Before joining Resch Strategies, I had a pretty cushy gig. My “office” was a few short steps from my bedroom, and my boss, co-workers, and clients were all hundreds of miles away. I worked from home – the holy grail of workplace environments.
*Not my actual home office. But remarkably similar.
Photo By: William Raveis Real Estate
I’ve been with Resch Strategies for the better part of a year now and most of that time has been spent in our office. With months of punching the clock now in the books, I feel adequately seasoned to weigh in on the office vs. home office debate. Here we go:
Work Attire:
I like wearing a shirt and tie. It’s nice getting dressed in the morning with purpose. When I’m nicely put together, I honestly feel like I’ve accomplished something before I’ve even walked out the door. I’m wearing a tie. I’m important. I matter. And this will surely be evident to anyone that sees me passing by on the street, which is also important. My importance MUST be conveyed to all.
I also like pajamas.
Advantage: Push
Commute:
It’s tough to argue with the 5 second shuffle from my bed to the spare bedroom next door but I’m going to do just that. I live a mere mile away from the global headquarters of Resch Strategies, which makes for a very pleasant, easy bike ride about 6 months out of the year. Riding my bike to and from work is a great way to start and end my day when weather permits. I really do enjoy it.
But that all goes out the window once the temperature plummets and the sun is out for roughly 45 minutes a day. In the cold, dark heart of winter, the ability to make it to my desk without ever leaving the confines of my blanket cocoon is a luxury I simply can’t disparage.
Advantage: Push
Work Environment:
I love this office. And that’s saying something. Those who know me even a little bit know that I’m a total curmudgeon. Seriously. I should probably work on it. But I won’t because somehow it actually works for me here!
Strangely enough, the little rain cloud I carry around with me seems to be a nice complement to the sunny disposition of my more chipper officemates. We have a lot of fun and it truly is a great place to work.
It’s also really nice to be able to bounce ideas off the brilliant minds around me in real-time. Creativity is a commodity in this line of work and it’s hard to stay fresh without occasional fresh eyes and insight from my Resch compatriots. Successful brainstorming is much more difficult when it must be done through email.
There is a flip side to all of this though. I’m the worst writer in the office. And it takes me forever to write anything. A big part of the problem is that it’s very difficult for me to move on from a sentence that isn’t quite perfect. Compounding the problem is the fact that I struggle against a debilitating case of keyboard paralysis.
For whatever reason, I’m a much better writer the second I step away from my computer and stop actually writing. The elusive phrasing I seek can often only be found while mumbling to myself several feet from my desk. Once it hits me, I race back to my desk and furiously jot it down before it disappears (it’s a short window) and then start the whole process all over again. Needless to say, this weird exercise is definitely more comfortably executed in the the privacy of my own home.
Advantage: Push
Final verdict: Push
All told, there are pluses and minuses both ways on this one. At the end of the day, having the flexibility to work from home from time to time is what works best for me, and luckily that’s one of the many perks of working here at Resch Strategies.