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

I’ve done both and I have to say I agree with you to an extent. In my job working from home sometimes I’ve been so busy I’ve not even had a break. I don’t get to swan off to appointments . despite this it’s still easier than not being at home. There is no commute and I can throw on a wash at lunchtime or start dinner on my break. I do think certain jobs deserve to get paid more for what they do. People who work in hospitals in general for example. No matter how crap the weather is or even if there is a red warning you have to be there and if you are 5 minutes late they’ll be ringing. If you are ten minutes late and not answering they’ll be phoning your next of kin. Despite the fact that your presence is so essential you are generally not treated well and there is no flexibility at all. It’s just exhausting. People can argue look for something easier or retrain but it’s not that simple in reality.

I know, right? 🙄

I'm not a high earner, well I suppose I am to some, but I can work pretty much whenever I want when WFH, no one cares as long as the work is done. I sat with my mum who was having chemo on Monday for 6 hours and then worked till 10pm - would you prefer that I didn't do that?

Yes, I too 'gallivant' to the dentist/for my smear test in work hours. What fun it is 🙄

I think in many cases, people working from home feel they have to be even more present than people in offices. In office, I wouldn’t think much of having a chat with a colleague or getting a coffee etc. At home, I feel the need to justify myself far more. It’s the same with when I was part-time, I think I ended up doing more hours than some full-time people. I think women in general are more susceptible to this, that they need to prove themselves more than necessary.

Has no one ever told you that “life isn’t fair” OP?
Thats why someone who works bloody hard, doing physically demanding tasks over a set period of time,such as cleaning, gets paid minimum wages while people in senior positions, apparently “gallivanting around” during the day while they are technically “working” seem to be getting away with it while earning far more.
However, the dynamics of senior positions mean that often these people are paid to get a job done, so if they are working efficiently and using their heads to get the job done in a shorter amount of time, they may have the flexibility to dip out of their working day.
Don’t forget though - if they aren’t able to get the job done in time, they are the ones working all night/weekends Etc. to make it happen - without getting overtime!
I WFH part of the week, and with less interruptions, get more done than on the days I’m in the office, so it’s not a one size fits all situation.
You sound jealous because you are making a comparison - and comparison is the thief of joy…

Many years, I wfh entirely. I can assure you, no galavanting took place at all. Every minute was accounted for. I had a 30 min break on most shifts.

I often have back to back meetings online, no time for a coffee with a friend or a gym session!
i have to ignore the kids when they come home from school
when i go to the office, once a week i go for a walk at lunch because i can!!
whether im home or in the office i cant go to appointments…

I work from home and I would say that some of the senior team take the mick, but all that means is that we have zero respect for them. I also find that I work more hours working from home than I did in the office.

When I worked in an office full time, some of the senior team definitely had a flexible approach to work so I don't see much difference. People still take the piss!

I work from home but still only get half hour lunchbreak. Yes I can put washing machine on but used to do that before I went to the office.
But yes love the not having tp drive to work.
But i don't think those not able to work from home should get more leave.

It’s not ‘one rule for one’ though, you’re just working in different fields. You’re just coming across really jealous - how is this affecting your friendship group exactly??

I agree with many responses here. Just as personal experience. I cannot work from home (healthcare) my partner can (IT) his working hours are ridiculous and works way more than he is paid. He has worked today , Saturday, to sort and issue and for half term is already planning on doing 2 hours per day on his annual leave to try to meet a deadline. He after works 12-15 hour days when he is only paid a standard wage. He often doesn't take a lunch break either. I would much rather be in my position where I can leave my work at work than his where it is 24/7 constant contact

I work from home and have seniority, so I do get to have flexability that others in my company don't.

I'd have the same though in the office. But we're doing a renovation and being at home anytime a tradie needs to pop in, is the icing on the cake.

I don't understand the hate though. I didnt plan this, it's just fallen really well.

(You also forgot to complain that we're also home for our kids after school).

