For my current role, and future ones as well, I would love for them to be fulltime remote. With options of remote working becoming more popular, I think working in person will be come less and less common. The idea of working from home is really appealing to me because most of my jobs are very far from where I live, so gas is quite expensive for me and there is no traffic to get stuck in. Also I'll be at home so I can work in an environment that is comfortable for me. Also it gives me the freedom to choose where I want to live, regardless of what state my company resides in, and incase I want to travel I can take my work with me. Some cons of working from home may be lowered productivity, as people are closer to their beds, and tvs and entertainment devices, and me get easily distracted. Another con can be less socializing, which can be a problem for those who thrive in social environments.
I have enjoyed working remotely ever since the pandemic started back in early 2020. However, never thought we would still be working remotely today. While a lot of companies have recently introduced a hybrid option, some companies never experienced working remotely. I have worked both remotely and in-person during the pandemic, and have found them both to be very interesting. I enjoy being out of the house, socializing with people in person, and staying in the house as well. It’s kind of weird, but because I consider myself an intro/extrovert it makes complete sense. While I was in the field working, we had a lot of guidelines to adhere to to ensure everyone's safety. Being in that kind of an environment where we had to be socially distant, rotate employees in and out, rotating working shifts was all a struggle initially. I am interested in seeing how the conversion is once everyone is completely back in person. While working remotely, it was honestly a breath of fresh air being able to drive around completing my errands and not running into rush hour traffic. I have noticed though, that working from home has put a strain on my personal devices. When I’m in the office I find myself not utilizing my personal devices as much, but with the newly found freedom of teleworking, I find myself using technology even more. The organizations I’m in are hosting more meetings now due to us having the convenience of being home. I do find myself wanting to back into the office, but I think there are some pros and cons we all need to consider before doing so. I do hope to one day get back into the office full-time like before. I wonder how everyone feels about the hybrid option. Are you all ready to return to the office? How will returning to the office affect your new normal? Will everyone be mentally ready to go back into the office? Has working remotely affected your mental health?
I agree with the majority of the posts made about this topic which state that working remotely is much more convenient than onsite work. I enjoyed completing my undergraduate coursework in the comfort of my own home rather than interrupting my schedule for in-class sessions. However, I do think it can become a bit challenging at times. One main issue would be the struggle with proper communication. Without a face-to-face connection, it becomes harder to contribute ideas and ask questions when needed. Bringing work into your home can also become an issue as you are more prone to becoming distracted or developing bad habits such as procrastination and an inability to stay motivated. And becoming comfortable with that way of life can affect our mental health in ways we may not have imagined. In June 2020, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) found that 42% of essential workers developed symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder working remotely compared to 30% of non-essential workers. Essential workers were found to have a harder time coping with stress in a remote setting as well. Although remote work has its disadvantages, I believe as the world gets back to normal many of these issues will lessen over time.
I have never worked to remote job but I am surly for it due to the less contact we have with one another.Due to we are in the middle of a pandemic I can see this being very effective for many company's and oping the door for further growth for others.
While my current position is not one that can be done full time from home, I do feel like work from home is an option I would take if I had the chance. I currently commute to work about 40 miles. I can make that trip in about 40 minutes or less depending on the traffic. Unfortunately, to miss that traffic I end up leaving my house an hour and a half before my shift starts. While I don't mind getting to work early, I do mind missing out on the extra sleep. Gas is also an inconvenience. For me personally, I find that working from home is a much better option for many reasons. Work from home cuts down on costs like gas and car maintenance. It also cuts down on pain and wear and tear on a person's body. My hands constantly hurt from the constant driving and then the typing I do at work. Also, I think work from home can make employees more productive. I no longer have to worry about appearance or uniform, so I have more time in my day for myself. For example, if I wanted to work out in the morning, I could get up at 6 am workout, and still be on time for my 8 am shift. In order to do that now I would have to wake up at 4 am to workout, shower, change, and be out the door at 6:30 for my hour commute to work. That is much harder to do. Also, since employees are more comfortable at home, they are more likely to do better work in a shorter amount of time. The only potential con with work from home is the time spent on the phone. I personally do not enjoy being on the phone or in zoom calls, so as long as those two things were limited, I would be fully happy working from home.
