So I like going to the office — Is that bad?

Let everyone decide for themselves whether to work from home or go to the office. It's a personal decision, even though some employers are taking a hard stance on RTO policies, and that's fine for them. They have good reason, and if they want to restrict their hiring pool to the ones they can get into the office, then good for them!

For me it's a matter of being honest about what works. I have learned over the last 23 years that I can work at home, but I work better in the office.

Back then I started my own freelance business, which grew steadily, until nearing its peak, I found myself with a three-year-old at home. He was a boy, and he was LOUD. If you asked him to whisper, he would yell, "I AM WHISPERING!!" Obviously, he was volume-challenged. Noise-cancelling technology was no good back then. I tried building myself a sound-proof booth. But then I couldn't breath, and it didn't do much good with the noise. I finally bit the bullet and rented myself a cozy office downtown, and it became my haven of peace and productivity. Sometimes my wife would meet me there, so we could enjoy a couple of hours of peace, watching movies on the computer or just talking about things.

Later, I got a call from the U.S. Department of State and moved into contracting for the Federal Government, allowing me to fulfill a lifelong dream of public and international service. At first, they expected me to attend every day in a server closet that was smaller than most bathrooms, but at least it was well cooled — I could see my breath, and I had to wear gloves with the ends cut off the fingers, so I could type. When they started allowing me to work one day a week from home, I jumped at the chance, but I wasn't very good at it. I was constantly distracted on my remote day and had to work harder to make up the hours during the week. But that's quality of life, right?

I got better at working from home later, when working for the White House. Their processes were more disciplined, and it was easier to stay engaged. The office there was not particularly comfortable, situated Harry Potter style under the stairs, without windows and painted screaming color of green. We had to face the back wall, and for the first few weeks I lived with the fear that the BIG MAN would come in the door behind me for a surprise visit. After all, his wife's office was right next door. For all that, yes, I still preferred coming to the office to work, and I still miss it.

There's really been no contest in my mind since then about coming to work. While my office situations have improved over the years, I work better away from home regardless of the environment. As an extrovert, I like being around my colleagues. It helps my mental health to separate my work from my home life. And my wife still loves coming to meet me at the office sometimes for a date downtown. Sometimes, I like to go out on the patio, in the lunchroom or in the open space to work. The change in scenery seems healthy to me, so long as I'm away from home.

As a director of software teams, I understand very well that most of them (but not all) are more productive working at home. That's especially true because of the noise at the office. They don't all have the advantage of working in a closet or under the stairs as I did. Oh the other hand, they love the collaborative environment, once the noise is under control. Given a controlled environment, I wager most of them would consider coming into the office a little more.

-Tom/*