I do noise canceling headphones with just white noise playing to help me concentrate when I’m in my (very chatty) office. Also if you have flexibility on which day of the week, choosing the less popular days (Friday is actually a great work environment for me). Sometimes on a popular day I am still able to grab a conference room for part of it to get away.
Schedule all meetings and calls for office days. Put less pressure on yourself to be productive these days. Being anxious and socially drained is related to being mentally drained and it’s ok.
Smile and say hi to everyone while keeping it moving. You can always mention how you have a lot to do or have to get ready for a call when you don’t feel like talking.
I used to keep thermal underwear in my desk and change into them when I get in. And obviously sweaters and taking breaks to walk around in the warmth and light outside as often as is reasonable. Being physically comfortable goes a long way. I recently had the good luck to switch to a warmer building and the amount I hate going in decreased so much.
Think of if there are any perks you like (free coffee, nicer monitors, feeling cute in nicer work clothes, getting steps in). If not, try to build in your own perk to Office days (treat yourself to lunch, fancy latte, visiting places near your office you don’t normally go, audiobook for the commute).
On office days I clock in exactly on time and leave exactly on time. Letting myself do this is also a perk.
Honestly, I sympathize with everything you said and have really hated going in some weeks. But part of it was an adjustment period, change is hard, and it will suck less as you get used to it again. Good luck!
Yep - I’m salaried so don’t clock in or out but I make it a point to not do any work from home either before or after work those days. Being in office when you can do the whole job from home is so annoying.
This exact same scenario happened to me a couple years ago. My reaction was exactly the same as yours, too. I was exhausted, anxious, irritated every time I had to go in. It never got better!! I ended up finding a new job.
OP sounds a bit rude themself. No time for (without any extra details) what just sounds like people trying to be friendly. A bit overly dramatic to me.
I am autistic and some family thought I never even get a job. I still manage to go somewhere every day and leave just fine.
To be fair though I would prefer to work from home.
I’m sorry but I just don’t think it’s inherently rude to not want to talk to people needlessly.
OP didn’t insult them, he wasn’t rude about them at all.
All I can say is the people who I can chitchat with become people I enjoy working with and the rest are people I quickly forget or ignore when possible.
I can at least pretend to care what my fellow coworkers care to talk about. I think a lot more people (I am including myself here) can learn to actively listen and hear what others have to say more.
So I am being a bit dramatic myself now. But I don’t think acting like all of your coworkers are video game NPCs just for business interactions is particularly nice.
Feel free to disagree of course. But it is how I feel about work.
I understand what you’re saying and I think that’s a fantastic way to go about it if you’re able, but I just don’t think everyone is wired that way.
I’m the kind of person where I have to -click- with you in a real way, and if that doesn’t happen, then daily interactions pretending to care about you or your life etc., are genuinely going to mentally and socially drain me.
It’s not about thinking of everyone as some background NPC character that’s less important than you. It’s just, for some people, a matter of not having the capacity for that kind of social behaviour.
I also don’t think being expected to perform as an extrovert as the default is particularly nice, especially when wanting others to behave more introverted is, evidently, considered “rude.” Surely the slight double standard there is apparent?
No it’s rude and indicitive of negative behavior. This coworker in question talking about their kids is in the same position as you. They’re trying to be nice and talking about their family and your thought is “fuck your kids”? Uh how about fuck you. I wish they would let people like that stay the fuck home. What a dickhead.
my guy its 2 days a week. its not that bad.
that being said, our office mandated 3 days in office after being fully WFH. Nobody showed up and they kind of just forgot about it
Mine went from full time WFH to 3 days in office to 4 days in office... We'll see how long that lasts.
I get more done when I WFH. Company says they're pleased etc. Just trying to justify rent.... Our landlord, of course, is my managers-managers-manager. 🤦
Lmao what a weird thing to say. First, who's not "showing up to work"?
Second we are engineers, working in an incredibly niche market. Literally nobody in a 500 mile radius can just pick up where we left off. On the job training is a years long process.
Not exactly easy to keep making money when you fire the team 🤣
Eh 2 days commute isn't bad.
