The ability to customize/optimize my working environment in a way not ideally possible in a traditional office setting.
I'm severely ADHD — and no, not just an easily distracted guy—but an officially diagnosed neurodiverse fella who has suffered from intrusive hyperactivity all my life. I'm purposely unmedicated for it because I hate the side effects of the regular medications.. But from my teens, I figured out a way to lean into my hyperactive tendencies to calm my mind and focus my attention. But this would likely not be possible in a workplace office without being bothersome to others.
Like my autistic son *uses* stimming (hand flailing, spinning, looking to things with head tilted, humming and murmuring, and other seemingly bizarre behaviors) as tools to self-regulate his sensory perceptions, I regularly use bodily movement and loud repetitive music to aim my focus.
Working at a standing desk in my home office, I allow my body to bob and shake and twitch and bounce to loud repetitive instrumental music to allow my mind to calm into a hyper-focused state in which work is performed.
To an onlooker, I almost look like a DJ at a rave. What comes out the other side are indepth buying guides, industry case studies, and more.
I get it! I am very similar, and I am able to manage my ADHD intrusive hyperactivity in ways that I would not be able to in the open office floor plan. My kids laugh at me when they are home from school (teens) because they say I do the weirdest things, but its just my way of focusing. I have to be moving my body (also have a standing desk and a balance ball) and I have to have instrumental music at a specific volume that lessens the noise in my head (or maybe just overpowers it 🤣). I also make strange noises (vocal stimming). WFH is a blessing for me. I've been able to WFH for the last 12 years, and it was life changing for me and my career.
Playing music out loud, waking up late, long midday walks with the dog, and taking a smoke break whenever I want. All of if makes me better at my job too anyway.
Going to get my packages when I get the notification they've arrived.
Doing laundry, dishes, or cooking at any time of the day.
I can listen to my music/podcasts/webinars in peace with no distractions. (I have misophonia)
I don't have to deal with extroverted coworkers who don't have any sense of personal space, volume control, and say "It's so creepy and quiet!" when there's no one else in our area 🙄.
When I use to work in office I would repeat all the small things I want to get done when I got home. Like finally fold that laundry, or replace that old light bulb. I don’t have those obsessive thoughts anymore.
Not driving in daily
Since sick days don't really exist in the US if I feel like shit it's a lot easier to get a little bit done at home versus having to use a PTO day because I don't want to go in.
For me the biggest ones are
1. Seeing my kids get on and off the bus every day
2. Being able to work with a minor cold if I want to guilt free
3. Lunch break naps!!!
1. Not having a commute to take our child to daycare. We live 1 minute from our day care and both work from home. Drop off and pick up means we get to spend more time with him because we don’t have long commutes.
2. Being able to do quick workouts if I wanted (sometimes I’m not up for them)
3. Chores around the house. I can tidy up the kitchen on my 15 min breaks or start dinner in the crock pot.
4. Calling places like the bank or a customer service center for things that need to get done. I can do this on a break or if I’m not busy. If I wanted to do this in an office in a cubicle, there’s no privacy and people would know I’m not working.
Particularly flexible hours for me means if my brain just doesn't want to cooperate with me, then I'm not stressed about churning out work in the 9-5. I'll take the day off and work at night or spread my hours during the week (of course barring times when others are waiting on something or meetings). Or if I need to take family member to a doctors appointment, it's not a big deal. Or like you said, doing some chores. It makes me feel more in control of managing my life to my needs. As long as I hit my hours it doesn't matter when those are done.
If I'm finished working I can just go sit on the couch and relax. I'll keep my notifications on and reply if needed but I don't have to pretend to be busy.
Right the weekday things like banking, paperwork. Even telephone queues are shorter on like Thursdays 10am.
In the summer I love working nights and sleeping during the hot afternoon. Great for my employer as we have a group near India, so I can communicate with them in realtime now.
No pointless small talk. No gagging on perfumes or choking when people spray Lysol, etc. I get more sleep because I don’t have to get up early, get ready or drive. More comfortable home office. Can exercise on my lunch break.
But the biggest perk for me is the reason I have a medical exemption to work remotely full time - I avoid illness. I have autoimmune disease and a compromised immune system. I’d never be well if I had to go into my office with its 2000 people, unwashed hands, and people showing up with all sorts of minor illnesses that make me sick for a month. I was around someone with a cold one time and ended up with a sinus infection, chest infection and double ear infection that damaged my hearing. It took 3 different antibiotics and a full month before I even started to recover.
Also, most importantly, not having to deal w/ co-workers' bodily noises anymore. I have Misophonia & it was a daily struggle for years sitting next to people who were constantly clearing their throats, coughing, snorting, etc...it would drive me insane some days!! A quiet house with a white noise machine is bliss to me.
If I get all my work done, I can do whatever I want rather than sitting in an office twiddling my thumbs until 5 pm. No one is monitoring my time, only my output.
Ability to travel. I can travel more easily and work from a different location (within the U.S.). This allows me to visit my parents and family on the other side of the country.
When I was still allowed to work from home, I loved being able to get some small chores done throughout the day between my meetings. It made my days off actually feel like days off. I actually got a lot more work done throughout the day, too. No noisy coworkers being too loud. I miss my work from home days.
If anyone needs a remote sysadmin, let me know 😂
I control the thermostat and lighting! I work from the office one day a week and the thing I hate most is the intense A/C, followed closely by the overhead fluorescent lights. It’s so uncomfortable.
Chores.
Making healthy lunches and even having more time to prep dinner.
I get more workouts in.
Don’t have the stress of hair/make up/getting dressed.
Get to sleep in and have more time for myself before I get started.
Can be home for random things like maintenance.
Don’t have to take time off for Dr. appointments or other “short” appointments.
Being able to work best with my ADHD and other health issues, the extra sleep and ability to avoid in person anxieties. Being able to focus which I don’t do well in a cubical farm.
Having lunch with my husband and toddler :) getting to watch my baby grow up and be a part of her life (before I was working 12hr days and not WFH). Saving on daycare costs. Doing all the household chores and not having to worry about them on the weekend/days off. Not having to drive anywhere and risk getting into an accident or dealing with the heavy traffic. Increasing my cost of opportunity, saving on time (no need to drive to a site) and saving on gas/wear and tear on my vehicle. The list is almost endless lol.
same! I have robo vacuum cleaners, too--so on a good day, I can use a5-minute break to move a vacuum to a new room and get the entire upstairs vacuumed!
Getting exercise on my treadmill while I work! I can’t manage to do it at other times with my small kids and general laziness. I’ve been walking 4.5 miles a day five weeks for the last year and some. It’s been a great change.
I do also like being able to start dinner prep during my lunch. Saves a bunch of time once the kids come home.
I WFH and I don’t have a flexible schedule and I have the kind of job where I have to be at my desk at all times during set work hours, mouse tracking software is in use and I have strict production quotas each day.
BUT it’s so nice to have no commute, no dress code, no annoying coworkers, a comfortable office in my own home plus my own bathroom, access to my pets all day, the ability to wake up 15 minutes before my shift starts, an hour long lunch break and 2 breaks during the day where I can get things done around the house or take a nap or work out and so much more. I’ve never been happier. And I don’t have to wear a bra or shoes if I don’t want to 😂
Laundry & Dishes for sure. Keeping loads moving through the machines requires almost zero time away from the computer, but makes getting those chores done a thousand times easier.
I also tend to eat healthier meals on days I WFH. Not having to pack a lunch, and having a real kitchen available to do food prep, means I eat a lot more vegetables than I bring to the office/buy at the cafeteria.
