I know this will vary a lot, so hypothetically let’s say you currently WFH/work remotely at least 3 days a week. Your commute to work takes an hour max (door to door) each way. If you were given the choice of a 4 day week working onsite, or a 5 day week WFH (or as many days as you’d like) for the same pay, which would you choose?
I’m fully WFH right now. Company policy leaves office attendance to each team, although almost no one is expected in full time as they’ve shed a significant number of desks. The pandemic is the reason it went that far but they were headed for hot desking and partial WFH in late 2019 anyway.
Personally, I’m not expected in at all except for monthly (local) team briefings, because the scheme I’m working on is based in an office at the other end of the country, and so I’d be remote working regardless of visiting “my” office.
WFH suits me, but to be honest I do sometimes wish I could go in. I miss having people to idly chat to, but I can’t. The office I want to return to isn’t there any more. I used to have my own desk, set up my own way, with neighbours from my (discipline) team, co workers and friends.
Now it’s a sea of souless hot desks, each identical to the next, same shitty misaligned monitors plugged into the same cheap hub, no dividers at all (it wasn’t quite cubes before, but there were half height dividers that absorbed some of the noise) resulting in an almighty din. Those friends who didn’t retire, quit or transfer might be sat near me, but probably won’t. I can’t even get a coffee unless I plan ahead because they no longer stock non-dairy because apparently it’s too much trouble now they don’t know who’s coming in when.
Eventually I’ll have to give up my home office because it will be needed as a bedroom, and I’ll have to go in, but until that day I’ll stay where I am.
Well articulated thoughts. Such a huge difference between a nice office in a good location with a team you like working with, vs shitty hotdesking vs WFH.
WFH is great for flexibility, but I don’t need that everyday. I enjoy the commute to work. 90mins of free exercise cycling in, and a nice way to reflect on your day.
Could happily go back to a local team with a nice office. But could never do hotdesking.