To dislike WFH….

YANBU. I do wfh 3 days a week but I value the days in the office. I have an older teen and I'm single, so if I wfh full time I'd just spend 90% of the time alone.

WFH is perfect for me, but not for everyone. At the end of the day we spend a lot of time at work and have to be happy. I would try to stick it out a little more but I think most employers would understand if you explained you thrive off a few days in the office.

I will say when wfh I always take time away from where I am working. I sit in the garden or do something nice at lunch. I am also very strict about not just logging on for five mins as my laptop is sitting there.

I hate it myself!

I think WFH can be great, but I do think you need to be very disciplined for it to be sustainable.

You definitely need to get off the sofa. Even if you can't afford/fit in a desk somewhere, you need to be at a table with a laptop riser and a reasonably decent chair. I think you also need to consciously make time to move around. So in the office, ypu might go and talk to someone else, make a cup of tea or whatever. Build in those equivalent short breaks of getting up and moving around. On days I wfh I replace the commute time with going for a walk to make sure I'm up and moving before and after work hours!

More broadly though, is it genuinely hard to get in the office, or is it just hard for you because you need to be there for your child(ren)? If the latter, this responsibility should really be better split if possible so you can go to the office more. Your job - and your wellbeing - are important! Or is there any kind of shared working space you cpuld use thats closer to home?

Being unhappy in a job is always a valid reason to leave, but only you can say whether you could get anything better in your area really...

I actually did my psychology masters thesis on wfh, specifically in that post Covid time 2021 etc. In a nutshell results showed wellbeing is severely impacted by wfh. We are social animals, it’s not natural to be so isolated all the time and isolation was the main negative impact for most participants. The only people that thrived were, unsurprisingly, women with childcare demands who relished the flexibility. Not sure what this means for you except it is normal to feel this way

I am hybrid but I don’t really enjoy WFH much as i’m a people person. But I do as i have some very heavy meeting days and getting a room is difficult but I go in twice a week min, sometimes 3, but I also travel to other offices too. I couldn’t be a full time home worker. Covid has put me off for life.

Get yourself a desk or trust me you’ll end up sorry as it will cause long term problems. I have squeezed a small one into my living room.

I find it a bit isolating as a single parent and DD is a teen and has autism so isn't up to much talking anyway. I also found I was barely leaving the house as I had no need to other than the Supermarket.
I started taking myself on a 30 mins 'commute' and block out my diary for a hour at lunch to go for another walk which does me the world of good.
And then enrolled in a couple of exercise classes so I saw other adults.

You need to invest in your work set up if your employer won't - a couple of monitors, laptop stand, wrist supports, desk and a good chair.

I would absolutely hate to WFH.

I like having a separation between home and work.

I love the flexibility of WFH, and during covid I was able to cook healthy meals, exercise more, my home was spotless and I saved so much money on fuel etc but I would never choose to do it.

I don’t like waking up early, but I love the feeling of getting ready and going into my workplace, seeing everyone and having a sense of importance.

I would definitely have a proper routine in place, make sure you socialise after work and have a habit where you get out of work clothes or something, to have that separation of work and home life.

See if you can work hybrid or work in a cafe or something.

Don’t leave just yet.
Give it until after Xmas at least.

I've mainly WFH since 2020 and love the flexibility and more time as no commute. I have an office tho, I couldn't work on a sofa
I now go in the office 2x a week and it's pointless, I sit on my own and teams calls all day 🙃

I love wfh but I have such a busy life outside of work (school run daily, walk at lunch, coffee with friends 3 x week, after school running around for 4 children, birthday parties and football matches all weekend) that I never feel isolated. Your family set up is different but maybe a hobby a couple of nights a week and the odd lunch-hour meet up with a friend who WFH / hybrid / part time / is on mat leave would help?

I think a proper set up for work that you can close the door on would also help if possible. A visual signal that you've "fimished" for the day.

But obviously it's not unreasonable to leave a job that's a poor fit for you, for any reason. I agree with PP of giving it til Christmas and making an active decision to job hunt, or to stay.

WFH permanently is not for eveyone, despite what you will be told here (pepare for a flaming)
Can you discuss this with your manager?

I hate wfh as well, and even though I can have two days a week at home I never do.
I work in a university, there are plenty of people in (I'm not teaching). I don't know what line of work you are in? Support services for public sector organisations like universities, NHS trusts etc are usually hybrid so will have an office buzz.
I'd look for something else if I was you. But in all my years at work I've truly never found more than the odd person unbearable. Generally I like people.

