Which Is Better, Work From Home or Office?

I have worked from home for eight long years. I started working from home (WFH), way before the pandemic. However, this year, I suddenly got adventurous and decided to take up a work-from-office opportunity. Oh MY GOD!! I have never regretted any decision more than this one in my life. When I took up this new job they said I would need to go to the office a couple of days a week. However, after joining they suddenly changed the rules and made it compulsory to attend office every day. Even though the office is hardly 3 km from my home, Mumbai traffic makes it worse. It takes me almost 45-60 minutes each way. Finding an autorickshaw during the evening office rush is another challenge. Getting ready for the office takes another couple of hours. Eventually, I spend 12-13 hours of my day just after my office which is irritating me.

My WOTY for 2024 was Focus, but unfortunately, I find myself too scattered. Rather, I should say that I have put my hands in too many pies. I am wearing too many hats and that is exhausting me. These days, I do not get enough time to read, go for a walk, spend time with my son, or go out with friends. In a nutshell, I am not getting enough time to do things that I love to do. This is frustrating me and every single day, I feel like quitting my job. However, I love having a career (not a job) so this is not an easy decision.

Yes, I love my career but I also love my life. If my career is draining my life, is it worth it? What is the point of doing a job that gives me no happiness? What is the point of being with people who just bring negativity in life? Money is important, and earning is necessary. However, if I do not get enough time to spend that money on things that I love, what is the point of earning?

Work from home gave me the opportunity to work, earn money, and also do things that I love. I love to travel, work from home allowed me to work from beautiful hotel rooms, overlooking the sea or mountains. Unlike, work from office where the only view I have is a bland white cubicle and the adjacent ladies’ washroom.

In February, I was working while enjoying this view. I used to sit with my laptop on the balcony of my hotel room in Pondicherry and work. What a Bliss!!!(This is an AI-generated image). Trust me this one is way better because this has a window and a plant. My cubicle has neither. Nevertheless, the image captures the claustrophobia that I feel in my office.

Working from home allowed me to spend time with my son. Every afternoon, he used to come back from school, and we used to have lunch together. After that, we used to sit next to each other, while he finished school’s homework, I used to finish my work. Working from the office has taken away that from me. These days, my son eats his lunch alone watching TV, while I eat with some colleagues gossiping about stupid office politics. In the evening, after wrapping up work, I used to go down for a walk or meet up with friends. These days, I feel so exhausted after returning from the office, that the only thing I feel like doing is to finish dinner and sleep.

I love gardening, I used to spend a good amount of time tending my plants in the morning. These days, I am so busy getting ready for the office that I even forget to water my plants. Quite a few of my plants have started wilting due to this. I barely get time to do yoga and meditation. I am good at time management but after spending 13 hours, I hardly get time to do anything else.

I feel so stuck as if someone has locked my soul in a wooden box and thrown away the key. I have always enjoyed working. I never had any “Monday Morning Blues” rather I always felt excited that it was Monday. However, now I cringe at the thought of Monday Morning.

I don’t understand why companies feel that work-from-home is unproductive. I was way more efficient and productive when I worked from home. Companies should have more trust. Instead of evaluating productivity from the time spent in the office, they should evaluate on the basis of how many tasks the employee has completed.

I am really at a crossroads and don’t know what to do. I request my loyal readers to give me their feedback (and also suggestions) on this entire work-from-home vs work from office situation. What would you have done under similar circumstances?