I Quit My Job Rather Than Return To The Office

Because I actually enjoyed going there

Photo of the author by the author

I finally handed in my resignation after a year of pandemic-induced full-time working from home. I calculated the timing so I would never return to the office despite my long notice period.

Yet, I wasn’t driven by a hatred of the office environment. It was the opposite. Before the pandemic, I was mostly happy with my work-life balance. I could work from home a couple of days if I wanted to but I went into the headquarters because I wanted to be there.

But something happened while I was forced to be home. I managed to build significant side hustles, and the temptation to work for myself grew stronger and stronger, leaving me with a difficult decision to make. Go my own way, or go back to the old way? The idea of leaving the job I’d had for nearly 7 years was terrifying, yet equally exciting. I knew I had to make the decision soon. If I went back to the office, I’d fall back to my comfort zone, and it would become even harder for me to take the leap. I’d get wrapped up in busyness, and then my opportunity would fade away in the background.

In the end, I quit because I wanted to avoid sleepwalking into regret. It wasn’t easy, and the stress tormented me into sleepless nights, but I think I made the right decision.

I knew what I was giving up

Despite being an incredibly unpopular opinion on the internet, I’ll miss the office. I wonder how much of this is selection bias, where those most likely to comment online are those most likely to prefer the virtual world to the real one.

My commute was my daily ritual where I was forced to rest. My 20 minutes on the London Underground in the morning was where I could lose myself in a good fiction book. I know others have impressive pandemic morning routines, but I suspect many are like me, who roll out of bed and start working straight away.

I’ll miss going for a morning coffee and catching up with my colleagues. I liked having other human beings around me and sharing ideas throughout the day. Sure, sometimes it was mindless chatter, but I’m not a robot, and I need that in my day. I’ll miss the spontaneity of random after-work drinks without a Zoom…