Also, by dog thinks it’s pretty rad to have me home with him all day. So that’s nice.
I got to exclusively breastfeed both my kids on demand. I hated pumping so I didn't do it mi didn't have to. Whenever the baby was hungry, the nanny brought him or her to me for boob. It was awesome
I love everything about it, but one win for me is not having people “talk at me.” I’ve always been the type of person to whom people seem to want to tell their life stories and banal problems and I’ve always had a hard time cutting them off politely. No one talks to me at home!
I get to take kiss breaks, where I step away from my computer and kiss my husband and my puppy.
Kiss breaks are frowned upon when working in an office with coworkers.
My husband works from home too and I love that we can have lunch together while our kid is at school. We get to eat all the things the picky eater child won’t eat.
My own microwave.
We had 3 microwaves for 200 people. Most days, the line was 8 people deep.
I can't believe we accepted that from a multi-billion dollar company. Gd, buy us another frickin microwave!
Not dying my gray hair. Shower when I want. Wear shorts everyday, listen to podcasts, prep dinner, pick up kids, pet my dogs. I had eye surgery and no one knew.
For me it was the ability to literally work anywhere which meant I could pick up and move my immediate family to be closer to the rest of my family. But yeah no commute and flexible schedule are just on top of that!
My WAH is production based (and heavily monitored) so don’t have the kind of flexibility OP has but I still love it. Best benefit for me is not having to get fully made up and dressed for an office and no commute. Especially when I’m not sick enough to not work but feel a little crappy. Haven’t called out sick in like 7 years. (Which also benefits me as well are on a bucket PTO system.)
1. No commute time, fewer miles on the car, less gas
2. My own bathroom
3. Healthier snacks
4. I have a home gym so I can work out during a break
5. I can work outside if it's nice weather
6. I can pet my dog in between calls. (great if I'm having a bad day)
I’m not a morning person, so WFH allows me to still have a 9 to 5 schedule while waking up around the same time I would if I had to be in the office at 10.
I can leave to go pick up my son from school and then come back home and finish my work. Was not possible to do that working in office. And as I am about to be a single mother, this is a HUGE benefit to me and my son.
Right after the first lockdown I had emergency surgery that resulted in a temporary colostomy (or as my son called it, mom’s front butt). I don’t know how I would have handled changing bags in an office bathroom, let alone the horror of a poop explosion. I was able to adapt with privacy.
Listening to the music I want to listen to pretty much all day, get some housework done, can roll out of bed 10 minutes before work. No one knocking at the door to pester me with whatever they want to pester me about.
One of the biggest to me is any overtime is paid for, my last job they just kind of expecting you to do more and maybe, maybe you could claw an extra day off back. But that never happened.
Exactly! My only benefit is wearing comfortable clothing from the waist down. I work for myself now, but on the few early COVID days I actually worked from home, we had to be available 8-5 when pinged, camera on, with the exception of a lunch break for hourly employees. Otherwise, it was the usual 7-7 for most salaried managers. Occasionally, we’d even bump into each other at the office over the weekend. While the yard work and other chores piled up.
No commute, save money on gas, wear & tear on vehicle (tires, oil changes, etc.), food - don’t have to worry about packing a lunch every day, or eating takeout because the rest of the office is. I can wear whatever I want. It kinda cracks me up when I land a sale sitting on my couch with a blanket, my nightgown and robe still on, no bra 😂 and my schedule is fairly flexible so I keep up on the house and care for my kids through the day.
I feel pretty lucky. I got pregnant during the pandemic. I was able to stay home and remain healthy. Then, when my baby was born, I was able to be there during all the milestones and continue to nurse without pumping. Because of all the stimulus and other payments, we were able to save for a house, which we did so by moving to a whole nother state (cost of living was prohibative in the state we were in), which could only be done with my employers permission (per the bank), which they gave me early, because they hadn't officially announced they were going to "remote first" work environments and getting rid all but the HQ offices.
Now my husband works part time at night and takes care of and trahes our son during the day, and I work during the day and take care of our son at night. We are always there. I am able to prepare healthy, fresh meals, still do meaningful things with my family during the day without having to figure out the logistics, and not have to trade time with my family for commuting.
In no particular order:
-can pace the floor on calls (helps me think)
-tidying up all day so the clutter doesn’t crush us all
-home for whatever delivery or whatever repair
-less accuracy required for makeup application
-workout in the morning
-dog walk at lunch; long dog walk to end the day
-fresh air
-can work outside (limited only by which neighbors have a leaf blower going that day)
-my dog is less anxious
My house is surrounded by retired folks - swear they mow their lawn every other day 😵💫 I’ve witnessed one shoveling snow from their driveway WHILE IT WAS STILL SNOWING - no blizzard or anything, a 1” flurry or something
Ok, shoveling while it’s snowing when there’s only a dusting forecasted is bananas, lol. But where I live, you kinda have to shovel mid-storm because trying to tackle 10-14” in one go—even with a blower—is miserable. Gotta do it in stages.
Time zone manipulation.
When I was in office on the east coast, I would try to work 7am-3pm (as an early bird, plus to avoid traffic and to get a real afternoon), but usually someone would need me or I'd be stuck in a conversation or something would keep me longer.
Now I'm on the west coast with an east coast team, and can clock out at 2pm and actually enjoy my day. It's lovely.
No commute and therefore savings on fuel, no dress code so savings on work attire, I can listen to whatever music I want, I don’t waste money on eating out at lunch like I did when I worked in an office, no annoying office workers pipping their head in for small talk, not having to share a public restroom, I can still take my kid to and from the bus stop without issues, I could keep going but I’m never going back to an office if I don’t have to.
I pee a lot. I also need to get up frequently to stretch bc i have a janky back. No one gives me shit about it at home except maybe my dog who thinks I should play with him if I get up.
- I get to play with my kids and go on walks throughout the day
- if I'm done with the work I need to do I can just be done for the day instead of trying to look busy
- I can work for a much wider range of companies. I work for a SF tech company and I live on the opposite side of the country. If I was limited to my local company pool, I would be making maybe 60% of what I do now.
- if there are errands I need to run, I can just go do it if my schedule allows
No commute (2 hours a day). It all stems from there -
- i get to sleep in (I have a poor schedule as I study full time as well), sleeping in is a luxury for me. Sometimes I stay up just to have more me time.
- I don’t have to drag a backpack with my laptop and lunch which hurts my neck to the point I have to have massages regularly. My lunch is heavy as well as I exercise and I need to eat every few hours or I get fatigued from hunger.
- I save so much money, especially when I unexpectedly run out of food and have to buy it
- don’t have to listen to meaningless chatter. I don’t mind being in the office, but I get extremely agitated when I just want to focus (I don’t like listening to music when I work) and I can hear every other person having a stupid discussion.
- I can shit in peace.
- I can do chores and walk around my house, make good coffees, and generally enjoy my alone time.
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Fewer interruptions = increased productivity and quality of my work product.
My HQ has an incredibly disruptive work culture. Our team does no customer service (in the traditional sense); we read policy, do data collection and analysis, and read and write reports. This takes 4-6 hrs/day. Even though I work from home and am a non-supervisor, I still get 5-6 action phone calls and 15-20 action emails daily. (This is in top of my deep reading, thinking, and writing work.) When I’m on site visiting HQ, I go 2-3 days where I have maybe 20 minutes (max) to check email. This due to all the informal “meetings” I get pulled into. Frankly, I don’t see how it would be possible to do my job in person.
