Work From Home

Spring - Harriman Ranch, WY

While I like the people I work with, I don't care for the physical office where we work. It's a large beige room, filled with rows of cubicles. It's on the 25th floor of the building, but any beautiful views are reserved for the managers - a row of office doors block the windows from the sight of the worker bees like me.

This aspect of work has been hard for me; for the first few months after I started, I felt a physical yearning for views of the sky. It's been an unwelcome disconnect from nature. Winter, warmth, clear, stormy, spring, cold - all are alike when I am cocooned in my world of bland beigeness.

Then, last week, I was granted an unexpected reprieve. It's an open secret that my company is not on the firmest of financial footings, and raises are not an option. In an attempt to offer something to their people in lieu of money, my department has decided to let us, if we choose, to work from home four days a week, starting next week.

I used to work from home, I liked it. I still got my work done, but enjoyed the freedom of the extra hour I gained by not commuting to the office. As they were announcing the new policy my face must have been an open book, because the gal behind me said, 'Take a picture of Janice and post it in her cube. We'll never see her again.'

Part of me wanted to protest that, no, I was happy to come into the office, but my efforts would have fallen flat - it's simply not true. I am grateful to have a job, but my work is largely solitary by nature, so there are days I go into work and say very little to the people around me because we're all absorbed in our respective tasks.

Working from home, I will be able to reconnect with the weather; my home office looks out into the back yard and I'll be able to watch my garden change day by day. I'll be able to reconnect with some of my friends - the downtown location of my office makes it difficult to be able to pop out to meet anyone for lunch unless they're also downtown. It'll be easier to schedule in the furnace / fridge/ etc repair people. I won't have to fight traffic. Heck, I'll be able to pop out to the grocery store at lunchtime and not have to contend with the after work rush.

I will need to figure out a way to get in my daily workout. There is a small gym in my office building, and I've been going down each day just before lunch for thirty minutes to get in a quick workout. I have a weight room set up in my basement, but if my fingers aren't freezing from sitting at my desk for too long, if my eyes aren't aching for a break from the dull surroundings, I don't know my effortless motivation will still be there.

But that's the only downside that comes to mind, and I'm sure I can work through it.  I'll still be able to connect with my coworkers in person - we've picked one day each week we'll all come on in. I can't wait to give this a try.