The Covid-19 Pandemic changed the work landscape drastically, with many industries having to restructure or risk dying off completely. This led many employees to suddenly find their jobs becoming partially or fully remote and forcing everyone to have to adapt. As we reach the end of the pandemic, many, especially those in the real estate development market as was shown at this year’s CRE Summit, are of the opinion that we will move back into the office and return to the way things once were. However, it is important to consider the employees’ perspectives. The Daily Record spoke to a few individuals on this matter.

Tracey is an accountant for an insurance company. She has worked there for nearly forty years and had no choice but to adjust when her job became remote at the start of COVID. Her job is now fully remote and does not require her to go into the office at all. She spends her days multitasking, often doing work around the house as she takes conference calls or taking her dog on a walk around the neighborhood. Despite the abruptness of the changeover, she has thrived.

She is saving a great deal of money on gas and groceries by not having to drive in every day, and not being tempted to go out for lunch. She says she is able to “refresh her mind” by being able to take breaks away from the computer as she needs. Tracey also feels she is “massively more productive” now, as she doesn’t have as many distractions or co-workers coming up to talk to her, and feels she is putting in longer hours than she did before.

But working remotely is not without some difficulties, as she believes that there is a feeling of disconnect from her co-workers. She now only sees her co-workers once a month. She has also discovered that she has a harder time unplugging from work at the end of her day and can often find herself working ten (10) hour days, as there is no clear shut-off from the office like there was when she had to drive home at the end of the day.

Tracey commented that, while she has less distractions at home, not everyone in her office has felt that way. During the Pandemic, many parents were trying to keep their young children at home to save money on daycare, and often found it difficult to balance their work/home life because of it and would be unable to fully focus on work tasks. She has also noted that some of her friends from the office have been struggling with the lack of daily interaction and have felt physically slowed down because of this.

Overall, however, she heartily recommends working remotely if the office allows it, as she has loved the time saved from not driving down to the office every day, and the time she gets to spend with her family.

Brenda, meanwhile, is a grant writer for a nonprofit organization that aids adults with cognitive difficulties. She started there at the beginning of this year, and immediately began working hybrid remote. While it is not required of her, she heads into the office three days a week, but all of her major meetings are held over Zoom.

She loves doing hybrid remote, as she can start as early or as late as she needs to for her schedule and doesn’t have to worry about the hour-long commute every day. Although during COVID, she described herself as feeling “isolated and drained”, she now is able to prioritize her mental health in a way that other jobs often can’t. And, as a writer, she finds there is far fewer distractions in the comfort of her own home as opposed to the office.

“I sometimes feel guilty,” she admitted, “when others in my company have to go in every day.” The programmers, she explained, have to be on-call in the office every day.

The downside, as she put it, is that “synergy has suffered”. It is harder for co-workers to collaborate and get together, and the technical ability and quality isn’t equal across the board. Some people have been burdened with computer problems, or simply haven’t been able to do Zoom meetings at all. She believes that many of them have struggled with productivity, and that not everyone finds their home to be as distraction-free as she does hers. Her husband, for instance, has had to do remote work for his job as well, and has often struggled, as he is more hands-on and finds working through a computer to be limiting.

Overall, Brenda recommends working a hybrid system, especially over fully remote. She feels that, without her commute, she is easily putting in her full eight (8) hours every day. Her biggest tip for anyone who is wanting to work from home is to pick a space and make it your own. It is important to get all the tech you might need to be successful, such as the dual monitors she uses.

“[It would be] hard for some, if they call us back full time,” Brenda commented, although she feels if she had to, she would be able to adapt.

Zach is an investment professional for a start-up and has been hybrid remote since he joined in May. His situation is unique, as he is one of only two people working remotely in his small company. His job had wanted him to work in the corporate office full time, but as that would have required a rather major move out of state for him and his spouse, he politely declined. They instead created the remote option for him. He has a rental office space in town that he goes to frequently and will fly down to the corporate office twice a month.