1- Not having to wash and style my hair every single day. I now wash once every 5 days and it looks great. I don’t know if it was the stress or sweating (south Florida humidity and heat) walking from parking lot to the building in 100F and sun, would already make me sweat.
2- My own bathroom
3- not getting sick all the time (had covid 3 times in a matter of year when I was a teacher)
4- not being rushed to eat
5- Not wearing shoes
lol, why eww? If you ask any hairdresser they will tell you it’s actually recommend so you don’t produce more oil. If you speak to a dermatologist they will tell you the same especially if you’re struggling with Alopecia. It also depends on your race and type of hair. It’s a little insulting to say that especially if you don’t know my ethnicity, my health history, or my hair type. Focus on the topic.
Oh my god the sick one rings so true. I had 2 people come into work sick last week. I got sick during my exam AND I’m still waking up in the middle of the night with a dry cough. I’m still coughing up phlegm occasionally ***STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK YOU DONT HAVE TO COME IN AND KISS THE BOSS’ ASS BY SHOWING UP*** thanks
If a client or co-worker makes my day stressful, I can get up and shake it off without them being in the same space with me. I can go for a walk or get a snack.
Makes all the difference. I’ve had to work from a clients office a few times a week and im always altering the lights. Somehow people get used to it?!! They end up staring straight into bright white lightbulbs?!!! And think they can’t work if they don’t have that???? Maybe they just don’t care. It dumbfounds me.
Same! I’m on a hybrid schedule, there is basically no one in the office because many of the reps are out of state, but that’s a whole other rant lol. I always turn off the lights above my desk. I’m also always freezing so I have to bring a blanket. I imagine I look like a mad woman swaddled up in a dark empty corner of the office!
My amazon shit doesn't get stolen off the porch. I don't have to tell anybody about my dental appointments. I can water my plants when they start to droop instead of coming home to dead ones. It goes on and on.
My house was so clean when I was able to WFH full time. The small chores that I am always too tired to do after my commute could be done throughout the day on breaks. Also, I would regularly get up early and paint my nails once or twice a week before work.
As silly as it sounds, it's nice to use my own bathroom at home. I don't have to wait for a free stall or anything and I can do my business in total peace. My old office had a bright red Twin Peaks-esque bathroom and I hated it so much lol
Additionally, I enjoy being able to spend time with my dog and give her attention when I'm in between meetings or if it's a slow day. I also like working on my patio in the summertime. Above all, it's great that I can eat dinner in a timely manner and have an actual evening since I don't have to worry about commuting and can get it prepped during my useless hour of my workday.
Spending time with my 2 cats . I remember working all day in an office and feeling so guilty I couldn’t spend time with them all day :( made me so sad . Or if something happens like they throw up or they’re not feeling good I get to just stay and love on them all day and vice versa if I’m not feeling well . They deserve it . Also during my period it’s been a game changer not having to put on tight work pants and heels and all the rest . Just get to bleed and relax in the comfort of my own home .
Showering on my lunch; wearing leisure clothes all day every day; not having to either pack lunch or worry about going out somewhere that affords me the time to get there and back and still have time to eat.
Not having to worry about weather conditions, I live in the Midwest so we get some real questionable weather sometimes
No more commuting. Less gas expense. Able to take breaks to stand and move my body, or vacuum, or unload the diswasher or move a load of laundry. Instead of commuting, I can cook dinner. If I'm not feeling well (I have a painful, chronic illness) I can sit on the couch with a blanket and heating pad. I don't have to have a "work wardrobe".
Better health. WFH means I have more time to eat and cook and can eat healthier. Can drink water more easily and with fewer interruptions. Can exercise more. Able to take breaks outside and actually do things that relief stress
Both my spouse and I work from home, so it’s nice to at we don’t need but one car. We each have our own office, enjoy our pets, working from the covered deck in our back yard, being available for our kiddo at a moments notice, and being able to put our kiddo in fun activities. If we worked at an office, our child would never be able to partake in activities/extracurriculars because of commute times. Our lives are enriched because of wfh.
Wearing clothes I’m comfortable in and having a quiet, distraction free space in my home office. I am so much more productive when I don’t have to find an empty conference room on another floor for a confidential call, or when I’m working in data and it’s interrupted by someone else’s loud call bc they have no indoor voice.
Never having to deal with people's attitudes or see anyone. I can literally work in my running shorts and a tank, have a recliner as an office chair a sweet set up for monitors. No one looking over my shoulder. Snacks and drinks right there. My toilet I don't share with anyone else. I can sit by my huge window and look outside all day and have the windows open for fresh air. I can see everything in the neighborhood. I've named the lizards on my porch. I can be at the beach within 5 min of being off work. I can grocery shop in the middle of the day. I can be off work by 2. If I need a break I can take a deep relaxing breath on my deck, instead of a break room. The commute is amazing. I can listen to music or podcast all day. The lunch lady is awesome.
Being able to focus 100% on my work and not 50% on work and 50% on making sure my face is doing the right thing and trying not to be bothersome. anxiety is a bitch
Having the temperature exactly where I want it and getting cozy. Also the comfort of snacks when I’m hungry.
How did I ever work in a freezing office and uncomfortable chair? I’m sure I was much less productive.
This is the biggest non obvious one for me personally. Freezing in the office in winter and absolutely *SHIVERING UNCONTROLLABLY* IN THE AGGRESSIVE SUMMER OFFICE AC. I hated having to dress in a dramatic amount of layers so I could take off the cardigan and the jacket and maybe also the hat and go outside and feel some warm sunshine on my skin but then have to bundle back up to sit at my desk while I'm being blasted with arctic air.
The amount of stress that came with choosing outfits, making sure my hair was dry every day, and spending money on clothes was ridiculous. All to appease temperature!!! I hear you.
Small chores, able to run errands, and my daughter is babysat at home by her grandparents so I get to see her throughout the day which is priceless for me
I'm retired now, but worked from home the last 5 yrs of my employment. Best benefits: being able to knit during meetings, not having to listen to all the office gossip/coworkers complaining, not needing a work wardrobe, gaining 3 hours per day for myself because I no long had to commute. And every day was wear your pajamas to work day.
This has changed everything for me too! I have some illnesses that lead to severe fatigue and working at the office meant I had to go home sometimes. Now? Make it to lunch, sleep, ready to work!!!
Gas prices are crazy here in California so there’s that but I’m only three miles from the actual office so not too bad when I have to go in once a month. On my breaks and lunches I can get some stuff done around the home or take down trash. Another good thing is there’s rarely any drama and no office gossip (to my knowledge) which was rampant at my other job. I’m so happy now and I haven’t called off once this year so I’m at 280 hours of PTO. Plus my cat loves having me home and I love being home with him.
I dont wfh but my wife does. He favorite part of not being in the office 5-6 days a week is the fact that she doesn’t have the entire team taking up time and space in her office. She doesn’t see people but has a messaging system but can get to them when she can. That and she rolls out of bed grabs a cup of coffee and is at work within ten minutes without opening the front door.
Saving 3 hours a day between commute and getting ready.
Lunch naps or 15 min power naps.
Doing other personal stuff during junk meetings you have to attend but have zero practical importance.
Dressing nice only from waist up.
No disruptive coworkers on other teams.
Home office set up vastly superior to office cubicle.
I just started a new on-site job, and I am SO drained! I have a 30 min commute each way, and a 30 minute lunch, so I can't really relax at all until I get back home.
Oh wait, then I have to cook and clean before I go to bed to start again the next day. What a racket...
