I was beginning to think I was the only technology worker who likes being in the office!
I have the option of working from the office or from home, at least 2-3 days per week depending on what I have on. I much prefer working from the office. I enjoy hanging out and talking shit (and working) with my colleagues/friends, grabbing coffee, lunch somewhere nice, and when I leave at the end of the day I can flip from 'work mode' to 'home mode'.
I was doing a text search in the comments for "lonely" and this was the only hit. Absolutely! My social life at work is very important to me. I like coming into work every day and seeing people I know, commiserating our challenges or celebrating our successes, joking around at the office, going out and having a good time outside of the office. Many of my best friends now are people I work with, and if I'd been working remotely (whether at home, in a coffee shop, etc) all this time, a natural introvert like me would have considerably fewer friends, my successes would feel less meaningful and my failures more personal. I've turned down offers to make more money writing a language I prefer to the one I write in now, because it would mean my primary interaction would be through a computer screen. I'm sure all are different, but I'd have to have a really good reason to have my primary mode of work be remote.
I personally found that hobbies are great for socializing. You get to do something interesting outside work and to socialize at the same time, for hobbies that include other people (outdoor sports, soccer, playing chess with other humans, etc.)
I am an extrovert. I worked in many offices, many of the advertising agencies for most of my career. About a year ago, I started a remote job at Fire Engine Red (another fully virtual company), so I can definitely speak to your concerns.
1. Create co-working opportunities. I have a standing co-working day with a group of other work-from-home'ers every Monday. Sunday afternoon we text to coordinate where we're going to meet up. Its reliable. Its social interaction. We have an in-group. On top of this one, I have a couple other people I less frequently co-work with, both coffee shops and kitchens.
2. Its not all about work. This WFH shift for me has given me an even stronger excuse to get out and do my group hobbies even more. For me, its performing in a comedy group. Nothing more social than getting people to laugh.
3. Yes, it is a bit lonely. Happy hours are less likely to happen. But when they do, its with people you actually wanted to hang out with, not just whomever happened to be at the office that day. Casual desk drop-by's are mostly gone, and I actually like that.
All in all, not that lonely, unless you let it be.
Yep, you can find local dev groups and get a similar experience. Plus it's more fun to hear about what other people are working on instead of only hearing about stuff from co-workers that I also work on.
I just joined a local group and they do lunch meetups, happy hours, etc.
Something that's totally understandable. Remote working is not for everyone for sure. At least, not yet. My personal belief is that there'll come a day where creative work revolves around spaces that aren't part of an office. Co working spaces, coffee houses etc. There's a lot that needs to grow to make this a reality (eg: I could find only one co working space within 15 minutes travel time around me). But my point is, once these co working spaces, studios, and coffee shops built around the theme of creative work really start to show up, remote work will hopefully no longer be a thing of loneliness. Best of both worlds where you sync with your fellow workmates in a fluid fashion. Morning might be a great time to socialize, but when you want to dive in, you move to a quieter more private working space. That's the future I believe in :). Yes. I'm bullish on the future of remote work and the end of the traditional office space :D
