As the 3 year anniversary ticked over last week of being sent home “for a few weeks” oh how things have changed. Who knew that in March 2020 things would change so dramatically for so many. As a collective we have been through a lot over the past 3 years and we are still experiencing issues and termoil from the decisions of the past few years so the legacy will continue for some time but for a majority of people things have returned back to a normal.
But what is normal? Is your normal the same as it was? I know mine isn’t.
I had toyed with the idea of being a remote worker for a while on and off but talking with a friend of mine he said that I would find it frustrating and lonely. He wasn’t a fan of remote working and thought being in the office was a good thing.
3 years ago I could see his point. The “water cooler” chat in the kitchen, the wandering past collegues and being asked for input into an issue etc. were things I enjoyed. When we first started being remote workers I found it a challenge - you can read about the early times in this blog - but over time, and looking back, I have adapted. I now love being a remote worker. I don’t see the point in going to the office. In fact I changed jobs in September so I now don’t have an office to go to!
Working for a remote first company is so refreshing compared to a company where remote working was forced onto them.
Do I see the benefits in going to an office every day? No. At least not for me. I also think it depends on the type of person you are as to whether remote working works for you. I can see if you work in a very social industry, such as recruitment, it could be beneficial to be in an office with collegues, however, in my experience as a developer it’s not for me.
So as I reflect on the past few years and wonder what the next few will bring I am happy with my lot at the moment and looking forward to the improved weather, spending time with the family and throwing some frisbees around in the sun.
Oh and my friend who wasn’t a fan of remote working is now a convert to the paradigm.