People are working from home nowadays and more than ever. Since the beginning of this period, there has been widespread debate over the productivity and challenges people are facing while working from home.

Like many businesses in the U.S. and elsewhere, Dignitas Digital has also chosen to carry on our professional activities remotely till the end of the year. We are keen on doing what we do best in the business, and we’re getting a lot more done at home than before.

Even if remote working provides incomparable flexibility, there are some things that we miss about our life at the office. Hence, we asked people about their experience and the things they miss the most while working remotely. The following are the responses we got through them.

By the way, we have also covered expert opinions about efficiency while working remotely in one of our articles if you are interested.

 

Deborah Sweeney (CEO)
MyCorporation
I am a business owner who is currently working remotely with my team. The one thing I miss the most while working from home is seeing my team members — all of them! — on a daily basis. Prior to COVID-19, I would make the rounds in our office to greet each team member in the morning and check-in and see how their day is going. We still communicate via email, but it’s not quite the same as seeing everyone physically in the office and having those casual conversations together before starting the workday. — Deborah Sweeney, CEO, MyCorporation.com

 

Dave Hatter (Cyber Security Consultant)
Intrust IT
I miss working with my colleagues! They are great people, we have a fantastic office space and we have a ton of fun. Also constantly collaborate with and learn from each other. It’s a great company and I miss the team… I’m looking forward to getting back to the office somewhat regularly to work with them. If I had a choice, I’d continue to have the flexibility to work remotely as needed but also go into the office. Maybe 3 days WFH one week and 2 days WFH the next.

 

Christine Wang (Founder)
The Ski Girl
I have transitioned (as I know many have) to a fully working from home lifestyle over the last few months. And while I do miss some aspects of my physical office, I’m making the most of the situation and actually finding that there are benefits and advantages to this shift.

The main reason I miss the office is simply the fact that separation between work and home has always felt good for my productivity and creativity. I’ve had the ability to work remotely a good amount over the last few years but still appreciate having a dedicated office space that is not at home. I find that I can focus more on important tasks and limit distractions when I am in a dedicated working environment.

I do also miss working with my colleagues. While the ability to stay in touch virtually is an amazing benefit of the modern age, I still think direct and in-person communication is almost always more effective and efficient. And the camaraderie that occurs in-person is hard to replicate in a virtual setting.

If I were given the choice, I would actually choose to work from a physical office in the next 6 months. If the choice was to work remotely versus working exclusively from home, that might change my opinion but I miss being around other like minds and having the routine that the office provides. Also, that would mean that the current state of the world is improving and that’s exciting as well.

 

Nikola Djordjevic (Medical Advisor)
Healthcareers
I was accustomed to working from the office at my practice for many years. Nowadays I’m mostly attending patients on calls or with outpatient visits due to COVID-19. A good portion of my work can be done from home on the computer, but I still prefer to be at the office where it’s easier to focus compared to working from home.

I miss the social interaction at my medical practice as most of us have worked together for a long time. We have a great medical team and spending time with my colleagues definitely helps make my work more enjoyable on a daily basis. Our team is still in contact over Zoom, but it can’t replace our daily routines at the office such as chatting over coffee during breaks and the general friendly vibe at our office.

Assuming COVID-19 is gone, I would work from a physical office in the next 6 months as opposed to working from home. Although remote work seems fun and convenient at first glance, several years in a row working from home seems more like a punishment to me personally. Others may thrive in remote work, but doctors and those of us that need to do hands-on work are accustomed to a more social work routine. So I would definitely opt for working from the office if I had a choice, potentially even risking COVID-19 to avoid getting stuck at home!

 

Neal Taparia (Founder)
Solitaired
I founded Imagine Easy Solutions, a software company I grew and sold, and I also served as an executive at Chegg, an NYSE public company. With my newest company, Solitaired where we tie classic games to brain training, we used to have an office space.

I miss bumping into my team in our kitchen and talking about random ideas for our business. Of times, I’d interact with different colleagues in our kitchen area, we might talk about ideas on new tests to run or new games to develop. A lot of great ideas have come from these conversations, even from people in HR.

