To think that everyone WFH thinks they are more productive but this view isn’t necessarily shared

• wouldn't want to

I feel I am definitely more productive WFH. On the days I am in the office it is more of a social day. At home they get their pound of flesh and then some. I work longer hours if needed, sometimes those longer hours are spent on systems that will benefit me, and by extension the company, in the long run by having a bit of time spent on them now.

My line manager told me that whilst some people clearly struggled during lockdown, I thrived and took total ownership of the new working environment. My own confidence soared and I've taken on additional roles as a result of my newfound PMA.

I enjoy some office time each week (2 or 3 days) but I definitely get more done at home and really want to go back to full time office based.

What's not to love about wfh?
Stay in your leisure wear or, worst, pyjamas, fit your work around breakfast, school runs, dentists, shopping, cooking, dog walks and a quick cuppa with your mum/friend/neighbour etc...

thats not everyone’s experience, depends on the job

highlights for me are not traveling for an hour each way to get to work

Although I do sometimes yearn for a Pret ham and greve baguette...

Most people, who wfh , will quickly put up reasons as to why they are more productive at home.
The answer is glaringly obvious. People are naturally lazy and if they can get out of doing what is usually expected of them then they will.

but you are describing people in the office, where it's often more about showing your face than anything else.

Many jobs have the figures in black and white, it's obvious if people are efficient or doing fuck all.

I think you have to remember there is an interest in people using the office -gets them using transport - and amenities - the owners of the buildings don't want them empty either

In reality it is not all about productivity,

Most people, who wfh , will quickly put up reasons as to why they are more productive at home.
The answer is glaringly obvious. People are naturally lazy and if they can get out of doing what is usually expected of them then they will.

What's not to love about wfh?
Stay in your leisure wear or, worst, pyjamas, fit your work around breakfast, school runs, dentists, shopping, cooking, dog walks and a quick cuppa with your mum/friend/neighbour etc...

I get it .

Yet, there have been complaints in the media and on here about poor customer service .

I'll never forget phoning our insurers regarding an issue , fairly recently.

When I eventually got through to a human, I was met with someone who kept asking me to repeat myself as she seemed distracted. I quickly discovered why when her young child told her that he/she was hungry!
She was apologetic but her child wouldn't stop.

Obviously I was polite but very annoyed as she couldn't deal with my issue and I had to phone back to speak to someone else.

I looked forward to early retirement as my husband and I could enjoy quieter times during school hours and term times.
Not a hope.
Pubs and coffee shops around us are rammed.
Traffic jams are constant... never before Covid... and garden centres are chock a block!
Endless queues at Tesco and Sainsbury's.
So many working age people just not at work.

I sound grumpy, I know.
But it wasn't like this before Covid.

I’m more productive in my fee earning role at home as I’m not bothered and can just get on with what I’m doing.

Im less productive as a line manager and a person who is responsible for younger members professional career progression because that needs at least an element of face to face management. Plus younger people setting out in a few earning role NEED to see how more senior people operate around colleagues, on the phone, with clients etc which cannot be replicated at home.

I have a hybrid role (2 day WFH, 2 days office) and if push came to shove I’d have to advocate back to the office for those reasons.

The days I go into the office are days I pretty much need to write off, productivity-wise. Far too many distractions.

Plus, I now have a occasional commute that's around 40 mins door-to-door, which is blissfully short compared to my old job. I look back to pre-Covid days and can't believe how I had normalised spending hours a day commuting, 5 days a week, and spending £100s a month for the privilege. Never ever going back to that.

@Iamblossom Yep! We can see via reporting data that it has caused a slump in productivity across the board and actual financial loss (billable time)

Thankfully we're switching back!

I have no experience in working from home as I have a job that is impossible to do so. however I know I wouldn’t be productive as there are just too many distraction and temptations at home. I just don’t feel I would have the discipline to keep myself on task!
I know some, maybe the majority, will be more efficient and productive, but as usual it is probably the case of the few spoiling it for the many. Just as an example…. I have a family member who takes time out of their working day to do jobs like cleaning, look after toddlers, school run, take the dogs for a walk, batch cook for the week etc… stuff that takes a lot longer then a 30-60 minute lunch Break. I get the odd job can be done on breaks and in-between tasks but they literally manage their household during work time.

