To think people who work from home don’t understand this?! And they’re paid more usually

For most of my working life very much in an office. Only my last role, even before Covid, was hybrid, but I never took time out during the day, just totally appreciated not having to commute and also mindful that I was being paid to be present! I also worked over if something needed finishing, but again the 2 hours not driving focused my mind on getting the job done! Sadly one team in the organisation had so many that others struggled to reach or just seemed to not be managing to do their roles, that they all (regardless of individual performance) got pulled back full time into the office, so it pays to not abuse WFH

If I could work flexible hours and work from home, I would be at my desk by 6am. People who work from home don’t have the commute time or the stress of it, so that’s definitely a bonus. But I love being in the buzz of a work place, the banter and the feeling of belonging. I would hate to be stuck at home and not see people. So there are pros and cons of both. For young people it could be incredibly lonely and not great for mental health. However, when I try to contact people who work from home, why is it they are walking the dog, at the gym or just popped out? And considering I work with teenagers, their impression of their parents working from home is they don’t do a lot and why can’t they study from home!!!!

I feel this sometimes. At work I spend so much time getting drawn into random conversations and think nothing of wandering around getting cups of tea and chatting in the kitchen. At home if I make tea and boil the kettle from stone cold I'm conscious of my MS Teams icon saying I'm away🙄even though absolutely nobody is looking or checking or caring. For some people they are being monitored and I can't imagine how that must feel at times.

Working from home gives you back so much time and also makes it easier to go somewhere after work as you're already there with your car for a quick escape. You can get a few chores done at lunchtime giving you back the weekend, eat better lunches with no prep needed at weekend, save travel costs, not getting soaked going to work etc etc. even with my local commute I wound get back ten hours a week in total morning and evening plus five for a lunch hour if taken and save a hundred pounds a month on bus fares or even more on car park fees.

This isn't really about working from home though. Even if I'm working from home, I have to work set hours and don't have a lunch break. Different jobs have different conditions that has always been the car and always will

I work from home and have an hour for lunch which is not enough time to have a hair appointment - I have just spent 5 hours on my Saturday having my cut and colour. I also have to be on zoom with a camera in for most of my day! So I feel your perception of wfh is incorrect.

Nor is it fair you equal youe friends working from home role to mean everyone else who works from home can do like she can

I cant tell you the amount of mertings I have had with a colleguage who ends up eating her lunch in the meeting as she has had no time for a break.

Doctors appointment were easier when I didnt work from home as I could get time off. And if I want a haircut in working hours I need to take time off.

Im paid to work

If someone can get away with that working from home, they get all their work done and no issue to their employer, sounds like they’ve got a cracker. Good on them!

More senior staff members typically have more flexibility for things like appointments, school picks up, etc - not hair appointments. But in the places I've worked they tend to work much longer hours, attending evening board meetings, etc. I'm relatively flexibility in how team manage their time, as I trust they'll get work completed and make up hours.

I work from home 2/3 days a week. I absolutely cannot do any appointments on my WFH days! If anything I do this on an office day when I am more likely to get a lunchbreak!

I WFH.

I book time off for any appts, same as you. I don't gallivant anywhere

I do take my dog for a half hour walk some days. When I'm lucky enough that my schedule permits.

Basing WFH habits on one friend is not the reality for most

I work from home. I can make appointments during the day if unavoidable, but I’m regularly working until late into the evening if operational need demands it.

If I work from home, I can’t go to the hairdressers, I have work to do. I go to the hair dressers on a saturaday or during annual leave just like you.

My job is hybrid. When I am working from home that's 2+ hours I don't have to spend commuting, so I get more work done.

You have more flexibility for contractors popping in , plumbers etc , no wfh means you need to book time off

I wfh and get my hair done at the weekend! I get a half hour lunch so I don’t think this is unique to wfh/woth. She just has more flexibility.

I used to get way more errands done on lunchtime when I worked in an office. I was in a city centre and got loads done

You have a friend problem (she’s not listening) or a job problem.

I wfh, I don’t go out to get my hair done. At most I nip to the shop for milk or to the post office. I work really hard and have loads of meetings that I can’t duck.

I work from home in a pretty senior job. I sit at my desk at 7am and get up from my desk at 5pm or 6pm. Some days I don’t eat. Some days I manage a wee about 3pm (I know because the child seat is still on the toilet). Different jobs. Different people. Not sure it’s a wfh / not wfh difference. Just an industry / person based difference.

It absolutely does. A junior member of staff doesn’t have the same perks as a senior member of staff, whether they work in an office or from home.

It sounds like you're the one with the issues. But I'd point out that most people who work from home do hybrid working or have worked office or other jobs so they're well aware of limitations. Also, many jobs don't have flexibility to work a few hours in the evening to catch up or whatever your friend does.
I think you need to look at your own jealousy issues and figure how to deal with those than frame it as a problem for people who WFH.

I WFH in a senior role, and yes I can gallivant if I want to. I’m paid for my output, not my hours, and I realise I’m extremely lucky to have the degree of flexibility I have. I have before now taken my laptop to the hairdressers so I can work while my bleach is developing - I very rarely am needed on unscheduled Teams calls. My boss is happy for me to work from wherever I want to, as long as I’m productive. Sometimes that means that I work all evening because I’ve had a long lunch, or that I work on a Sunday because a click and collect at ikea turned into a full-on mooch. There’s a big but coming - I allow my team the same courtesy. As long as they do what they need to do, and are available on the phone, then I literally could not care less when they do the work. One of my girls works better in the evening, which is fine. I’m more productive later in the day. One of my girls gets up at stupid o’clock and has more or less finished her working day by lunchtime. She picks up the phone if I need her to in the afternoon. I’m not in the business of making my team use annual leave if they’re contactable and their work is done. And what do you know, my team is the most productive and consistently scores the highest in terms of happiness in the workplace. They don’t take the piss, they know I don’t take the piss (actually no - they do take the piss sometimes but so what? They get shit done), and everyone is happy.

I wfh and can pop to appointments in between, very flexible as long as the work is done and well paid, it is a dream job , but I have previously worked in an office five days a week , but never again, I’ve landed on my feet and knowing that makes me work extra hard.
just got to look for another job if your not happy.

the more senior the role, the more autonomy there is. Especially for high performing senior people. get the job done, how you do it is up to you.

you just havnt got there yet. And potentially work for An organisation that isn’t very progressive.

you have choices.

Surely it depends on the job? I worked from home up until last year, as long as I was available for meetings I could work my hours as it suited me - so I could put in my calendar they I was out for an hour for a haircut as long as I did my contracted hours.

It was great and I do miss that job.

I had to stop gallivanting when going for my smear test, it made it hard for them to find my cervix without getting poked.