I would work in a physical office for the next 6 months. The team chemistry you feel, the motivation you get, and the environment for ideas is unparalleled. You can’t naturally achieve this dynamic online.

 

Mary Potter Kenyon (Author and Program Coordinator)
Shalom Spirituality Center
Two years ago, I downsized and sold half my possessions for a new job to move to a 760-square-foot house. Some of my favorite things ended up in my office. I hadn’t realized what a sacred space my office had become until our building closed in March and I began working from home. I miss my vintage typewriter, my crazy thrift-store lamp, my Vision Board, my mother’s woodcarvings, my brother’s hand-carved walking stick, my favorite books. I miss opening my window to listen to the meditation garden fountain outside my office.

As a program coordinator at a spirituality center, I miss doing in-person programming. We’ve either had to cancel, postpone or pivot programming to online. I thought I would love working from home. I’ve also been a writer for over 30 years, which is a lone activity conducive to isolation. On my days off work, it’s not unusual for me to begin writing at 8:00 in the morning and glance up hours later, only to realize it’s mid-afternoon and I’m still in my pajamas. Getting lost in the flow at home works for writing; not so much for the job I normally do in the office.

Working from home doing online programming has made me appreciate my workplace more, but it has also opened my eyes to how much I do love being home writing, and if I could blend the two more seamlessly, I would. And while I expect to keep some of the online programmings even after the pandemic, it’s a poor substitute for in-person.

 

Linda Chester (Founder)
The Health Hour
As a fitness consultant, my work has always been semi-work from home. However, now that the remote working aspect of my work is more prominent than the other, I admit I do miss going around and meeting with my clients. I’ve always had a love for traveling so being trapped within my home, despite the pleasant company, is making me feel a bit stir-crazy.
I also miss the serene and professional ambiance of my small office a few minutes from home. Although we have a home office set up for me and my husband, it still feels better when you are working in an office rather than within your own home.

While I love my family and love spending time with them, I would love to be able to go back to working in my own office space once more.

 

Mat Scott (Owner)
Termite Survey
The things I miss most about working in an actual office are my employees. I miss seeing and interacting with them. I consider my employees as a part of my family because, without them, my company will not be as successful as it is today. I miss being able to take a break and catch up with those who work hard for me and with me. I also miss the bond we are able to create and develop every time we have our monthly team building activities.

Despite these, I would still choose to work remotely. There are a lot of things to consider before we can actually go back to working in a physical office. As the CEO of my company, I see the need to stand for my employees. I don’t want to risk their health and their family’s health by exposing them to an unsafe environment. Their well-being is a priority for me. If they are healthy then they are able to work effectively and efficiently.

 

Carolyn Cairns (Marketing Manager)
Creation Business Consultants
As a marketing manager, one of the things that I miss the most is the freedom to use the conference room for meetings. Being in the marketing department, my team and I are always gathered around a table sharing a box of donuts and a cup coffee all while brainstorming for fresh new ideas for our marketing strategy for our next marketing campaign. I miss the laughs that we share in between discussions. Although we are still able to do this remotely, nothing beats face to face interaction.

Nevertheless, I would still choose to work remotely for the next 5 years. Sure, it’s not fun to be stuck at home and missing out on a lot of things that we used to do before the pandemic but, it’s still not safe and I wouldn’t want to risk my health and my family’s health. The world is not as safe as it used to be and it will take more than 6 months to get everything cleared up. So, if I had the choice, I’d prefer to work remotely than get infected.

 

Kenny Trinh (CEO)
Netbooknews
Ever since the pandemic started I had to work at home while managing several employees. It was hard but it does come with its own benefits as well. Still, there are some things that working from an office has that remote work cannot fully replace.

What I really missed most about when I was working at an office was eating out. There was this little cafe nearby where I used to take my lunch. They serve the finest sandwiches and they have this soothing atmosphere that helps me forget all about work.

Staying at home, I had to order takeout and even cook my own meals during lunch which is honestly a hassle to do. Of course, there’s the solution of cooking and preparing your lunch during dinner time but it can be tiring especially if you’re juggling cooking with work.