One year into working from home

So, it’s been one whole year since I last resumed for work in an office, at a formal desk or attended a physical meeting.

First of all, I’d like to acknowledge and thank all the health workers that have held the line this past year in various countries around the world. You are the real heroes.

I am blessed to work in an industry that lends itself to remote working. So for me, the transition to working from home was pretty seamless. I do not take it for granted at all.

In the last one year, I also changed jobs. So I have had the unique experience of onboarding and bonding with a new team (read that as multiple teams) remotely. While I have worked remotely before this COVID induced experience of the past year, virtual onboarding was a completely new twist for me. Again, I am fortunate to have onboarded to an organization that pays particular attention to staff well-being, among other things. The support I got was nothing short of incredible.

So one year in, what do I like or don’t like about working from home? There isn’t much I don’t like, to be very honest. I actually really do enjoy working from home. I’m able to use the time I’d have spent commuting to work differently and that alone gives me great joy. I am not one of those blessed with the ability to read or listen to books etc on a train.

I also love the proximity of my desk to my fridge, haha. Lunch breaks at my previous office involved a complex plotting of location and transport. There were hardly any eating spots within walking distance. So working from home means less wracking the brain, trying to figure out how to kill the hunger pangs.

The flipside though is that you oftentimes forget to actually take that break when you’re working from home. All the COVID restrictions mean that every day is pretty much groundhog day. Or as we say in Naija, same ni. That laptop is practically your outlet to the outside world so you stay on it longer than normal.

Following from that, working from home has also meant longer working hours. Again, no where to go, not much else to do, so you’re on that laptop much longer than you actually realize. My office though, and I think many organizations too, have consistently hampered on the value of disconnecting and protecting one’s mental health. Those constant reminders are truly helpful.

One thing I do miss though, is travelling and socializing. I miss being able to hang out freely with friends. Yes, zoom calls have stepped in but it’s not really the same. I also the miss the fun of planning and travelling to new places. Save for a couple of days off that I took a couple of times, I haven’t actually had a proper vacation in the last one year. I mean, what’s the point of taking your full days off when there’s no where to go?

It really has been crazy the way last one year shaped out. No one saw it coming but thankfully, we adapted just fine. Cheers to continued good health, love and laughter.

Stay safe!