I had to return to the office; Trips and childcare services were a nightmare

This test also told is based on a conversation with Christine Wong-Tai. It was published for duration and clarity.

I used to work for a health care company in New York, and it seemed that the organization had never understood remote work.

After-confort, when we were obviously working from a distance for two years, they said we had to start a gradual return to the office. At the beginning, they did not push it; They just talked about the advantages of returning to the office, saying it was better for collaboration and productivity.

Honestly, at that time, I really enjoyed the opportunity to get out of the house once a week and see my colleagues in person. It was a welcome break to be a mother of three children.

It was before they compulsory, and they were always flexible. But then my family moved home.

The return to the office every week made me stressed

We moved in 2022. At that time, I had three young children and we needed a larger house. We also wanted to be in an area where there were good schools. We moved from New York to the Hudson valley.

When we moved and my journey time doubled at an hour and 45 minutes, I felt differently. At first it was manageable because they did not ask for our return to the office. It was about once a month; I could work with my husband.

Then the organization climbed the requirement to four times a month. This is when tension and stress started. They started to follow the conformity while keeping an eye on if you have met your four times a month.

It was a logistics nightmare

Logistically, it has become very difficult to manage and my stress has skyrocketed. My husband worked on night quarters at the time, which complicated things more.

We had to hire aid for additional child care. It was not an attractive proposal for the guards, because it was just waiting for an hour or two for the buses of my children. It was also difficult to hire them.

Life has become a logistics nightmare, sailing different people, priorities and schedules. I did not see my children before leaving in the morning because they were still sleeping, and when I got home, I was too tired to focus on everything, including them.

Obviously, many parents navigate these things, but I found it so difficult to keep all balanced. I had to make a change and stop.

I left this work and now I work with pleasure at home

Since then, I have found an organization that corresponds to my needs to work flexible and remotely. I am currently 99% distant in my new job in computer leadership for a health care company.

My stress is broken; My productivity is through the roof. As a leader in my new position, I do not force my team members to enter the office. We still meet occasionally in person for special events.

I noticed that people are happier and more productive in my new workplace because they can work remotely.

For me, I receive four hours in my day. I also receive $ 600 per month in my bank account: the money I save on gas, train tickets and childcare. It’s huge. No wonder I am happier.