By Rita Pagan, DES
I know a lot of people were forced into working from home the last year but I’m heading into almost five years. While working from home has its perks, there are certainly things I miss about working in an office:
- Having a REAL desk! With two kids at home in cyber school this year and a massive desk shortage when COVID hit, I was shunned to the dining room table. It’s a hot mess. Don’t look! And I miss office supplies at the ready. #nerd
- PEOPLE! I miss casual conversations. Mind breaks. Background noise. Most days now I’ll have something playing in the background on my phone just to help. (The Parking Podcast!)
- Not snacking. Being so close to all the food is hard. When I worked in an office, it was so much easier to pack a lunch and be stuck with the boring salad.
- The commute. Oddly. That 20-minute drive was my quiet alone time. And as an introvert it was desperately needed sometimes.
- The separation of work and home. Y’all, I have an email obsessive problem that has turned into a not being able to disconnect from my laptop. (Admitting it is the first step, right?) It’s hard to step away when you work from home but feel like you want to “just squeeze in a little more.”
For those of you still working from home, what do you miss about the office? What have you done to help make it seem more comfortable or organized? Send me some tips!
Rita Pagan, DES, is IPMI’s director of events and exhibits.