I found it stressful to work from home as a Gen Z account exec. Here's why I'll choose to work in the office every time — even if it costs more to do so.

• Devin Walsh spends up to 40 minutes commuting to work at least four days each week.
• Walsh says she enjoys being around her teammates and feels more productive in an office.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Devin Walsh, a 23-year-old senior account executive from New York City. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I'm a Gen Z senior account executive and I've received multiple raises and promotions, within less than two years of joining the NYC-based public relations firm Haymaker Group. It's a hybrid company with no in-office requirements, but I go to the office almost every day — usually Monday to Thursday every week — because I feel most productive there and enjoy being around my teammates.

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I live in Midtown Manhattan and take the subway to our office, which is in the Financial District. It takes me anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes to get to my office from my apartment, depending on the MTA. Sometimes I go into the office all five days of the week if work is busier.

I prefer to come into the office for multiple reasons, but the main reason is because it dramatically decreases my work-related stress

When working from home, I feel like there's a higher propensity to wonder if people think you're slacking off. I don't have to worry about that in the office. It also helps you avoid interpreting a neutral Slack message the wrong way.

If you get a Slack that's along the lines of "My edits are in, please keep the changes in mind for next time," the tendency can be to translate the message to "Your first pass at this was awful, and I really had to go in on edits for this," even though that's not how the message was intended. I've heard this from many other employees my age as well.

On top of that, when I end the day working in an office, I feel like I can truly log off

When I worked from home full-time at the start of the pandemic, there was no interruption from my workday and personal life. I found myself online until 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. because there always seemed to be a way I could get ahead and do extra work.

Now, the feeling I have when I close my laptop around 6 p.m. and leave work in an entirely different part of the city is priceless — working from home could never compete with it. I feel like I can shut my laptop off and leave.

I'm not as productive working from home

In my mind, home is not a designated space to sit down and focus. It's where I host game nights, movie marathons, and holiday parties. When I do work from home, I find myself way more distracted — having to convince myself not to do household chores or spontaneously rearrange my closet.

This varies from person to person though. For example, one of my young colleagues swears she can only work from home. When she comes into the office, she feels slightly overwhelmed and distracted by everyone.

It's 10 times easier to talk through problems in person at the office

There's something to be said for working in person when it comes to problem solving. The casual conversation that happens between people who are talking through a problem or project is not only easier than painstakingly typing out full sentences on Slack, but it's often more effective and faster.

Another added bonus of making the trip into the office is the face-time you get to have with senior leaders. I've been able to take on a higher-level task several times just because I was in the room when it was being discussed. It's so great getting to bounce ideas off leaders or strategize next steps in my career with them in person, in a way that feels less accessible via Slack.

Beyond all of that, I feel like I'm meeting more people in the office

I've made some incredible friends by going into the office and spending time with other folks at my company on a regular basis, to the point where I'm getting brunch or drinks with them on the weekends. I've even gone on trips with one of my co-workers.

I have plans outside of work at least once a week with one or more of my colleagues, whether that's bottomless brunch or going out for ice cream in Little Italy. I also had five of my co-workers at my most recent birthday party because I wanted them there. I don't think I would've made these connections in a fully remote environment.

One downside to working in an office is it definitely can be more expensive

Depending on your commute, and if you're going out to grab lunch every day, working in an office can be more costly than working from home.

Working remotely is also efficient for certain tasks, like back-to-back meetings. If I work from home on a Friday, I typically fill it with meetings, one-on-ones, brainstorms, and general catch-ups. I find that when I have a big block of meetings it's better to jump from call to call without having to relocate to a meeting room.