi all, I’m considering a fully remote full time job. At the moment working 2 days from home and 3 days in the office, but i don’t like the days I’m in the office and not really that close with my colleagues. Before I take the decision and look for fully remote jobs, just wondering peoples experiences and any downsides to it apart from detachment and isolation?

If it’s relevant, I do have ADHD and tend to overthink interactions with people anyway - I’m just worried about potential issues with training etc but I’m always better learning from what’s written down than verbally anyway.

I worked from home for two years and gave it up to work in an office full tIme

i found it too isolating. No one to bounce ideas off and share workload. I worked longer hours as I wanted to get work done. Inevitably this was because I had a massive e caseload and if tasks were not done I’d get a telling off.
im much happier working at the office. Although having a 23 mile commute both ways is very tiring and hard to get used to at first I’m am happier.

I worked from home for two years and gave it up to work in an office full tIme

i found it too isolating. No one to bounce ideas off and share workload. I worked longer hours as I wanted to get work done. Inevitably this was because I had a massive e caseload and if tasks were not done I’d get a telling off.
im much happier working at the office. Although having a 23 mile commute both ways is very tiring and hard to get used to at first I’m am happier.

It depends a lot on the job (some are more suitable for individual remote working than others)
If the company has everyone working fully remotely they may be good at managing a workforce in this way. However, if they are not
-it might be difficult for you to get to know colleagues as interactions become question/response i.e very transactional
-you might actually find it harder to judge interactions based on bland words on a screen rather than seeing people face to face
-it can be hard to find out about things going on in the company outside your own little bubble
-you may miss out on opportunities
-you miss out on learning from seeing how others do the same job
-equally if you are the more experienced person it's harder to share your knowledge with more junior staff
-no ability to have "quick informal chats"
-you are unlikely to get to know colleagues outside of your immediate team which gives you a very siloed view of your job

My experience was possibly particularly difficult as I started in a new company as 100% remote in a badly defined role with no colleagues in the UK, but IMHO it is quite a tricky way to start a new job. Basically you can only get to ‘know’ others by formal calls, not ad hoc office chats. It is doable but takes a lot longer - both to bond with colleagues but also to just get anything done (as most tasks need some sort of collaboration/information from others). This is especially hard if said colleagues are either in an office together or used to work f:f.. Virtual coffee break type things just aren’t the same - they feel forced. This all manifests as an odd lack of connection with my job (even after 3 years) which I’ve never had in an office based role. I have recently (finally!) met a few of my business stakeholders f:f and it was just so much more effective at creating a sense of shared purpose and trust - in previous v similar office based nebulous role I’d created the same sort of network within months.

But, as said, depends on the sort of role. If v well defined with clear handoffs it should be a lot easier. On the upside I now don’t have to sit at my computer from 9-5 so have lots of flexibility (and no commute is great!) , but it also means tacit expectation of late/early calls as required (pesky global role again..).

Best of luck

Ive worked remotely for about 7 years and started 2 new full remote jobs in that time. Onboarding is harder, you dont have someone there you can ask quick questions to and you have to be really self sufficient and be happy reaching out to people.

Im not opposed to working in an office, but I live in quite a remote area so this suits me better than a long commute.

It's also would depend on if the whole company is fully remote or if some are hybrid/office based as the two are quite different.

For me it works well, but I love my own company and most of my job is not collaborative.

I’ve wfh for many years. I don’t feel detached or isolated at all.
I agree that training can be tricky, especially if time zones are different (I am learning a new freelance job atm and manager is in NZ!), but it’s a small disadvantage vs all the flexibility. I am very good at managing my own time, have a rich sporting and social life outside of work. Oh and a teenager who likes me around.

I wfh 100% ans have done since 2011. There are so many tools that mean you don’t feel isolated but I do occasionally travel on business or to offices so that helps. I am so used to working with colleagues virtually but is important to keep everyone updated what is going on (I ran a global team of about 70). We had global meetings, coffee and chat meetings, special occasion meetings every quarter. Instant messaging makes me feel colleagues are close. Nice thing is people don’t pick up on your flaws as much as if you see people every day! Then people are glad to see you as it’s only occasional that you meet up! No commute either! Perfect!

Thanks all for your opinions. I think I need to think about it very carefully, I do require interaction with others but I do find that in family and friends.