Working from home changed my life

WFH changed my life. It helped me become a father I would have never been when working from an office.

It's funny. I was always an office-first person.
I still am. I work 2-3 days on-site because I prefer to.

Yet thanks to the lockdown, I could fully experience what it means to be a present parent—something I couldn't do in pre-COVID times.

Paternity leave in Poland is two weeks. You can take another week or two of PTO, and then you have to return.

This is what happened to me three years ago. But because our daughter was born during a total lockdown, I returned to work which apparently became fully remote.

It was hell-hard. I survived only thanks to noise-canceling headphones. And thanks to my wife, who kept our daughter engaged and quiet when I had meetings.
Actually, half of them I did from my car to guarantee privacy (e.g., during 1:1s or interviews).

But the most important thing from that time is this. 👉 I was there for my daughter. I changed diapers, sang lullabies, applied medications, and did baby massages.

I unloaded my wife whenever I could. All these helped me build a strong connection with my daughter until today. I did something I couldn't even imagine after returning to 8hrs at the office + another 2 of commuting per day.

And no, even though sometimes I got distracted, I kept delivering on the highest level. I met all my objectives, often over-delivered, and kept my team performing high.

By the way - I face a similar level of distraction at the office (people being loud, visiting a kitchen, taking breaks, etc.).

WFH during lockdown was a gift for me.
It's still my wife doing an AMAZING job, but thanks to remote work, we could split our parenting activities 30/70 rater than 10/90.

Many researches are proving the value of WFH. But it is not only time-saving, higher salaries for those who work overseas, or access to global talent. Working from home is also an excellent (yet hard) opportunity for fresh parents. Something you cannot easily prove with statistics, yet has value you'll never forget.