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diff --git a/blog/leaving-the-office/index.org b/blog/leaving-the-office/index.org deleted file mode 100644 index 34db40a..0000000 --- a/blog/leaving-the-office/index.org +++ /dev/null @@ -1,240 +0,0 @@ -#+title: Leaving Office-Based Work in the Past -#+date: 2022-02-10 -#+description: My thoughts on the current surge of remote work and what that means for full-time office-based roles. -#+filetags: :audit: - -* 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 -#+caption: Semi-Private Cubicles -[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20220210-leaving-office-based-work-in-the-past/private_cubicles.png]] - -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 -#+caption: Semi-Open Floor Concept -[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20220210-leaving-office-based-work-in-the-past/semi_open_office.png]] - -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 -#+caption: Hotel Office Concept -[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20220210-leaving-office-based-work-in-the-past/hotel_desks.png]] - -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 -#+caption: Home Office -[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20220210-leaving-office-based-work-in-the-past/home_office.png]] - -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: - -#+begin_quote -If you live with others, working in a shared space is not effective. - -#+end_quote - -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: - -#+begin_quote -Use the pomodoro method (or something similar) to balance work tasks -with personal tasks. - -#+end_quote - -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: - -#+begin_quote -Document everything: even things you didn't before - such as task lists -and notes from casual calls or meetings. - -#+end_quote - -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. - -#+begin_quote -Keep your work area clean. - -#+end_quote - -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): - -#+caption: Dilbert comic strip -[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20220210-leaving-office-based-work-in-the-past/dilbert_120109.png]] |