Welcome back! If you only just finished the first part of this blog series, welcome to Part 2.
We continue talking about remote vs. office work. Last time we had a glimpse at our team’s struggles with working remotely. Today we focus on the bright side: the advantages of remote work.
So, fasten your seatbelts, and let’s go!
Irrespective of challenges, there are many factors that make remote work extremely attractive even in pre-pandemic times.
Less time means more time
First, you don’t spend time commuting, which is one of the biggest pains in the neck. A daily commute almost always has a negative impact on people’s attitude to working from an office. There are exceptions, of course. Our director of engineering Oleksandr likes commuting because he enjoys driving:
“It’s kind of meditation for me. It’s completely my time.”
Second, you may complete tasks faster from home, due to a higher concentration level and effective time management.
Third, you may save some time by avoiding filler talk and being distracted by your colleagues. All of these result in having more time for family and friends, being able to rest more, and having an extra hour of me-time.
The majority of my colleagues greatly appreciate that remote work saves time and allows them to use it on things that bring value to their lives. When I asked Oleksandr, our director of engineering, what the benefits of working remotely are, he answered:
“Seeing your family for more than 1h in the morning and 2-3h in the evening.”
Here’s what Artur, our frontend developer, answered:
“As for me, the best advantage of working at home is the time economy. You may skip most of your daily rituals, way to and from home, way to the cafe, and waiting for your meal (of course, if you have lunch out of the office).”
Anna, our recruiting specialist, shares Artur’s point of view:
“There is no need to travel to work.”
Flexibility
Remote work is about flexibility. In this particular case, “flexibility” becomes synonymous with many different things, and a comment from Ari, our CEO, perfectly illustrates this:
“I like the flexibility it gives me to schedule my day, raise my family – I did the majority of driving for kids’ activities – and to work in environments that I like. In the early days of working remotely, I worked from various cafes in Palo Alto and the surrounding areas. I also gain an extra hour or two by not having to commute to the office.”
Time and pace
Your schedule is completely up to you. Sometimes you do reach reasonable compromises to adjust to the time when your colleagues work (because nobody wants to be a bottleneck), but the rest – working hours that feel most comfortable and reflect your pace as well as coffee and tea breaks that relieve tension – is of your own making.
Workplace
You choose a workplace that makes you most productive (or simply allows you to complete the tasks that are due). It can be a desk at your home, a table in your favorite cafe, a car when you drive your children to school, or a bench in a park with birds tweeting in the background – whatever works for you and feels right.
Equipment
Also, when you work remotely, it’s up to you to choose equipment that will enhance your work and arrange furniture in your workplace according to your needs and liking. Andrii, our backend developer, says:
“My home equipment like chair, table, mouse, keyboard, screen, and other peripherals are way more superior than anything that an office can offer.”
Interim conclusion
We have already covered both pros and cons of working remotely. As you see, our team’s values are no different from your values. We want to have a comfortable working environment where we feel safe and can work at our own pace within a schedule that doesn’t stress us out. On the other hand, we aim at being productive and efficient because a workplace is meant to facilitate what we can do. It is just a means of achieving a goal, not a goal itself. However, we do not underestimate its importance.
The next two parts will be woven around what working from an office means and why (spoiler alert!) some of my colleagues still choose office over remote work.
Stay tuned and stay safe.
Yours truly,
CX Friend