Róisín Ingle: The thought of ‘back to the office’ brings me out in hives

Back in the days when – in what I still consider a human rights violation – I was forced to wear a grey skirt, white shirt and a red jumper from Monday to Friday I had the same fantasy at this time every year: This back-to-school time things would be different.

I would lay out my human-rights-contravening clothing, aka my school uniform, neatly the night before. I would not sleep in. I would clean myself properly each morning. I would eat a healthy, nutritious breakfast involving grapefruit.

I would arrive in plenty of time for the Dart to school. When I got to the classroom, early of course and smelling of apple soap, I would choose a seat right under the nose of the teacher. I would shut up and listen. I would be good.

Every September I believed fervently in this fantasy. And for a day, or maybe two, the dream would be real.

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Looking back it seems clear that telling myself to stick to a healthy, life-enhancing school routine was a bit like telling a dervish not to whirl or asking a tornado to please not spin. Within a week I’d be arriving late, sitting down the back of the class, wearing a crumpled uniform, with sleep in my eyes and mischief on my mind. I did not shut up. I was not good.

Not once in six years of secondary school did I turn up for double maths with Miss McComiskey smelling of apple soap. This was probably because I never owned a bar of apple soap. It was a fantasy, remember?

Challenging

Show me the girl at 14 and I will show you the woman. Back in the days when offices were a thing, I found getting from my home to the office extremely challenging in almost exactly the same way I used to struggle with going to school. It feels safe to admit this now since I haven’t had to get myself out of the door for work for over 500 days.

For many people, the daily task of getting out of bed, washing, dressing in something vaguely presentable and travelling to a building designated for work and interaction with other humans does not represent a struggle.

To others reading this, the struggle is real. When the Taoiseach said last week that by September 20th people could start “getting back to the office”, I’ve no doubt that many office-based workers shrugged and thought about how pleasant it would be to make small talk with colleagues over coffee in the office kitchenette again. The rest of us were shocked and appalled.

I don’t mind admitting the thought of “getting back to the office” brings me out in hives. It wasn’t a coincidence that when choosing a place to live, back when buying a house was a reasonable aspiration for young working people, proximity to the office was key. I only live 2km from where I used to be an office worker. It’s only a 27-minute walk for this very slow walker. A 10-minute cycle.

But despite this proximity, getting there still became a daily ordeal because I am the same person I was back when I could not cope with getting to and staying in school.

Better person

I’ve conducted a highly unscientific audit on my own current working remotely situation, and decided that overall I am a better person out of the office. A better employee. A better colleague. A better mother. A better partner.

This is a completely biased self-assessment which may not wash with employers who, in fairness, might not count “is she a better mother/partner?” as relevant, but it’s the truth as I see it.

Of course, there are many people who were never allowed to leave their workplaces during the pandemic, and who will never have that choice. All the workers who served us so well in hospitals and nursing homes, in supermarkets and on public transport through lockdown and after lockdown. For all the frontline heroes in customer-facing jobs there will be no conversations about where to work.

But in workplaces where there is a choice, where people can work just as effectively from anywhere other than the office, there are now huge conversations to be had.

Office-based employers are grappling with how to cope with the hybrid, remote working, working from anywhere, post-pandemic vista. In doing so they must decide how important employee satisfaction, happiness and empowerment is to their overall bottom line.

Employers who before the pandemic did not think workers would perform well at home have had to re-evaluate their thinking. Productivity did not take a nosedive just because everyone went home with their laptops.

Before the pandemic many employers who were opposed to remote working clearly did not have much faith in their employees. They have learned they can trust them now. The question is, what do they do with that trust?

Networking

“Working From Anywhere” is not for everyone. Some people are energised by the routine and camaraderie of the office. And there are conversations to be had about making sure younger employees starting out do not miss out on networking and mentoring opportunities.

These issues can all be factored in when it comes to imagining the new working world. I just hope in cases where work and life in general is proving better for employees away from the office, those workers won’t be forced back.

This is a time of great opportunity. A time to reinvent all the archaic, patriarchal work structures that were invented in another era.

And whatever happens next, the notion that things will go back “to normal” is as much a fantasy as my still non-existent bar of apple soap.

roisin@irishtimes.com