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I would love to do more remote work, but then I hear horror stories about people having problems not being around people. Feelings of isolation set in after a c

by bphogan 16y ago

I would love to do more remote work, but then I hear horror stories about people having problems not being around people. Feelings of isolation set in after a couple of months, and people end up going to a gig where they are around people. To those doing remote work, is this common?

enjo 16y ago
Coworking spaces work wonders for this.
- umjames 16y ago
  The biggest benefit of a co-working space is that you are in more control of when you want to be around other people. You can always go home when you need pure isolation. At your employer's workplace, you don't have that control. You can be interrupted at any time by anything. You don't appreciate that flexibility until you have to use headphones and music to drown out your co-workers' inane personal conversations.
bartonfink 16y ago
I haven't found that to be the case, but then I have my life set up such that I don't need work to fill a social outlet. I have my wife, two dogs, friends and neighbors to socialize with when I feel the itch.
gchucky 16y ago
I'm one of those people who left a telecommute job to work in an office. The walls definitely closed in on me and I felt increasingly isolated, and I had to get out. I think it was when I realized that I was sitting around my apartment for 23+ hours a day that I started looking for a new position. I think there's something inherent in working with people around you that you can't really replicate online. Being able to go over and talk to someone and ask them a question is invaluable when compared to having to message/email someone and wait for them to respond. It took us far longer to get sprint planning done (we were also doing Scrum) over the phone because no one wanted to talk, and that's easier to shrug off when you're at home. There's some level of team building that's missing when you telecommute - you don't go out for lunch with people, or have any sort of real social interaction. Honestly I think it's up to the team/company to help work through those issues. We set up a chat system so we could talk during the day and that did seem to help for awhile, though.
famousactress 16y ago
You can definitely get in a mode where you need to pull yourself out of the house, but I never get lonely.. Mostly because I communicate with my coworkers constantly. Probably more than I have at most brick-and-mortar operations. We idle in a Skype chatroom all day long, and I participate in at least a half dozen skype calls a day.. sometimes ones that become just two hour co-coding sessions. The real need to get out is just a need to spend some time in the sunshine, or walking.. funny little things that happen on accident when you're commuting :)
michaelchisari 16y ago
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/working_home http://theoatmeal.com/comics/working_home It's definitely an issue, and one that can be difficult to overcome. Since I'm splitting my time between my full time job, and working on Appleseed almost full time in the off hours, the last year has been short on social interaction, and I've felt the effects. That Oatmeal comic really hit home a few months ago when I went to a party a few months ago and found myself feeling very socially awkward. Not nervous, just a little bit clueless about what to do and how to do it. I'm a very social person, so it was a little bit jarring how quickly those skills could atrophy. But there are remedies. Scheduling social time is important, and not seeing as "wasted" time, but an actually necessary task for your mental health. Working in coffee shops when you need to, going for walks when taking breaks, etc. And going to a co-working space once in a while doesn't hurt.
Vivtek 16y ago
I've worked at home since 1996 and there is no way in hell you'd drag me back. I never had a problem with isolation, but then I have kids. Isolation for me is a goal, not a fear. In this, as in all things, your mileage will certainly vary. If you're a type-A people person, you should probably stick with a social context. Although (as elsewhere noted) you'd be surprised how much social interaction you can have online at home these days.
- Vivtek 16y ago
  Oh - the other variable - I grew up on a farm miles from anywhere, so I'm used to spending time by myself. That's probably also a factor.
mgarfias 16y ago
I've been telecommuting for almost six years now and the thought of going back to an office is terrifying. I would end spending 2+ hours in traffic, be separated from the things that matter to me most (wife, 2yro, two German shepherds) that also provide a bit of refresher when things aren't going well. Good luck playing ball with your dog in an office. Having been at an all-telecommute shop i can say that we ended up doing far more work than most teams. 10pm email conversations with the CEO were normal.
- bphogan 16y ago
  That's a bit of a worry for me... if you are having those 10pm conversations, how do you draw a line between work and life?
  - mgarfias 16y ago
    Easy, get up, do a bit of work. Have breakfast, spend it with the family. Do some more work. Play with dog. More work, then lunch. Another task, then break time with the boy. A bit more work, then dinner. Family time, kid/wife goto bed, stay up and do a bit more work. I found it far easier to do that, than to veg out in the office when I needed a break to go out, see the sky, walk around, breathe, etc. Also, this was fairly early on, sphere was a new company and we were having growing pains. And its not like it was a nighlty thing, more along the lines of often enough to not be weird, but it wasn't often. Also, before we were quasi-detelecommuted (meaning hires in NYC that went to the office) when something broke, everyone would pitch into fix regardless of hour. After the original peeps (well, most of us) left, the replacements (in the office) had an office mentality. That is, anything that happened after hours wasn't their problem. Maybe that works better for them, but not for me. Doing things my way got more of my awake/alert time for actually doing things, and the flexibility it imparted helped keep me sane. Offices and rigid schedules drive me batshit insane.
mgarfias 16y ago
I've been telecommuting for almost six years now and the thought of going back to an office is terrifying. I would end spending 2+ hours in traffic, be separated from the things that matter to me most (wife, 2yro, two German shepherds) that also provide a bit of refresher when things aren't going well. Good luck playing ball with your dog in an office. Having been at an all-telecommute shop i can say that we ended up doing far more work than most teams. 10pm email conversations with the CEO were normal.
justincc 16y ago
I've been working purely from home for the last 3 years now, where my clients have all been in other countries. I'm not an intensely social person but about 2 years in I had a period where I did feel really isolated. In my case, though, I solved this by getting out to twitter/tech meetups and other activies (e.g. I'm speaking at a conference in Amsterdam in June). This occasional socialization is enough for me, though your mileage may vary. Also, it might help that I work in a very social open-source field where I can have continuous contact with other developers and community members. I must admit, I would hate to go back to regular commuting. In my previous life I only had a 40 minute total commute but even 40 minutes is really valuable nowadays!

