When Furniture At Work recently got in touch with me to hear my thoughts about the workplace
and office life for an eBook they are creating about office culture
and workplace well being I started thinking about how working from
home compares to working in an office at a workplace.
Over the years I have
had many jobs and worked in various workplace settings. I have worked
in a number of offices, some small with less than a handful of
colleagues and others large office workplaces with masses of
colleagues. Thanks to the digital and modern world we live in which
allows the freedom to work from anywhere, I have also experienced
working from home.
As I have worked in a
number of offices of varying sizes and constitutions I can say that
the ease, enjoyability and workplace well-being of working in an
office varies hugely down to the job role, the company and the
facilities of the office. Likewise my experience of working from
home, working around family life (or should I say squeezing work in
around the hecticness of family life) would vary greatly compared to
others who work from home especially people who have dedicated
work-time at home rather than variable working hours around family
life.
Whilst my work
experience is varied and is sure to be hugely different to other
people's experience of working in an office workplace or working from
home here are a few of my observations of how working from home
compares to working in an office -
Dress Code
When working in offices
the dress code has commonly been formal or smart casual. The cost,
time and upkeep of making sure outfits fit the business dress code
can be expensive and time consuming.
Whilst I make an effort
with my clothes and get dressed for the day which in the week always
starts with the school run (no PJ's at the school yard here), when
working from home it doesn't matter what I am wearing and I can be
very casual and comfortable with my clothes – plus nobody sees or
cares about any mucky fingerprint marks the kids get on me throughout
the day!
Hours
When I've previously
worked in offices the hours have often be set, usually 9-5 with the
odd bit of overtime. Those hours have been great as I have the rest
of the time free and to call my own to socialise, and the benefit of
set working hours is that when the end of the day comes the work can
end and not affect my time. Now that I am a parent whilst working set
hours is good for family life stability as those hours would clash
with my partner's work childcare would be needed for the children if
I returned to a office workplace environment with set 9-5 hours.
For me personally the
hours when working from home are very varied and fit around family
life with no two days being the same. Whilst working from home is
great as it fits around family life and enables me to be at home with
the kids and spend all day with them and not miss out on activities,
days out, and school events it does mean that between the kids and
squeezing in my work I often find my day full and not much time left
for 'me' time. I catch the odd moment here and there throughout the
day to catch up on work and answer emails (thanks smartphone for
helping me do so anywhere and everywhere) and then often spend the
evenings working once the kids are in bed.
Company
One of the things I love
about working in an office workplace is the camaraderie. Colleagues
often become friends and friendly chats are enjoyed and exchanged
during the working day. Another bonus of having colleagues around you
is the help and support you which is welcome when a tricky work task
is hard to accomplish alone.
When working at home the
only 'work-related' contact I have is through emails, social media
and very rare phone calls. My company in the day is the kids –
which whilst a joy to be around can be a distraction when trying to
work (either wanting something or being too damn irresistible to not
want to give my whole attention to) and then in the evening it is
just 'me, myself and I' alone.
Environment
The usual set up in a
workplace office has been a desk, chair and varying levels of tech
such as PC, printer etc. The quality and comfort of the desks and
chairs I have worked at in various offices has been very varied
depending on the company and their set-up. Of all the offices I have
worked at the ones that have high quality and ergonomic chairs have
been most appreciated by me as being comfortable whilst working long
hours at a desk makes things a lot easier and makes for a happier
worker. To make my workplace environment more appealing and relaxing
I have always found a few home comforts and keepsakes such as a
photograph of loved ones helpful.
Whilst I have a small
office space at home and usually work in that same space, I must
admit I have not put much effort into making the space especially
comfortable or solely dedicated to work. Also whilst I have my small
work space I find that thanks to the relaxed atmosphere of being at
home and the flexibility that a laptop and smartphone provides that I
tend to 'work' all over the house. I have to be strict with myself to
not get distracted by jobs around the house and home life which can
dent my productivity.
Like all jobs and
workplace environments there are pros and cons to working both in an
office and from home. For now working from home suits me and my
family life. Whilst I enjoy working from home I have also enjoyed
working in an office previously. I don't think one is better than the
other, whether you work from home or in an office (or somewhere else)
I believe the best workplaces to work in are ones that promote worker
well-being and happiness and are well equipped with suitable
facilities and equipment for the job role.
Have you worked from
home and worked in an office? How do you find they compare?
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