After reading Caitlin McCabe‘s post this past Monday on Brazen Careerist (wow, that’s a lot of links!) on remote working, I noticed that most of the commenters were strongly in favor of such a practice. And while it was pointed out that for certain jobs (manufacturing, medicine, security, etc) it might not be practical, for more idea-centered jobs where remote working is already possible, it is a good idea.
As someone who’s been remotely working for the better part of three years, I have to admit that I disagree.
While working without an office to go to every day cuts back on travel time and costs, overbearing bosses, pointless meetings, annoying co-workers and many of the other stereotypical cons of the workplace can produce a more effective, positive work environment, it might not create the best work environment. Sure, I like not having to wear pants to work every morning, but even with a dedicated workspace in my own home, it’s been difficult for me to make the cognitive leap from “this is where I eat and sleep and watch TV” to “this is where I make my bones and establish my career.”
Also, by trading in the more social office atmosphere for the more solitary one of my home, I’m left holding only myself accountable for things. I can’t blame my boss, co-workers, freelancers or underlings as easily. And I must admit that on the days when I do go into the office, I’m more productive.
I know what you’re thinking: He obviously hasn’t tried doing [activity x] yet. But I probably have. In fact, I have tried, among other things:
- Getting dressed, getting in my car, driving around the block to my house and going straight to my workspace (as if I was driving to work)
- Suiting up in the home office
- Creating a “sensory deprivation chamber”-type room to make a clean separation from home and work
- Chatting with my roommate by the Brita filter in the kitchen
- Installing a web site blocker to keep me from looking at non-work-related sites
- Going through the work day with occasional chats with remote working coworkers online
- Working in another area (library, Starbucks, etc.)
The work I do does not require that I go to an office. I’m not a fan of cubicle culture. I realize that the future of many careers will probably be a remote working or online freelancing community setup. And I understand that there’s more red tape and potentially productivity-killing things waiting for me. But I have always done better work surrounded by my peers and superiors than by myself. So what would be the ideal workplace for someone like me?
It would probably be a hypothetical office where workers from all different types of companies and career paths can rent out a workspace to go for the day. Although one would be going to an office, the work they would do would be independent of others’ (unless the team decides to all use one of said offices). This hypothetical office would provide enough of a cognitive disconnect for many people like me who still need the extra level of an office to remove the cognitive dissonance of working from home.
So yes, in the future, there will be a greater number of remote workers. And hopefully it won’t become as bad as Hollywood predicted. But there still needs to be a middle ground for the Luddites like me who aren’t quite ready to give up the old ways of the office.
