Are You Thinking of Remote Work as a Perk or Lifestyle?

Raise your hand if you still don’t know when or if you will be going back to an office setting? 🙋🏻‍♀️ It’s crazy to think that this time last year was when we were first starting to get accustomed to the idea of Remote Work. At this point, it felt kind of like that snow day that you were waiting to get but never thought you would. We were all excited about wearing sweatpants to work and not going on your 30–40 minute commute in the morning. One year later… and we are still here but just not as excited to wear the same sweatpants or miss doing your hair and makeup for something other than a zoom meeting.

Which category do you fall into? Do you refuse to get new sweatpants because you’re still looking at Remote Work as a prolonged perk or have you started to make this a lifestyle?

GitLab surveyed more than 200 professionals worldwide to understand how the world adapted to working remotely in 2020. Of the worldwide professionals they surveyed, more than half (56%) of the respondents shifted to remote work during the pandemic, and only 1% said they would like to go back to the office.

Signs that you’ve made Remote Work a lifestyle:

• You have a dedicated space in your home that you’ve invested in or your company has invested in to call “your office”.
• You’ve developed a routine and have now incorporated your well-being, exercise, and family duties around your work-from-home schedule.
• You call yourself a remote worker or say “I’m working from my office” and you really mean your house
• You’ve replaced your commuting time with time for yourself or your family
• You enjoy dressing up for some of your zoom meetings once in a while

Signs that you still see Remote Work as a “perk” and miss going to an office:

• You still work from your coffee table or dining room table
• You don’t clock out when it’s time to clock out
• You take phone calls from bed or from your couch
• You hardly ever turn on your camera because you don’t really get ready for work
• You are working 12 hours a day to make sure your boss knows you are working.
• You have recurring dreams of driving to work…in traffic.

Now, seeing remote work as a perk isn’t the worst habit in the world. I would just encourage you to ask yourself if your work from home habits are allowing you to be as happy, balanced, and productive as possible. Are you on the side of working from home forever or do you prefer going back to the office in the foreseeable future? I’d love to know, leave a comment below!