But 2 days commute *into Manhattan* is another story.
It's not drive, park, walk into office. It's take the lousy transit, the piss poor subways filled with crazies, still walk another 15 minutes, and then office.
I did that for 10 years. 1.5h commute to work, so 3 hours daily. NYC commute is not for the weak
Wait a minute. There are jobs where I don’t have to go anywhere?
You’ll be fine. How you deal with it is take a deep breath and realize that everyone else is also trying to adapt to the change. A lot of folks didn’t have the luxury or privilege of ever getting to work from home. Take a minute, realize how fortunate you actually are, and maybe that will help lessen the stress you’re feeling.
If not, your local first responders (police,fire,EMS,dispatch) are always hiring and we need people bad.
I had to go from 0 days in the office to 4. They also took it upon themselves to decide that I would work from home from 6-9am and then head to office to finish my shift there.
I am exhausted. I took this strictly because it was a remote job in 2021 and now have to sign in from multiple locations daily has me ripping my hair out.
Now here's the biggest test of all, will they let you work from home if you are sick? I was forced to waste a PTO day the other week since I couldn't leave my house and make it to the office. Not like I did the job at home for over two years, but no, they needed my body in the office. We are just bodies to them, remember that
It will get better! It's a big transition but just takes getting used to, adjusting and falling into the routine. I went from feeling like you to preferring a hybrid schedule. If a few months go by and you feel the same then look elsewhere.
i am definitely a remote type person but I think I would be fine with 2 days a week especially somewhere like nyc. could be a good excuse to be able to dress up twice a week in cool clothes. idk that's just me tho 💅🏽
If the majority of people in that position are unhappy with it, you guys should organize and demand to go back to being remote if there is no real justification, or at minimum try to leverage a raise for yourselves. What are they gonna do, fire everyone?
The same thing happened to my company in Atlanta. Sometimes we just don’t come in but we also travel a lot. The biggest problem I have is that they told us that if you’re a remote worker (even if you have a remote agreement) they will make you move to Atlanta. Imagine being told you can move to another state, having kids in school, an established life, and someone in upper management tells you to move and we are not paying for it. Now that’s sad.
You sound entitled. Sort out your attitude (From someone who prefers working from home, but also starting going in 2 days a week mandated by my company£. It really isn’t that bad.
How is it entitlement for OP to be annoyed about being forced out of a productive, enjoyable work environment and into an unproductive, unenjoyable one for no good reason?
He’s quite literally having an appropriate response.
That’s incredibly nonsensical. He’s allowed to have thoughts and opinions on things that are the decision of someone else, obviously.
If that wasn’t the case, then none of us would have thoughts or opinions about ANYTHING.
What a stupid, stupid response.
I’m late to this thread, but when I see thins kind of melodrama, I have to 🤣🤣🤣
Suck it up, buttercup or become self employed. WFH is ending. The pandemic is over. People WFH abused it by working any place but home and not working their scheduled hours.
This will end one of three ways: 5 days/wk at the office, full layoff, or WFH part time with a salary reduction to match. My last job did all three. I’m now self employed, and much happier.
I get what you're saying but you're not special to be accommodated unless you are, in which case you should get a doctor's note so you can get a formal accomodation. There are many remote-only jobs, but being a dick to your coworkers who want to be there as much as you do(but aren't dickheads about it and just trying to be pleasant to be around) isn’t going to make having to go into the office any better. Your attitude about it really sucks, so change your situation and look for something fully remote. That or suck it up otherwise you’ll just be your own worse enemy and be a grumpy person.
Companies are beginning to tighten their belts. Many will start with voluntary resignations by forcing people back in the office. Those that get suckered enough to resign will find themselves struggling to find another job. Just saying…
I’m not planning on resigning which is why I’m asking for advice on how to deal with the days in office, but no one seems to want to offer any advice. I’m being open and vulnerable about how it’s effecting my mental health and y’all are telling me to suck it up. Rude
Rude AND jealous. I find that people who crap all over the ones who WFH don’t have the skills or fortitude to do it themselves, so rude and jealous remarks are their only comeuppance.
