Remote work opportunities allow for more flexibility, decreased distractions, and cost savings, but sometimes those advantages come at the expense of communication challenges, lack of social interaction, and difficulty disconnecting.
For those of you who work remotely in tech: do you find that you’re working smarter or harder? What are the benefits? The challenges? And given the choice, would you ever go back to the office?
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Latest comments (16)
It's definitely suitable for me.
This question once a rare one, is now a mainstay of every tech job for decades to come. Having encountered it myself, I summarised my thoughts here
Pros & Cons of Remote Work?
Vinay Hegde ・ Apr 19 '20 ・ 2 min read
I go to the office to socialise. I stay home to work.
Company should really hire people they trust - this includes trusting them to do their jobs in the best way they see fit (blah blah more nuanced points about trade-offs etc, but the general point still stands).
If my company tried to take us back to the office 100% of the time, I would quit. If they tried to regulate it in terms of arbitrary n-days in office, I would find that pretty condescending and indicative of micro-management.
Perhaps this perspective is a little skewed by what I do - based in the UK, but the clients I work for are in the US. Going into the office just means communal remote working anyway.
Yeah it works better i think depends on the nature of tasks you are given. basically
I think I have cultivated a love for both work-styles... I work remote and definitely sometimes miss all the in-person socializing, so I compensate by finding different ways to socialize by working in public. I definitely think both are great (and sometimes super challenging) ways to learn new things about yourself and the way you best focus.
It has been a very smart one.
Hybrid option will not be bad.
I have been remote working since the pandemic, but I have always had a computer job (between engineering and technical writing). As an introvert, I enjoy limited social interactions (virtual meetings and slack huddles provide this) and I feel so much more productive without the random office chatter and more effective without the constant distractions.
I like my dogs so I prefer remote work, but to answer the post itself
Questions:
do you find that you’re working smarter or harder? smarter definitely, try debugging and teaching your dog to DROP IT at the same time. Gotta be smart for that.
What are the benefits? I can pet my dogs whenever I want to.
The challenges? My dogs are very demanding and want my attention most of the day.
And given the choice, would you ever go back to the office? no, I find the demands of my dogs more reasonable than the demands of a boss/coworkers.
Yet SOMEHOW everyone at the office has heard of my name even though I'm remote. Whenever I'm there they'll be like "Pandita? I've heard of you but never see you around, it's so great to finally meet you!". How did I do it? not sure. But at least they know and recognize my work... and also the dogs 😂
Haha! Plus, I'm right there with you. I love working with my cat on my lap.
remote work is hands down the winner for me.
Then there is the financial savings remote work provides
Its estimated working from home saves between 2k to 12k a year depending on the individual.
For me it is about balance. I would never go either fully remote or fully office!
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