How Remote Work Changed Me
I used to think I’d love to work from home. I was right, then I was wrong.
I’ve been remote ever since New York shut down, and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change any time soon. I used to hate getting up early and commuting into Manhattan, jostling through hordes of people, shoehorned into subway cars, and risking life and limb when crossing streets in Midtown. I hated it, which is why I can’t believe I’m going to say this: I miss going to the office.
I don’t miss the commute — although there are elements I miss (farewell, podcasts) — but I miss the camaraderie of working in an office. There’s an intimacy about sharing a space with people who are doing the same thing you are and dealing with the same mundane nuisances: out of K-cups, internet is down, bathroom is shut for cleaning, THE lunch spot is closing down, so on and so forth. Shared struggles and grievances bring people together. So do the wins.
I loved hearing coworkers gasp with excitement when they got a “hit,” which is what we call a media placement in PR. We’d share tidbits of our personal lives with each other. Hell, sometimes we became each others’ personal lives. We’d have team dinners, and we’d go to happy hour together. It was a community.
