What you need to know to be a great advocate
Instead of having to wait and even schedule a virtual meeting with a boss, you can pop over to their office or desk and discuss feedback that could help you finish a project more effectively.
When you're working from home, it can be much easier to get distracted. In an office, when you look around, you'll see everyone else focused and working hard which will motivate you to do the same.
When you work alongside colleagues, there is a level of comradery that is built. You're both in the office, side-by-side, grinding away at work and bearing witness to each other's successes.
Being in office means you regularly have the chance to have face-to-face, genuine communication in a structured place. This can help bolster cohesion and build stronger professional relationships.
Collaborating in an office is as simple as going to a conference room with a few colleagues and talking through an idea. It also allows each person to see nonverbal and verbal communication that might be missed on a video call.
In an office, it's easier to have direct communication with colleagues and superiors. You're able to discuss and brainstorm ideas in ways that just aren't possible when done remotely.
In an office, you can actually see (versus simply hear about) the successes your colleagues are having. This likely will help motivate you to continue doing better so you also can have success.
When you're in an office setting, you're closer, at least in proximity, to others and can therefore learn from them better. If a colleague nearby makes a mistake, take it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Additionally, working with a mentor 1:1 is much easier in an office setting.
In-office work provides structure and routine, which can be very helpful for our mental health. Additionally, having the opportunity to work closely with others means building and fostering connections, which is important in maintaining and improving mental health.
In-office work provides immediate access to tools and equipment. You aren't stuck with technical issues or not having the right resources available, as happens when you work remotely.
When you're in the office, you're often more motivated to complete your work and procrastinate less. If you are tempted to slack off, you might notice your colleagues looking at you or even commenting.
Working with your team in person and at the office helps build trust more efficiently and effectively than through a screen. Spontaneous 'water cooler' chats can also happen, which build rapport amongst colleagues.
Being physically present immerses you in the company culture and allows everyone to contribute to shared values, traditions, and more. When you work remotely, people can feel very siloed or alone, which makes building culture nearly impossible.
Imagine being able to conduct a meeting in person without all the hassle of making sure others online can hear you okay or that the connectivity is working fine- life would be so much easier.
There are so many technical intricacies of having a remote workforce. From wifi access to VPNs and back offices that support your staff, what happens when something goes wrong? If you are in the office, there are usually fewer technical issues to consider, and if something does go wrong, it's easier to fix as everyone is more centralized.
Communication is already a challenge amongst people, and when there's a computer screen in the way, too, it makes it that much harder. Being able to talk face-to-face gives an added understanding and comfort to people.
Creativity is sparked when off-the-cuff conversations can happen and in a digital-only world, these are very hard to have! If you're surrounded by creative, hard-working people, you are more likely to feed off that energy.
When you're sitting next to colleagues or bosses and come across a problem, it's easier to ask them a quick question than if you were remote.
In person, there are more on-the-spot learning opportunities. From behind our computers, each of us might be learning things individually, but there's little to no visibility and no knowledge-sharing happening.
When you're communicating online only, there can often be big misunderstandings. No one can read or properly interpret tone, no matter how hard they try. In person, you can hear how and what something is saying.
When you're in the office and surrounded by people, it's more likely that you'll take the time to be clean, dress smart, and have good personal hygiene. All of these factors can contribute to you feeling happier and healthier.
Networking in the office is so much easier than online. You can invite a boss for a quick coffee one afternoon to pick her mind about an upcoming project or meet with a colleague to brainstorm a new initiative. All these interactions will help grow your professional network.
Having a dedicated space you go to and leave each day can help separate the two in your mind. Work-life balance is so important and being in the office can help that flow better.
An in-office environment promotes teamwork. As you see your colleagues and even yourself succeeding, it brings you closer together and builds an unmatched spirit.
Being in the office creates healthy competition. As you see others succeeding, it will often motivate you to succeed. Some teams might post targets and how they're trending toward the targets up on a wall. This visibility helps healthy competition develop.
If the team is entirely remote and not in the office, it can make for a very lonely professional life. It's likely that if you're remote you won't have a lot of interaction with others.
When you're remote, you can't utilize the amenities offered by some offices, such as a gym environment. These amenities are usually free for you to use and are just sitting there if you and the team aren't in the office.
By interacting more often with your colleagues in person and building great rapport, you can grow and learn which will help you to advance in your career. Additionally, managers will see you more and therefore be more likely to think of you when an opportunity for a promotion occurs.
Sources: (LinkedIn) (Forbes) (Advisorpedia) (Envoy)
See also: Stress-free jobs with high salaries
Once, there were the days of working in an office five days a week: Monday to Friday, nine-to-five, clock in and clock out—such was life pre-pandemic. Then, with the rise of COVID-19 came the need for remote-only work. Some companies and people loved it and cited its countless benefits, while others stood steadfast in their support of in-office environments. From the ability to focus better to enhanced creativity and beyond, an in-office way of life may be making a comeback.
Curious why working from an office is a good thing? Click through to explore further.
Beyond the screen: the benefits of working in an office
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Once, there were the days of working in an office five days a week: Monday to Friday, nine-to-five, clock in and clock out—such was life pre-pandemic. Then, with the rise of COVID-19 came the need for remote-only work. Some companies and people loved it and cited its countless benefits, while others stood steadfast in their support of in-office environments. From the ability to focus better to enhanced creativity and beyond, an in-office way of life may be making a comeback.
Curious why working from an office is a good thing? Click through to explore further.