If you work a job where you require a laptop and an internet connection would you like to work from an office?
Why would you want to work from an office or why should you work from an office if you can do the job from home? This is the theme surrounding the book Remote: Office not required by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried.
I remember in my previous job I was working harder on my commute than on my job. I also feel like there are a lot of distractions in the office.
I just entered the workforce and it’s been a year for me. I worked 2 jobs the first was work from home while the second was from an office and I will always prefer the former. I will go as far as to say I never would like to step inside an office again.
I’m going to be a little biased in this summary and give my take on the book Remote: Office not required while supporting remote work.
Remote: Office Not Required
This book came out in 2013 and 37signals was practicing work from home even then. It should not take a pandemic to realize that working from home is not just possible but is also necessary for a lot of people.
Release yourself from the 9am-to-5pm mentality. It might take a bit of time and practice to get the hang of working asynchronously with your team, but soon you’ll see that it’s the work—not the clock —that matters.
If you do a survey and ask a bunch of people if they would like to work from home or work from an office I bet the majority would say they would like to work from home.
Granted not all jobs can be done at home but if you are in IT or digital marketing or a job like I said earlier where you require a Laptop and an Internet connection then you can do that job from home and you most certainly don’t have to go to an office.
“In thirty years’ time, as technology moves forward even further, people are going to look back and wonder why offices ever existed.”
RICHARD BRANSON, FOUNDER OF VIRGIN GROUP
Working from home vs Working from an office
Working from home and working from the office both have their pros and cons and I’m highlighting them below.
| Sl No | Working From Home | Working From an Office |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Working in the office needs the employees to be present in the office. You will be required to work between the hours of 9 to 5. | While working from home you can maintain a flexible schedule and you have more time for yourself and your family. |
| 2. | You have to spend time and money on commute. | You don’t have to waste your life on commute. |
| 3. | You have to dress to impress. | You can work from your sweatpants. |
| 4. | You have your coworkers around you for that good old office gossip and the water cooler talks. | Loneliness and isolation can arise while working from home. |
| 5. | Meeting with people and brainstorming ideas live is a completely different experience you can’t replicate. | There’s only so much you can do from zoom or google meet. |
While nobody on their deathbed wishes they’d spent more time at the office, many sure do wish they’d spent more time with their family.
Benefits of working from home
The ability to be alone with your thoughts is, in fact, one of the key advantages of working remotely. When you work on your own, far away from the buzzing swarm at headquarters, you can settle into your own productive zone. You can actually get work done— the same work that you couldn’t get done at work.
The benefits of working from home are:
- You set the schedule.
- You save money on gas.
- You don’t have to commute.
- No Dress code.
- No awkward meetings.
- You have more free time.
Here’s my Two cents. Your job is not your whole life. Treat it like one and have a life outside work. Your coworkers are not your friends they are your competition who are trying to beat you to get that promotion.
If you like working from an office great you do you but don’t guilt trip others into coming into an office.
Work from home is here to say and is the future and is not a fad like most of the boomers would say.
