Corporate Life
I know, I know. It’s not cool to talk about going to the corporate office, fighting traffic during the commute, being stuck in a cramped cubicle, having to wear suit and tie, and deal with annoying co-workers. Everyone would rather be working from home. But, as Jennifer has written, working from home all the time is not without its drawbacks. I spent almost a year working from home, back in 2001. I had everything setup: a home office downstairs, high speed internet, separate phone line with 3-way calling, and special phone (from the company). I went through the loneliness and self-imposed long hours. I felt like going nowhere, literally. I can certainly understand the sentiments Jennifer has gone through. As a supplemental study, I’m going take her list and provide my take on being back with the corporate life again.
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I dress up to work
Even though I don’t have to wear suit and tie, I still have wear khaki pants and collared shirts. I still have to get up in the morning and spend at least 5 minutes figuring out what to wear. It is true being all dressed up, a change from home to office attires, really puts my mind in a different perspective. I seem to be more motivated to get things done. I suppose the change from rags to suits subconsciously tells me that I’ve gone through a metamorphosis. Thus, I behave differently. I tend to want to get things done. -
I have a boss
I am eternally grateful that I have a caring and attentive boss. She has good work ethics, a team player, pays attention to my career by giving credit where it’s due, and encourages innovative thinking. It’s true, I’m not exaggerating it! With a manager like that, how can I complain about having a boss? -
I have to be managed
I’m a systems analyst, so my work is mostly technical. I’m also the unofficial project manager for some of projects that I’m involved in. It is frustrating to deal with co-workers or vendors who let deadlines slip, or produce sloppy results. I let myself be managed by someone so I can be held accountable for my actions or inactions. It also helps to have a manager double check my progress to make sure I’m on track, and be informed of the other projects that may impact my work (the big picture). I let my manager worry about the politics, which is something I’m still not comfortable in handling. -
I don’t have to the math
This much is true. I get bi-weekly paychecks and semi-annual bonuses. They go direct into my bank account. I don’t have to worry about money until I have to pay the monthly bills. But I do that at home, in my PJ’s at night. -
I don’t want to be back working from home
Sometimes I do get to work from home. I no longer want to do it in a full-time basis. Nothing beats the human interaction, and the collaboration with the team in a face-to-face meeting.
