Since the global pandemic, thousands of people have started working remotely and many have never returned. While most don’t miss commuting, there are unspoken nuances to being at home all day. Here are some sad facts about working from home that no one discusses.
1. The assumption that you have a day off
“When you work from home, people think you have the day off. ‘You can do….’ Not, I work. Although I work at the computer at home, I am at work. People don’t seem to understand the concept,” one of them replied.
2. Working from home can easily turn into a life at work
Someone commented, “My aunt said it happened to her because she worked from home. She loves it, but after getting promoted, her days quickly went from 8:00-5:00 to 8:00-7:00 without even stopping to eat.”
3. You miss the natural sharing of life with a partner.
Another explained: “When you and your partner both work from home, you miss that natural division of your lives. All of a sudden you have a lot less to talk about because you’re living together more than before.”
“Then more active efforts are required to maintain individuality and not regress into a single essence of relationships in all aspects of life, which is not healthy for anyone.”
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4. You can accidentally become withdrawn.
“My wife works from home and it feels like a very sedentary lifestyle. Sometimes she doesn’t even need to get dressed,” suggested one of them. “I don’t know. If you’re already anxious or depressed, you might accidentally become withdrawn.”
5. Random exercise
“I skip a lot of casual exercises. I walked to the station, then from the station at the far end to the office. Take a walk for lunch,” one of them said. “Now I go from my bed to the shower, from the shower to my office, from the office to my man cave. If I had a Fitbit, he could walk up to 50 steps by lunchtime.”
6. You feel like you’re in prison.
Someone stated, “You feel like you are in a prison. You work in your house, clean in the house, cook for the family in the house, and when everyone gets home from school and work, you are the only one who can’t go outside. Nobody wants to go with you because they’ve been away all day.”
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7. You can’t dress up
“I miss my beautiful work clothes,” one of them confessed. “The only reason I leave the house is to buy groceries, go to the gym or go to church, so 80% of my wardrobe is not worn. But I DO NOT miss my two-hour round trip, so I would never wear a pencil skirt again if it meant I had to go back to that road nightmare!”
8. Lonely
“It’s lonely,” said another. “While I can sometimes be annoyed by a colleague here or there, I have a good group of supportive co-workers who I am friends with and who help me get through the days that seem to drag on. You miss out on socialization and support when you work from home.”
8. Your electricity bill is rising
Someone remarked, “You use a lot more heat and electricity, and it costs more money.” “And Bandwit,” added another. “We had to move to unlimited data when my wife started working from home and getting zero compensation from the company.”
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9. Every discussion should be intentional.
“Every discussion should be intentional,” one of them explained. “Forget about the chance encounters in the hallway. Forget the casual dinners you build relationships on. Forget contact with anyone other than your immediate team.”
“None of this will happen if you don’t try to set a time. If you don’t take the time to manage things, long-term work from home kills networking, culture, and camaraderie.”
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10. Lack of motivation
One person said, “Burnout from working from home is real. Lack of motivation. Why get up earlier than necessary? Why get dressed in the morning if no one sees me? Why brush your teeth? Why do something?
11. Planning and preparing meals
“I have to think and plan what I want to eat for lunch every day,” shared one of them. “When I went to the office, I usually went to the work canteen or the nearest restaurant for lunch. Now that I mostly work from home, I rarely go to restaurants for lunch and cook. On the positive side, I learned a few new recipes.”
12. Difficulty breaking into a team or developing your career
Finally, one of them stated: “Working remotely for the last five years before COVID can confirm that this can be a serious disadvantage. It’s hard to integrate into a team because you’re never in the same room.”
“It causes all sorts of misunderstandings and strange resentments over time. It also robs you of a lot of autonomy over your time and overall career trajectory.”
We hope you enjoyed this Reddit discussion about the sad realities of working from home. This article is inspired by the Internet and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Wealthy Nickel.
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