Took a new position at the beginning of last year while pandemic remote-work policies were still in place. Prior, I worked remotely for 3 years straight. I was initially told that I would have flexibility, but then our business unit changed its mind and started forcing people back into the office. (Literally using fire drills to take tally of who’s in the office).
The kicker is that they have a hybrid option, but apparently you have to get approval from upper management to determine if your situation “qualifies.”
My old director offered me a management position, fully-remote at 40k base pay more than what I am currently making and now I’m leaving.
I tried very hard to be in the office every day, but it literally made me miserable. I am a statistical programmer — I don’t need to collaborate. Also, the work can be quite challenging, so it requires concentration.
The reality is — I was spending eight hours in the office getting half of the work done that I could have completed in quarter of the time at home. Moreover, the work would spill over into weekends due to the lost productivity. I feel like I completely lost a year.
*** I’m not sure why I am posting here. I just want to make it clear that working in the office is a literal waste of life when it is not required.
Having full autonomy over your time is so valuable.
It is great if you genuinely enjoy spending time at work with your peers. But please don’t waste away at a cubicle, spending valuable time having soulless conversations, to please people who place too much value on working for some company.
Tldr: life is too short to waste away at a cubicle for the majority of your waking hours. Work from home when you can, take a break, and bake some cookies or something…