to think WFH can completely change one's work life balance?

I find it very hard to concentrate on books or learning on my commute, unfortunately. I read at night before I go to bed instead. Good on your sister though.

I find opposite from OP: WFH means never switching off, hard to focus on work too because home is completely distracting. I LOVE going to an office to actually be able to focus, and means I can relax & ignore work messages when away from work too.

Yeah it’s frustrating because it’s an issue resolved with the policy of core hours which have been around and understood for years, but the organisations I’ve been in since Covid just don’t seem to enforce them anymore. I’m grateful to be somewhere flexible, but I’m worried it could jeopardise WFH generally if they don’t keep sensible boundaries.

Or like my DSis you could read in your commute. She taught herself a language. 🤷🏼‍♀️

YANBU. I work hybrid and getting to miss the commute (and all the coughs, sneezes, sniffles and loud phone calls of my fellow passengers, as I have to take public transport) 3 days in the week is wonderful.

I gain an extra 2 hours on my WFH days, which I mostly use for getting on top of the housework, rather than anything particularly special. But at least it's not dead time, staring out the window of a bus or staring at my phone.

This is just normal life for most people though. Don’t get me wrong, I think wfh is great if you’re able but but being out of the house 7.30/8am- 6 is standard .

I see, thanks. I guess it’s that type of thing that makes some companies want people in the office. Some always take it too far- not you personally

1000% yes. My husband works from home and it makes such a huge difference to his work/life balance and also our family life. Huge difference.

We were in the unusual, for the time, situation of my dad WFH when growing up. It meant he was the one who looked after us if we were off sick, he was around in the evenings, he came to school plays and parents evening etc. It was our norm and I only realised it wasn't for most of my friends as it clicked that I knew their mum's well from playing at their houses or parties but the dads were just one homogeneous man in a suit who was barely seen.
I don't know how it's impacted our relationship I've the years, because he's a pain in the ass now, but we must have had so much more time with him as a result of WFH.

My husband works from home and its brilliant for me and his relationship with our child.
I get to go to the gym in the morning and simple things like having a shower just makes mornings so much easier. He gets to take her to the park and play with her all before work.

Same in the evenings he switches his computer off at 5 and we have dinner.

If he was commuting (would have to to get equivalent pay). He would have to leave the house around 7am and he would not be back until after 6pm. I would be doing bedtime on my own probably as he would want his dinner etc).

Whereas i get to sit down after dinner or do dishes other chores while he starts bed time routine, so we get the evening together.
He also has lunch with us. So he is more present for us. He can also do flexi if i have appointments just makes life easier espec with young children.

After about 25 years working FT in offices, I now WFH FT and it’s simply incredible not having to navigate a 3hr round trip each day. Used to have to wake up at 5.30am and now get up 7.30-8am. That’s been massively helpful especially as I’m peri and often barely get any sleep some nights. Can go to my local gym for a quick class in my lunch break or a long walk if I want. Can cook a healthy nutritious meal for lunch. I’m also more productive because I have more energy and am more responsive to issues as they arise as I don’t need to ‘panic log off’ at certain time to avoid the worst of the rush hour. If someone wants help or a query comes in late, I can stay late to resolve it. Most of my team are national scattered also so I’m not missing anything being in the office other than some general social interaction but my contract allows me to still work in office anytime I want to so that’s easily solved or wanted to meet someone for lunch.

From an additional well being pov, means I can get a kitten or puppy as well as I’ve wanted one for many years but my hours out the house were always an issue but no longer!

So yes, I agree WFH is life changing predominantly because it offers the ultimate life work balance.

Where I am people work flexibly and core hours aren’t really enforced so people just pop out and do it and will work the time back. I’m personally not a fan of it though as it means it’s difficult to get meetings in in the afternoon if multiple staff are frequently doing it. I personally kept my son in after school club until secondary school due to the disruption to my diary if I hadn’t.

When you say you pick kids up from school during your Wfh day, how is that possible unless you use your lunch break? Or are you given an extra break to do that?

It’s the norm. Think doctors, nurses, teachers plus reatail, hospitality.

I did the same job hybrid that I used to do ft in office. No 2 hours a day wasted commuting plus money saved on lunches and petrol. Plus I hadn't realised how much of my time my boss took up complaining about senior management, other things that weren't my remit. On my home days this was cut to 1 call a day I got so much more done plus on lunch break I could go a walk, hang washing out deal with personal admin eg banking, calls to dr etc

YANBU

Aside from a summer job when I was a student, I’ve never had a job where I needed to be in 5 days a week. I honestly don’t know how people do that year in, year out. I would hate it.

I WFH two days a week and it has made things much easier, yes. I used to work in office 5 days a week, my twins were 2yrs old then.

I think if I had to go back in 5 days a week I would have to find some way to manage – we all would.

It’s life changing. I say that as an older worker, no kids at home etc. However I would say that a lot of the younger parents in my office who WFH do take liberties. I’m not sure if I’m for or against that really but I see a dip in productivity from approx 2.45 onwards. Trying to pass a call through to around 5 different people at 3.15 is impossible (and no they don’t have time off then for school runs, they are supposed to be in afterschool club). I get it’s hard but if they were in the office they wouldn’t all be popping out at 3pm for school pick ups. We are more flexible in the mornings though, 4 of them officially start (from home) at 9.15-9.30.

I’m a chronically ill disabled person. WFH means I can work and support myself. It’s a game changer.

I agree with you. I wfh permanently, get far more work done than I did when in an office and will never go back to office working

I do hybrid now, after 5 years full time home working and I like that balance better now. I’m in the office 2 days and home for 3.

I’ve lost four stone as a result of remote working. Exercise wasn’t a part of my life pre-pandemic. I was on the go 7-7 and weekends were about recovering from five days of commuting. In retrospect, it wasn't a healthy way to live...