In Office vs WFH

I think it depends on the work you do. I'm a secretary so being in the office is way easier for me.

Hard agree, I will never pass up an opportunity to complain about RTO. Its expensive, time consuming and pointless. Ive been forced back for about a year now and 99% of the time its exactly like wfh but not at home (zoom calls, teams messages etc). The 1% is when people sneak up on me and ruin my train of thought.

for me it’s more about the vibe and separation. being in the office makes work feel real, and i actually get into “focus mode” easier. plus random chats, seeing coworkers, quick help without scheduling a call. that stuff can’t fully happen wfh. it’s social, structured, and sometimes more motivating.

I am an independent contractor and truly enjoy the flexibility of working from home on my own schedule. And I can go visit one of my clients and work in my office there. When I was employed full-time, I could accomplish way more in one hour at home than I could being in the office all day -- better focus and fewer interruptions. I am more on the introvert side of the scale; being around people all day can be exhausting. I also enjoy working out at home. My SO is more extroverted and prefers going to the gym for more socializing. I think the key is to figure out what works best.

I’m an analyst and work from home. There is zero reason I need to be in an office. I get more done at home when people can’t just “stop by”. That plus sleeping more makes me a more focused worker.

I'm shocked how many people prefer to go to the office. It's insane. Wfh all the way, i haven't had a face to face work conversation with any of my coworkers while at the office since i came back from winter holiday in january. Even if we sit 3 desks away we still do calls. For most office jobs, especially it, wfo is useless.

I like a hybrid approach. I like being able to interact with people face to face, also learning is better in person. But I also like having a couple days at home to catch up on chores and not have to commute. 

My partner’s job is hybrid, so he has the option to wfh twice a week if he wants to. He rarely ever does it because he’s a lot less productive at home. It’s a mindset thing for him, he needs to be able to go into the office to switch into “work mode”. He’s also really social and loves in-person interactions with his coworkers I’m the complete opposite. My job is mostly remote with an occasional in-person component. On days where I go in person, I don’t get anything done because it throws off my routine and I get distracted by other people. I focus and work best when I’m alone, and I’m introverted so social interaction is really draining

My job requires me to be to be in the office 5 days a week, I have one co worker in his 50s and he says he wanted this job cause it was in office, I said why, cause as 27 year old I’d rather be at home, he said to get away from his wife and kids haha

I find full time WFH incredibly isolating. Stuck all day in the house by myself, no other humans around, just me, my laptop, and the far-to-close by refrigerator. I gained 30 pounds from boredom eating. I quit that job. While I understand the attraction of no commute and not having to deal with going into an office, WFH isn’t for me.

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I love Hybrid. On my day WFH day a week i got time for sports and still have evening hours for gaming when I'm back home from sports. But I'd miss the laboratory and the people. I just need direct social contact, everyone bringing food and cake for everyone now and then, also quick meetings, no technical issues because all you need is a rook with everyone assembled. I think if my work didn't need a team it's be different but as it stands we need constant and spontaneous communication and WFH just can't offer that. Let alone handling the products. If I still had my pre COVID job of being a logistics call center person tho I'd WFH because all i ever needed to do was to chat my superior for more cases.

I struggle to stop working when I WFH. It is much easier for me mentally to shut it down when I leave the office. I encourage my staff to work from home when possible. It just isn't for me. I will keep an eye on things when I have a day off and my team is working. Otherwise, a six mile drive to the office works best.

I have the option of working from home 3 days a week.  During the pandemic I was getting out of shape due to lack of exercise and put on 20lbs.  As things opened up I still had to work from home and was getting really lonely being home by myself while my family was out or in school.  I like going in office so I'm forced to walk into work and then go to the gym next door to get back into shape.  I also like seeing people irl.

Before COVID first hit, my day to day work was 90% virtual calls, emails, or other online stuff. So it was a very easy transition work-specifically. But I initially didn't like it because I liked who I worked with, even if most of my work was actually not with those in the office, but with people spread out across the country. I also didn't hate my commute because it was by subway and it was just reading time. But then I made friends in the neighborhood. Have lunches for the WfH and we got more used to quick impromptu work contacts, team chats, and stuff. And I also just...read at home or at the park nearby. And spend more time with the kid. So yes, I am firmly loving WfH and it anything, it improves my work because I can be more flexible in scheduling things for the convenience of people in other time zones.

I work with a laboratory with coworkers I like working with. I couldn't do my work at home even if I wanted to. My commute is short and I like my job and I have a office with a door if I need privacy. Home is just for play and rest for me.

