How much sacrifice is WFH worth?

[Anonymous]

It’s huge. I would apply for the new job. If they offer it to you, ask your current job if they can accommodate more wfh for you. If not, resign.

[Anonymous]

I WFH full time for the last 2 Years. Keep in mind:

1. Your employer will always have the upper hand. My team is all virtual. Any time any of us has complained about anything, our boss shrugs and says, so leave then. They know we would have a hard time replicating our current arrangement and could easily replace us. I put up with a lot of dysfunction, micromanagement, etc. My job is very frustrating and unsatisfying.

2. My job is not flexible. I cannot run to the grocery store at lunch. I cannot exercise. I cannot meet a friend for coffee or pick my kids up from school. I am glued to my computer all day and feel like I am on house arrest.

[Anonymous]

For the past 6.5 years, I've been working from home 4 out of 5 days a week (commuting one day) and on a 90% PT schedule. Here are my thoughts on the arrangement:

- It has been fantastic for my family. I'm available in the morning and afternoon for my kids and so much less worn out than the one day a week I go into the office. Life is a lot more relaxed for our family than it would be otherwise.
- I work at an organization where telecommuting is common (though I am an extreme case - most people only do so 1-3 days/wk). This has been important for minimizing the professional disadvantages of not being present in person.
- That said, after a few years on this schedule, in order to really grow professionally, I've felt it is important to increase my visibility, so have been going in more often and am back on a full-time schedule. It was relatively easy for me to ramp back up and be taken seriously in doing so.
- The main trade-off for me has been a much lower salary than I could earn elsewhere, but we've decided that for the meantime, that's okay.
- Personally, I miss the in-person interaction. If I had less of a commute, I would go into the office 2-3 days a week. I'm much more energized professionally with in-person contact, and I've found that even casual in-person interactions are valuable for advancing my career and project work.

[Anonymous]

I've been WFH full time for almost four years now. The headquarters for my firm is in Boston - so there's no office to go into at all. I have really loved it for all the reasons many have mentioned. I have a ton of flexibility but tight deadlines so that keep me focused. That being said (and I can't believe I'm saying this) I miss being in an office - miss personal interaction, feeling like part of a team, networking, looking for promotional opportunities. Some of my best friends are women I've met at work. Not so much with this job. Each as its trade offs, for sure.

[Anonymous]

Beware of the grass looking greener. WAH 2-3x a week is great; but WAH full-time is not. In my case, when I was at home I moved around less (my commute involved some exercise, then I would take walks at lunch, steps up to office, etc, and just moving around the office was more physical), ate more at the house, and gained weight. Also, I never expected how much I missed chatting with people. It is not at all the same to talk with people on skype, there's something about being there physically with people that you can't replace. I was more motivated and felt better about myself when I had to get up, put on makeup, wear a nice dress that people would appreciate, and talk face to face with people - and I'm an introvert! I think studies show that people WAH full time tend to feel isolated and depressed because of the lack of social interaction. Also it was much better to separate work from home. When I WAH full time, I constantlly had work lingering in the background. When you go into an office, for the most part you stop working when you leave; it's a nice separation. I got more done in the office despite the extra socialization.

so, while some people might enjoy this, don't discount the many unseen benefits from going into an office. you might find that WAH is not what it's cracked up to be. the ideal situation is WAH 2-3x a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Beware of the grass looking greener. WAH 2-3x a week is great; but WAH full-time is not. In my case, when I was at home I moved around less (my commute involved some exercise, then I would take walks at lunch, steps up to office, etc, and just moving around the office was more physical), ate more at the house, and gained weight. Also, I never expected how much I missed chatting with people. It is not at all the same to talk with people on skype, there's something about being there physically with people that you can't replace. I was more motivated and felt better about myself when I had to get up, put on makeup, wear a nice dress that people would appreciate, and talk face to face with people - and I'm an introvert! I think studies show that people WAH full time tend to feel isolated and depressed because of the lack of social interaction. Also it was much better to separate work from home. When I WAH full time, I constantlly had work lingering in the background. When you go into an office, for the most part you stop working when you leave; it's a nice separation. I got more done in the office despite the extra socialization.

so, while some people might enjoy this, don't discount the many unseen benefits from going into an office. you might find that WAH is not what it's cracked up to be. the ideal situation is WAH 2-3x a week.

This is OP. Thanks for this, and all the comments really. Lots of food for thought. I think I’ve been so focused on the commute, I haven’t really thought about the downsides of 100% WFH. If my current employer would allow more than one day of telework, I think I’d stay until I retire.