I work remotely, so if I don’t want to see anyone for a week at a time, that’s a pretty attainable goal. Generally speaking, this means if I found social contact in some senses uncomfortable or boring or loathsome, I would easily be able to avoid participating. Regular office work seems anathema to this idea. The way from anxiety is through anxiety, and as you make friends along the way, you continually prove your social skills.
With the idea that remote work fundamentally allows you to act in whichever ways you like, where office work is more contained, I want to examine some pros and cons to both types of work. I’ve worked both very in-office and very remote. Understanding the differences is key to figuring out what and who you’d like to be.
Let’s start off this analysis by talking about the pros and cons of in-person work. For better or worse, in-person work tends to be more pleasurable because it’s a more full human experience. You don’t really make friends without seeing people and reading their body language. In person work also encourages people to be more themselves. However, in-person work can be inconvenient (commute), may make you feel watched, can cost money, and requires a level of professionalism more visible.
Remote work is the inverse of in-person work, because it feels less personal, you can focus more on the underlying tasks. This means you’re probably more productive, but you’re not as social. I think overall, remote work can work once you get to know your colleagues, but can be hard to adjust to.
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