While many people can work successfully from home, the office can not be replaced. The office creates a structured workday and elicits a shared routine among co-workers. It creates community and helps workers meet their project deadlines, and you can’t replace the office community.
Hidden Costs
When COVID-19 forced in-office workers to work from home, many of them resorted to working from their couches or kitchen tables. With aching backs and cluttered living spaces, these newly remote workers quickly learned that their homes weren’t really designed to function as workspaces. They began to miss the things they took for granted at the office like their ergonomic desk chair, dependable internet connection, and the free coffee.
Workers can rely on the office as a safe and clean place to work. They know that they can find the equipment and supplies needed to get their jobs done. There are minimal unrelated distractions and plenty of resources on-site to aid them in completing their tasks. And, in the office, workers don’t need to worry about paying for things like heating, air conditioning, internet and electric as they otherwise would, working from home.
Too Much Freedom
Though the flexibility of remote work can be liberating, it can also be overwhelming. Workers may struggle to divide their time appropriately between work and life while working from home. Because there is no clear divide. The office provides this division in physical form. People who struggle to manage their time while working from home, may find it easy to manage their time while working in the office – where there is defined structure and routine.
Social Solitude
The phrase social solitude might sound like a contradiction. But it perfectly describes how we interact with one another while working remotely. With the powers of modern technology, we can be social as we sit home alone. Though this sounds like the perfect equation for productivity and success, it doesn’t really add up. Because when two things contradict each other, they cancel out.
Communicating remotely can cause underlying stress. Those who send messages can never be sure how, or if, their message was received. And those who receive messages may misinterpret them. It can be even more difficult to determine if a message was sent at an appropriate time, or if it came as a disturbance.
Video conferencing has allowed remote workers to interact more naturally, signaling their intentions with facial expressions and body language. But it still lacks the connection gained through direct eye contact and being in the physical presence of others.
The office is a place that workers can discuss and create freely, without having to relay messages and emotions through internet-connected devices. It is a space where people can casually say hello, share lunch, and connect first as human beings. Overall, the office naturally facilitates community and team building, housing those who share common goals and a dedication for the same company.
