For any companies who are considering taking a blanket approach to working from home policies following the pandemic – I urge reconsideration. I can see the temptation; “clearly everyone can work from home so why shell out for office space?” but I’d argue that putting people first in these equations, as usual, makes working reality much more nuanced than this. 

Employers with a bit of empathy can figure out what helps their people perform at their best, which will allow them to do their best job for the company.

I’ve worked full time in an office, I’ve worked full time from home, and I’ve done a bit of both. Colleagues have shared their experiences with me too, and when you really listen, sometimes working from home can be a blessing and a curse.

Working from home is a blessing when:

• You need individual focus time on a lengthy or complex piece of work
• You have a dentist appointment
• A new fridge is being delivered to your house
• You are full of cold and don’t want to sneeze all over people
• You usually have a long commute into the office but want to use that time more wisely
• You need to work late and you don’t feel safe on your commute home (especially if it’s dark and you need to use public transport)

Working from home is a curse when:

• You don’t have an comfortable/peaceful/uninterrupted space to work in, or your area has poor internet connection capability  
• You realise you haven’t left the house for days
• You don’t take breaks because you feel you have to ‘prove’ you are working
• It makes you more anxious about real-world interactions
• You are an apprentice level employee and require very regular interaction with others to progress your learning
• You struggle with social skills and want/need the space to develop them

These are by no means exhaustive lists, and some of these considerations have a clear link to wider societal, cultural and environmental factors. As the line between work and home becomes increasingly blurred, I strongly feel that these are exactly the kind of nuances of people’s lived experiences that employers need to take into account when adding ‘from home’ into their working location mix.

Decision-makers on working from home policies should, in my opinion, make a concerted effort to realise that their working from office/home reality isn’t mirrored by every employee, so a one-size fits all approach lacks empathy and may ultimately turn employees away. Whatever the approach, giving clarity around where employees are expected to work and when is an absolute must.

I’d love to hear other experiences of working environments, as I’m sure there are other elements I have missed. Feel free to comment here or reach me on LinkedIn.