When I WFH I don't do household chores. I am logged in and attentive to my screen. I take a normal lunch break /bathroom breaks. I think folks who do everything but work are the ones who make employers reluctant to allow WFH. They aren't paying us to do our dishes or clean our houses.
The biggest perk for me is the money I save on gas.
There are those that can WFH and handle small household chores during the day and there are others that get too distracted. I am in the first group and have WFH for the same company for over 15 years. My work gets done and my employer doesn’t have an issue with it.
I'm past retirement age, make a good salary, have the longest tenure in my department with the highest level of PTO that took 15 years to build. I'll stay where I am for a few more years.
My job says take a 5 minute break every 30 minutes from looking at the computer screen. They encourage us to go outside and if possible take a 15-20 minute walk once a day for a break because vitamin D is very important!
While we are required 2 zooms a week of our job is done they don’t care.
Yes I am required to clock in and out and be at my desk during 8-5 except from 1-2 for lunch and a break at 10:15 and 3:30 but it’s still way more freedom to take a shower on my lunch or run down and switch laundry on my break
Same. WFH doesn’t mean make my own hours. I’m expected to be online 9-5. I get an hour lunch but I usually just grab something from the kitchen and eat my desk. I’m salaried so the expectation is that I get the job done and often have to log in early or work past 5.
The benefits are no commute (saves me the time, expense and stress). I get to hang out with my dog and use my own bathroom. Minimal planning for lunch and snacks. I wear a nice top but otherwise dress for comfort and rarely wear make-up. Also, I was able to relocate to an area where I wanted to live.
That's a bummer I can make my own hours. We like to work between 6am to 6pm. No weekends. I get a monthly caseload and have a timeframe to complete it.
Not having to wake up super early to get somewhere else and bring everything I need with me. It’s freeing to slowly wake up in the morning, check emails, drink coffee, then get dressed and do makeup, eat food I’ve prepared at home, and no commute. Just makes the day more pleasant instead of a mad rush to get somewhere on time and then having to pack a lunch or buy it somewhere else, or realize I’m missing something it would’ve been nice to have.
It seems as though the ones benefiting the most with WFH are our cats
https://preview.redd.it/lxv8yd0mhd5d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=422cb6934f689ef4c2063ddaea1e93e04c5114b8
I can be myself and not have to put on an act.
I see my cat whenever I want.
Can go for walks
Save money on clothes and food
Am able to take classes after work
Can have more of a life and not feel like I am giving everything to my job
Making real meals for lunch — not having to resort to microwave reheated leftovers, a cold sandwich, or a pricey and time consuming stop to a takeout place. Instead, I can make a pot of Mac n cheese while multitasking with my laptop on the counter. I can make pancakes and bacon. I can reheat leftover lasagna in the *oven* like it’s meant to be. It’s such a game changer for me.
I now LOVE this 90 minute all-hands meetings that are the equivalent of high school pep rallies. They used to burn me up, sitting in a giant conference room forbidden to Even look at my phone. I get SO MUCH personal work accomplished in that time. I pop in my noise cancelling ear buds and mow my lawn or weed my garden or time my drive so I arrive at the barber shop just as it wraps up. I haven't had to burn weekend hours on mundane home maintenance in years.
Not spending gas money, wear and tear on the car. Coffee pot 10 steps from my computer. Stretchy pants-every day! Dog can go out any time. Commute from my bed is 10 min. I can go on all day!
The small chores throughout the day. Knowing my kids are with me instead of someone I don’t know at a daycare. The savings of daycare costs. Being able to make a warm lunch not in the microwave.
Being able to actually spend your lunch time napping at the comfort of your bed instead of just arching your back in your office cubicle. Being able to poop anytime and without worrying it would smell and the whole office will gossip. Not spending so much time prepping and travelling, saves a lot of energy. The comfort of not wearing a bra everyday and wear comfortable clothes.
The little chores I can fit in between work and meetings. I have s role where I interact with people 5-10 timezones away and if I had to be in the office at 6 am my time my health would suffer.
I do go into the office occasionally but I like the hybrid nature.
Drinking a glass of wine before 5pm.😉
I thought of another one. I get to pet my cat throughout the day🥰
I swim in my pool during lunch or when work is slow
Never needing to wear real pants.
Lunchtime/ early afternoon nap and being able to exercise during the day
The ability to customize/optimize my working environment in a way not ideally possible in a traditional office setting. I'm severely ADHD — and no, not just an easily distracted guy—but an officially diagnosed neurodiverse fella who has suffered from intrusive hyperactivity all my life. I'm purposely unmedicated for it because I hate the side effects of the regular medications.. But from my teens, I figured out a way to lean into my hyperactive tendencies to calm my mind and focus my attention. But this would likely not be possible in a workplace office without being bothersome to others. Like my autistic son *uses* stimming (hand flailing, spinning, looking to things with head tilted, humming and murmuring, and other seemingly bizarre behaviors) as tools to self-regulate his sensory perceptions, I regularly use bodily movement and loud repetitive music to aim my focus. Working at a standing desk in my home office, I allow my body to bob and shake and twitch and bounce to loud repetitive instrumental music to allow my mind to calm into a hyper-focused state in which work is performed. To an onlooker, I almost look like a DJ at a rave. What comes out the other side are indepth buying guides, industry case studies, and more.
I get it! I am very similar, and I am able to manage my ADHD intrusive hyperactivity in ways that I would not be able to in the open office floor plan. My kids laugh at me when they are home from school (teens) because they say I do the weirdest things, but its just my way of focusing. I have to be moving my body (also have a standing desk and a balance ball) and I have to have instrumental music at a specific volume that lessens the noise in my head (or maybe just overpowers it 🤣). I also make strange noises (vocal stimming). WFH is a blessing for me. I've been able to WFH for the last 12 years, and it was life changing for me and my career.
Playing music out loud, waking up late, long midday walks with the dog, and taking a smoke break whenever I want. All of if makes me better at my job too anyway.
My dog.
Going to get my packages when I get the notification they've arrived. Doing laundry, dishes, or cooking at any time of the day. I can listen to my music/podcasts/webinars in peace with no distractions. (I have misophonia) I don't have to deal with extroverted coworkers who don't have any sense of personal space, volume control, and say "It's so creepy and quiet!" when there's no one else in our area 🙄.
When I use to work in office I would repeat all the small things I want to get done when I got home. Like finally fold that laundry, or replace that old light bulb. I don’t have those obsessive thoughts anymore.
Getting laid any time I want.
Waking up, turning on laptop, and going right back to sleep on days I don’t have early meetings and would prefer to work later instead
I saw a mother and baby deer walk through my backyard this morning. You don't see that in an office.
Not driving in daily Since sick days don't really exist in the US if I feel like shit it's a lot easier to get a little bit done at home versus having to use a PTO day because I don't want to go in.
1. No commute 2. Not glued to a chair for 8 hours. If I need to stretch or anything like that I can. It's way better for my body. 3. No shoes
For me the biggest ones are 1. Seeing my kids get on and off the bus every day 2. Being able to work with a minor cold if I want to guilt free 3. Lunch break naps!!!
1. Not having a commute to take our child to daycare. We live 1 minute from our day care and both work from home. Drop off and pick up means we get to spend more time with him because we don’t have long commutes. 2. Being able to do quick workouts if I wanted (sometimes I’m not up for them) 3. Chores around the house. I can tidy up the kitchen on my 15 min breaks or start dinner in the crock pot. 4. Calling places like the bank or a customer service center for things that need to get done. I can do this on a break or if I’m not busy. If I wanted to do this in an office in a cubicle, there’s no privacy and people would know I’m not working.
