As we start to see glimmers of light at the end of a fantastically depressing pandemic tunnel, there is one thing I will not be sad to see the end of: working from home. I know this puts me in the minority. I know there are benefits in being able to say "I need to work remotely today." I know some companies will be 100% remote work going forward. And I know that introverts have been in heaven for the last year. But me? I am done. I'm over it. Enough is enough.
Zoom is great and I hate it.
If you give me an excuse not to shower, I will take it. The people in my life who love me do not appreciate this.
My inner child is an extrovert who needs human interaction and friends at work, and she’s dying inside because the grown-up who runs the show has taken pandemic precautions very seriously.
Sweat pants do not inspire my best work.
I function best with a busy to-do list, lots of deadlines, and moving pieces to juggle. There are fewer hard deadlines in my life because of the recession and the flexibility of working from home, so I feel unproductive. And being unproductive is discouraging.
I HATE trying to read a virtual room. Most communication happens through body language and tone of voice, so I'm irritated when those things are missing. Video chats are a bandaid, but I still think there's some cognitive distortion happening. My brain hasn't caught up to the fact that I won't be able to perceive body language cues.
Speaking of communication styles and methods, I miss the drive-by meeting. They're not for everyone, but they are for me. I think there's an art to doing them with respect and consideration. I miss the spontaneity and variety they introduced to my day, and I also miss being interrupted by direct reports who come to me with questions.
Boundaries with your job when you work from home? Not unless 1) your employer supports boundaries and 2) you're a militant superhuman. It feels like we are creating a workforce that is ineffective and exhausted. And cranky!
My podcast listening has suffered without a commute, and I resent this.
You want to know what else I resent? My ears now have calluses because of earpod/headphone use.
And lastly, to the people who love working from home because they never want to go back to wearing “hard pants,” I say: you were doing it wrong before. Your professional wardrobe can 100% be as comfortable as leisure wear. Hard pants? Puh-lease. Get yourself some yoga pant slacks. Even regular suit pants are softer than denim. Also - dresses, people, dresses! I find they're less high maintenance than a shirt + pants combo. Most people can get away without a suit jacket and tie single day, especially if you leave a few strategic items in your office for when they're really needed. Level it up to professional, or stay where you are in your sweats, but I will have no sympathy if you insist on denim. I wish you and your hard pants a very happy life together.
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