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AIBU?

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Original poster

To wonder how we ever did 5 days a week in an office?

495 replies

OptimismvsRealism · 07/06/2024 19:04

I work hard and love my job (legal). Spent a day in the office today for the first time in months and honestly feel sick. The people flu! I couldn't go back. All those blokes in the City saying WFH was an "aberration" are deluded.

I get that some people love it and there's enough diversity in this world for everyone to find their niche but Oh My God am I glad I don't have to do the daily traipse any more.

OP posts:
PuppyMonkey · 07/06/2024 23:16

I worked from home for years before it became a trendy thing with Covid. loved it in many ways but… God, it became boring.

Hotnamehere · 07/06/2024 23:11

The trouble with MN and these smug WFH threads is not everyone works in an office.

mondaytosunday · 07/06/2024 23:09

Wfh is fine if you are settled. But for a youngster starting out it is vital to go to a workplace. How else do you learn how to work? Despite my vocational degree I learned everything on the job, my colleagues were my friends too - I moved from another country and most of them had been at uni outside London. A number of us just starting out and older people who showed up the ropes. Plus being there was exciting and fun (sure at times boring and mundane but it was publishing so a lot of deadlines). I'm still friends with people that I met over 40 years ago now. You don't make those connections through a computer screen.

yumyumyumy · 07/06/2024 23:07

SocksAndTheCity · 07/06/2024 23:00

I suspect the OP's coworkers are even happier about her never having to come into the office than she is.

I shouldn't have but I did really enjoy that comment

Hotnamehere · 07/06/2024 23:02

Oh you poor thing. Imagine having to go out to work every day.

Gingertam · 07/06/2024 23:00

My sister and I were just discussing this today saying how we don't know how we did 5 days in office. I work hybrid which I find perfect. I am a tired menopausal woman who's in her fifties though. I get loads more done when working from home without people yapping and distracting me in office. I know the Daily Mail makes out everyone working at home is skiving but it's simply not true. Plenty of people waste time in the office.

SocksAndTheCity · 07/06/2024 23:00

I suspect the OP's coworkers are even happier about her never having to come into the office than she is.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 07/06/2024 22:58

Sogrownup3 · 07/06/2024 22:24

But nurses, police, teachers can't work from home! We have to commute and go in and work long hours whilst the rest of the world swans about at home, picking the kids up and preparing dinner and getting laundry on.
Just makes these essential jobs even less enticing to go into. And we wonder why no one wants to do these jobs when the other option is working from home!

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I don’t think recruitment to these jobs will be helped by making everyone else work from offices or wherever else. By stopping people wfh.

It’d be helped by giving people better pay, and other improvements to their working life in order to make it seem worth the trade

mjf981 · 07/06/2024 22:57

This is such a smug post.
Less than half of people can work WFH OP.

SocoBateVira · 07/06/2024 22:56

Sogrownup3 · 07/06/2024 22:24

But nurses, police, teachers can't work from home! We have to commute and go in and work long hours whilst the rest of the world swans about at home, picking the kids up and preparing dinner and getting laundry on.
Just makes these essential jobs even less enticing to go into. And we wonder why no one wants to do these jobs when the other option is working from home!

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You say that like you think it means the post you quote is wrong, though?

mitogoshi · 07/06/2024 22:53

I've been back in since early 2021, dp has been back since mid 21 - he had no choice really due to the lack of productivity of a couple of members of staff, interestingly the ones who thought they were more productive at home! I personally much prefer being in the office

Original poster
OptimismvsRealism · 07/06/2024 22:49

Sogrownup3 · 07/06/2024 22:24

But nurses, police, teachers can't work from home! We have to commute and go in and work long hours whilst the rest of the world swans about at home, picking the kids up and preparing dinner and getting laundry on.
Just makes these essential jobs even less enticing to go into. And we wonder why no one wants to do these jobs when the other option is working from home!

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Your argument seems to be "I am a bit unhappy so everyone should be".

Doesn't it at least help if the roads to work are a bit quieter for your commute?

OP posts:
KimberleyClark · 07/06/2024 22:46

Personally I think anything that takes away a reason to leave the house, when one is perfectly able to do so, is not necessarily a good thing.

WarmPeer · 07/06/2024 22:45

OptimismvsRealism · 07/06/2024 19:17

You do have a choice! Assert it. Your employer doesn't own you.

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There really isn't a choice for so many of us in the jobs we have and it is not that easy to move, your comment is very unrealistic and insensitive.

