No matter how liberating it is to work remotely, I'm sure most Workshifters would agree that we all have those days where we long for the traditional official environment. Whether it's the unannounced "drop-ins" from family and acquaintances during business hours, or the added pounds around the waistline as a result of coffee shop food, sometimes the office just seems like it would make everything better.

I realize that this is a typical "grass is always greener" scenario - after all, for each one of the points below it would be easy to craft a counter argument for Workshifting. Nonetheless, in my moments of Workshifting weakness, here's what makes me long for the office:

1. Missing out on the watercooler chats and updates from coworkers lives. Same goes for the meeting before and after the meeting. Sure, social media can make up for these conversations, but it's just not the same as catching up on each other's lives in person.
2. The body language cues during meetings. Let's face it - conference calls can be a huge pain. Next to making sure you can understand everyone clearly and trying to make out who exactly is talking, we're missing out on all the "between the lines" stuff that's going on. Not being able to see people's reactions during meetings can be a huge disadvantage.
3. Being able to access files instantaneously instead of waiting on slow server downloads and dealing with finicky VPN connections.
4. Unexpected client drop-ins at the office. Those unscheduled visits by clients and vendors are huge relationship builders and pretty rare when you're Workshifting on the road.
5. The 11th hour cram sessions where everyone in the office is working together to get a project done on time. That energy is hard to replicate when you're sitting at home or among strangers in a coffee shop.
6. Having an IT person to rely on to fix those crazy computer issues that pop up.
7. Office potlucks. Sitting at home in your bathrobe and noshing on some brownies just isn't the same.  
8. Listening to "Morning Edition" and "All things Considered" on the drive to and from work. I really miss the commuting time to catch up on the day's events and wind up and down from work.
9. Those late Friday afternoons when everyone is crashing and just longing for the weekend to start.

What about you? Do you have these "grass is always greener" moments?

Photo Credit: Stewf