Working from Home: A Balanced View

When my company allowed everyone to work from home, I was delighted. No more commute, no more expensive lunches, and two extra hours every day. Three years later, I still love the freedom — but my opinion is more complicated than it was.

The advantages are real. If I work from home, I save about $300 a month on travel and food. I can focus on difficult writing with no office noise, and my schedule is flexible: I start at 7:30 and finish early on Fridays. For parents, this flexibility can change life completely.

But there are costs that nobody mentions in the advertisements. Video meetings fill the day, because nobody can just ask a quick question at your desk. New workers learn more slowly without older colleagues nearby. And the line between work and rest becomes thin: the laptop is always there, glowing, at 9 p.m. There is also the small sadness of missing jokes in the kitchen and birthdays with cake.

So what is the answer? For me, the hybrid week: three days at home for deep work, two days in the office for people. Of course, not every job allows this. But the old question — 'Where is your office?' — has a new answer now: it depends on the day. I do not miss the train. I do miss the people on it, a little.