I have been working remotely for the past two and a half years, and I intend to continue doing so. The office workplace's distractions are eliminated when working remotely. I work in finance, which is a less regimented atmosphere, making it simple to become sidetracked by other people. Second, having flexible hours allows me to attend to numerous important tasks that a traditional 9-to-5 job would make more difficult, such as getting my car fixed. The more time I have to handle my daily obligations, the less stress I put on myself and the more satisfied I am with my profession. Last but not least, by forgoing my daily commute to work, I am saving tens of thousands of dollars annually on gas and parking. Additionally, I am reducing my yearly commute time by hundreds of hours.
I'll also talk about a couple drawbacks to working from home. You miss out on possibilities to collaborate with your coworkers if you work remotely. Additionally, working together can make it easier for you to accomplish your professional objectives. Additionally, I believe that working remotely occasionally makes it more difficult to keep informed. It may be more difficult to grow within the organization and earn promotions or raises if you aren't seen much and may even be forgotten about. Maintaining continual communication with coworkers is crucial.
Remote work appears to becoming more of the norm since Covid-19. Being able to work remotely has its pros and cons like everything else, but I hear more people are interested in working remotely opposed to going into an office every day. My current role as a Lead Quality Control Analyst does not provide the flexibility of working remotely due to the nature of the job and the demand for product testing to be completed within a certain timeline. I do feel that working remotely provides employees with the flexibility some may be looking for, while offering a comfortable space to work. Depending on the type of work that needs to completed, working remotely may not be the best option. For instance, if a job requires you to work on teams or collaborate with another department, working on site at a company would be best for employees’ schedules, and so the task can be completed in a timely manner. You also have to be disciplined and a self-starter to work remotely. If not, you will fall behind on your work and miss important deadlines. Overall, working remotely saves you gas, allows flexibility, and ensures comfortability.
Hi Justin, I didn’t think about the aspect of not being distracted when you’re working remotely. I have experienced being distracted on multiple occasions while working. I have been in the middle of testing an assay when someone wanted to converse about something that wasn’t work related. When employees/coworkers do this, it increases the likelihood of errors, and forgetting specific steps within a protocol. Although communication is important when working off site, communication can be provided to establish boundaries at work as well.
With the way everything is headed now, several departments have gone full time remote such as complaint handling, some regulatory positions, and even few Quality Engineer positions in my company. I am aware that this question may not apply to everyone, however would you prefer for the role your currently in to be full time remote position or would you prefer to go back into the office? Please justify using pros and cons.
Honestly, I wish I could have a full-time remote role but the industry I work in requires me to be on-site. I would be satisfied if I could find a role that allows a hybrid schedule, I know it would be more beneficial to come in 2 or 3 days out of the week and spend the rest of it at home or somewhere else. Due to the rising costs of commuting, paying for parking, and car maintenance, a full time remote position would help save money and reduce the workload associated with getting to and from work. However, I think it would make planning experiments a little more difficult if I was fully remote. I would be trusting someone else onsite to ensure my projects are running smoothly or repeat experiments if they go awry. As the pandemic is still raging on, I think biotechnology industries will have to consider remote positions for their employees and should offer the flexibility of a hybrid schedule. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to show how companies must adapt to the needs of their employees. Productivity does not only happen at an office space. I can be productive at home, on a plan, on vacation, etc. The possibilities are endless when you give people a choice.
As someone who has worked on-site for more than 20 years, I wouldn't mind working remotely. In the industry I'm currently in, it's not always feasible to work from home however, the pandemic has shown us that when we are desperate, we can do anything. My company allowed us to work a hybrid shift since we are essential workers and I was surprised by how productive I was. Being that I only had 6 hours on-site, I had to get as much as I could complete before I could work my other 6 hours at home. This meant fewer conversations not pertaining to work & fewer breaks. I could also catch up on projects & goals that needed to be accomplished. I also trained on tasks that I could do from home so if I weren't on the hybrid schedule, I probably wouldn't be trained to do. Now with inflation on the rise, working from home can most definitely save money because of the reduced wear & tear on our vehicles or having to overpay for gas. In contrast, working on-site can have its benefits. Being able to work on projects with a team in person can boost comradery amongst peers. Having in-person interaction especially after being isolated during the pandemic can help with mental health issues as most of us need a human connection. Also, working in the office can boost your career since being visible to management is necessary for advancement. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it definitely taught us that as long as you have a device and the internet, working remotely can be just as effective as working on-site.