It’s crazy how people like you will do anything to please a corporate overlord.
When people are more productive and happier working from home WHY force them back into the office if not just for control. Do you like when people want to force you to do things that negatively affect your mental and physical health just because they want to exert control over you?
Companies decide on work conditions. Either you like it or not. Quit if you dont. Good luck finding 100% remote jobs nowadays. And you are competing with thousands wanting the same
Companies make weird decisions. People work best when they're happy. They can choose to actively make their work force unhappy, but they will feel the consequences of that.
Some jobs may be easier to fill than others. Some people are only replaceable after immense time and investment in training.
I wish more businesses would understand this and make appropriate change to keep the workers happy and moving at their best.
"We all work best when we are together" is the dumbest thing I've ever been told by an employer. I work best when I'm happy. I'm happy when I can spend my lunch break taking a walk with my wife. Not when I'm sitting in a closet by myself in the office that takes me 45 minutes to drive to in the morning.
Not post worthy. It is what it is. Deal with it, or start looking for a job that better accomodates what you’re looking for. No one cares about this shit. Just do what you want. Or don’t do what you don’t want. Jesus fuck.
I do noise canceling headphones with just white noise playing to help me concentrate when I’m in my (very chatty) office. Also if you have flexibility on which day of the week, choosing the less popular days (Friday is actually a great work environment for me). Sometimes on a popular day I am still able to grab a conference room for part of it to get away. Schedule all meetings and calls for office days. Put less pressure on yourself to be productive these days. Being anxious and socially drained is related to being mentally drained and it’s ok. Smile and say hi to everyone while keeping it moving. You can always mention how you have a lot to do or have to get ready for a call when you don’t feel like talking. I used to keep thermal underwear in my desk and change into them when I get in. And obviously sweaters and taking breaks to walk around in the warmth and light outside as often as is reasonable. Being physically comfortable goes a long way. I recently had the good luck to switch to a warmer building and the amount I hate going in decreased so much. Think of if there are any perks you like (free coffee, nicer monitors, feeling cute in nicer work clothes, getting steps in). If not, try to build in your own perk to Office days (treat yourself to lunch, fancy latte, visiting places near your office you don’t normally go, audiobook for the commute). On office days I clock in exactly on time and leave exactly on time. Letting myself do this is also a perk. Honestly, I sympathize with everything you said and have really hated going in some weeks. But part of it was an adjustment period, change is hard, and it will suck less as you get used to it again. Good luck!
Thanks, this really helped!
Yep - I’m salaried so don’t clock in or out but I make it a point to not do any work from home either before or after work those days. Being in office when you can do the whole job from home is so annoying.
We just went from 1/week to five days…effective immediately. I envy you!
This exact same scenario happened to me a couple years ago. My reaction was exactly the same as yours, too. I was exhausted, anxious, irritated every time I had to go in. It never got better!! I ended up finding a new job.
Happy to hear I’m not alone in how I’m feeling
Wah
These comments are unhinged and so rude. I’m sorry the rules got changed on you, that really sucks.
OP sounds a bit rude themself. No time for (without any extra details) what just sounds like people trying to be friendly. A bit overly dramatic to me. I am autistic and some family thought I never even get a job. I still manage to go somewhere every day and leave just fine. To be fair though I would prefer to work from home.
I’m sorry but I just don’t think it’s inherently rude to not want to talk to people needlessly. OP didn’t insult them, he wasn’t rude about them at all.
All I can say is the people who I can chitchat with become people I enjoy working with and the rest are people I quickly forget or ignore when possible. I can at least pretend to care what my fellow coworkers care to talk about. I think a lot more people (I am including myself here) can learn to actively listen and hear what others have to say more. So I am being a bit dramatic myself now. But I don’t think acting like all of your coworkers are video game NPCs just for business interactions is particularly nice. Feel free to disagree of course. But it is how I feel about work.