I like both. Although I am technically part of an RTO, I have the flexibility to decide day to day where I want to work. Last week I was home all 5 days. This week I decided to go in for a couple of half days. The change of scenery can get me more motivated and on my in office days, I tend work fewer hours.

The majority of my work is *assisting other people*, so there are only so many things I can do WFH. I'm thankful that I get one WFH day a week, which allows me to focus on heavier tasks (like transcribing meetings, or typing heavier reports), but the other four days, I'm in the office, allowing me to assist coworkers face to face. Much of what I need is easier to access in the office. Plus, I'm the type of person who will hold myself accountable more when I'm in an office, vs WFH... It's a lot harder to futz around in the office!

Work from home is a terrible thing if you are an engineer supporting manufacturing in any way. You don’t see how anything actually runs. You don’t talk to operators or floor people.

I used to love going into the office years and years ago. I worked for companies that treated us well and for a good salary. There was camaraderie and we had fun during the day and actually during the eight hours that I was there I didn’t work eight hours. I worked maybe six hours and a half because we had one hour for lunch and 2 x 15 minute break breaks. Later years I worked part time from about 9 to 2 so that I could accommodate driving my kids to school and picking them up and that was also good.

I like a mix of both. I've learned that I need social interactions at least on occasions. It's especially nice when you have to do something creative and can do it together with a group of people. In most cases though I prefer WFH.

Separation. Sure, I’d love to hang out with my dog while staring at god-forsaken spreadsheets all day. But for me, working at home makes me feel compelled to feel like I’m always on the clock. When I’m in the office, I walk out and everything in my work sphere stays put. It can wait till the next work day. At home, my logical brain tells me “but you can walk 16 feet to your desk, so why not do it now?” any time there’s something pending. At an aggregate level, I’ve spent about 50% of the last 6 years working from home. So I’ve given it enough of a go to know what does and doesn’t work for me. I’ll happily spend an hour of my life commuting if it means being able to fully disconnect at the end of the day.

Home is where the snacks are. When I’m home, I just eat snacks all day. And then I don’t have any more snacks. Also it’s really difficult to build good relationships with people without some time face to face.

In my job I don't do any virtual meetings. I would love to work from home for many reasons but for my current job, it does make sense to be here in person. People walk through the front door and ask me questions/want to see samples. There's a production shop as part of our team and I can easily pop over and see what the status of a job is without trying to call them and they don't hear the phone due to machine noise or are hands-on making something. I'm also very social and I like yapping to my coworkers. That being said, I also do have lots of friends outside of work and it would be a bit easier to be social if I had no commute, so.

In the beginning, wfh was great. Lots of flexibility, no commute etc. But, after a couple of years and switching jobs, the trade-offs become real. Zero connections with your team, conversation is super transactional and loneliness sucks. You start to realize, there is no "break off" feeling when you leave work and feel like you are working more and even harder. Funny thing is, my kid now thinks my work is easy since I work from home and don't have to drive to work unlike their friends parents. I'm looking for a hybrid in my next job.

I retired last year, but prior to retirement I worked hybrid 3 wfh, 2 i/o. Fully remote for over a year during Covid) I kind of looked forward to the in office days, to be honest. I liked the interaction with others, but I'm an extravert. I also liked my office set up better at work, (stand up desk, fantastic chair and lighting, bigger monitors and more space) and had access there to a scanner for large doc scans, a shredder, and postage meter. (I didn't have to mail very many things, but once in awhile I did). And quick 5 minute conversations in the break room or popping into someone's office often saved me from scheduling a Teams meeting. Also, I just kind of liked getting out of the house and putting "real" clothes and makeup on! That said, the ability to be at home 3 days a week was awesome as well. I liked the balance.

I get distracted at home, and I'm lazier. At home, I am tempted to play with my cats, take a nap, and do things (even if they're productive), they're not what I'm paid to be doing. At work, I have better supplies, my desk is better, and I just feel overall more productive. Typing this answer also reminds me that I'm more productive at the gym, too as opposed to working out from home. I have plenty of weights, bands, etc. But they just sit here at home. When I go to the gym, I actually work out.

I prefer WFH but I know a few people who prefer the office. Their reasons are either that they live in a chaotic environment (small children or elderly parents) or they enjoy being around other people and feel too isolated at home.

I end up working from home a lot more because oddly frequent home stuff. I do like to go into the office though just because of random hallway meetings or just walking through things with coworkers. My teams are all in different countries but my peers are all local. I only live 15 minutes from my office but, luckily, I have the options.

WFH is great if your home is quiet. Add a couple screaming kids in the background and suddenly the office is a much nicer place to be.

