What are the best things about working from home?

The weird thing for me is that I have gained all this time from not commuting, but I donā€™t feel like I have any more time.

Which on the one hand isnā€™t a good thing, but in reality what it means is that my time is filled with spending it with my two boys and actually getting to cook dinner sometimes, which are things that I really enjoy. But I do find that they leave me more tired than if I were driving and listening to podcasts.

3 Likes

Top of the list is the time and stress involved in commuting - especially in a city like Bangalore.

The next is the ability to connect with multiple teams worldwide in a click of the button - with no local office team pressures - just focus on work and get it done.

4 Likes

I can relate to this. I have gained 45 mins into work and the same home, i.e. 90 mins per day, but where it goes, no-one knows :slight_smile:

I think the other things for me are:

  • control over temperatures
  • control over breaks
  • if I have to work overtime, no worries about how I am getting home :stuck_out_tongue:
  • pumping up my music loud, LOUD, L O U D :sunglasses:
3 Likes

I canā€™t pump up the music so much, as I have my wife still at home and she doesnā€™t seem to appreciate all of my tastes!

I do like the temperature control, although the lack of AC was a pain when it was hotter.

And today, I made myself a bacon sandwich. I couldnā€™t have done that at the office.

3 Likes

Not having to walk for what seems to be forever to get to a toilet!

Also, Iā€™ve really enjoyed eating better and cooked lunches.

I am starting to thoroughly miss face to face time and simple casual chats at the desk though. It can be a little bit isolating if you donā€™t make an effort to reach out to other people.

2 Likes

Hereā€™s my list:

  • Not having to stay in a hotel 2-3 nights per week
  • No late trains or missed connections
  • More flexibility in working hours
  • Mostly I can go swimming in the North Sea (depending on the tides) every day
5 Likes

My workplace is probably going to start using an open video chat room.

I have found a reasonable amount of sanity salvation from the testerā€™s Hangout that @ThePirateTester setup, during this time!

5 Likes

Things I love about WFH:

  • Lunch, I can stick a pie in the oven and it will be ready for lunch or I can have steak and fried veg. Momā€™s
  • My own hot drinks I actually like. Propper mug of tea!
  • My own keyboard, mouse and monitor
  • Being able to hang out with awesome testers on the Testers hangout!
4 Likes

Have also decided to join the hangout on Fridays after work. Mainly as a way of ā€œstopping the horsesā€. Itā€™s a quiet hangout in terms of number, and we donā€™t seem to talk about shop all the time. So that works for me. Although I am in the anti-anti-mask brigade, and never go out of my front door, I do already get ā€œzoom timeā€ with lots of people in the real world. And so the thing I like about that is that it saves me loads of travel time, (I live 8 miles out of the city) and I still get the social.


Mainly, I love that I can wake my cat up every time I take a tea break (she sleeps about 20 hours a day) for a little bit of petting. Hard to beat.

4 Likes

There are so many positives Iā€™m honestly worried about going back. For me one of the biggest things is not dealing with the office politics, gossip, etc. Working from home made realize just how bad it is at the office. The individuals I work with every day are great and we all get along, but there is just so much tension everywhere in the office with other teams and departments and management just pretends it doesnā€™t exist.

However, the absolute best part is having my kitties with me all day! I get to pet them while in meetings and play with them on breaks. It has truly made me happier.

6 Likes

Me too Valerie. Although absolutely love that I also get to keep some of the Christmas decorations out for a few weeks as well, just for warmth.

3 Likes

Iā€™ve now got sign-off that I donā€™t need to go back to the office, so weā€™re moving to Walesā€¦once we sell our house!

6 Likes

Jealous of the move to Wales.
Although why people choose to live in places with terrible weather is beyond me. But still, jealous.

4 Likes

Iā€™ll be honest, the weather here is terrible anyway, so why not be closer to the coast, mountains and family?

3 Likes

I miss the ā€œPassing rain-stormā€ summer evenings in Johannesburg, especially during our winter up here, when I curse my decision to move to these muddy islands. All of my visits to Wales have been wet, though I have thoroughly enjoyed them. Best wishes.

3 Likes

OK, I wrote that in September. I stopped goingā€¦ the water is too hard now. :joy:

5 Likes

No kidding, you need skates now to exercise on that!

3 Likes

For me the best thing is the time I can save by not having to travel to the office.

2 Likes

Hanging out with my doggo all day is pretty sweet. Wearing holy jeans. And being able to water my plants/do laundry/dishes on breaks.

2 Likes

Pros:

  1. Time save on travel to office
  2. More time spent with kids
  3. No need to do hair before starting workšŸ˜

Cons:

  1. No clear distinction about when to close work.
2 Likes