I’ve worked from home for over 20 years and with flexibility, because I am an adult and am judged on my performance in terms of what I produce, rather than than the exact hours I am sitting in a chair. This works well for me, as on occasion I can go to an appointment, like seeing my solicitor when buying a house, that isn’t possible to do at a weekend, or go a little further afield than I can normally achieve in a lunch break to collect a prescription I can’t get any closer. And yes, sometimes, taking an early finish to get to a hairdresser appointment, or to reflect the fact I worked until 10pm the night before. In return, because I am senior, conscientious and have work I have to deliver, I often work the equivalent of an additional day or even two each week, regularly working late or starting early, or sometimes completing a piece of work at the weekend.

None of this affects my colleagues, who all work in the hours and locations that their jobs require. This might be very different from me, but doesn’t mean it’s any less ‘fair’. ‘Fair’ doesn’t mean ‘the same’. It’s what is needed to get the job done.

But who says everything in life is fair? Should your friend stop working from home so that you feel you are not missing out? Should everyone else who work from do that too?

Grow up.

I went from a very rigid non-work from home job to a flexible wfh job.
I absolutely galavant and go to appointments and walk the dog during the work day. Because I have flexi time. I log my hours and still do the work. I start at 6am and finish around 5.30pm because I take a few hours during the day to deal with other commitments.

I changed jobs because I wanted this flexibility.

Interested to know if you think shift workers should have more annual leave as well? As they can attend appointments during the week around their shifts 🤔

This

Because that’s what the job allows. That flexibility will probably work both ways. It certainly does in my role.

I often have the flexibility to manages my own time but in return I have a lot of responsibilities and work internationally. That can mean meetings in the early hours or late at night or travelling to the other side of the world. And lots of weekend working.

Me popping out for a doctors appointment during the day occasionally doesn’t even register.

As an academic I WFH 2/3 days a week long before it was generally available. Academics have to do deep research which would be impossible in a noisy office. I would agree tasks with my professor and a date by which they were to be completed. Then I would go off and do the work. It was entirely up to me when I scheduled it. So in theory I could have gone out shopping or to the gym on WAH days and completed the work in the evening or at weekends. In practice the schedule was very flexible. However there were times when I worked through christmas vacation to complete a presentation or an article. You need to be very disciplined and well organized to work in this way. Not everyone is.

Yep. I have an arrangement with my employer on a specific day around school runs. It doesn't mean I'm just taking free time during the day, it gets made up at some point during that week. I can go to an appointment during the day but the time is either made up or taken with annual leave/flexi, and I can only do it if there's other sufficient cover. Which would be (and is) just the same as if I was physically in the office.

Pre-covid my gym was still always packed at 9am. SAHMs and part time working mums who had just dropped their children at the adjoining school. It's not that surprising.

I work hybrid - on my wfh days my lunch break is usually spent running the hoover around or washing up. I actually enjoy my in office lumches more because i can walk or have coffee with a colleague or gp to the shops. There are pros and cons to both - i spoke to someone recently whose company closed the office post covid, and they say wfh full time has ruined their life, they feel lonely and isolated a lot of the time.

Ultimately if you dont have the balance you need, look for a new job rather than bash your 'friend'

I'm a hybrid worker, and I don't get my haircut in the week, that's not how working from home works! We are working.

You are talking about flexi working where people do things in the day, and then do stuff in the evening. Lots of people do that, sometimes to do the school run etc. This is often to suit work though not just us and can be applied wherever you work. Sometimes I might need to attend a meeting on my NWD or before/after my usual working hours, so I take the time back when it suits me/doesn't have a detrimental effect on core work duties that can't be moved.

It's ridiculous to suggest that people who don't WFH should have more annual leave. You don't get less free time! It's the same, even if people do switch their working week around to fit in appointments. They are still making up the hours at other times.

I WFH. It does mean I can walk the dog, pop out to a lunchtime exercise class, be here when the kids get home from school, if my schedule allows.

However, I am freelance so the buck stops with me. If I were salaried and working from home, I kind of lean towards what the OP is saying. Of course being at home allows one more freedom over working in an office!

My mid morning Pilates class yesterday was completely packed - surely not everyone in it was freelance/part-time?! 😂