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diff --git a/blog/2022-02-10-leaving-the-office.org b/blog/2022-02-10-leaving-the-office.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..fd330a2 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/2022-02-10-leaving-the-office.org @@ -0,0 +1,227 @@ ++++ +date = 2022-02-10 +title = "Leaving Office-Based Work In the Past" +description = "As the world moves on from the before-times, I'm taking a look back on how working from different office environments affected my effectiveness and comfort." +draft = false ++++ + +## The Working World is Changing + +There has been a trend for the past few years of companies slowly realizing that +the pandemic is not just a temporary state that will go away eventually and let +everything return to the way it was before. In terms of business and employment, +this means that more and more jobs are being offered as permanently remote +roles. + +I had always dreamt of working from home but thought of it as a fantasy, +especially since I did not want to move over into the software development +field. However, I have found that almost all roles being sent to me via +recruiters are permanently remote (although most are limited to US citizens or +even region-locked for companies who only operate in select states). + +I decided to take a look back at my relatively short career so far and compare +the positive and negative effects of the different work environments I've been +in. + +## In-Person Offices + +### Retail Internship + +I started my first job as a management intern at a busy retail pharmacy, working +my 40-hour weeks on my feet. +As these retail stores don't believe in resting or sitting down, you can +guarantee that you will spend entire shifts standing, walking, or running +around the store. +Unfortunately, I worked at a time when our store didn't have enough managers, +so I spent the majority of my tenure at the store running and breaking a sweat. + +Now, things aren't all bad in retail stores like this. It is definitely tiring +and inefficient to force employees to work constantly, or pretend to work if +there's nothing to do, and not allow anyone to sit down. However, if you are +able to operate a retail store with a limited crew and provide enough comfort +and support, I believe these jobs could be both comfortable and efficient. + +### Semi-Private Cubicles + + + +After about a year, I was able to find another internship - this time, it was in +my field of interest: internal auditing. This was for a life insurance company +that was well over 100 years old. The age of the company shows if you work +there, as most people in management are well into their 40s-60s with little to +no youthful leadership in the company. +Likewise, they owned a large headquarters in a nice area of town with plenty +of space, parking, etc. + +One upside is that each person gets their own large L-shaped desk, formed into +cubicles that house 4 desks/employees. These "pods" of 4-person cubicles are +linked throughout each floor of the headquarters (except the sales +people, who had that open-floor concept going on). The walls of the cubicle were +tall and provided a lot of privacy and sound-proofing, except when I used the +standing desk feature (I'm over 6 feet tall, so probably not an issue for most +people). + +I loved this environment, it allowed me to focus on my work with minimal +distractions, but also allowed easy access, so I could spin around in my chair +and chat with my friends without leaving my chair. This is the closest I've been +to a home office environment (which is my personal favorite, as I'll get to +later in this post). + +### Semi-Open Floor Concept + + + +When I shifted to my first full-time internal audit job out of college, I was +working at a company that was headquartered on a floor in a downtown high-rise +building. The company was only about 20 years old when I worked there and were +trying a lot of new things to attract young talent, one of which was a +semi-open floor concept for the office. My department worked just around the +hallway corner from the executive offices and used that "modern" layout young +tech companies started using in the 2000s/2010s. + +Each desk was brief, and you could look most coworkers in the face without +moving from your chair, I hated this so much. +Directly to my left was the Chief Audit Executive (our department's leading +boss), and his desk was pointed so that his face would stare straight at my +desk all day. +I spent more time thinking about who was looking at me or checking on me +than actually working. + +The other annoying part of the open concept they used was that the kitchen area +and pathways were too close to everyone's desks (since the desks were spread +out, to provide space or something), so noise and conversation would be constant +throughout the day while you try to work. For someone like me, who needs silence +to get work done, that was a non-starter. + +### Hotel Office Concept + + + +I currently work for a company remotely (for now) and travel to the office every +once in a while for events and to help coach the staff underneath me. The office +I visit uses the hotel desk concept, where you need to check in at a touch +screen when you enter the office and "rent" a desk for the day. The same goes +for offices and meeting