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

I'm hybrid and I need WFH days for the peace and quiet somi can crack on. The office can be very distracting when you are trying to concentrate. I also have to have confidential meetings and it can be very hard in an open office when some private rooms are already booked.

Yes there are some perks, like getting a dash of house work done or a quick gym sesh.

WFH is a must for many in terms of work quality not actually luxury people think it is.

I work from home, but we have to work the flexi core hours between 10am and 3pm minus a lunch break. We certainly won't be able to do what your friend does and disappear for hours and work in the evenings only. I do like the flexibility of just popping out for appointments though.

"people who work from home don’t understand this"

You think "people who work from home" have always worked from home? I expect a VERY small proportion of people have only ever worked from home. So yes, you are being unreasonable.

Many people who work from home have their work very closely monitored. Everyone will still have targets to meet and managers. I'm sorry you're jealous but you don't deserve more holiday.

I'm another one who WFH and doesn't galavant around. In fact it's way too easy to work more hours because the lines between work and home can become very blurred.

@Ugriap i need to know what job your friend does! Sounds great!😌

Usually because they need to offer that flexibility to work as well; eg early calls with the office in Oz, late calls with N America, lots of weekends used up by international travel and sometimes holidays cut short because of crises in the office…….

I have lots of flexibility and it's great but the work has to be done and I have to be available basically around the clock if not on annual leave. I envy people (mums from school!) who can only work 3-4 days a week as my flexibility is all used up on my kids so I do hair in my own time, dont go to the coffee mornings etc.

You need to look at the whole picture.

I am senior and I WFH, some days I go for a run at lunchtime, but 80% of the time I don’t get a lunch.

I might meet a friend for coffee one afternoon but I might be on the phone to a client in Asia at 6am or in America at 8pm. I might have been on a train to London at 6:30am or back at 7pm.

I might have a doctors or dentist appointment during the day but I would allow any of my team to do the same.

Where did you get the impression life was fair?

I work from home but used to be full time in the office. I agree it’s MUCH easier.

I work from home and during the week I’m lucky if I get to pop into town to pick up a prescription or something and it’s only five minutes away. Work is just so full on. Sometimes I only go out to walk the dog and it can be so isolating. I have to get through the work and get the hours in, so although there is flexibility it could mean working very early or late. I still have the lack of time issue
though grateful to not have a commute

Maybe they can spell gallivant.

Fair? Why would it be, are you very young?

I don't know who these lucky people are getting appointments in their lunch breaks. I WFH but still have to take leave. I also often don't get a lunch break due to the nature of the job but that's a different conversation.

What?

I wfh and have done pretty much since the 00's.

I don't gallivant about, I'm too busy have too many calls. Today I finally ate something at 5pm after I'd finished my day. I made myself 2 coffees and made three mad dashes to use the loo between meetings. I am always dehydrated.

If I go into the office it's for a rest, believe me.

I don't know many wfhers who can get their hair cut, nails done etc on their lunch break or catch up in the evening. Your friend is lucky.

What I'd suggest is you stop focusing on what others have and be grateful for what you have - some people would love a job, end of - or retrain so you can experience wfh. You don't deserve more holiday, so wind your neck in.

Why is it any more unfair than any other inequality in employment terms and conditions? Perhaps your friend has earned it by virtue of her abilities and the value which her employers feel she adds to whatever they do - and perhaps you don't.

I got my first flexible office job a few years ago, and I wouldn’t go back to compulsory full time office. I now don’t dread the winter months and the struggle to get in during heavy snow, which is a real issue for where I live.

My previous role wasn’t flexible at all, I asked for it and got refused, even through Covid I went in every single day. Part of my role was ordering equipment to allow others to wfh. I had enough when I had to use three days annual leave around 4 years ago as I was genuinely snowed in and I know I could have done my role with a laptop.The ironic thing was on my last day in that role it snowed, so I struggled in, arrived around 9.30am to find hardly anyone else there as they didn’t want to risk the journey in the snow and decided to wfh. Needless to say I walked out at my usual time and didn’t make the time up!

This isn't about working from home, this is about flexibility. Some people who work from home are micromanaged and have to account for every second of their day; others who work in an office can nip out for appointments and have managers who support this flexibility. Maybe change employers if you want more flexibility?

Even in office working days, seniors had a lot more leeway. This is a seniority thing, not a homeworking thing. Don’t like it? Get promoted 😁

Disclaimer: my team and I all work a lot from home and are lucky to get ten minutes to ourselves during the day. I don’t worry about how much work they’re putting in because I can see how busy/productive they are.

But then your friend catches up on work during the evening.

I can tell you, after bringing small children to bed, having to force myself to sit in front of the laptop at 8 pm is really tough. Everything in my body screams no, but I have targets to achieve.

Also, if I want to go for a haircut, I will have to use my lunchbreak. Otherwise I have to book leave. Presumably the same situation you're in, so I don't really understand your argument.

My husband worked from home for over two years. He hated it as he felt like he was tied to the house . Often he wouldn’t be able to eat lunch with us as he’d be on calls . You wouldn’t even know that he was in the house as he was locked away in the office. Definitely no swanning about during the day.

I would also like to give notice to the bank, my doctor,DS school, Jet2, Virgin Media and all the others that whilst at work I have no access to my mobile phone - if I need to use said phone it's during 30 minute lunch or take time off.. and no I am rarely home before your call center closes at 8pm ...

I have worked from home since 2018 - I have never 'galivanted' around and gone and got my hair done, because you know... I am working lol. Do you actually know people like this or do you just believe that everyone who works from home swans around?

Where I am you can claim utilities and anything else for work on tax. I also buy a new laptop and desktop every second year and new mobile phone each year all can be claimed on tax too.
So thats a benefit.

Out of interest do you work a 9-5 job or is it shift work / evening/ early morning work ?
And do you have saturday sunday off rather than a day in the week ?