Working from home

Working from home? Is it like Marmite (that may be a UK-centric question)? Love it or hate it?

I have worked from home (apart from a six-month stint in-house nine years ago) since 1999. And, unsurprisingly, I love it.

I love that I don’t have to worry about the weather, spend hours on a bus or train, wear makeup, straighten my hair (obviously I shouldn’t have to do either of those two, but… yeah!) …

I love that I get way, way more work done than I ever did in-house, because I’m not constantly being interrupted by people talking to me (I know, lots of people love that. I don’t.) and my days aren’t filled with meetings (though, the pandemic has meant there a lot more of them, but at least they can be done via Teams now and not require a whole day away from my desk to get to sit talking in a conference room for a couple of hours – though I do miss the excuse to bunk off for the rest of the day and wander round the V&A or my old stomping ground of Oxford).

I love that I can go to my kids’ summer concerts, art exhibitions, shows, etc. without having to book off half a day. I love that I can start at 5am and finish at lunchtime, or work a couple of hours in the morning and some more after the kids are in bed. (Even though, for the most part, I stick to 8–4 and enjoy hanging out with them before and after school.) I love that I can take my laptop and/or iPad away with me, so I can do a bit of work while also having a change of scenery and explore.

I love that I can take my lunch in the garden, watch a film in the middle of the day (I literally never do that, but I love that I can), hang the washing out when I need a break from my desk…

Oh, and I very rarely find myself wandering off to the fridge for cheese.

So do you love it or hate it? Do you want to be able to work remotely as much as possible, or would you rather be in the office all the time? Enjoying a mix of both?

I’m a little intrigued by the possibility of becoming a remote employee, or a hybrid employee. But I think I still probably need to be my own boss. I am very grateful, though, that there seems to now be much more opportunity for those of us who do love working from home.