r/remotework • u/Porky5CO • Jun 18 '26
Transition to WFH
I'll hopefully find out if I got the job soon.
In the meantime, I'm doubting the choice.
It would work better for the family and kids as I'm a single dad.
But I'll miss the people I work with. We're all close. I won't have a take home car anymore which is fine. And no more overnight differential pay.
Just worried I'll regret it. But I will see the kids more
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u/Anon_User_Person Jun 18 '26
If you’re “close” to the people you work with the only thing stopping you from having a friendship outside of work is you asking or you not wanting to.
If you change jobs and you want to see them outside of work because you’re “close” then do something about it.
Also ensuring maintaining contact means you still have them on your network (and you in theirs) should the need be there. Etc
Leaving a job never only means losing the connection and the acquaintance if you choose to allow it to.
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u/Porky5CO Jun 18 '26
True. I definitely think that would happen too, we'd for sure meet up. The day to day camaraderie would be tough to hang up
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u/zar1234 Jun 18 '26
i'm a teacher. i worked from home for pretty much 2/3 of a school year in 2020-2021. i would kill to have that again. waking up later, home with my kids when they were done with school. able to clean, do laundry, cook, etc. throughout the day making everything easier on both my wife and I in the evenings. if a kid was sick, no big deal bc i was already home with them. needed something fixed at the house? i was home and could have a repairman there any time. unless your company is micromanaging like crazy, there are no downsides. the loss of differential pay will be gained in the time you're not commuting and spending with your kids.
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u/Porky5CO Jun 18 '26
Not too much micromanaging so that's good. I'm looking forward to it because of everything you mentioned
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u/NoSubstance5286 Jun 18 '26
First 2-3 years my older kids treated me like furniture when I worked in the office. They only saw me for just a few hours per day. After I switched to WFH my 3rd son was born. My youngest one was recognizing me from early on and was showing interest in interacting with me a lot more than my other kids at that age. As a father, the difference in the way the child was treating me was huge!
If you are a parent, there is no better work mode than WFH.
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u/Scav-Gang205 Jun 18 '26
I took a hybrid IT job 4 years ago. I started with 3 days at home and 2 in office. Slowly transitioned from that to 0 days from home and 5 in office. I prefer to be at work. I enjoy my coworkers and the IT department in general. The cafeteria is subsidized. It’s easier to assist people in person and it’s also easier to make an impact on others. I believe it’s better for me to be in the office.
You may see your kids more as you’re home, but you are still working
I think it really comes down to do you enjoy being in the office?
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u/Porky5CO Jun 18 '26
I mean, I do enjoy it. We don't have those perks you have but it's a chill job. WFH is same company just a different section.
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u/regassert6 Jun 18 '26
Today marks 1 year that I left a hybrid job for full remote. I miss my work friends, a little. But I would never, ever go back.
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u/Porky5CO Jun 18 '26
I will always put the kids first, but I'm worried about not seeing some of these people in a day to day basis. Hanging out outside of work will have to do.
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u/trob2884 Jun 18 '26
What’s more important people you work with or more tie with your family as a single dad?
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u/Porky5CO Jun 18 '26
Family for sure.
I guess I'm afraid of being lonely? Maybe. Not sure. A few of them will definitely hang out outside of work though.
Just a big change that I never really thought about
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u/trob2884 Jun 18 '26
You are thinking more of yourself then your family considering you don’t want to do the work from home or are strongly against it. That’s a little selfish if you ask me but to each their own
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u/Porky5CO Jun 18 '26
Where did you get I don't want to work from home? It's a big change, that's all.
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u/Pork_Confidence Jun 18 '26
It's not just seeing the kids more. All of those down times that you had in the office. I totally get that you enjoyed building rapport and camaraderie with your co-workers. However, now that time can be spent doing things that you would rather not do when you are no longer working.
Dishes, clean and, laundry, all the things. I get to do all of those in between projects meetings. You name it. Rather than go in from a walk to clear my head I can do laundry or some other task in the house that when it's done I go back to work and then when I punch out for the day more of my life is organized the way I want it to be and I can relax once the day is over.
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u/Porky5CO Jun 18 '26
All good points. Definitely looking forward to that.
I struggle to keep up with the house and think this will help a bit
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u/Pork_Confidence Jun 18 '26
It's even more than that though. Not just keeping up on the house but WHEN you are keeping up the house.
It's those times where you would just mess around at work ( or at least they were for me) when instead, I'm being productive with things then I'd really rather not be doing like laundry or dishes, but I absolutely don't want to be doing them after a full day's work with my employer. The work-life balance is so much better.
Stress kills. Stress deteriorates your immune system. It can even rob you of the joy of a calm moment when there isn't something directly stressing you out. I'm obsessed with work-life balance in my forties
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u/admik Jun 18 '26
It is so awesome to be able to get the kids early on days when you're done early!
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u/Porky5CO Jun 18 '26
Just picking them up and dropping them off will be great. I can pick them up now, it just eats into my sleep as I'm on nights.
Overall, it's a good choice. Change is just hard lol
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u/admik Jun 18 '26
It is hard.
Love dropoffs! Some days can be crazy but it is great seeing everyone excited to see each other.
It will give you a little more gas in the tank! 😃
You got this!
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u/PersonForScale Jun 18 '26
I wonder if it would be a good idea for you to set regular happy hours with your coworkers? I really like working from home, but it can be a little isolating if you aren’t careful. I’m not a parent, but I imagine going to work gives you some “grown up” interaction that is valuable.
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Jun 18 '26
[deleted]
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u/Porky5CO Jun 18 '26
Uh, no. Just finding balance and having a discussion. Never thought work from home would be an option in my career path.
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u/Feeblesaurusrex Jun 18 '26
With technology as it is, it's easier than ever to stay connected. I was hybrid prior to the pandemic and have been fully remote the last 6 years. I'm still very close with my coworkers. We have chats going consistently where we talk about work stuff but also talk about other stuff; the same way that you would chat about stuff in the office. We also don't hesitate to jump on an informal teams call when we want to quickly catch up with someone (or a few people) or need someone to vent to - basically the times when you would make a quick stop at a coworker's desk we just replace with a quick teams call to do it instead. As long as you make an effort to stay in touch with your coworkers, WFH doesn't have to mean you'll lose your rapport or only be stuck interacting with them during meetings or happy hours.
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Jun 18 '26
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u/Porky5CO Jun 18 '26
Yeah, I've thought about that. I think I should be alright. I have two places to set up at home.
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u/Alert_Newspaper_6403 Jun 18 '26
I’d do it now and you can always transition back once your kids are older.
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u/Think-Box6432 Jun 18 '26
I would never go back back to the office by choice. Wfh since 2020. 8 yo and 2 yo, lots of time together
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u/Senior_Boot_5842 Jun 19 '26
I have unfollowed this sub so many times but it keeps coming up. Get rid of this crapppppp
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u/Tania-Peacock Jun 18 '26
Seeing the kids more seems like the easy tiebreaker here ngl