XFH

Are you still working from home? Have you resisted the pressure from those who are trying to get you back to the office? 

I’ve reduced my hours again as I try to ease my way towards retirement. Now I find I spend most of my working time away from home, visiting people and going to events. The ‘other’ work I do from home. To be honest I don’t have much choice, I don’t have an office other than upstairs in what we euphemistically know as the playroom.

But what if I did? Would it still be tempted? In short, yes as there is always a need for people to come together. With a small team like ours at CyberNorth, a coffee shop or one of the university buildings will do, yet for larger organisations, something a bit more permanent may be required.

My view is, if you don’t recall, that there are three places you need to work: with your team; with your customer; anywhere else. Being with others accounts for two types of work and is an essential part of business. Was it Aristotle who said that ‘humans are social creatures’?

You only need to come together, however, to achieve things you can’t do apart. But what things are they? Learning about each other? Building relationships? Mulling over ideas? Helping to shape strategy? I guess you can do all of these online but it is not the same. There is a huge satisfaction in working together as part of a team. Was it Emmet who said that ‘everything is awesome when you are part of a team’?

This is the time of year when perhaps we feel the sense of camaraderie and sociability the most? As we approach the festive season, our thoughts turn to the Christmas night out, an opportunity to disgrace ourselves in front of our workmates with little consequence. But how does this work when you are working from home? You can hardly celebrate at the other end of a screen, we certainly tried during COVID. 

Xmas from home just won’t work. Now is the time to get amongst your colleagues and establish those social connections.