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I love being back. The office is quite empty, but after two years of not being around 500 people every day I think it would be overwhelming to all be back toget

I love being back. The office is quite empty, but after two years of not being around 500 people every day I think it would be overwhelming to all be back together in one instant. I'm happy to be in that first wave of those returning. It's not just the office, it's the area I work in. I work downtown, I've forgotten how much I missed all of my favorite cafes, coffee shops, casual lunch places. They remember me too, it really made my day when one of my favorite lunch places recognized me and we had a great chat for 10 minutes. I'd forgotten how much of that life is missed. I live alone, I'm a fairly solitary person, I don't get out much. I always said work from home would suit me as long as I still did a few things in the week (go to a bar once a week, have lunch out a couple of times) but I didn't do any of these things, my friends have become hermits and we hardly see each other even at weekends. The last two years have been hell frankly. I've come to realise my work is my social life. Call that if you like but it's the reality and I actually enjoy spending time with people that share interests with me. Since I've been back in the office I've been to a bar and had a nice relaxing conversation over a beer for the first time in 2 years. Not all of us are lucky enough to have that opportunity to have amazing social lives away from work. I wouldn't go back to working from home if you doubled my salary.

cameron_b 5y ago
This is the best case. I took a remote job at a new company right after the lockdowns started in my area, and I've loved it but for the same reasons you love your office. I live in a small town, on the main residential street in the old neighborhood. I have a family ( wife and two kids ) and we love our neighbors. Before Covid, the commute was awful. The area where the office was located was insular. I watched my security cameras to keep up with my garden and family and feel connected to the world that mattered to me. Now I'm able to walk in my garden and pull weeds between tickets/meetings instead of taking a lap around an exurban campus. I talk to my neighbors when they are out doing the same, or at the end of our days ( tag-team visiting Taco Tuesday gathering last night after the kids went to bed... ) Everyone is in different seasons, ( heck I might be looking for an office in a few years depending on the kiddos schedules, ) but community is the make-or-break factor.

cameron_b 5y ago

This is the best case. I took a remote job at a new company right after the lockdowns started in my area, and I've loved it but for the same reasons you love your office. I live in a small town, on the main residential street in the old neighborhood. I have a family ( wife and two kids ) and we love our neighbors. Before Covid, the commute was awful. The area where the office was located was insular. I watched my security cameras to keep up with my garden and family and feel connected to the world that mattered to me. Now I'm able to walk in my garden and pull weeds between tickets/meetings instead of taking a lap around an exurban campus. I talk to my neighbors when they are out doing the same, or at the end of our days ( tag-team visiting Taco Tuesday gathering last night after the kids went to bed... ) Everyone is in different seasons, ( heck I might be looking for an office in a few years depending on the kiddos schedules, ) but community is the make-or-break factor.