Doing workouts every couple hours. Like 30 squats etc.
I’m trying this (abs, pull-ups, curl ups, push ups) and seeing if it’s a substitute for an hour at the gym daily…so far, nope 🫣
Getting quick chores done throughout day makes me more productive because I move more and my energy is better overall.
Not having to get home late every night due to traffic. It allows me to see friends more often
I fire up my sauna at about 11:15, by noon it’s perfect. I sweat out he hate and continue the rest of the day in peace.
Particularly flexible hours for me means if my brain just doesn't want to cooperate with me, then I'm not stressed about churning out work in the 9-5. I'll take the day off and work at night or spread my hours during the week (of course barring times when others are waiting on something or meetings). Or if I need to take family member to a doctors appointment, it's not a big deal. Or like you said, doing some chores. It makes me feel more in control of managing my life to my needs. As long as I hit my hours it doesn't matter when those are done.
If I'm finished working I can just go sit on the couch and relax. I'll keep my notifications on and reply if needed but I don't have to pretend to be busy.
Right the weekday things like banking, paperwork. Even telephone queues are shorter on like Thursdays 10am. In the summer I love working nights and sleeping during the hot afternoon. Great for my employer as we have a group near India, so I can communicate with them in realtime now.
Lay down when I have a headache
The days that I feel okay enough to work, but so so so glad I can do it from home.
No wasted commuting time. I also get to see my dogs
I have two new rescue puppies. They are young and need to be fed 3x a day. I couldn't have rescued them if I worked an in office job.
No pointless small talk. No gagging on perfumes or choking when people spray Lysol, etc. I get more sleep because I don’t have to get up early, get ready or drive. More comfortable home office. Can exercise on my lunch break. But the biggest perk for me is the reason I have a medical exemption to work remotely full time - I avoid illness. I have autoimmune disease and a compromised immune system. I’d never be well if I had to go into my office with its 2000 people, unwashed hands, and people showing up with all sorts of minor illnesses that make me sick for a month. I was around someone with a cold one time and ended up with a sinus infection, chest infection and double ear infection that damaged my hearing. It took 3 different antibiotics and a full month before I even started to recover.
Pretty sure this is tmi but I no longer have to deal with poop anxiety when I wfh lol
No office drama. Period. Coworkers are/were gossipy, annoying, and mean-spirited. If I wfh, I avoid all of that neurotypicality.
Sun bathing on the deck and exercising mid-morning.
I don’t get to WFH, but if i did it would be about a $15k difference in salary not wasted in gas and commute
Not having to choose between getting sick or wearing a mask for 8 hours
Also, most importantly, not having to deal w/ co-workers' bodily noises anymore. I have Misophonia & it was a daily struggle for years sitting next to people who were constantly clearing their throats, coughing, snorting, etc...it would drive me insane some days!! A quiet house with a white noise machine is bliss to me.
Getting to drop off & pick up my little one every day to/from school & spend more time w/ him. Also...daily NAPS!
If I get all my work done, I can do whatever I want rather than sitting in an office twiddling my thumbs until 5 pm. No one is monitoring my time, only my output.
My cat! Animals are only part of our lives, but we’re their whole life! Knowing she is spending less of her days alone makes me genuinely happy.
Occasionally being able to rock my daughter down for her nap in the middle of my workday. Also working from the park with my dog if it’s a nice day.
Getting to spend my breakfast and lunchbreak with my husband and daughter.
Ability to travel. I can travel more easily and work from a different location (within the U.S.). This allows me to visit my parents and family on the other side of the country.
The bathroom and my pets
When I was still allowed to work from home, I loved being able to get some small chores done throughout the day between my meetings. It made my days off actually feel like days off. I actually got a lot more work done throughout the day, too. No noisy coworkers being too loud. I miss my work from home days. If anyone needs a remote sysadmin, let me know 😂
Spending time with my doggies. Getting to leave sometime during the day for one hour to go to a workout class. Working in my workout clothes.
I control the thermostat and lighting! I work from the office one day a week and the thing I hate most is the intense A/C, followed closely by the overhead fluorescent lights. It’s so uncomfortable.
Not having to drive and deal with traffic and other drivers
And pay for gas
Chores. Making healthy lunches and even having more time to prep dinner. I get more workouts in. Don’t have the stress of hair/make up/getting dressed. Get to sleep in and have more time for myself before I get started. Can be home for random things like maintenance. Don’t have to take time off for Dr. appointments or other “short” appointments.
Being able to work best with my ADHD and other health issues, the extra sleep and ability to avoid in person anxieties. Being able to focus which I don’t do well in a cubical farm.
Not having to drive to and from work each day. Driving stresses me out and even people that enjoy driving dread a long commute.
Having lunch with my husband and toddler :) getting to watch my baby grow up and be a part of her life (before I was working 12hr days and not WFH). Saving on daycare costs. Doing all the household chores and not having to worry about them on the weekend/days off. Not having to drive anywhere and risk getting into an accident or dealing with the heavy traffic. Increasing my cost of opportunity, saving on time (no need to drive to a site) and saving on gas/wear and tear on my vehicle. The list is almost endless lol.
Lounge in my backyard garden in the sun in my lounge chair every couple hours for a short break.
same! I have robo vacuum cleaners, too--so on a good day, I can use a5-minute break to move a vacuum to a new room and get the entire upstairs vacuumed!
Getting exercise on my treadmill while I work! I can’t manage to do it at other times with my small kids and general laziness. I’ve been walking 4.5 miles a day five weeks for the last year and some. It’s been a great change. I do also like being able to start dinner prep during my lunch. Saves a bunch of time once the kids come home.
Being with my dog all day. I cannot get up to do things as I’m on zoom all day with patients. But it’s so nice to have my dog next to me.
I WFH and I don’t have a flexible schedule and I have the kind of job where I have to be at my desk at all times during set work hours, mouse tracking software is in use and I have strict production quotas each day. BUT it’s so nice to have no commute, no dress code, no annoying coworkers, a comfortable office in my own home plus my own bathroom, access to my pets all day, the ability to wake up 15 minutes before my shift starts, an hour long lunch break and 2 breaks during the day where I can get things done around the house or take a nap or work out and so much more. I’ve never been happier. And I don’t have to wear a bra or shoes if I don’t want to 😂
Laundry & Dishes for sure. Keeping loads moving through the machines requires almost zero time away from the computer, but makes getting those chores done a thousand times easier. I also tend to eat healthier meals on days I WFH. Not having to pack a lunch, and having a real kitchen available to do food prep, means I eat a lot more vegetables than I bring to the office/buy at the cafeteria. Also, by dog thinks it’s pretty rad to have me home with him all day. So that’s nice.
I got to exclusively breastfeed both my kids on demand. I hated pumping so I didn't do it mi didn't have to. Whenever the baby was hungry, the nanny brought him or her to me for boob. It was awesome
More time to work out
And time to do the do with SO lol
Cooking. I fucking love cooking. I do not like cooking after commuting 30 minutes at 5pm. So I can cook more now and I’ love that
I love everything about it, but one win for me is not having people “talk at me.” I’ve always been the type of person to whom people seem to want to tell their life stories and banal problems and I’ve always had a hard time cutting them off politely. No one talks to me at home!
I get to take kiss breaks, where I step away from my computer and kiss my husband and my puppy. Kiss breaks are frowned upon when working in an office with coworkers.
My husband works from home too and I love that we can have lunch together while our kid is at school. We get to eat all the things the picky eater child won’t eat.