Do you have permanent fixed office of do you use a shared working space.

When we went fully remote in Covid we ultimately hit rid of the fixed office and now use a service where we book space when we are all getting together. It’s great for those of us living more remotely (I’m 3 hours away from London by train plus the bits either end). It means I can arrange working more locally with another remote colleague out my way when we need to without the big commute. It really balances the isolation.

do you have any colleagues near you you could do this with if you otherwise like the work?

I agree with a proper work set-up, otherwise you will be on the sofa all day and your posture will eventually suffer for it. I WFH full time (self employed) and take the dog out for a walk first thing as my 'walk to work' - I did that before we got a dog, too. It does make a difference, I think - it sets me up for the day.

Also, get up every hour or so, if only to walk around or stick your head out the door or window for some fresh air. I don't miss working with other people but then I'm an introvert anyway and always found I couldn't concentrate with others around!

a lot of places do a mix - two or three days in the office. this would be good for you i think.

our place has 3 days in two from home. there is still a buzz in the office most days, you get to
know your colleagues and those wfh days are a
treat.

i found wfh too isolating.

if you moved to such a role, you would see some
changes - irratic hours would possibly not work well with this arrangement and you will soon find things that annoy you - like the commute. but it
is more of a balance and works for many

I am with you OP. I need to leave the house. Hybrid is perfect for me.

Office relationships can still be built even if 'it's not like it was before COVID'. And frankly even if there's nobody in the office I desperately want to chat to I still feel a million times better for a change of scenery!!

Agree with others that you need to get off the sofa to work.

I live on the West coast of the US now, but used to love having Radio 4 burbling in the background for the way it divided the days.

I hated WFH. Wrecked my physical health and my mental health. I ended up getting a new job and while my home organisation suffers, everything else improved enormously.

I WFH 100% and like it but I make sure I go out for a walk each day, have my radio on for background noise and have a separate space for work. I also make sure I walk 10k steps a day as it's easy to do very little. On an ideal world I would go into an office space once a week so I might look at those shared spaces.

I hated it, fortunately I was able to retire early

Everyone is different and what works for one doesn’t work for another.

I wfh and it absolutely works for me on a practical level because a commute could compromise my health plus I work erratic hours including evenings and weekends so I’m not out ridiculously early or late.

I have converted my spare room into an office, so I shut the door on it when I leave.

But I’ve been there for two years and I’ve never met any of my colleagues other than over teams. So we essentially have only an internet relationship.

I work erratic hours including evenings and weekends so any kind of social life or hobby that takes me out of the house is a no go.

My dp doesn’t live with me and he has his own social life. He would like to wfh but he would absolutely hate it.

Tbh if I was looking for another job I would still want to wfh, but I think the drawbacks are just as valid as not wfh.

We all work to pay the bills, and there are pros and cons to every job.

My husband has WFH since March 2020, and eventually realised 6 months ago how bad it was for his health. He took on a part time pub job, alongside, and absolutely loves it. It's a 'locals' pub, he has made friends from working there and just enjoys being with people. The extra money is a bonus, we don't rely on it, so he can stop whenever he wants, but the change in him is so positive. Not everyone's ideal solution, but works for him.

I did 100% WFH during Covid and I could now, but I much prefer a couple of days in the office. It invigorates me and helps me plough through the WFH better to have a mix

I agree that you need to have a proper wfh set up somewhere in your house. I need to be able to walk out of the room and shut the door on work at the end of the day.

I listen to podcasts/radio whilst working. Make sure you have breaks away from your work area, just like you would in an office. Always take a lunch hour and try to get out the house for some fresh air.

I do think that perhaps a change of role is the only real solution though.

I will often phone a friend/work colleague for a quick chat to have some contact with someone.

I'd set yourself a limit, such as Christmas. And if you're still feeling the same, then look for a hybrid role.

There's no legal requirement for OPs employer to provide her with a desk/chair, though I agree she should be working at one.

On the other point though, my DH actually feels similarly to you OP about WFH (personally I much prefer it), and he now works from a shared office space in our local town 2 days per week. He has regular days that he goes in, as do a couple of other people he's met there, so it has the feel of going "into the office" for him even though none of them work for the same company. I think it costs him around £20/day. Might be worth trying something similar before doing anything as drastic as quitting your job?