I always wondered too. My current boss lives with her mom and apparently if she tries working from home, her mom spends all day talking to her and she can't get anything done no matter how many boundaries she tries to put up. She ended up paying for an office in a nearby town just so there was enough distance to be able to get work done and not be asked to come home all day. I was visiting family and trying to do some really fidgety stuff with people talking all around me and I kind of understood. I love working from home myself though and can't imagine ever going back.

I like my coworkers. Logistically, sometimes easier to just discuss some work things quickly, face to face. Sometimes it’s just a question and instead of having wait for back and forth messaging or scheduling a meeting, you just pop by, have a quick conversation, show them some things in person, and it’s done.  Also, sometimes I am more productive in the office. But when I am insanely busy, I prefer to stay home. Fortunate I have a hybrid job with some flexibility. 

Going to office is more about meeting people for me. The day includes work but also the hanging out and small talks so its fun sometimes. I feel the hybrid model is better. You enjoy the perks of both.

I like to go to the office because I like the socialization. We work hybrid and honestly I would even if it is not required. I feel like work from home killed me during the pandemic. Less face time, less visibility and honestly less productivity. I think because I personally need that human interaction. Maybe it is endorphines or something. Now even with hybrid I can focus better at home because of the human interaction. I still do laundry in between meetings because it frees up more time on the weekends, but when I am not making snacks or doing laundry I am working and usually longer because I am not driving and dinner is on the stove while I work.

I feel a little more serious about myself when I’m in my own office at my expensive standing desk and my coworkers come to me to ask stuff because for some reason I know more than them. I like wfh too but working at the office definitely has that “this is real” feeling, which when you work in manufacturing but off site can be sort of tenuous (for me anyway)

some people just miss the social aspect and face-to-face interactions, plus it can be easier to stay focused in an office setting without all the home distractions. but if wfh works for you, then stick with it!

Mine is just focus and keeping work and home separate. We only got to work from home for a relatively short time 6 years ago and I found I just wasn’t disciplined enough. Was too easy to do stuff at home I wanted to or take a nap lol

My wife works from home and she never wants to leave the house anymore when she went to the office she actually interacted with people and was more outgoing

Sounds so dumb but I honestly just like going somewhere, being in a new place. If the commute were long I can see myself missing wfh, and of course there are other advantages to wfh (I definitely do a lot of running in the middle of the day) but I do think it would be fun to go to an office and just see the same people, make small talk, and be somewhere that's not my apartment on the reg.

Couple reasons I prefer going to the office 1. when i used to WFH, work was always at home, i would think about it all the time and "checking my email won't hurt" even on the weekends. this way i can separate work from comfort 2. i live alone so i would feel like a hermit barely leaving my desk and having almost no interaction with anyone, except for a neighbor saying hello while out for a walk. felt super lonely and isolated. 3. huge desks in here with 3 monitors, at my apartment i barely had room to squeeze in 2 monitors lol 4. i am more comfortable running errands after work since im already out and about. 5. my office is close to the Schuylkill river trail so after work I will get a trail run or cycling in. at home im in a big city and it was horrible to do at rush hour.

I have been WFH since Covid. At first it was glorious, and I couldn't have imagined ever going back into an office. But over the years I've felt more isolated, and as much as I hate to admit it, I kind of need structure to get things done, and it was too easy to wander off while working from home. And I rarely needed to even leave my home so I wasn't getting as much sunlight or walking as I probably need. Honestly I think it may have been exacerbating my depression. Also, I put on about 20 lbs because I no longer needed to fit my work clothes, which were bought when I was more active. So I'm going going back into an office voluntarily, and I'm sure I'll get sick of it again soon enough, but for now I think it's going to be better for me. Going back to the office actually motivated me to lose the 20 lbs because I'm too c**** to buy new clothes.

I may be in the minority but I really prefer going into the office. Granted, I don't believe a full 8 hours every day in the office is necessary... But I enjoy the "getting out of the house" routine aspect of it. When I worked from home everything blended together and I found it difficult to separate my work from my homelife, and both ended up suffering. I know some people love it, but for me I really enjoy getting out and going to the office every day. I'm also fortunate though because I have pretty flexible office hours, so if I'm done my work I'll just head home.

Home is my place, my place to relax, enjoy and do hobbies. I resent work taking up a part of it

I need to be around a team. I also like to learn and be mentored by my superiors. Sure, my job would be great if I just stayed at home but I'd be missing out on so much. I'm a social guy though. Home is for home, work is for work and socializing.

I have a much better setup at work— dual screens, a big desk, and a comfortable chair. I don’t have room in the house for all that. I also live 10 minutes from work and I know most people don’t. If I had a long commute I probably would find room for a comfortable office setup.