Sample Essay: Would You Rather Work From Home or in an Office?
Would You Rather Work From Home or in an Office?
I would rather work from an office. There are many reasons why working from an office, for me, provides a better working environment, which I will demonstrate in this essay.
When working, it is important to be surrounded by people which act as a source of inspiration, as well as motivation. Working from home to me is synonymous with working from a zone of comfort. It is very easy to be distracted, at home, by parents, a partner, or even a pet. Being at home can also lead to procrastination. I have a TV and a laptop at home and can easily secede from the temptation of doing things other than working. This is the primary reason why being in an office when working, allows for better professional results. It is important to work in an environment that fosters constant motivation and incentive. An office is a social space. There are other individuals, colleagues, co-workers, and supervisors, who are present, all working for the same company, or project, and therefore, have a similar objective. It is precisely this social environment that, for me, acts as a driving source of motivation. Co-workers work together, feed off each other’s energy, and sometimes even infatuate an aura of competition, which are all effective in facilitating my willingness to work harder, and more effectively.
The second reason why working in an office is better for me has to do with routine. I think it is very important to have a routine, regular breaks and mealtimes, and a time for exercise. Working in an office means that waking up early and on time is a prerequisite. If I were to work at home, I would be tempted to stay in bed for longer and waste precious working hours. It is important to get the juices flowing right from the early morning in order to set yourself up for the day. In order to illustrate this point, I will delve briefly into my personal day routine: When I wake up, I do some physical exercise and go downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. I have to do this in a timely fashion because I then need to get dressed and leave the house to actually get to my office. All of this is a part of a routine that triggers a sense of urgency, crucial for working effectively and productively. Indeed, I arrive at the office at 9 am and leave at 5 pm, which means I have a limited amount of time to get my work done. This framework is ideal because it means I have to organize my day through the implementation of a schedule, which usually involves a list of checkpoints. This sense of urgency is what pushes me to complete the day’s tasks before the workday ends. It is also what prevents me to allow or make room for any kind of procrastination.
There are 5 people who work in my office. We have been working together for over 5 years, so we have a sense of camaraderie and professional synergy which is crucial for the good functioning of any company. When we arrive at the office, at 9, we usually have a coffee together and talk about menial things, which can range from our social life to current affairs. This initial social experience allows me to delve into my workload with a good attitude and a generally positive feeling. It is important to maintain good social relationships with colleagues and to make sure everyone is doing okay both personally and professionally. The morning coffee is also a good moment to go over the day’s objectives so that everyone is clear on what they have to be doing. Working in an office, surrounded by colleagues also helps to take the edge off. In my personal experience, it is moments of humorous exchange which are crucial in allowing for the maintenance of a positive attitude in the workplace. Sometimes, when work gets intense, hard, or challenging, it is simply having colleagues around for moral and professional support which helps overcome any hardship.
When I finish work in the evening, I sometimes go out for dinner and meet friends. Working in an office means that the workday is clearly defined and that leisure, or time for oneself, can also be included as part of a day’s structure or routine. It is important for me to find time for myself every day, and I usually go out after work to do that. If I were working from home, I would be less inclined to leave the house, because being in a zone of comfort is very alluring, and finding the motivation to leave, for nonessential reasons can become harder. I try to stay outside after work for a few hours, as I think it is important to have a fulfilling social life.
In conclusion, I would rather work in an office for a multitude of reasons. The sociality of office life provides a good working environment and allows me to perform well in my work. Working from home can lead to a lack of motivation, and the constant threat of procrastination is always lurking. As Stephen Covey writes in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: ‘To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions.’ (Covey 12)
Bibliography:
Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Simon & Schuster UK Ltd., 2020.
