For two months now, I’ve been back in the office under the pretense that it’s now covid-safe. I appealed to continue working from home, and I was denied. Here’s a list of the pros and cons.
Pro: “Office culture,” a vague, undefined term that HR uses circular reasoning to explain. What’s office culture? Well, we weren’t built as an organization to work remotely. We’re losing an ineffable quality that is only found at work. What quality is that? “Office culture!” (I’ve asked for concrete metrics that show our actual performance is down – none provided.)
Cons:
-Hundred of dollars a month spent on commuting to an expensive area with no free parking or public transit subsidies
-Free time spent commuting, especially with Covid-related delays that have doubled my commute
-I can no longer spend time with my boyfriend while I work
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I have lost the flexibility to handle chores and errands when work is slow
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The stress of commuting and exposing myself to maskless assholes on the train and in the office
I could add to this list. There’s no common sense in the people in charge. I’m certain that my productivity has actually decreased, as has my trust in my employer and my morale. If I don’t understand why you’re forcing me to carry these burdens which I can only see as unnecessary, how am I supposed to feel any other way? My life was so much better during work from home. My job does not require me to be in the office. I’m just bitter and angry every day now.