rooms. + +These desks are flat-top only and do not have any walls at all. In addition, +they're stacked with one row of 4 desks facing another row of 4 desks. These +pairs of desk rows are repeated through the office. + +This means that when I go, I need to rent a random desk or try to remember the +unique ID numbers on desks I like. Once I rent it, I have to make sure no one +sat down in that desk without renting it. Then, I can sit down and work, but +will probably need to adjust the monitors so that I'm not staring in the face of +the person across from me all day. Finally, I need to wear headphones as this +environment does nothing to provide you with peace or quiet. + +Luckily, you can rent offices with doors that offer quiet and privacy, which can +be very nice if you have a lot of meetings or webinars on a certain day. + +## Home Office + + + +Okay, now let's finally get to the home office concept. I have worked from home +for a little over two years at this point, across three different +jobs/employers. Over this time, I have experimented with a plethora of different +organizational ideas, desks, and room layouts to find what works best for me. + +These things might not apply to you, and that's fine. +Everyone has a different situation, and I really don't think you'll know +what works until you try. + +### Tip #1 + +Let's start with my top rule for a home office: + +> If you live with others, working in a shared space is not effective. + +It just does not work. +If you have another person sleeping in your bedroom, it is difficult to +manage your work schedule with their sleeping/work/school schedule. +If they wake up after you need to start work, you might wake them up +or have to suffer the agony of staring at bright screens in a dark room. + +In a similar vein, working from a location such as the living room likely won't +work either. +Distractions will come far more frequently: televisions, cooking, cleaning, +deliveries, etc. If you're like me, you'll end up playing a game instead of +actually doing any work. + +### Tip #2 + +Okay, the second thing I've discovered that works for me: + +> Use the pomodoro method (or something similar) to balance work tasks with +> personal tasks. + +I use a very casual version of the pomodoro method where I will work for 1-2 +hours (usually set in strict intervals like 1, 1.5, 2 hours) and then will allow +myself 30-60 minutes for personal tasks. This schedule works for me, since my +work schedule really only comes to 3-6 hours of work per day. + +In this case, I'll work through my list of tasks for an hour or two and then +give myself personal time to get drinks and food, wash dishes, put clothes in +the washer, get the mail, etc. If you're in a convenient location, this usually +gives time for things like getting groceries (as long as you're not a slow +shopper). + +### Tip #3 + +While I listed this one as number three, I don't think I'd accomplish anything +without it: + +> Document everything: even things you didn't before - such as task lists and +> notes from casual calls or meetings. + +I've noticed that staying in an office gave me more constant reminders of +outstanding tasks or facts I had learned in a conversation. Translating +everything to a digital world has made me lose a bit of that focus (perhaps +since I don't have visual reminders?). + +Keeping a running task list of all things I have to do - even potential tasks! - +has helped me keep up without missing anything small. Likewise, keeping notes +for ALL meetings and calls, no matter how casual/quick, has improved my +retention immensely. Beyond helping my mental recollection, it has saved me +numerous times when I need to do a keyword search for some topic that was discussed +6+ months ago. + +### Tip #4 + +Okay, last one for now. + +> Keep your work area clean. + +This one is straightforward, but I know some people struggle with cleanliness or +may not believe it makes a difference. Trust me, keeping your desk area clean +and organized makes a huge difference, both mentally and emotionally. + +Just think about it, you walk into your home office and see a clean desk with a +laptop, dock, monitors, keyboard, mouse, and a notepad with a pen on top. + +Now imagine the opposite, there's an office with the same equipment, but there +are clothes hanging on the chair, empty drink bottles, candy wrappers and dirty +plates. This can take both a mental and emotional toll by bringing constant +disarray and stress into your working environment. + +Just keep things clean each day, and you won't need to do any big cleaning days +to recover. + +## My Preferences + +I've talked about the different environments I've worked in and expressed some +honest thoughts on pros or cons to each, but what do I prefer? Well, if you're +reading along, you should be able to tell that I much prefer a home office above +all else. + +Being able to control my own day and allot my time as needed has brought a +calmness to my life and has allowed me to maximize each day. I feel far more +effective and efficient in a home office than any other office, especially +open-office layouts. + +If I do need to return to an office part-time in the future, I really hope the +office will have privacy and quietness in order for me to get my work done. + +Cubicles are good! I agree with Alice (from the comic Dilbert): + + |