[pennsiveguy]

I design and build software, and run a consulting agency of a couple dozen other software people. Pre-COVID I was on-premises to varying degrees, depending on the projects I was working on and the clients' expectations; probably 70% on-premises, I would guess. I have a nice office at my apartment in the city, and I bought an extra monitor to give me some additional screen real estate. And a nicer chair, due to a rash of complaints from my ass. The office is important, to maintain a separation of work and personal time and head-space. Symbolic, but important.

I'm able to work remotely and be completely effective from a purely functional point of view. What's missing, being that there are no face-to-face interactions, are the bonds that I used to form with colleagues and co-workers. I really, really miss the water cooler conversations and the inside jokes and the camaraderie. I may be an introvert, but I'm far from a loner. I miss joking with the security guards and flirting with the cafeteria staff. I miss being able to stop by a teammate's cube or office and say "Hi" or "Did you read so-and-so's latest email? WTF? He needs to put down the crack pipe."