I'm definitely more productive at home. I struggle with the air conditioning in the office (both the temperature and the noise of it) which really affects me.
I also have a very long commute on unreliable public transport so I'm unwilling to stay late. On days I work from home I work for the longer and get an awful lot more done. I'm even less self conscious in online meetings as I don't have someone else sitting next to me that I have to be conscious about annoying when I'm working from home.

This.

I am undoubtedly more productive at home, at work there is too much chatting (that I join in with). At home I am on my own most of the time and I am disciplined. Not saying that I don't put a wash load on or anything, but I certainly don't sit watching tv.

I go once a week to the office. We get half the amount done that day. When it comes to productivity , going in is the worst thing we are doing

My husband extremely productive as he knows if he were to come down for a skive he'd actually have work thrown at him from me and the kids. So he just works his backside off as that is easier

Obviously some types of work lend themselves more to WFH than others. Mine is just about ideal for home working as far as I'm concerned: individual professional casework requiring focused concentration on a task for a day or two at a time. All on screen, with only brief communication with colleagues needed.

My organisation has about 200 people doing similar work. Our outputs and productivity are measured in detail. Overall we have apparently been 17% more productive over the financial years 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 when we've been working 80-100% from home than we were over the previous three financial years when we were 100% in the office. This sounds about right based on my personal experience.

The quality of my work is better at home, after 3.5 years wfh and now back in the office one day a week I find the office (open plan and noisy as fuck) is so difficult to concentrate in, it’s hard to stay present and focused when people are having loud phone conversations around me, managers are having conversations close by my desk, people walking past on breaks laughing and chatting. It’s all so bloody distracting. Every day I’m there I go home with a headache and with ringing in my ears from the volume.

It doesn’t help that we’ve closed part of the building and everyone is now crammed a lot closer together than we used to be pre covid. And don’t get me started on losing twenty minutes at the start of the day trying to find a desk where all the tech works correctly, hot desking sucks. Give me my quiet, peaceful home office any day.

I think as PPs have said, now the novelty has worn off productivity is down. It also massively impacts ad hoc conversations and team work. Training is definitely far less effective on Teams - can’t bear it. We’re going back to f2f a lot more now thankfully.

I don't think I am more productive, I know I am more productive, my stats speak for themselves!

At home, you don't get roped into the general office banter, just get on with my work, help people over teams calls but no chit chat, so yes, definitely more productive!

Some people are more productive at home, others are not. Some are less productive in the office. It is entirely role and person dependant.

Even a medicore managers should be able to manage their teams remotely with targets to measure they are productive whereever they work, home or different office, and deal with it is they are not.

Someone who can't or simply doesn't like WFH opinion is irrelevant.

I don't have a dog in this fight as I have worked from home for over 10 years and don't expect that to change - not least because not many companies have offices doing my kind of work where I live and I can't afford (and have no desire to) live in or near a big city or do a long commute.

I think WFH is great and I always got all of my work done. I could start work early by cutting out all of the faff of getting ready and driving to work which meant I had extra time to help others or do extra tasks! On the other hand it was really nice to go into the office to see everyone but I worked with a brilliant team of people before I went on maternity leave. I am pro WFH and pro work at the office. I think a hybrid way of working would be a good balance.

YABU to say that on here everyone says they are more productive when working from home.

In my team I see a different type of work in the office than at home.

new staff dont learn as quickly working from home and people aren’t as aware of what is going on in other teams. People spend longer trying to work things out for themselves rather than asking.

but tasks that require concentration and independent working (drafting and proof reading for example) are better from home.

I think that’s why hybrid works so well.

I have to record all my work in 6 minute intervals and have to record 7 hours a day so it really doesn't change for me of I'm st gome or in the office I still have to record the time. I'm productive at home and in the office!