6 Things We Miss About Being In The Office

 It feels like day 94,367 of lockdown – even if restrictions are set to be easing up. If you’re homeschooling your kids, you’ve probably taken more “in service days” than you can count and, if it’s just you and your partner in the house, you’ve probably started cataloguing every single irritating habit they have. Either way, you’re probably just desperate for the pubs to re-open. We never thought we’d be saying this … But we miss the office. Seriously, we miss the terrible, overcrowded commute, the printers that don’t work and the overpriced city centre lunch because you forgot to make a sandwich … Again. More than anything, we miss our colleagues. When you spend eight hours a day with someone, they kind of grow on you. Here are just some of the things that we miss the most whilst working from home. Buying a coffee It just doesn’t taste the same at home, does it? We’ve tried fancy pods, whipped coffee, iced drinks … It’s just not the same as handing over your hard earned for a soy milk skinny latte with an extra shot. The smell of the coffee shop; the queue of other weary commuters; the sheer willpower it takes to not buy a pastry. At home, no one can see you raid the biscuit tin as you dunk into your fourth coffee of the day. Having a proper workspace Unless you’ve actually committed to a proper desk and computer chair, you’ve probably developed “home workers spine” from trying to prop your screen up on a stack of unread books (not even lockdown is helping you tackle that to-do list) whilst slogging it out each day on a hard backed dining table chair. It hurts. It really hurts. The office buzz It makes you really motivated and, hear us out, excited to work when you can see all your colleagues cracking on with their day, too. Maybe you’re bouncing ideas off each other; maybe someone has got their Spotify on; or maybe you’re all simply chatting to clients and having a good day. You can’t quite capture that spirit at home, which makes giving yourself a pep talk a must for each day. Chatting to colleagues Blowing off steam; home décor ideas; holiday plans; last night’s binge watch. We spend more time with our co-workers than we do with our spouses, so it’s only natural that you miss being able to talk to them on the regular. Whilst you can always catch up via video call or WhatsApp, it’s not quite the same as those spontaneous chats at your desk. Cake in the kitchen Chances are, it’s someone’s birthday (or new baby, or anniversary, or day ending with a Y) and there is cake in the kitchen. You don’t feel guilty about it – what’s one slice with your afternoon cuppa? But at home … If you buy a whole cake, you’ll have to eat the whole cake. Lockdown has a lot to answer for when it comes to our waistlines. Actual routine It sounds sad, but the days really are all morphing in to one (whether you’re working or on furlough) and we kind of miss the clearly defined work days / weekend split. Staying up late binging on Netflix or trying to bribe your kids into leaving you alone whilst you plough through endless Zoom calls has lost its appeal … Especially when you’re doing it seven days a week. What do you miss most about your office? Our teams are all still available to chat to our clients and candidates on a regular basis. In the meantime, stay safe and well.