Going back in office

I’m fortunate enough to work at a company that decided to go remote forever, but I’m extra lucky because my company also values in-person interaction enough to fly teams into the office for on-sites! This past week 4 of my teammates flew into SF to spend a week in office with the 3 of us who are based here. That meant that I also had to go into office everyday! Previously, I had been going in once every 2 (ish) weeks. More accurately, whenever there was a Happy Hour scheduled, that’s when I’d show up. It was a pretty jam-packed week that brought about lots of new feelings and different emotions. Here’s a lil breakdown of my feelings throughout my week back in office:

Excitement

I mean obviously, I was stoked to finally meet my teammates in person! I met half my team during a quick little get-together last year, but we had several new joiners, and this was the first time we were working all together. I’m also used to our office being extremely empty. It’s big enough to fit around 150 people, but only 12 (at most) ever come in at once. It’s literally a ghost town a majority of the time. Now we can chat in person about work matters rather than waiting for a response to our Slack messages, what a time saver!

Along with working side by side in office, we had lots of lunches, dinners, and HH’s planned. Lots of time to get to know each other on a personal level, which I think is beneficial when understanding how each other thinks and works.

I was tired

It’s been so long since I’ve had to get ready on consecutive days of the week. For the past 2 years, I’ve gotten used to only getting ready on weekends, or once a week when I mustered up the energy to go into office. I also workout every morning, and usually get back to my apartment, make breakfast, then hop online. I don't actually get ready until lunchtime.

We also spent the entire workday together as a team, plus after hours for dinner + drinks. This meant I was socializing for 12+ hours of the day, which I haven’t had to do since 2020. Physical and mental exhaustion combined called for a weekend of hibernation to follow.

I had a fear of not being productive

I’m part of a team that loves to talk to one another. A big portion of our job is working heads down to solve problems, so being in the same room as one another, able to talk about the most random thoughts during the most inconvenient moments was not ideal. I get stressed when I don't get my work done by a planned deadline, so this was something I struggled with a bit. Do I engage with everyone more since we’re all here, or do I step back and work solo so I can get my work done? Finding balance was something I had to be conscious about.

Point blank, I’m Grateful

At the end of the day, I feel super fortunate to work at a great company, have delightful coworkers, and enjoy the work that I do day to day. I do miss being able to work in office surrounded by everyone, but I’m also grateful that I have the opportunity to work from the comfort of my home. It also makes those office moments even more special!