I was just thinking about this today, in terms of just the breathtaking amount of work I have accomplished in he past year. With lockdown drawing to a close, I wanted to go on-record for some of the benefits I have observed personally. Here are a few key benefits I have experienced since working remotely, which has lead to my producitvity skyrocketing.
Ability to Iterate and Test New Technology
When we decided to rull an OS update to our users in 2020 during Covid lockdown, people thought we were crazy. But they didn't understand: every decent IT engineer either has a lab at home for VM operation, or other test environment. Me? I had my own test Intune tenant in the cloud, and my own SCCM server with test Endpoints of my own, to validate new OSD Task Sequence deliverables from our MSP. Having my own lab and not having to live in the office 12 hours a day, for such a large and rapid rollout, improved my quality of life tendfold. Working remotely in my isolated lab also allowed me to catch and intercept issues related to the OSD overhaul of that project, further saving time. And with our always-on VPN available during 2020, sending new replacement laptops to remote workers for a swap to their updated OS and apps -- became a minor issue. I couldn't have done a managed rollout that quickly, without a lot of long and late hours at work. We're talking many after-hours OSD and Task Sequence and Autopilot testing. Remote Work made that rollout happen faster than it ever could have, otherwise.
Health and Distraction-Management
Also my health has improved, likely becuase my treadmill desk got a lot more use! There is probably something to be said about having less anxiety and stress, when working from home, too. But with a busy home with children in it, I realize that may not always be the case.
I personally have a few Neurodiverse friends who work in tech, and they have always faced many challenges in the workplace. Those friends and colleagues saw immediate soaring in productivity, especially my friends with ADHD.
Commute as a Remote/Hybrid Worker
Before this shift toward remote work, I used to start my days by battling a 45 to 60 minute commute, each way, for a total of 1.5 to 2-hours total drive time. And I only live 14 miles away from work in Dallas, Texas. Navigating congested highways and unpredictable traffic is a fact of life, but the flexibility to manage that commute (and not have it on some days) is a huge gain for any technical Knowledge Worker. By the time I arrived at the office I was already tired and, frankly, way less focused than I wanted to be. Since we’ve implemented more flexible remote policies, that stress has all but disappeared. I begin remote work each day refreshed, working in a quiet environment that allows me to tackle architecture design projects, deployments, and solution-testing with renewed clarity.
What surprised me most was how much more time I’ve gained: time I now spend refining complex infrastructure plans, rather than sitting in a car. I can quickly hop on a video call with my team, troubleshoot configuration issues, or integrate new technologies into our environment without the distractions of office hustle and bustle. My productivity and morale have soared, and becuase (right now, anyway) my employer values results over physical presence, I’m more engaged in my work and feel trusted as a professional. As a result, I’m delivering better designs, faster turnaround times, and more thoughtful input on strategic initiatives.
When I do visit the office on those select days—usually for critical hardware installations or major rollout events—I’m not burnt out when I arrive. Instead, I’m focused and prepared, making those on-site hours far more productive than they were before. Remote work hasn’t just changed where I do my job; it’s fundamentally improved how well I do it, and that’s made all the difference.