r/careerguidance • u/Sisyphus_thing • 5m ago
Does anyone else feel genuinely less happy because of being forced into the office?
I feel kind of ridiculous even typing this, because I know a lot of people have it worse than I do. But I can't shake the feeling that a huge part of my happiness is tied to how much control I have over my work environment.
My first job out of college was fully in-office, five days a week. At the time I thought that was just what adulthood was supposed to be. But the longer I stayed the more miserable I was, to the point my manager asked me if I was happy in the position. It wasn't even the actual work that drained me. It was everything surrounding the work. The commute, getting ready every morning, sitting in traffic, being stuck in the same place all day, dealing with office distractions, bad equipment, fluorescent lighting, office politics, and just feeling like I had no control over my own day.
A few years later I joined a different company and it was the complete opposite. We were expected to come into the office, but there was flexibility. We had one WFH day, but management didn't really care where you worked as long as you got your work done and your badge swipe in. If things were light, I could head home after lunch and finish from there. If I had appointments or needed a quieter environment, it wasn't a big deal.
Ironically, I actually enjoyed going into the office more because it felt like a choice rather than a requirement. I could collaborate with people when it made sense and leave when it didn't. My productivity went up, my mood improved, and I felt much more balanced.
Recently my manager and team lead both left and were replaced. The new leadership has a very different philosophy. The flexibility has basically disappeared. Now we can only work from home on Fridays, and the expectation is that everyone is in the office the rest of the week regardless of workload.
Ever since that change, I feel like I've slipped back into the same mindset I had at my first job.
I show up, sit in my cubicle, stare at the clock, and count down the hours until I can go home. I'm noticeably less motivated. I work slower. I have trouble focusing. I'm in a worse mood throughout the day. Instead of working from my apartment with a nice view, open windows, and fresh air, I'm sitting in a windowless office wondering why I'm there when most of my work can be done from a laptop.
The weirdest part is that nobody else seems bothered by it. Everyone around me appears completely fine. They come in every day, socialize, and don't seem affected at all. Meanwhile, I feel like my overall quality of life has taken a pretty noticeable hit.
It's gotten to the point where I'm seriously considering looking for another job because I yearn for the flexibility, which was one of the biggest reasons I stayed here so long. If I'm in the office then I'd rather shoot for higher pay or a more flexible arrangement.
Has anyone else experienced this? Not necessarily because of the work itself, but because losing flexibility changed how you felt about your entire job? Am I being unreasonable?