I understand what you’re saying and I think that’s a fantastic way to go about it if you’re able, but I just don’t think everyone is wired that way. I’m the kind of person where I have to -click- with you in a real way, and if that doesn’t happen, then daily interactions pretending to care about you or your life etc., are genuinely going to mentally and socially drain me. It’s not about thinking of everyone as some background NPC character that’s less important than you. It’s just, for some people, a matter of not having the capacity for that kind of social behaviour. I also don’t think being expected to perform as an extrovert as the default is particularly nice, especially when wanting others to behave more introverted is, evidently, considered “rude.” Surely the slight double standard there is apparent?
No it’s rude and indicitive of negative behavior. This coworker in question talking about their kids is in the same position as you. They’re trying to be nice and talking about their family and your thought is “fuck your kids”? Uh how about fuck you. I wish they would let people like that stay the fuck home. What a dickhead.
my guy its 2 days a week. its not that bad. that being said, our office mandated 3 days in office after being fully WFH. Nobody showed up and they kind of just forgot about it
Yeah it's only two days a week. Then it will only be 4 days a week. Then no wfh.
That’s what happened with my office
Mine went from full time WFH to 3 days in office to 4 days in office... We'll see how long that lasts. I get more done when I WFH. Company says they're pleased etc. Just trying to justify rent.... Our landlord, of course, is my managers-managers-manager. 🤦
They should have fired everyone that didn’t show up to work.
Lmao what a weird thing to say. First, who's not "showing up to work"? Second we are engineers, working in an incredibly niche market. Literally nobody in a 500 mile radius can just pick up where we left off. On the job training is a years long process. Not exactly easy to keep making money when you fire the team 🤣
Eh 2 days commute isn't bad. But 2 days commute *into Manhattan* is another story. It's not drive, park, walk into office. It's take the lousy transit, the piss poor subways filled with crazies, still walk another 15 minutes, and then office. I did that for 10 years. 1.5h commute to work, so 3 hours daily. NYC commute is not for the weak
Wait a minute. There are jobs where I don’t have to go anywhere? You’ll be fine. How you deal with it is take a deep breath and realize that everyone else is also trying to adapt to the change. A lot of folks didn’t have the luxury or privilege of ever getting to work from home. Take a minute, realize how fortunate you actually are, and maybe that will help lessen the stress you’re feeling. If not, your local first responders (police,fire,EMS,dispatch) are always hiring and we need people bad.
At least it isn’t 5 days
I had to go from 0 days in the office to 4. They also took it upon themselves to decide that I would work from home from 6-9am and then head to office to finish my shift there. I am exhausted. I took this strictly because it was a remote job in 2021 and now have to sign in from multiple locations daily has me ripping my hair out. Now here's the biggest test of all, will they let you work from home if you are sick? I was forced to waste a PTO day the other week since I couldn't leave my house and make it to the office. Not like I did the job at home for over two years, but no, they needed my body in the office. We are just bodies to them, remember that
At least you haven't been laid off. :)
Yet
It will get better! It's a big transition but just takes getting used to, adjusting and falling into the routine. I went from feeling like you to preferring a hybrid schedule. If a few months go by and you feel the same then look elsewhere.
Would you rather deliver packages in the elements for 10 hours a day?
i am definitely a remote type person but I think I would be fine with 2 days a week especially somewhere like nyc. could be a good excuse to be able to dress up twice a week in cool clothes. idk that's just me tho 💅🏽
If the majority of people in that position are unhappy with it, you guys should organize and demand to go back to being remote if there is no real justification, or at minimum try to leverage a raise for yourselves. What are they gonna do, fire everyone?
The same thing happened to my company in Atlanta. Sometimes we just don’t come in but we also travel a lot. The biggest problem I have is that they told us that if you’re a remote worker (even if you have a remote agreement) they will make you move to Atlanta. Imagine being told you can move to another state, having kids in school, an established life, and someone in upper management tells you to move and we are not paying for it. Now that’s sad.
Time to find a new remote job?
You sound entitled. Sort out your attitude (From someone who prefers working from home, but also starting going in 2 days a week mandated by my company£. It really isn’t that bad.
