I’ve worked from home a few years now, and whilst the upsides are well known I’ve personally found some challenges there too. Have you experienced anything similar? How did you deal with it?
My tale:
When the UK went into lockdown (along with everyone else) in early 2020 I started working from home full-time. For the first year I was with the same team I’d worked with for years whilst in the office, so nothing really changed except my location.
I switched jobs mid-2021 and the new team was much smaller. I work as a software developer, and this team was a grand total of three people including myself. We didn’t have many meetings, only one a week, and except for being assigned new work I never interacted with anyone. It took a big toll on my mental health and I quit after three months.
I took an extended break from software development and started working on a plant nursery, driving tractors and tending plants - it was so much fun, but paid very little and ate into my savings a lot.
Went back to software development last year and thankfully manage things much better. I’m not a very social person, so it was surprising how important socialisation was to my mental wellbeing. I’m now part of quite a large team that speaks regularly, and when I next change jobs I know that this is something I need to look for.
I also have a garden now, so when the call of the wild hits me I go outside and sniff my tomato plants. I do miss driving tractors though.
I’ve been working from home for about ten years, so when COVID happened, it was no real change for me.
Generally, I love it, but I’ve always worked on and with geographically separate teams, so even when I have an office nearby, I’d only be going to it to be on Zoom/Teams meetings anyway.
Financially, it’s great! It’s wonderful not having a commute, saves a ton on gas, vehicle wear and tear, and the habit of spending money on lunch. I also don’t have to maintain and upkeep as many “professional” sets of clothing.
It’s also great for keeping up with house chores, when I take a break to stretch, I can throw in some laundry or fill up the dish washer.
Downsides- work life balance. Work is always there. My work set up is right next to my personal PC set up and when an email comes in after hours, it can be tough to not address right there.