Hello, I don’t know if my experience could help you, but I’ll share it 
I was a commuter during 2 years between Geneva and Lausanne and had the 2nd class GA. I used to take my IC around 7am and always find a block alone or share with someone. During the morning, if I had to work for my personnal project I could easily do it on my phone or with a tablet, but it was exceptionnal. However, to get back home between 6 and 7 pm the 2nd class was really too crowded to work comfortably.
If I had to travel more than 1h and have to work during this time, I’ll definitly take the 1st class. You can maybe ask your employer if the company has a mobility project to help employee to take public transport instead of their car. One of my previous employer offer 700 CHF voucher for the CFF AG 1st/2nd class.
Moreover, I think that once your try the 1st class for too many years, you won’t be happy to downgrade your habit to the 2nd class, unless you can travel after crowded hours in order to have a block alone.