12 Worst Realities of Working From Home People Don’t Tell You About

mom working from home with kids

After the global pandemic, thousands of people began working remotely, and many have never returned. While most don’t miss the commute, there are unspoken nuances to being home all day. Here are some unfortunate realities about working from home that no one discusses.

1. The Assumption That You Have the Day Off

“When you work from home, people assume you have the day off. ‘Can you do….’ No, I’m working. Even though I’m working on the computer at home, I am at work. People don’t seem to grasp the concept,” one replied.

2. Work From Home Can Easily Become Live at Work

Someone noted, “My aunt said this happened to her because of working from home. She loves it, but after getting promoted, her days quickly turned from 8:00-5:00 to 8:00-7:00 without even stopping to eat.”

3. You Miss That Natural Separation of Lives With Your Partner

Another explained, “When you and your partner both work from home, you miss that natural separation of your lives. Suddenly you have much less to talk about because you’re living your lives together more than previously.”

“Then it takes more active effort to maintain individuality and not regress into the singular relationship entity in all aspects of life, which isn’t healthy for anyone.”

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4. You Can Accidentally Become a Shut-In

“My wife works from home, and it seems like a very sedentary lifestyle. Sometimes, she doesn’t even have to get dressed,” one suggested. “I don’t know. If you’re already anxious or depressed, you can accidentally become a shut-in.”

5. Accidental Exercise

“I’m missing out on a lot of accidental exercises. I used to walk to the train station, then from the station at the far end to the office. Have a wander around at lunch,” said one. “Now, I walk from my bed to the shower, the shower to my office, the office to my man cave. If I had a Fitbit, it might get as high as 50 steps by lunch.”

6. You Feel Jailed

Someone alleged, “You feel jailed. You work in your house, you clean the house, you cook for the family in the house, and when everybody gets home from school and work, you are the only one who does not get to go outside. Nobody wants to come out with you because they were out all day.”

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7. You Don’t Get to Dress Up

“I miss wearing my nice work outfits,” admitted one. “The only reason I leave home is to pick up groceries, go to the gym, or go to church, so 80% of my wardrobe is going unworn. But I do NOT miss my two-hour round-trip commute, so I would never wear a pencil skirt again if it meant I had to go back to that traffic nightmare!”

8. It’s Lonely

“It’s lonely,” expressed another. “While I may occasionally be irked by a colleague here or there, I have a good group of supportive colleagues with whom I’m close friends and who help me get through the days that seem to drag on. You miss out on socialization and support when working from home.”

8. Your Power Bill Goes Up

Someone noted, “You’re using much more of your heating and electricity, and it’s costing more money.” “And Bandwith,” another added. “We had to go unlimited data when my wife started working from home and get zero compensation from the company.”

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9. Every Discussion Needs To Be Intentional

“Every discussion needs to be intentional,” one explained. “Forget about chance meetings in the hallway. Forget about casual lunches where you build relationships. Forget about contact with anyone outside of your immediate team.”

“None of that will happen without you trying to set up a time. If you don’t take the time to manage things, long-term working from home kills networking, culture, and camaraderie.”

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10. Lack of Motivation

One person expressed, “Work-from-home burnout is real. Lack of motivation. Why get up earlier than needed? Why get dressed in the morning if no one’s going to see me? Why brush my teeth? Why do anything?”

11. Planning and Preparing Meals

“I have to think and plan what I want to eat for lunch daily,” shared one. “When I’d go to the office, I’d usually go to the work canteen or a nearby restaurant for lunch. Now that I primarily work from home, I rarely go to restaurants for lunch and cook. On the positive side, I learned some new recipes.”

12. Difficult to Break Into a Team or Grow Your Career

Finally, one stated, “Having worked remotely for the last five years pre-COVID can confirm this can be a severe downside. Integrating yourself with a team is difficult because you’re never in the same room.”

“It causes all sorts of miscommunication and weird resentments over time. It also robs you of a lot of autonomy over your time and overall career trajectory.”

We hope you enjoyed this Reddit discussion of the unfortunate realities of working from home. This article is inspired by the internet and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Wealthy Nickel.

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