"My fintech job was WFH. I've joined a bank in the office instead"

efinancialcareers.com:

I'm a senior developer in the finance sector. I've spent several years working for fintech firms and am soon joining a major US bank. One of the reasons for my change is work from home: I don't like it. 

The fintech I worked for had a policy of asking everyone to work from home. When this was initiated, I asked if I could work in the office but my request was rejected. 

Remote work is not the way forward. It means longer hours, burnout, exposure to distractions. By comparison, the office is where creativity happens and colleagues interact spontaneously; you can't replicate that online. When you're stuck at home, you're susceptible to loneliness and isolation and become disconnected from the organization.

Decision makers understand this. They look at the global performance metrics and are against work from home (WFH). They know the numbers. They see the side effects, mental health issues and massive lack of innovation.

However, many senior decision-makers are also reluctant to abandoning the WFH policy, because it will affect the hiring process. It has become very, very hard to find good talent in big, expensive cities like London.

This is mistake on behalf of candidates. Work-from-office bias is real. I don’t have hard evidence, but most layoffs happen to WFH guys. And people with physical approximately to managers have a better chance of getting promoted. 

That's why I'm joining a bank that will expect me in the office more than three days a week.

Joseph Huffman is a pseudonym

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