Do you prefer to work from home or the office? Some prefer the working in the office as it gives structure to the day, it’s easier to focus on tasks and they get to meet colleagues. For others working from home is easier than working in the office. They prefer the calm of their home office, the flexibility in their hours and prefer to work on their own, for most of the day – they find that they get a lot more done in this environment.

While working from home during the pandemic may have seemed appealing in the early days, for many the four walls began to close in pretty quickly and they yearned to get back into the office environment. Adjusting to the home-work life model has been a struggle for some. The benefits of working at the office now seem more appealing. They prefer the familiarity that comes with the job, and the structure that the office environment provides.

Benefits of working in the office:

• Emotional and social value increase towards work, including the brand
• Face to face connections are far better for wellbeing than webinars and online meeting rooms
• Helps to keep a healthy work-life balance, by maintaining work hours
• Disturbances to work flow, which may have seemed annoying before, are now a welcome relief
• Routines can give more structure to the day
• Can increase job satisfaction and feeling valued
• Teamwork reduces frustration on certain activities
• More recognition is achieved in the office
• Can improve mental and physical health
• Likely to increase networking opportunities
• Less likelihood of household and family distractions
• Work is left at the office, at close of business

Maintaining clear boundaries, between the work and home environments, will help to maintain a healthy work-life balance in your life. The positive effects can be major including increased overall wellbeing and productivity in work. Social connections are really important; otherwise the job is ‘just a job’! “We must establish a personal connection with each other. Connection before content. Without relatedness, no work can occur” – Peter Block.