Zach loves the flexibility that working remotely gives him, he starts whenever he needs to during the day and he can also travel with his family whenever he needs to, while still able to get his job done. As he joked, “[it] doesn’t matter where in the world I am, as long as the work is still able to be done.” He also feels there are far fewer distractions for him than the usual corporate space, allowing him to work in peace.

But while there are fewer distractions, there are also fewer interactions with his co-workers. He feels there is a lack of a sense of community, and “team building is hard over Zoom.” It is also harder for him to shut off at the end of the day and have a hard-and-fast stop to his work, since he is able to work wherever there is internet access. He definitely feels that he is putting in more hours than traditional workers, as that lack of a cut-off that usually comes with leaving the office has made his workdays drag into the night. While Zach struggled during the Pandemic with feeling isolated, the ability to travel with his wife and family and still get a full day in has gotten him back to where he was pre-Pandemic.

He also recommends the hybrid system saying, “the flexibility is a game-changer”. He feels that there is a large cost of living increase from not having to worry about commuting and budgeting that time, as well as less money wasted on meals outside of the house. However, he does warn that without being able to check in, it can be difficult to feel like you are connected and contributing. By being able to spend some time in the office, you are more interlocked with your company, and get out as much as you are putting in.

Cassandra is a senior-level placement manager for a company that works with online education and degree programs. She has been there for a little over three years, and while her company had always had the option to work remotely on Fridays, they were forced to go fully remote due to Covid. They had intended to return to at-least the hybrid system in September, but when the company broached the idea with their employees, they received a great deal of push-back; many employees had since moved during the two years out of the office, and were no longer able to commute in, and some had been hired after the company had been made remote and had never lived in the area at all. Her company decided in August that, instead, they would close the offices permanently, and stay fully remote.

Cassandra feels she is far more productive being able to work from home. She feels it has massively improved her quality of life: she has her own space that she can work from and doesn’t have to share; she can spend time with her dogs and take care of them if she needs to; and she can travel with her partner whenever they like. She is saving time and money without her commute, and not being tempted to spend on food and coffee. She also feels that, for most people, they are always planning and thinking about all the little things they will have to take care of when they get home. By being able to work remotely, she can take short breaks as she needs to take care of the chores and not have them build up. She thinks of it as “not getting too into a set schedule” and being able to adjust as needed.

She does miss socializing with her co-workers, and feels there is little collaboration, as “video calls can only do so much.” She says there are people who work for the company, and live in town, that she has never met. Cassandra says there is “zero company culture”. Especially as the company is no longer doing the social events and happy hours that they used to host. She also misses the office, as it was a beautiful and comfy place with a great view that she enjoyed going to.

She admitted she wasn’t sure the effect it has had on the number of hours she works.

“In the office,” she pointed out, “you take more breaks, have more distractions.” She feels she might be getting through her work faster than she did before. She also noted that, since committing to going fully remote, her department has had better numbers across the board.

When she first started working remotely, she admitted it was hard on her mental health. “It [can] be hard if you live alone”, she said, as she had been living in a small apartment by herself at the time. Now, however, she lives in a large and comfortable home with her partner, who also works remotely, and has been able to still have that regular social interaction to bolster her.

She was more cautious when asked if she would recommend working remotely for others, as she was of the opinion that it really depends on the lifestyle.

“If you live alone, you have to find a way to be social and find reasons to leave the house.”

 She also feels you are going to lose out on that company culture if you aren’t in the office. But she also commented that she finds she is less focused on corporate America and the office rat-race, and more focused on family, friends, and her mental and physical health.

Is Working Remotely The Right Choice For You?

Overall, the consensus among the four professionals was mostly positive for remote work, with the importance of being able to find that work/life balance underlined for all of them. They feel the best parts are being able to travel freely, and not having to worry about the effect it will have on their work, and not having to bother with commuting every day. But they also warned about the lack of social interaction being something you have to look out for and finding ways to still get that connection. While employers and developers might be talking about returning to the office, it seems like many have not only adapted but thrived with being able to have the flexibility that working remotely gives, and many companies might find there is a bit of push-back when it comes to going back to the way things were before.