Working From Home vs. Working From the Office
Working From Home vs. Working From the Office
?After the pandemic-induced great migration, we’re still working from home either part time or full time. Many of us are convinced that this new approach to work is better, but I am not sure that’s always the case.?The positive characteristics are fairly obvious:??
?What work-from-home offers
?Also, being out of sight can mean a lot less oversight. For some, this may feel like a welcome relief.?
?Yet over time, working from home has many negatives that are less obvious in the short run.
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?What we’re missing out on when working from home
?And while low oversight can be welcome for some, it’s actually a double-edged sword. Oversight doesn’t have to mean micromanaging. It can be centered around being there for employees, caring that they do their job well and providing coaching and guidance. This facilitates professional growth.??
We learn from watching how others behave in different situations -- so new and younger employees may face a greater struggle trying to get their feet under them.?I wonder how they are going to learn the ins and outs of the business or feel like an integral member of the organization while sitting in their home office.
We're also losing the spontaneous hallway conversations and sharing our knowledge at the watercooler. In the long run, after months or years, I'm concerned that working from home may even hamper business growth.
Looking for the right balance
It could be that working full-time from home is a good idea for some experienced workers but not new hires. And some people at this point may even refuse to return to the office. But as leaders we're always thinking of how to strike the right balance while keeping our companies successful.
I’d love to learn how you view the Work from Home environment as well as the ideal compromise.?
I think what’s missed the most is the ‘drop ins’ and ‘drop by’s’ … the unannounced moments in the office that take place without scheduling. Schedules are a necessary function of business but ironically often the reliance on them can subvert organic spontaneous collaboration and relationship building moments. And I found there is a tendency for a good percentage of people to avoid the camera and only partially ‘show up’. The fact is we as humans are sometimes forced to grow and mature due to circumstances we can’t avoid. Somehow, remote work gives us the control we desire, but inhibits some of the experiences we need. Personally I work in a remote only creative company working on films and episodic content, and we spend considerable time talking about how to bridge these gaps. I’m not confident we will get there, but I am confident things probably will never go back the way they were given the obvious evolution of technology.
Strategic Talent Acquisition Advisor & Technical Recruiter
2 年WFH has molded me into a hungry LION! I am focused and hunt my day down in creatively powerful and athletic sprints. My performance has never been better, I have never worked smarter. Working in the office made me feel like a dull, warn down gazelle. Meek and drudging along in mud, trying to stay busy for activities sake. Everyone is different of course. For me, sitting at a DESK all day is not what creates performance!
Great article, but if young hires come in and older employees don't have to, who gives guidance to younger hires.
Commercialization Executive I Multiple Exits to PE I President's Club I Helping B2B SaaS founders build predictable scalable revenue and enablement to raise more capital and exit
2 年Well written article and I agree that new hires can benefit more from being in the office most of the time at the beginning. Depends on the management and continuous development they provide in all areas
Great stuff Adam, I work from home a majority of my time but when I do go in the office it’s usually for a specific reason and I’m always glad I did. I get a lot out of the days I’m in office.