Home or Office?

A debate since 2022 about employees working from home has been media 'click-bate'. Whether it's moaning about civil servants or IR35 its something that is current. I'm not one to judge individuals, nor companies (that would be against my logic), what I can shout about is myself, how this works for me. Having run a successful design studio in London from 2004 – 2016 when working from home was not a consideration, I can see logic on both sides: • Working from an office brings structure and companionship, the ability to discuss ideas over a coffee and to reflect on the latest round of TV shows, to have a lunch break and to do some shopping during that precious hour or on the way home.

• Working from home brings travel reduction, better work/life balance. No train delays, no coming home wet after the brolly implodes in London Bridge, no missing children's bed or bath time

For me working from home is not any different from working in my own studio (except I'm not paying anyone else's mortgage or South Eastern's share holders). In London I rarely met up with clients, I rarely had meetings (budgets were too tight), I was sent briefs by email and any problems we'd discuss on the phone, (some of our clients weren't just not in England some were not even in the UK). So working from home for me has had twelve years of remote experience. My self employed attitude (having been on my own since i was 26yo) means that I don't watch daytime TV, I don't wonder off in the day to see friends. If I did I may miss a deadline or miss an email and that is my reputation. I sit in my office, all day every day. Self employed don't get written or verbal warnings, they just don't get further business. I work with several other people who subcontract to me, they too have a home-office. I think it's important that working from home includes a separate office space and permanent hardware set ups, a kitchen table and laptop looks quite unprofessional in video meetings and a separate room creates a discipline. That said, I also have office space in my home town and London, just in case. So, thoughts? – let me know.