So my company is forcing everyone back to the office 3 days a week starting next month. I've been remote for 2 years and honestly I dont know how I'm going to handle this. My kids are 6 and 8, my wife works full time too. We finally got into a rhythm with pickup times and now I'm looking at 2 hours of commute time on those days. Anyone else dealing with this? How do you make it work?
That's rough. Two years of remote is a long adjustment, and going back feels like starting over. Just take it one week at a time and you'll find your rhythm again.
The commute is going to mess with your head at first, but think of it as reclaiming some morning time before you get home to the kids. It'll settle out.
I feel this in my soul. We went through the same thing at my company last year. Three days a week sounds reasonable on paper but it's the unpredictability that kills you. You lose the routine you built at home. Have you thought about trying to negotiate which 3 days at least?
That's rough man. The transition back was hard for me too when I had to ramp up from my remote schedule. What helped was setting firm boundaries on when I'm working and when I'm with the family. The office days were chaotic but I didn't let it bleed into the other stuff.
Three days still gives you flexibility though. Some guys in my office have it way worse with 5 days. Not trying to minimize what you're feeling but you still get 4 days to work from home right?
This sucks man. We've all gotten used to being home and now suddenly we're expected to just flip a switch. The kids are gonna hate the change too. I'd be looking for a different job honestly.
My company did the same thing last year. First month was chaos but we found a rhythm. Pro tip: use your remote days strategically for appointments and kid stuff if you can. Makes the transition easier.
Three days a week is brutal on the routine. That's basically half your weekday time just evaporating to commute and office politics. I'd be losing it too. Have you tried talking to your manager about flexibility?
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I feel you. Back to office for me starts in two weeks and I'm already stressed about the commute eating into family time. Been remote for three years so this is gonna be rough.