FlexJobs thought it would be interesting (and yes, funny!) to take some of the items mentioned on the list and show what happens when you apply them to those who have a remote job. Here are just 10 of the outrageous things that happen when you work in a regular office—and what happens to those same situations when you work from home.
1. “You fall into one of two camps: the people who are always freezing, or the people who are constantly hot.”
When you work from home:
You control the thermostat—always. You can have it as cool or as toasty warm as you would like. That is, until your oil bill comes in and you decide layers aren’t such a bad thing after all.
2. “You will feel intense hatred toward anyone in your office who comes to work sick. Then put on your bravest ‘I feel great!’ face when you yourself come into work sick.”
When you work from home:
You never, ever have to worry about sick coworkers. The worst thing your colleague can do is “Achoo!” via IM. Your kid coming home from school with a runny nose and fever is another story, though….
3. “At some horrifying point, you will hear one of your coworkers fart (or worse, poop in the bathroom!), and you’ll have to continue on with life as if nothing has changed.”
When you work from home:
Bathroom activity is restricted to you and you alone.
4. “Regardless of your relationship status, you will develop a work crush.”
When you work from home:
You might start liking the sound of your colleague’s voice during your weekly Skype meetings, but it is almost impossible for a workplace crush to form or blossom, especially if you live in Miami and your workplace crush lives in Minnesota.
5. “You will either be the fiscally responsible adult who brings lunch to work every day, or the person who knows every takeout place by heart.”
When you work from home:
More than likely you will be raiding your fridge looking for last night’s lasagna instead of getting takeout delivered to your door.
6. “You’ll gain five pounds from all of the birthday cookies, cupcakes, and cake that’s floating around.”
When you work from home:
Actually, this one is still possible. Try to be disciplined about snacking and to get some exercise when you work from home, or you could start adding on pounds. One easy idea is (since there are no colleagues to judge) set an alarm for a few times throughout the day where you have to do some push ups, jumping jacks, run up and down stairs, or stretch.
7. “You’ll put one personal thing in your office drawer, and one day open it up and realize that you now live out of that drawer.”
When you work from home:
It can be hard to keep your work life and your personal life separate, especially when they reside under one roof. The key is to keep your home office strictly a place of work and only personalize it with a few special items. Extra candies, aspirin, and tons of framed photos of your kids? Keep them in their place in the house and not in your home office.
8. “You will have REALLY bad days where you end up fantasizing about setting things on fire.”
When you work from home:
Sure, you might have your occasional off day, but unless you have an excellent fire insurance policy on your pad, you won’t dare think to light a match.
9. “You will know every single detail of your coworkers’ personal lives, whether they know it or not.”
When you work from home:
While learning how to communicate when you work from home is important, you’ll learn that you don’t have to communicate everything (such as the fight you had with your spouse) to your coworkers. Being face-to-face allows for a more personal connection with your colleagues, but working from home can give you some much-needed personal privacy.
10. “Simple pleasures, like casual Fridays or free lunch Wednesdays, will make you happy to an almost irrational point.”
When you work from home:
Let’s face it: when you telecommute, every day is a casual Friday—or a sloppy Saturday—depending on your choice of office attire. The point of casual Fridays is to be relaxed, and working from home automatically creates a more relaxed, happier work environment—every single day.
If you’ve worked in a regular office, you’ll laugh at all of the funny insights in the BuzzFeed article. And then, when you realize that you don’t have to deal with any of those issues anymore working from home, you’ll become a more grateful and happier telecommuter!
Jennifer Parris
FlexJobs Career Writer