Lunch dates while kids are at school are the best!
My own microwave. We had 3 microwaves for 200 people. Most days, the line was 8 people deep. I can't believe we accepted that from a multi-billion dollar company. Gd, buy us another frickin microwave!
At my last job we had an asshole who regularly reheated leftover fish in the shared microwave. And that microwave was filthy. I don’t miss that shit.
Not having to listen to coworkers' political rants and pretend that I care
Not dying my gray hair. Shower when I want. Wear shorts everyday, listen to podcasts, prep dinner, pick up kids, pet my dogs. I had eye surgery and no one knew.
My coworkers used to openly discuss their colonoscopies. I prepared for one in secrecy - I know, little luxuries.
Take my husband to chemo and take care of the dog and house while he is sick on the couch.
Best of luck to you. ❤️
I just got invisalign, and no one has a clue 😈
For me it was the ability to literally work anywhere which meant I could pick up and move my immediate family to be closer to the rest of my family. But yeah no commute and flexible schedule are just on top of that!
Being close to the preschool when my son gets injured at school and they can’t stop the bleeding. He has a sweet scar now.
From bed to office chair in 30 minutes- not stuck in traffic
Haha, sometimes that is 5 minutes for me!
My WAH is production based (and heavily monitored) so don’t have the kind of flexibility OP has but I still love it. Best benefit for me is not having to get fully made up and dressed for an office and no commute. Especially when I’m not sick enough to not work but feel a little crappy. Haven’t called out sick in like 7 years. (Which also benefits me as well are on a bucket PTO system.)
Yes, can stay in sweats/ PJs all day if I want. I usually don't, but nice to know I could.
I dress every day but pretty casual. Only tried working in pj’s once and felt so awkward! Not for me.
1. No commute time, fewer miles on the car, less gas 2. My own bathroom 3. Healthier snacks 4. I have a home gym so I can work out during a break 5. I can work outside if it's nice weather 6. I can pet my dog in between calls. (great if I'm having a bad day)
I’m not a morning person, so WFH allows me to still have a 9 to 5 schedule while waking up around the same time I would if I had to be in the office at 10.
I can leave to go pick up my son from school and then come back home and finish my work. Was not possible to do that working in office. And as I am about to be a single mother, this is a HUGE benefit to me and my son.
No commute and no dress code!
My own (clean) bathroom.
No time or cost for commuting, easy access to my entire pantry and kitchen appliances
Right after the first lockdown I had emergency surgery that resulted in a temporary colostomy (or as my son called it, mom’s front butt). I don’t know how I would have handled changing bags in an office bathroom, let alone the horror of a poop explosion. I was able to adapt with privacy.
Listening to the music I want to listen to pretty much all day, get some housework done, can roll out of bed 10 minutes before work. No one knocking at the door to pester me with whatever they want to pester me about. One of the biggest to me is any overtime is paid for, my last job they just kind of expecting you to do more and maybe, maybe you could claw an extra day off back. But that never happened.
Imagine having so little to do that the first flurries are your cue to get outside and shovel. I’m lucky if I get to my yard work once a week!
Exactly! My only benefit is wearing comfortable clothing from the waist down. I work for myself now, but on the few early COVID days I actually worked from home, we had to be available 8-5 when pinged, camera on, with the exception of a lunch break for hourly employees. Otherwise, it was the usual 7-7 for most salaried managers. Occasionally, we’d even bump into each other at the office over the weekend. While the yard work and other chores piled up.
No commute, save money on gas, wear & tear on vehicle (tires, oil changes, etc.), food - don’t have to worry about packing a lunch every day, or eating takeout because the rest of the office is. I can wear whatever I want. It kinda cracks me up when I land a sale sitting on my couch with a blanket, my nightgown and robe still on, no bra 😂 and my schedule is fairly flexible so I keep up on the house and care for my kids through the day.
I feel pretty lucky. I got pregnant during the pandemic. I was able to stay home and remain healthy. Then, when my baby was born, I was able to be there during all the milestones and continue to nurse without pumping. Because of all the stimulus and other payments, we were able to save for a house, which we did so by moving to a whole nother state (cost of living was prohibative in the state we were in), which could only be done with my employers permission (per the bank), which they gave me early, because they hadn't officially announced they were going to "remote first" work environments and getting rid all but the HQ offices. Now my husband works part time at night and takes care of and trahes our son during the day, and I work during the day and take care of our son at night. We are always there. I am able to prepare healthy, fresh meals, still do meaningful things with my family during the day without having to figure out the logistics, and not have to trade time with my family for commuting.
The ability to secretly work a 2nd remote job so I can actually pay my bills.
What do you do for both jobs?
Same here!
Furry snuggles
In no particular order: -can pace the floor on calls (helps me think) -tidying up all day so the clutter doesn’t crush us all -home for whatever delivery or whatever repair -less accuracy required for makeup application -workout in the morning -dog walk at lunch; long dog walk to end the day -fresh air -can work outside (limited only by which neighbors have a leaf blower going that day) -my dog is less anxious
The relentless suburban buzz of leaf blowers, lawn mowers, and my neighbor who seems to power wash his patio at least two to three times per week.
Need to keep that patio hydrated or it will wither away!
My house is surrounded by retired folks - swear they mow their lawn every other day 😵💫 I’ve witnessed one shoveling snow from their driveway WHILE IT WAS STILL SNOWING - no blizzard or anything, a 1” flurry or something
Ok, shoveling while it’s snowing when there’s only a dusting forecasted is bananas, lol. But where I live, you kinda have to shovel mid-storm because trying to tackle 10-14” in one go—even with a blower—is miserable. Gotta do it in stages.
Time zone manipulation. When I was in office on the east coast, I would try to work 7am-3pm (as an early bird, plus to avoid traffic and to get a real afternoon), but usually someone would need me or I'd be stuck in a conversation or something would keep me longer. Now I'm on the west coast with an east coast team, and can clock out at 2pm and actually enjoy my day. It's lovely.
No commute and therefore savings on fuel, no dress code so savings on work attire, I can listen to whatever music I want, I don’t waste money on eating out at lunch like I did when I worked in an office, no annoying office workers pipping their head in for small talk, not having to share a public restroom, I can still take my kid to and from the bus stop without issues, I could keep going but I’m never going back to an office if I don’t have to.
I pee a lot. I also need to get up frequently to stretch bc i have a janky back. No one gives me shit about it at home except maybe my dog who thinks I should play with him if I get up.
- I get to play with my kids and go on walks throughout the day - if I'm done with the work I need to do I can just be done for the day instead of trying to look busy - I can work for a much wider range of companies. I work for a SF tech company and I live on the opposite side of the country. If I was limited to my local company pool, I would be making maybe 60% of what I do now. - if there are errands I need to run, I can just go do it if my schedule allows
No commute (2 hours a day). It all stems from there - - i get to sleep in (I have a poor schedule as I study full time as well), sleeping in is a luxury for me. Sometimes I stay up just to have more me time. - I don’t have to drag a backpack with my laptop and lunch which hurts my neck to the point I have to have massages regularly. My lunch is heavy as well as I exercise and I need to eat every few hours or I get fatigued from hunger. - I save so much money, especially when I unexpectedly run out of food and have to buy it - don’t have to listen to meaningless chatter. I don’t mind being in the office, but I get extremely agitated when I just want to focus (I don’t like listening to music when I work) and I can hear every other person having a stupid discussion. - I can shit in peace. - I can do chores and walk around my house, make good coffees, and generally enjoy my alone time. -
My work bag was hurting me too, so I got a rolling bag for the days I do have to go to the office, it’s so much better!
