Recently, my team hosted an in-person annual engineers' reunion at our office in downtown Kitchener. The goal was to foster closer connections, especially since we had new team members, some of whom had never met each other due to remote work.
Overall, it was a fantastic experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I relished typing on my laptop while listening to others chat. I also appreciated the ability to ask questions immediately after making eye contact with someone. Besides, I got a lot of great free food.
The downside, of course, is that working on-site, in my case, entails the responsibility of driving 45 minutes to arrive on time. The traffic was terrible, and people in Kitchener or Guelph were not as friendly on the road compared to the rural areas that I appreciate more with each passing day.
I was easily affected by other drivers, experiencing road rage, which once terrified my colleague.
This leads me to thinking about how lucky I’ve been to work remotely for the past two years. Even if there’s a chance for a new job, I would first consider how many days I need to commute, as it’s a significant factor in whether I’d accept that offer. Some companies in Waterloo, ON are offering three days a week. Is that a good arrangement? Why three days and not two or one? Who made this decision, and what’s the reasoning behind this number? Is there scientific backing for it?
After spending two days in the office this week, I’ve realized and concluded that the maximum number of days I can comfortably work in the office per week is just one. Anything more than that takes a toll on me – I experience back pain, exhaustion, poor sleep, a bad temper, routine interruptions, and eating schedule.
To be more specific, if I were the Tech Lead, I would recommend that everyone on my team comes to the office either every Monday or Tuesday. Then, they can work remotely for the remaining four days. This is because we typically don’t need more than one day to get aligned and start with full momentum. Moreover, even this one day in the office would be entirely optional, with no questions asked.
I truly believe that working remotely is one of the greatest gifts that modern society has provided throughout its entire history. Those who don’t appreciate it won’t fully harness its potential. Remote work allows you to take excellent care of your family and maintain a fantastic work-life balance, go to the gym, and pursue side hustles. In my view, any additional days in the office represent another layer that employers lacking in management skills are trying to shift onto their employees, which is unnecessary.