Working from home vs in the office

[tmm99]

Knowing myself, I would go to work because I'm not an extravert to start with, and I could use the social aspect of being at work, but as I worked in IT, and saw people wearing headphones working (hint "Don't bug me right now, I'm coding!", it may be easier to focus at home. You can eat cheaply if you're at home, so I wouldn't fret too much on the free food aspect. If you don't think you'll miss the social aspect of work, I'd seriously consider working from home.

[ShokWaveRider]

That was one nice thing about the USA vs Canada and the UK., at least when I was w*orking. I spent 30 years in the USA and out of those 30 years I spent about 18 of them w*rking from home and almost 10 of those years retired. I left to visit company sites (local and somewhat remote) or to go to the airport, again to visit company sites all over the world. So I really did not know any better. One nice perk also was a company car or car allowance.

[RunningBum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Cosmic Avenger +1. For that reason I purposefully respond a lot faster when I telework; if I'm in the office, and I'm in the middle of something, I don't feel the need to respond to IMs or emails immediately. But if I'm teleworking, I'm trying to avoid the perception you mention, of not really working. And I do sometimes run laundry while I work from home, but honestly I try to hurry, and in the end I spend a LOT less time doing chores like that than I do away from my desk at the office for various reasons (aforementioned face time, break room, meetings, etc.).

That's what I would do too. I'd also do things like check email almost as soon as I got up and try to respond if it was a quickie, then take a breakfast break. I'd also check email once or twice most evenings. Some people would rather not, to better separate work from home life, and I wasn't trying to give the impression that I was working the whole time, but it did show that I wasn't just 9 to 5. A bit part of my job was product support, and I could get cases from 2nd level support from all over the world at any time. If I could ask for follow up info during their shift they might have it for me in my morning, which saved a day's turnaround if I was just on 9 to 5.

[Bir48die]

I've done both. Agree that you need to be a self starter and internally motivated. Working in shorts or sweats was awesome. Could pick up the kids at middle school down the road. I will say there are things you miss like being in "the know" about things just by being in the office. Plus you miss some of the day to day contact with co-workers. The freedom and not having people know when you come and go is such a plus. Also there are the busybodies that want to get in your stuff at the office

[CaliKid]

Home.

Only advantage to work is building the comradery amongst co-workers which could help for building career capital. Otherwise, home!