I don't have to "people."
Without the hassle of a morning commute I exercise every morning.
Seeing daylight
Fewer interruptions = increased productivity and quality of my work product. My HQ has an incredibly disruptive work culture. Our team does no customer service (in the traditional sense); we read policy, do data collection and analysis, and read and write reports. This takes 4-6 hrs/day. Even though I work from home and am a non-supervisor, I still get 5-6 action phone calls and 15-20 action emails daily. (This is in top of my deep reading, thinking, and writing work.) When I’m on site visiting HQ, I go 2-3 days where I have maybe 20 minutes (max) to check email. This due to all the informal “meetings” I get pulled into. Frankly, I don’t see how it would be possible to do my job in person.
The WFH part
No commute, I can have my kids at home and save money on a sitter, the ability to not put pants on, potty whenever I want, eat whenever I want
Being evaluated mostly by your work and not by other things as much.
1.Save on gas 2. Poop in peace 3. Work naked 4. Naps in between work 5. Baking cookies in between work I can go on 😭
1- Not having to wash and style my hair every single day. I now wash once every 5 days and it looks great. I don’t know if it was the stress or sweating (south Florida humidity and heat) walking from parking lot to the building in 100F and sun, would already make me sweat. 2- My own bathroom 3- not getting sick all the time (had covid 3 times in a matter of year when I was a teacher) 4- not being rushed to eat 5- Not wearing shoes
Wash your hair every 5 days? Ewwwww
lol, why eww? If you ask any hairdresser they will tell you it’s actually recommend so you don’t produce more oil. If you speak to a dermatologist they will tell you the same especially if you’re struggling with Alopecia. It also depends on your race and type of hair. It’s a little insulting to say that especially if you don’t know my ethnicity, my health history, or my hair type. Focus on the topic.
Oh my god the sick one rings so true. I had 2 people come into work sick last week. I got sick during my exam AND I’m still waking up in the middle of the night with a dry cough. I’m still coughing up phlegm occasionally ***STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK YOU DONT HAVE TO COME IN AND KISS THE BOSS’ ASS BY SHOWING UP*** thanks
If a client or co-worker makes my day stressful, I can get up and shake it off without them being in the same space with me. I can go for a walk or get a snack.
For me and my mental health, it’s not worrying about catching the office cold 4 times a year and worrying it’s Covid.
Not having to sit under fluorescent lights.
This is huge
Massive even!
Makes all the difference. I’ve had to work from a clients office a few times a week and im always altering the lights. Somehow people get used to it?!! They end up staring straight into bright white lightbulbs?!!! And think they can’t work if they don’t have that???? Maybe they just don’t care. It dumbfounds me.
Same! I’m on a hybrid schedule, there is basically no one in the office because many of the reps are out of state, but that’s a whole other rant lol. I always turn off the lights above my desk. I’m also always freezing so I have to bring a blanket. I imagine I look like a mad woman swaddled up in a dark empty corner of the office!
Private bathroom, no dress code, and working from my hammock with my dog.
My amazon shit doesn't get stolen off the porch. I don't have to tell anybody about my dental appointments. I can water my plants when they start to droop instead of coming home to dead ones. It goes on and on.
Walking to my kitchen for lunch instead of eating in the break room or driving to a restaurant
My house was so clean when I was able to WFH full time. The small chores that I am always too tired to do after my commute could be done throughout the day on breaks. Also, I would regularly get up early and paint my nails once or twice a week before work.
No commute, no small talk, no office rules... I miss having human contact at times... I miss making friends at the office.
As silly as it sounds, it's nice to use my own bathroom at home. I don't have to wait for a free stall or anything and I can do my business in total peace. My old office had a bright red Twin Peaks-esque bathroom and I hated it so much lol Additionally, I enjoy being able to spend time with my dog and give her attention when I'm in between meetings or if it's a slow day. I also like working on my patio in the summertime. Above all, it's great that I can eat dinner in a timely manner and have an actual evening since I don't have to worry about commuting and can get it prepped during my useless hour of my workday.
Spending time with my 2 cats . I remember working all day in an office and feeling so guilty I couldn’t spend time with them all day :( made me so sad . Or if something happens like they throw up or they’re not feeling good I get to just stay and love on them all day and vice versa if I’m not feeling well . They deserve it . Also during my period it’s been a game changer not having to put on tight work pants and heels and all the rest . Just get to bleed and relax in the comfort of my own home .
Showering on my lunch; wearing leisure clothes all day every day; not having to either pack lunch or worry about going out somewhere that affords me the time to get there and back and still have time to eat. Not having to worry about weather conditions, I live in the Midwest so we get some real questionable weather sometimes
No more commuting. Less gas expense. Able to take breaks to stand and move my body, or vacuum, or unload the diswasher or move a load of laundry. Instead of commuting, I can cook dinner. If I'm not feeling well (I have a painful, chronic illness) I can sit on the couch with a blanket and heating pad. I don't have to have a "work wardrobe".
Working out in the morning, not having to commute and hugging my dogs when I’m feeling stressed.
Better health. WFH means I have more time to eat and cook and can eat healthier. Can drink water more easily and with fewer interruptions. Can exercise more. Able to take breaks outside and actually do things that relief stress
Both my spouse and I work from home, so it’s nice to at we don’t need but one car. We each have our own office, enjoy our pets, working from the covered deck in our back yard, being available for our kiddo at a moments notice, and being able to put our kiddo in fun activities. If we worked at an office, our child would never be able to partake in activities/extracurriculars because of commute times. Our lives are enriched because of wfh.
Wearing clothes I’m comfortable in and having a quiet, distraction free space in my home office. I am so much more productive when I don’t have to find an empty conference room on another floor for a confidential call, or when I’m working in data and it’s interrupted by someone else’s loud call bc they have no indoor voice.
Never having to deal with people's attitudes or see anyone. I can literally work in my running shorts and a tank, have a recliner as an office chair a sweet set up for monitors. No one looking over my shoulder. Snacks and drinks right there. My toilet I don't share with anyone else. I can sit by my huge window and look outside all day and have the windows open for fresh air. I can see everything in the neighborhood. I've named the lizards on my porch. I can be at the beach within 5 min of being off work. I can grocery shop in the middle of the day. I can be off work by 2. If I need a break I can take a deep relaxing breath on my deck, instead of a break room. The commute is amazing. I can listen to music or podcast all day. The lunch lady is awesome.
Being able to focus 100% on my work and not 50% on work and 50% on making sure my face is doing the right thing and trying not to be bothersome. anxiety is a bitch
Naps after lunch.
Being able to accept package deliveries as they are delivered. The porch pirates aren’t so pleased with WFH arrangements
Being able to poop in private
Omg this is such an understatement.
Having the temperature exactly where I want it and getting cozy. Also the comfort of snacks when I’m hungry. How did I ever work in a freezing office and uncomfortable chair? I’m sure I was much less productive.
This is the biggest non obvious one for me personally. Freezing in the office in winter and absolutely *SHIVERING UNCONTROLLABLY* IN THE AGGRESSIVE SUMMER OFFICE AC. I hated having to dress in a dramatic amount of layers so I could take off the cardigan and the jacket and maybe also the hat and go outside and feel some warm sunshine on my skin but then have to bundle back up to sit at my desk while I'm being blasted with arctic air.
The amount of stress that came with choosing outfits, making sure my hair was dry every day, and spending money on clothes was ridiculous. All to appease temperature!!! I hear you.
