Corporate Life: My Journey from WFH Mom to On-Site Work

It’s been four weeks of navigating a new routine, environment, and work culture. 

I never thought I’d be working on-site again after almost 5 years of working from home. But, well, changes and challenges are fuel to our personal and professional growth.

And just like any changes, there’s excitement and the fear of what ifs- what if it won’t work out well? What if this isn’t the right choice? What if I can’t balance it with other personal priorities? And so much more.

Let me share with you a little glimpse of my journey as I go from being a work-from-home mom wearing pajamas all day to dressing up with an outfit for on-site work, and everything that happens in between. 

Preparing for new routines

Wake up at 3:00 am, travel to work at 5:00 am for 30-35 minutes via motorbike, and prepare for packed lunch the night before. 

These are some changes in my routine but they’re not the hardest.

My work starts at 6:00 am but I had to wake up 3 hours ahead so I’d have enough time to prepare without rushing.

As a breastfeeding mom to a toddler, one of the biggest adjustments I had to make in this new journey was partly weaning my child. 

My son is used to seeing me the moment he wakes up. He sees me 24/7 and can walk up to me anytime even if I’m working. So when I accepted the new opportunity to work on-site, I knew it would be difficult for both of us.

A week before I started at my new job, we had a sort of ‘’practice’’. I’d be out of the house during the daytime to run errands. My partner would introduce our son to drinking milk from a glass while I was away. 

Surprisingly, he took it very smoothly. I talked to him every day and told him how my day went, and I asked him how his day was as if he understood already.

Thankfully, he wasn’t crying out so much whenever I left the house so it turns out it wasn’t as difficult as we expected.

In fact, I was the one being a bit emotional about it. But as weeks passed, we started to get used to this new routine.

Every time I arrived home, he would be so excited to come to me again for nursing time. We’re on a journey of completely weaning him so we’re taking it one step at a time.

Revisiting the wardrobe

Thinking of what to wear was the first dilemma that came to mind when it dawned on me that I wouldn’t be working in my comfort home anymore. 

If you’ve worked from home, you would understand. 

There’s comfort in pajamas, ordinary shirts, messy hair, and we don’t worry about how we look.

Suddenly, that has changed. Good thing I had kept some work clothes the last time I decluttered my closet. I also didn’t want to buy new ones yet. 

I had a few decent enough outfits that I could mix and match in the meantime.

To avoid being stressed out in the morning looking for nice outfits, I get them ready the night before. I make sure my outfit is ready and my bags are prepped with everything I need.

If you’re like me who gets overwhelmed pretty easily, these simple things can get you stressed out, too. I don’t want that. 

I want to get to work feeling great and looking good. What I wear affects my mood at work so as much as possible, I wear clothes that make me feel confident and comfortable about myself.  

Learning to socialize again

Socialization? Small talks? How do I even do that after 2 years of only hanging out with my baby and my hubby? I mean I was so used to talking only to them often that I didn’t know how to strike up a conversation with adults anymore. Silly, I know but that’s for real.

Honestly, the idea of talking to new colleagues face-to-face again is quite daunting for me. But as much as I fear that my social anxiety will be triggered, I’m also very excited to meet and work with new people.

I didn’t want to force conversations and connections. So I allow myself to adjust, observe, and relearn how to initiate conversations in the most amiable way possible.

It’s not easy for introverts like me, let alone a mom who’s been in some sort of postpartum blues because she rarely has time to hang out after birth. But it’s also not something to overthink about.

After all, genuine connections and work relationships come naturally as we get to know people through time.

Conclusion

These past four weeks I’ve come to realize that, just like working from home, there are still perks and good things about on-site work, too. 

For one, I get to enjoy the company of my new colleagues. Another is I get to focus on my work since the environment is designed for productivity, helping me become more efficient and avoid unnecessary distractions.

On this new path, there will be more to learn and discover. 

I haven’t completely settled in with my new role and new tasks but I stand firm with my mantra that ‘’Everything is Figure-outable’’.

The culture in my new workplace is very different from the previous offices I have worked in— they are unique in a positive way. 

The welcoming ambiance of the office and the unique culture is probably why my transition to working on-site is seamless. 

I’ll be sharing more about my experience and journey with them in my upcoming blogs. 

A new journey often leads to new growth opportunities– it may be scary at first but we’ll never know if we can or we can’t until we take the leap of faith and not allow ourselves to be stuck in the what-if stage.

I’m curious about you, what new path or journey are you ready to embark on?