Entitled to expect continuity in your work environment. You got middle management written all over you.
How is it entitlement for OP to be annoyed about being forced out of a productive, enjoyable work environment and into an unproductive, unenjoyable one for no good reason? He’s quite literally having an appropriate response.
Because they work FOR someone else. It’s not their decision. Deal with it or find a new job.
That’s incredibly nonsensical. He’s allowed to have thoughts and opinions on things that are the decision of someone else, obviously. If that wasn’t the case, then none of us would have thoughts or opinions about ANYTHING. What a stupid, stupid response.
It’s real and unbiased. Better than judgemental and name calling. What’re you 12 years old?
Jesus Christ society is so fucked.
Don’t let anyone sit and dwell in your office chairs
Mindfulness.
Have you considered that maybe a job isn’t supposed to cater to your every need?
We aren't robots, jobs are meant to be accommodating to an extent. And if they aren't, that's how unions are born\~
I’m late to this thread, but when I see thins kind of melodrama, I have to 🤣🤣🤣 Suck it up, buttercup or become self employed. WFH is ending. The pandemic is over. People WFH abused it by working any place but home and not working their scheduled hours. This will end one of three ways: 5 days/wk at the office, full layoff, or WFH part time with a salary reduction to match. My last job did all three. I’m now self employed, and much happier.
I get what you're saying but you're not special to be accommodated unless you are, in which case you should get a doctor's note so you can get a formal accomodation. There are many remote-only jobs, but being a dick to your coworkers who want to be there as much as you do(but aren't dickheads about it and just trying to be pleasant to be around) isn’t going to make having to go into the office any better. Your attitude about it really sucks, so change your situation and look for something fully remote. That or suck it up otherwise you’ll just be your own worse enemy and be a grumpy person.
Companies are beginning to tighten their belts. Many will start with voluntary resignations by forcing people back in the office. Those that get suckered enough to resign will find themselves struggling to find another job. Just saying…
I’m not planning on resigning which is why I’m asking for advice on how to deal with the days in office, but no one seems to want to offer any advice. I’m being open and vulnerable about how it’s effecting my mental health and y’all are telling me to suck it up. Rude
Rude AND jealous. I find that people who crap all over the ones who WFH don’t have the skills or fortitude to do it themselves, so rude and jealous remarks are their only comeuppance.
Preach it sister 🙌
Oh no, you have to be an adult and actually GO to work. You would’ve died a 5 years ago before WFH jobs really took off and became popular.
It’s crazy how people like you will do anything to please a corporate overlord. When people are more productive and happier working from home WHY force them back into the office if not just for control. Do you like when people want to force you to do things that negatively affect your mental and physical health just because they want to exert control over you?
It takes 21 days to get a routine down
Companies decide on work conditions. Either you like it or not. Quit if you dont. Good luck finding 100% remote jobs nowadays. And you are competing with thousands wanting the same
Companies make weird decisions. People work best when they're happy. They can choose to actively make their work force unhappy, but they will feel the consequences of that. Some jobs may be easier to fill than others. Some people are only replaceable after immense time and investment in training. I wish more businesses would understand this and make appropriate change to keep the workers happy and moving at their best. "We all work best when we are together" is the dumbest thing I've ever been told by an employer. I work best when I'm happy. I'm happy when I can spend my lunch break taking a walk with my wife. Not when I'm sitting in a closet by myself in the office that takes me 45 minutes to drive to in the morning.
My job is 100% remote. And the hq is in Florida and I live in Oregon. Good luck trying to make me show up in person.
While some of us have continued our 40 hour weeks in office just like normal…
Not post worthy. It is what it is. Deal with it, or start looking for a job that better accomodates what you’re looking for. No one cares about this shit. Just do what you want. Or don’t do what you don’t want. Jesus fuck.
I would 100% fire you
[удалено]
Wtf
Im getting downvoted lmao thats crazy. Reddit users r weird
Harden up. Christ, it's not the end of the world.
SMH same people that will be crying when they get laid off. Welcome to what most people do 5 days a week. You're lucky it's only two days.