The Comfort of Virtual Invasion

Is working from home better than in the office? I doubt that.

My #1 concern would be the lack of human contact, productivity issue and the perks of professional resources more readily available in an office than from home.

Think about it, would your boss wanna speak with you always via a webcam or prefer to see you in person? How would you know you aren’t slacking off or having some crises that require other people’s assistance, like falling down the stairs or having technical difficulty with your copier? Would your co-workers find it easier to bond with you or to solve a problem more efficiently from a cold screen?   Besides, it’s just plain unhealthy to be stuck in front of a computer screen 24-7. Poor eyes!


With the exception of Silicon Valley dwellers, hermits, long-distance daily commuters or a ranger snowed-in deep at some remote no-where, I don’t believe web applications or video-conferencing alone can replace the work-place interactions.

Even if you’re an ultra-busy biz-man, you would still need to come in for meetings or have a cup of coffee with your clients. Think about all the camaraderie lost and generally the solitude of being with yourself, never venturing to brave the “outside” or feel the excitement in a hubbub atmosphere.


Why not compromise? Have them both? A blogger called camholder wrote: “I think it’s all about conditioning, so people who work from home occasionally is going to be less productive th(a)n people who do it regularly… they’ve picked up the discipline.” It’s all about the “work mode” mentality.


Yeah, who wouldn’t agree that a home environment is more soothing than an office setting, but to Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC’s technology correspondent, “it’s not really possible to work effectively from my kitchen, I need to be out seeing businesses, … need access to some technology … only f(ou)nd at work – like studios – and I need to work with colleagues, like picture editors who may not be so keen to come … to my place.”

Solution? Make the office more casual.

The Comfort of Virtual Invasion