by bphogan 16y ago

enjo 16y ago

Coworking spaces work wonders for this.

umjames 16y ago
The biggest benefit of a co-working space is that you are in more control of when you want to be around other people. You can always go home when you need pure isolation. At your employer's workplace, you don't have that control. You can be interrupted at any time by anything. You don't appreciate that flexibility until you have to use headphones and music to drown out your co-workers' inane personal conversations.

bartonfink 16y ago

I haven't found that to be the case, but then I have my life set up such that I don't need work to fill a social outlet. I have my wife, two dogs, friends and neighbors to socialize with when I feel the itch.

gchucky 16y ago

I'm one of those people who left a telecommute job to work in an office. The walls definitely closed in on me and I felt increasingly isolated, and I had to get out. I think it was when I realized that I was sitting around my apartment for 23+ hours a day that I started looking for a new position. I think there's something inherent in working with people around you that you can't really replicate online. Being able to go over and talk to someone and ask them a question is invaluable when compared to having to message/email someone and wait for them to respond. It took us far longer to get sprint planning done (we were also doing Scrum) over the phone because no one wanted to talk, and that's easier to shrug off when you're at home. There's some level of team building that's missing when you telecommute - you don't go out for lunch with people, or have any sort of real social interaction. Honestly I think it's up to the team/company to help work through those issues. We set up a chat system so we could talk during the day and that did seem to help for awhile, though.

famousactress 16y ago

You can definitely get in a mode where you need to pull yourself out of the house, but I never get lonely.. Mostly because I communicate with my coworkers constantly. Probably more than I have at most brick-and-mortar operations. We idle in a Skype chatroom all day long, and I participate in at least a half dozen skype calls a day.. sometimes ones that become just two hour co-coding sessions. The real need to get out is just a need to spend some time in the sunshine, or walking.. funny little things that happen on accident when you're commuting :)

michaelchisari 16y ago

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/working_home http://theoatmeal.com/comics/working_home It's definitely an issue, and one that can be difficult to overcome. Since I'm splitting my time between my full time job, and working on Appleseed almost full time in the off hours, the last year has been short on social interaction, and I've felt the effects. That Oatmeal comic really hit home a few months ago when I went to a party a few months ago and found myself feeling very socially awkward. Not nervous, just a little bit clueless about what to do and how to do it. I'm a very social person, so it was a little bit jarring how quickly those skills could atrophy. But there are remedies. Scheduling social time is important, and not seeing as "wasted" time, but an actually necessary task for your mental health. Working in coffee shops when you need to, going for walks when taking breaks, etc. And going to a co-working space once in a while doesn't hurt.

Vivtek 16y ago

I've worked at home since 1996 and there is no way in hell you'd drag me back. I never had a problem with isolation, but then I have kids. Isolation for me is a goal, not a fear. In this, as in all things, your mileage will certainly vary. If you're a type-A people person, you should probably stick with a social context. Although (as elsewhere noted) you'd be surprised how much social interaction you can have online at home these days.

Vivtek 16y ago
Oh - the other variable - I grew up on a farm miles from anywhere, so I'm used to spending time by myself. That's probably also a factor.

mgarfias 16y ago

I've been telecommuting for almost six years now and the thought of going back to an office is terrifying. I would end spending 2+ hours in traffic, be separated from the things that matter to me most (wife, 2yro, two German shepherds) that also provide a bit of refresher when things aren't going well. Good luck playing ball with your dog in an office. Having been at an all-telecommute shop i can say that we ended up doing far more work than most teams. 10pm email conversations with the CEO were normal.

bphogan 16y ago
That's a bit of a worry for me... if you are having those 10pm conversations, how do you draw a line between work and life?
- mgarfias 16y ago
  Easy, get up, do a bit of work. Have breakfast, spend it with the family. Do some more work. Play with dog. More work, then lunch. Another task, then break time with the boy. A bit more work, then dinner. Family time, kid/wife goto bed, stay up and do a bit more work. I found it far easier to do that, than to veg out in the office when I needed a break to go out, see the sky, walk around, breathe, etc. Also, this was fairly early on, sphere was a new company and we were having growing pains. And its not like it was a nighlty thing, more along the lines of often enough to not be weird, but it wasn't often. Also, before we were quasi-detelecommuted (meaning hires in NYC that went to the office) when something broke, everyone would pitch into fix regardless of hour. After the original peeps (well, most of us) left, the replacements (in the office) had an office mentality. That is, anything that happened after hours wasn't their problem. Maybe that works better for them, but not for me. Doing things my way got more of my awake/alert time for actually doing things, and the flexibility it imparted helped keep me sane. Offices and rigid schedules drive me batshit insane.

mgarfias 16y ago

justincc 16y ago

I've been working purely from home for the last 3 years now, where my clients have all been in other countries. I'm not an intensely social person but about 2 years in I had a period where I did feel really isolated. In my case, though, I solved this by getting out to twitter/tech meetups and other activies (e.g. I'm speaking at a conference in Amsterdam in June). This occasional socialization is enough for me, though your mileage may vary. Also, it might help that I work in a very social open-source field where I can have continuous contact with other developers and community members. I must admit, I would hate to go back to regular commuting. In my previous life I only had a 40 minute total commute but even 40 minutes is really valuable nowadays!