Connection and collaboration are awesome, but there are other benefits to staying at home.
I have to admit, before the pandemic I was a hardened cynic about teleworking. I assumed, like many managers, that the best way to manage people was to have them right where I could see them.
When everyone went home, I continued to come into the office anywhere from four to five days a week. Then I accepted that we weren’t going to “flatten the curve” in thirty days and fixed up a home office. I dropped to two office days a week, then finally to one.
The truth is, once I got into teleworking, I really got into it. At first, I struggled with all the video calls. It really ratcheted up my anxiety and what I suspect is a case of adult ADD. But gradually, I came to accept it. Even appreciate it.
Staring at the computer for hours of meetings still bugs me, but I’ve learned how to make it work. I have the type of job where I typically am in anywhere from eight to twelve meetings a day. I won’t lie, it’s still exhausting and sometimes anxiety-provoking but I’m now at the point where the benefits of teleworking greatly outnumber the benefits of being in the office.
And that’s why so many people have grown to love working from home.