Original poster
OptimismvsRealism · 07/06/2024 22:44

Didimum · 07/06/2024 22:16

…. Don’t be dumb about this, OP. It doesn’t ‘work’ for everyone, some people just don’t have the choice. And saying you ‘quite literally couldn’t’ is bullshit. Of course you ‘quite literally could’. If you had to you would have to. Let’s not make up imaginary illnesses like ‘people flu’ to pretend we couldn’t. The long and short of it is that you just don’t want to. It’s really poor form to speak to people as if their life is the worse thing you can imagine.

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But there are loads of things other people do and love that I'd loathe. Is that allowed?

OP posts:
Changingplace · 07/06/2024 22:44

Sogrownup3 · 07/06/2024 22:24

But nurses, police, teachers can't work from home! We have to commute and go in and work long hours whilst the rest of the world swans about at home, picking the kids up and preparing dinner and getting laundry on.
Just makes these essential jobs even less enticing to go into. And we wonder why no one wants to do these jobs when the other option is working from home!

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Nobody forced anyone to do those roles, and in all honesty they are all kind you actively have to make a conscious choice to do. You can equally make a conscious choice not to if you really want a different style of working.

Changingplace · 07/06/2024 22:39

Ladyoftheapple · 07/06/2024 22:36

What are all these WFH jobs?!!! Please tell me because I'd love to have one!

What kind of role are you looking for? I think the vast majority of what would’ve been a typical office based role will now by hybrid.

Original poster
OptimismvsRealism · 07/06/2024 22:39

OliveK · 07/06/2024 22:11

@LetTheCardsFallWhereTheyMay great minds😁!

@OptimismvsRealism I'm genuinely interested in whether or not you are so financially secure that you could just merrily leave your job if you felt like it?! You don't seem to have any understanding of the fact that people need to pay the bills?

I've never thought it's terribly hard to change jobs with a bit of imagination. Say you were a nurse, you could segue into med tech work that's office based. Teacher? Online tutoring or education policy.

OP posts:
Changingplace · 07/06/2024 22:38

Carbrer · 07/06/2024 21:46

I would be wary of "literally" not being able to work in an office again. A friend of mine, after 4 years of wfh in a job that can easily be done completely remotely, is now being phased back into the office along with all their colleagues. The plan was to remain at home permanently, then management fairly suddenly decided to do a phased return to the office (1 day a week, gradually increasing to 5 over time).

And I bet they’ll lose a significant number of their skilled staff during that transition and have the cost of recruitment and training, I think it’s very narrow minded in a long term business plan to think they will get everyone back 5 days when it’s been proven they don’t need to be.

Ladyoftheapple · 07/06/2024 22:36

What are all these WFH jobs?!!! Please tell me because I'd love to have one!

butterflywingss · 07/06/2024 22:32

I could not go back to 5 days a week! My company currently have a rule of up to 2x a week but getting the sense they want to increase. People are clearly happier having the flexibility to WFH and I really hope it does not change. Amongst all the chaos COVID brought, the WFH hybrid working was one of the best things to come out of it.

Changingplace · 07/06/2024 22:30

Ninjasan · 07/06/2024 20:25

Because of laundry loads, school runs and dinner prep and fitness classes. All being done during working day (officially during 1 lunch hour 😁).

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Did you actually read my post you were replying to?

Why? I still do my job 100% working from home, why would the people whose job it is to reply to these messages specifically not because they’re not sat in an office?

tweetypi · 07/06/2024 22:30

ButteryNuts · 07/06/2024 22:20

I travel 3 hours a day and work until 10pm 5 days a week. 9-5 whingers make me laugh.

Is that something you're happy about??

Bellyblueboy · 07/06/2024 22:26

I do about four days in the office. Love my day at home but am finding more and more meetings are now in person.

I do get much more out of meeting people in person - my work relies a lot on relationships - so a lot of chats in coffee shops and catching people in the sidelines of meetings and at conferences etc. couldn’t do it 100% from home.

but it is great to have a bit more flexibility - and I notice that much fewer in person meetings are scheduled for Fridays.

my work in a minimum of two days in the office and this feels like a good balance.

Sogrownup3 · 07/06/2024 22:24

OptimismvsRealism · 07/06/2024 19:21

I also think the more people vote with their feet the quicker employers will understand they need to offer this wherever reasonably possible

But nurses, police, teachers can't work from home! We have to commute and go in and work long hours whilst the rest of the world swans about at home, picking the kids up and preparing dinner and getting laundry on.
Just makes these essential jobs even less enticing to go into. And we wonder why no one wants to do these jobs when the other option is working from home!