I definitely would feel more comfortable in a remote environment, which would mean working in a cozy home office. By the same token, I would feel more productive in an on-site location for a plethora of reasons. I associate being at home with leisure, and having to perform conference calls at various points in the day (or potentially night) would infringe on my predisposed idea of leisure. Physically being with the people that I work with fosters a stronger sense of community in my opinion, as It would be difficult to talk to them directly as opposed trying to gauge their point of view through a screen (with or without the camera at times). By that token, though, it also depends on the requirements for the position and the amount of interaction necessary to perform one's duties. While it would be nice to save on the expensive commute to work, I do not like the idea of merging my relaxation station with my place of obligation. I also think that even if the position is something like technologically inclined that doesn't require much human-to-human interaction, working on group projects within the same file would be more manageable in my opinion with an unmediated, direct line of communication (face-to-face). Some jobs simply cannot be emulated or virtualized though, such as performing assays in a laboratory, or a surgical procedure on a patient. While we do find ourselves in a pandemic frame-of-mind at the current moment (or for some, not too long ago) it's important to continue to safely interact in physical environments not only to complete obligatory tasks in an onsite work environment, but also to establish healthy, meaningful connections with those that your work with.
I can completely understand how certain departments and professions have the ability to work remotely full-time and there are no ramifications with the job. I think Covid has certainly shown that tasks can still get done effectively without having to be in direct physical contact. Although it is not feasible with my current position, In a perfect world I like the idea of a hybrid environment. In a professional environment I have grown to appreciate the direct contact that is available when onsite that is not present even through a virtual meeting. Having the ability to be remote would certainly reduce the burnout factor. I think there is a certain comfortability that is induced when being in your own space. Being in the office can become draining so having the time between can make the workload appear more appealing. I think this is provides a healthy balance for individuals who have direct responsibilities to others such as a spouse or child, by creating a hybrid model there is still time to get away from the home and give individualistic time to an somewhere while still allowing them to have a life outside of their job. Now, especially many people are pursing a career where there's a healthy work-life balance and employers are being forced to take this into consideration.
Being a clinical laboratory scientist who has a focus on DNA analysis, I would say my job would be best served as a remote position. My job entails analyzing the data exported directly from genetic analyzers and then creating reports based on the data provided. This position doesn't require a presence on the bench and having someone with extensive hands on experience with the assays is a plus. In the era of COVID, having one less/unnecessary body in the lab is plus for managing outbreaks. The only con I can think of is the issue of immediate communication. When you need to get information out to the team and they are in a space where using your phone isn't an option, emailing someone may not help in the grand scheme of things. At times, it is just easier to run from the analysis hub to let your team know why something is getting repeated.
Being a clinical laboratory scientist who has a focus on DNA analysis, I would say my job would be best served as a remote position. My job entails analyzing the data exported directly from genetic analyzers and then creating reports based on the data provided. This position doesn't require a presence on the bench and having someone with extensive hands on experience with the assays is a plus. In the era of COVID, having one less/unnecessary body in the lab is plus for managing outbreaks. The only con I can think of is the issue of immediate communication. When you need to get information out to the team and they are in a space where using your phone isn't an option, emailing someone may not help in the grand scheme of things. At times, it is just easier to run from the analysis hub to let your team know why something is getting repeated.
In my current job role being completely work from home would be difficult seeing that I do have patients that come in for hands on treatment, but as far as data entry and computer work go those days could definitely be a work from home thing. Working from home allows you to be in a more relaxing environment where your ease of doing things is less restricted. The pros are definitely being able to get more done, being in a more relaxing environment, less monitoring, being able to wake up and get to work without long drives or having to plan an outfit. The cons can be that sometimes work is a little better in person and you can contact other associates easier in person than working from home.
