This week was the first time ever setting foot in the office after over a year working from home. Admittedly, it felt incredibly awkward, and as I was ironing my shirt for the first time in a long, long time, I felt very nervous and anxious about it at first; especially being so accustomed with working from home.
But overall, it was a delightful experience. How great does it feels to be interacting with real people!
Throughout these 1.5 years, I always thought that virtual interaction was pretty adequate, but man, it's a totally different level to be talking face to face (albeit with a facemask): the subtle impact of human interactions to look at someone in the eye, subconscious body language, or a smile (even if just only visible through the eyes), the opportunities to randomly walk around and chit-chat and take a breather amidst the chaotic work.
It was particularly nice to meet some of my team members and colleagues face to face for the first time, especially amidst these challenging times of Year end performance reviews.
Admittedly, it felt a bit weird attending semi-virtual meetings - with some participants in the same room, and others online - but you get used to it.
It's also nice to be reminded of so many office elements that enhance the work experience and productivity that we have been missing out all this while e.g. having a second monitor, printing facilities, and 'free' airconditioning (heh).
Also, the good news is, now that our loaded fridge is less accessible, we will be less susceptible to our binge-snacking habits at home 🤣
I still miss that family proximity at home and the little conveniences of working from home (WFH), but this one week in the office was a nice change of pace and environment. It would be interesting to see how this alternate WFH and office arangement pans out in the long run.
How was your experience?
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