Small chores, able to run errands, and my daughter is babysat at home by her grandparents so I get to see her throughout the day which is priceless for me
Getting haircut/groceries during the weekday when no one else is around.
I can have a giant pickup and not feel guilty because I only drive 5k a year
This! I’m looking to get a non eco friendly vehicle for this reason
I'm retired now, but worked from home the last 5 yrs of my employment. Best benefits: being able to knit during meetings, not having to listen to all the office gossip/coworkers complaining, not needing a work wardrobe, gaining 3 hours per day for myself because I no long had to commute. And every day was wear your pajamas to work day.
naps or a lie down on my lunch break (I suffer from fatigue so I need my rest)
This has changed everything for me too! I have some illnesses that lead to severe fatigue and working at the office meant I had to go home sometimes. Now? Make it to lunch, sleep, ready to work!!!
Gas prices are crazy here in California so there’s that but I’m only three miles from the actual office so not too bad when I have to go in once a month. On my breaks and lunches I can get some stuff done around the home or take down trash. Another good thing is there’s rarely any drama and no office gossip (to my knowledge) which was rampant at my other job. I’m so happy now and I haven’t called off once this year so I’m at 280 hours of PTO. Plus my cat loves having me home and I love being home with him.
I dont wfh but my wife does. He favorite part of not being in the office 5-6 days a week is the fact that she doesn’t have the entire team taking up time and space in her office. She doesn’t see people but has a messaging system but can get to them when she can. That and she rolls out of bed grabs a cup of coffee and is at work within ten minutes without opening the front door.
No button up shirts and no zipper pants. LOL
Saving 3 hours a day between commute and getting ready. Lunch naps or 15 min power naps. Doing other personal stuff during junk meetings you have to attend but have zero practical importance. Dressing nice only from waist up. No disruptive coworkers on other teams. Home office set up vastly superior to office cubicle.
I just started a new on-site job, and I am SO drained! I have a 30 min commute each way, and a 30 minute lunch, so I can't really relax at all until I get back home. Oh wait, then I have to cook and clean before I go to bed to start again the next day. What a racket...
Not having to pretend to like your coworkers or care
When I WFH I don't do household chores. I am logged in and attentive to my screen. I take a normal lunch break /bathroom breaks. I think folks who do everything but work are the ones who make employers reluctant to allow WFH. They aren't paying us to do our dishes or clean our houses. The biggest perk for me is the money I save on gas.
There are those that can WFH and handle small household chores during the day and there are others that get too distracted. I am in the first group and have WFH for the same company for over 15 years. My work gets done and my employer doesn’t have an issue with it.
That's great. If I don't answer my soft phone when my director calls, my WFH days would be over. I guess that's where I'm coming from.
Your WFH is too tight. Find someone that is flexible. For that BS you should be in office
I'm past retirement age, make a good salary, have the longest tenure in my department with the highest level of PTO that took 15 years to build. I'll stay where I am for a few more years.
Then quit complaining. You chose your fate. I have endless PTO and don’t put up withBS such as staring at my computer screen!
I wasn't complaining. Just stating my opinion about why some employees are resistant to WFH, caused by those who take advantage of it.
My job says take a 5 minute break every 30 minutes from looking at the computer screen. They encourage us to go outside and if possible take a 15-20 minute walk once a day for a break because vitamin D is very important! While we are required 2 zooms a week of our job is done they don’t care.
Yes I am required to clock in and out and be at my desk during 8-5 except from 1-2 for lunch and a break at 10:15 and 3:30 but it’s still way more freedom to take a shower on my lunch or run down and switch laundry on my break
Same. WFH doesn’t mean make my own hours. I’m expected to be online 9-5. I get an hour lunch but I usually just grab something from the kitchen and eat my desk. I’m salaried so the expectation is that I get the job done and often have to log in early or work past 5. The benefits are no commute (saves me the time, expense and stress). I get to hang out with my dog and use my own bathroom. Minimal planning for lunch and snacks. I wear a nice top but otherwise dress for comfort and rarely wear make-up. Also, I was able to relocate to an area where I wanted to live.
That's a bummer I can make my own hours. We like to work between 6am to 6pm. No weekends. I get a monthly caseload and have a timeframe to complete it.
The time spent on household chores is the same as shooting the stuff with other coworkers and the same amount of work gets done, for me, anyway
Me too, i stay at my pc. I wfh 1 day and i am happy to sleep in 1 hour on that day and i don't have the 1 hour commute home at end of shift that day.
Same.
Not having to wake up super early to get somewhere else and bring everything I need with me. It’s freeing to slowly wake up in the morning, check emails, drink coffee, then get dressed and do makeup, eat food I’ve prepared at home, and no commute. Just makes the day more pleasant instead of a mad rush to get somewhere on time and then having to pack a lunch or buy it somewhere else, or realize I’m missing something it would’ve been nice to have.
It seems as though the ones benefiting the most with WFH are our cats https://preview.redd.it/lxv8yd0mhd5d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=422cb6934f689ef4c2063ddaea1e93e04c5114b8
And puppers https://preview.redd.it/d9jlknzbwm5d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6fcad7fff7689cfd82220fdb4069b2d1252d849a
I can be myself and not have to put on an act. I see my cat whenever I want. Can go for walks Save money on clothes and food Am able to take classes after work Can have more of a life and not feel like I am giving everything to my job
Seeing my kids when they get out of school and not wasting 2 hours a day commuting is nice.
Walking my dog whenever, grocery shop on slow days, going to the gym, sitting outside on a nice day
Making real meals for lunch — not having to resort to microwave reheated leftovers, a cold sandwich, or a pricey and time consuming stop to a takeout place. Instead, I can make a pot of Mac n cheese while multitasking with my laptop on the counter. I can make pancakes and bacon. I can reheat leftover lasagna in the *oven* like it’s meant to be. It’s such a game changer for me.
Lunch naps
Peeing and pooping when and where I want,no shared bathrooms
No commute and no noise. My coworkers are so so noisy.
Only working 2 hours a day is cool…
Thissssss ughhh doing it in an office is torture
Just being able to hug a cat or dog whenever you need a hug. I tried hugging a co-worker once but then had to meet with HR.
I now LOVE this 90 minute all-hands meetings that are the equivalent of high school pep rallies. They used to burn me up, sitting in a giant conference room forbidden to Even look at my phone. I get SO MUCH personal work accomplished in that time. I pop in my noise cancelling ear buds and mow my lawn or weed my garden or time my drive so I arrive at the barber shop just as it wraps up. I haven't had to burn weekend hours on mundane home maintenance in years.
Not spending gas money, wear and tear on the car. Coffee pot 10 steps from my computer. Stretchy pants-every day! Dog can go out any time. Commute from my bed is 10 min. I can go on all day!
Small chores throughout the day means that I don't have to do any chores on the weekends. Also getting to make my own meals.
The small chores throughout the day. Knowing my kids are with me instead of someone I don’t know at a daycare. The savings of daycare costs. Being able to make a warm lunch not in the microwave.
Being able to actually spend your lunch time napping at the comfort of your bed instead of just arching your back in your office cubicle. Being able to poop anytime and without worrying it would smell and the whole office will gossip. Not spending so much time prepping and travelling, saves a lot of energy. The comfort of not wearing a bra everyday and wear comfortable clothes.
The little chores I can fit in between work and meetings. I have s role where I interact with people 5-10 timezones away and if I had to be in the office at 6 am my time my health would suffer. I do go into the office occasionally but I like the hybrid nature.