# If it took only a short time to travel between your home and workplace, would you be more or less likely to work from home?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [November 12, 2024, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129 "2024-11-12T05:02:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/1 "2024-11-12T05:02:33Z")
If didn’t take long for you to get to work and you were offered the choice, would you be:
_Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/1))_
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### Author:  [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/2 "2024-11-12T10:53:55Z")
I’ve worked from home since 2019 (an actual benefit of COVID). If I lived next door to my work place, I would still work from home.
Working from home is much, much better. Micro managers don’t like it too much though. Too bad for you.
Currently, it’s about a 40 minute drive.
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### Author:  [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/3 "2024-11-12T11:17:31Z")
I hate working from home, it is lonely and I value the social aspects of work.
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### Author:  [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/4 "2024-11-12T11:19:13Z")
For me, it’s not the length of the commute but the quality of the work space and ease of accomplishing my responsibilities.
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### Author:  [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/5 "2024-11-12T11:30:30Z")
I am 10 minutes from where I work and have the option to work home whenever I want. I am leaving for the office now, I don’t like staying at home all day working because its not too tempting not to work and things don’t get done. Also I much prefer face to face time with wy coworkers, instead f the impresonal communication you get through IM chatting.
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### Author:  [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/6 "2024-11-12T12:07:08Z")
I live 4.6 miles from where I worked (I’m still technically employed, but am about to be laid off). I was one of the few folks who went into the office every day. Some folks didn’t come in due to commute time, but most just preferred to work from home.(some like to work odd hours). I liked the work/life separation, and the office was almost as quiet as home, and I had a great view overlooking the Mississippi River (bald eagles are not uncommon). I also had two monitors at work and only one at home.
Brian
(folks are now supposed to be in the office 3 days a week unless they live \> 40 miles from the office. Though it isn’t hard to get an excuse)
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### Author:  [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/7 "2024-11-12T12:31:58Z")
Easy 6 minute 4 mile commute for me. (Maybe 8 if I miss the lights.). I stay home except for parts of 2 days/week when I’m leading conference calls/meetings. My wife doesn’t want/need to hear that.
Office is a ghost town anyway. Space for 600 with max of 5 folk in on any day…
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### Author:  [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/8 "2024-11-12T12:35:53Z")
Retired, but thinking back, I’m pretty sure I couldn’t work from home successfully. In my engineering jobs, definitely not. I often was asked to deal with issues that required me to see what the problem was (pictures wouldn’t have helped) and talk to the people who needed me to deal with the problem.
Then after my first retirement when I was working as a drafter, I needed to interface with the engineers and it would have been ridiculously time-consuming to do that over the phone or via messaging. Plus, again, actually seeing what needed to be seen from whatever angles I needed…
I’m pretty sure it’d be much too tempting to slack off at home, knowing me as I do. I suppose I might chose to stay home for some other type of job, but it never would have worked for what I did do.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/9 "2024-11-12T12:42:54Z")
> [@scudsucker](#):
>
> I hate working from home, it is lonely and I value the social aspects of work
My gf saves 2 1/2 hours driving every wby working from home. She goes into the office once every two weeks, getting the social aspects that way. The dogs love that she stays home, and she gets way more done.
I work ~nine minutes away, but my job couldn’t be done at home.
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### Author:  [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/10 "2024-11-12T12:47:22Z")
I didn’t know how to vote, because I live less than 2 miles from my official office, and I work 100% from home.
The thing that would make me a little more likely to go to the office would be walls. A cube. An office. SOMETHING. My office is an open office environment, and I struggled there before we started working from home.
I’m much more productive, and much happier, without going there.
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### Author:  [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/11 "2024-11-12T12:54:39Z")
My company had a strict WFH policy until the vax became available but, once we were permitted, I went in as often as possible, but that’s because I could get there by bike in 20 minutes.
Though return to office wasn’t a mandatory thing, there was a very consistent population who came in (people I had never met before (it’s a large company)) voluntarily. The building was also a lot of very large, hot-desking workspaces so obviously that environment wasn’t a deterrent to many of us.
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### Author:  [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/12 "2024-11-12T15:36:11Z")
It takes me about 15 minutes to get to work. I would not want to work from home on a regular basis. I need to get out of the house. I love my house, but to be there every day, all day sounds so depressing. I’ve been working at my current job for over 30 years. It’s easy and usually stress-free. I go home when I’ve finished my work so I’m usually home by 1 or 2. I don’t work on Fridays anymore. Easy-Peasy
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### Author:  [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/13 "2024-11-12T16:35:21Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#):
>
> staying at home all day working because its not too tempting not to work and things don’t get done.
Definitely less distractions in the orifice (well, except for this _one_ message board!) but I will work later when I’m working from home since I don’t have a commute to make.
> [@TRC4941](#):
>
> I need to get out of the house. I love my house, but to be there every day, all day sounds so depressing.
I do get out every day, even the day I was knocked on my ass with Covid I got a short walk in.
There’s a large parking garage not too far away, on really rainy days I can walk/run in there & still stay dry. Nothing sucks more than cold, dark & wet out.
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### Author:  [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/14 "2024-11-12T17:22:12Z")
I have the option to work from home, but I don’t do it very often as I prefer going in. I have a short bike ride to work which makes going in easy (during the nicer months, I’ll often ride home for lunch). If I had a long commute, I might work from home 1-2 days a week.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/15 "2024-11-12T17:29:30Z")
I found the question difficult to ponder when framed this way, but insofar as I would probably prefer to work from home instead of a _long_ commute, I suppose it stands to reason that I would be more prepared to forgo that if the commute is short.
That’s still ‘more prepared’ in the sense of ‘would still prefer not to’. Since COVID, the notion of spending all day in a closed, poorly-ventilated room with dozens of humans (who are there because they have to be, not because they feel well enough) really doesn’t appeal.
(Fortunately, it’s a moot point; I work for me, so my commute takes place on a few yards of carpet)
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### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/16 "2024-11-12T17:33:39Z")
Given the choice, I’m always going to work from home, especially since I have a sleep disorder.
There would have to be a compelling reason for me to choose to work in office, even if it were only a short distance away. If we’re talking only something like 4 minutes’ walk, though, then maybe - but even then I have to dress up, and I like being in pajamas at home.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/17 "2024-11-12T17:43:23Z")
I’ve worked from home since 1999 so I’d probably dig going in to work if it was really close. Just for something different.
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### Author:  [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/18 "2024-11-12T19:07:36Z")
Definitely less likely to work from home. I like work, free coffee and soda, nice people, easier to communicate, and I had a door to my office to let me focus. The worst thing about working away from home was the commute.
We also had very flexible hours, so if I overslept I could check my mail while eating breakfast and go in late - no one would care.
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### Author:  [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/19 "2024-11-12T19:16:17Z")
Pre-COVID, I had my own office in the building. I went in every day even though I could WFH 100% if I wanted. Post-COVID, everything is now open office. Since it’s open office and I hate open office environments, I only go in if it’s absolutely necessary or mandated. It wouldn’t matter if the building was right next door, I wouldn’t go in because I can’t really work efficiently in an open office environment.
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### Author:  [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2024, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-took-only-a-short-time-to-travel-between-your-home-and-workplace-would-you-be-more-or-less-likely-to-work-from-home/1010129/20 "2024-11-12T19:18:21Z")
I don’t mind going to my office, except that I have long and tiring commute, so if I lived closer I would definitely go in more often.
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