WFH - What is reasonable?

Seems to me a company with a one size approach instead of dealing with the poor performance of a few.

Good luck finding a new job soon.

@Beautifulweeds but that's not how it works
People taking calls get allocated lunch breaks so the phones are always covered
If you're taking calls and WFH you won't be popping out anywhere!

Yes, I get that, was just stating that wfh allows one to duck out for half an hour but most jobs don't. I'm thinking more along the lines of wfh with customers trying to call during a lunch break and no one available to answer sort of scenario. If different to that and just getting on with tasks that don't involve clients needing a more immediate response, then of course the hours you choose to do in, that's different. Xx

I apologise, I didn't see the other part. I'm still learning about this, so even when in the office and working, certain apps still continue to check on activity? All I understood was a gadget to enable pretending to work. Thank you for enlightening me. Unfortunately there is so much SM joking about this issue, which doesn't do wfh any favours, misinformation like so many other things! Xx

This is unreasonable, especially as you give your extra time in travel.

In my wfh job we all have flexibility. And even when I was in an office we could get a coffee or chocolate from the site cafe and no one cared. We also promote wellbeing and getting away from your desk regularly.

No, I explained above that I have been sat in the office at my desk talking to the colleague next to me, but my Teams has turned amber. I am RIGHT THERE. And so was she!

And lots of us work on paper, making notes etc. We are not constantly waggling our mice.

Most of us have done other work! Not many come through school and uni without shop or bar work.

Fully understand why I needed to be at my till when I worked in Tesco.

My current job doesn't work like that though, and if I decide to duck out for half an hour I don't return to a line of angry people with trolleys. I return to exactly the same amount of work I had before I left, which I then get on with.

I also don't work nights, or Christmas.

Wouldn't it be nice to say our bosses in the NHS, schools, police etc oh just going to sit in a cafe and work lol 😆 I do believe office workers don't have a clue about other jobs, sitting at a desk all day, then wfh with all its privileges, to complain so much about someone checking on them? In reality we are all present so can be seen but still get checked on and micro management being observed and graded while doing our jobs. Someone standing over you with a tick box form while dealing with difficult clients/patients/students during the reality of unpredictable behaviour.

Strewth...

Oh dear, so these gimmicks actually exist? Why do you need to pretend to work and not actually work? Sorry, just an honest question. So wfh means you set up this device and do whatever else to be seen to able to take calls, getting on with tasks, when you're doing housework/nap/going out? This is what gives the whole trust about wfh a bad name. Xx

Flexibility works both ways. If they want you available out of hours then they have to realise that you may need to do personal things ‘in’ hours, If it’s only going one way then yes, you need a new job.

😅 oh she is one of those is she. I have one of them she moans and moans even though loads of coffee breaks etc. when she is off we actually never miss her. she close to retirement so won't be long now and she won't be replaced

She's the one who constantly moans about how busy she is!

She obviously doesn't have enough work to do so would be loading as much work as possible on her

Would be so exhausting working with someone like that.

One of our team members has made it her role to monitor who is on yellow instead of green on Teams. I pointed out it's more suspicious if someone is permanently on green!

Some of us don't have strict "scheduled work hours". We have jobs to do and we manage our time like adults. I have been for a 45 minute walk today and also been to the shop, but I spoke to a colleague after 9pm last night and was on a call at 7.30am today.

Some jobs are strict 9-5 bums on seats roles and some are not. I would go to the shop/gym/for a walk if I were in the office, the same applies when I WFH.

And should also be noted that everyone takes breaks when they want without ever having to explain themselves, as long as they are doing their work. I couldn't work for a company that didn't operate like this, and luckily, I will never have to.

No I didn't ask my employer permission bc I'm not micromanaged like that. I take breaks whenever I want to and as long as I do my work in a timely manner and don't miss meetings, nobody cares, which is how it should be.

Well all this thread tells me, is that I'm never leaving my job! It's boring sometimes but I can do it whenever I want. The only time I give my manager a heads up is if I'm not going to log on all day. Even then it's a courtesy thing rather than a requirement.

But then my job is that I'm given a bulk load of work and just go through it. Not many meetings, no real interactions necessary above just emailing people here and there.

I don't think I could go back to strict hours now so can see why OP is finding it difficult. If you've always done it then you're used to it. But once you get used to flexibility it's hard to give up. Especially if you can't see any real justification for it.

Or maybe just in the OP's role and with her micro-managing boss who trusts bottom on seat over actual work.

Managers who have time to micromanage don't have enough of their own work. They might need to work closely with a new member of staff, but that should be to learn the internal processes and so on, not checking if they go to the loo too often or buy a packet of crisps.

I'd also say they're pretty shit at recruiting if they can't hire grown ups who can manage to both nip out for a coffee and do their jobs properly 😂

I completely manage my own time and workload. I track my hours to ensure I stick to the expected amount and always get great performance reviews. I WFH and yesterday I did a clean, batch cooking and nipped out for a run (which is unusually high amount of non work stuff) but then did some evening hours of work so it evens out. I rarely have meetings with others whereas my DP who has a flexible working policy (and agreed with boss ability to take afternoons off twice a week if hours are made up) has a lot of meetings and more rapid turnover of deliverables so has to generally be more present. I don't think you are unreasonable but guess it depends on the role and industry to how ok it actually is

Time management is a pretty basic part of any job. If you've hired someone in a more senior role who can't manage their time well, you've failed in your hiring and interview processes. If someone isn't good at time management (and lots of people struggle with it,) and they haven't learnt any strategies to deal with it, then you should have found that out during the hiring process.

Managers who have time to micromanage don't have enough of their own work. They might need to work closely with a new member of staff, but that should be to learn the internal processes and so on, not checking if they go to the loo too often or buy a packet of crisps.

Definitely, if you're not needed to be at your desk then no need
I did look at another job recently but said no as they only get 1hr lunch in 9hrs and are at their desk the full time apart from that

Wow that sounds hard - I wonder if this is just specific to call centre type jobs?