“He’s in the home office.”

“Where is he?” someone asked after a colleague missed a call.

“He’s in the home office,” came the reply. Everyone understood he was working remotely.

But in English, “home office” usually sounds like a room in your house. It creates an image of someone sitting at a desk in a private office at home.

German uses “Homeoffice” differently. It describes the whole work setup. English usually focuses on the activity instead. We say, “He’s working from home.”

The meaning was clear. The phrase just pointed people towards a different picture.