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

This is going to depend entirely on what industry you work in. I work exclusively from home and have done since long before covid. My job allows for a bit of flexibility but not a lot. I am expected to be at my desk I can't just dash in and out. To go to appointments it involves skipping lunch to leave early or starting early/finishing late to go during lunch. It has to be arranged. I can't work when I want I have a set shift I do every day.

I work from home and could never faff off for haircut, shop or anything else
in fact I work harder as there is no wander round to my pal , no chat at the kettle
The only bonus is no commute in this horrible weather
My gas and electric are high due to extra heating costs , radio on all day , charging laptop power , using my own tea coffee , even loo roll is higher use than when out at work.
It’s not all a bonus

because often on senior jobs, if you are needed, you are needed. My "proper job hours were 9 to 5 but when night staff needed training I went in at midnight and when I was presenting at public meetings then I went in whenever the public meetings were. The payback to working flexibly is being able not to work fixed hours.

I think you are mixing up seniority with WFH. Anyone I know who works for home seem to have less break etc than if they were in the office. It is more frown on if they appear offline than it would when they are in the office.

I would be very Senior where I work and yes I do enjoy a great deal of flexibility. I can chose where and when the work gets done but that is a because I am senior. I am mindful that many many people do not enjoy that flexibility.

Some jobs offer more flexibility. It's always been this way. I am not sure what you think is unfair?

Back in the 80s (when WFH meant carrying lots of files home on the train the previous evening then lugging them back again the following day) my Boss did the afternoon school pick up most days and took the kids to his mum's, so he was gone between 2.45 and 4.00 most days. He could do that because he was the boss.

To be fair, he generally didn't take a lunch break, usually ate a home made sandwich at his desk.

I work from home but have set hours, shift work basically so if i want to do anything outside those hours I have to book leave. I am not particularly well paid either.
This isn't a WFH issue it's a flexible role issue.

Also higher-earners, meaning more senior people, have often always had more flexibility than anyone else in any given organisation. It's nice that some plebs get it too now.

Life isn’t fair though. I’d love it if our educational system didn’t discriminate against kids with processing disorders or with moderate to severe dyslexia, unfortunately the current system is absolutely discriminatory towards these kids, it’s incredibly unfair that kids with these types of difficulties have far fewer career choices or earning potential.

I work in an office, and have huge flexibility over my hours. My boss knows I’m not a piss taker; work and deadlines always get met, I regularly work over my hours because it’s a way of me showing my appreciation to having flexible work hours. I had to take ds to a hospital appointment the other day, my boss was just like, ‘so long as Don’s report hits his inbox before midnight, do whatever you need to do’. Same if I need dentist or medical appointment, or dc have appointments, I don’t have to take leave.
My previous job was much better paid, better pension, slightly better annual leave entitlement, but absolutely no flexibility whatsoever. I decided flexibility was more important, so took the pay cut and changed jobs, I have no regrets, and my current job, is nothing like as stressful as my previous one. There will always be compromises.

YABU as I have been working since I was 16 in 1992 and remember how hard it was to have to commute all the time or to get a decent part time job, particularly when DDs were small in the 2000s and 2010s. And that's why I insisted on only doing three days maximum in the office when I went full time in my current job in 2019.

I have hybrid and flexi time. Some tasks we have are time-sensitive. But yes I still have a lot of flexibility and I also love being at home, it’s been a major improvement to my physical, mental and domestic well-being. I don’t get to just bugger off for free for large chunks of the day though. Work towards changing your job if you want to wfh, rather than moaning about those of us who already do.

That's a problem your friend has, not a problem people who work from home have. Most of us who are fortunate enough to work from home were chained to desks in offices until five years ago, and many of us have also at various times worked in jobs where WFH wouldn't be possible. Many people who WFH are monitored through their equipment and aren't gallivanting off anywhere, and many have hybrid arrangements with mandated office days.

I have hybrid working and it's not the working from home that enables me to do anything during the day, it's having an amazingly flexible employer. Pre-covid I was struggling to fit my hours into my days due to the commute and a young child and I was looking at leaving. Post-covid I have less commute time and more flexibility and it's a godsend.

I don't know how you can mandate more annual leave considering there's a legal minimum and beyond that it's in the employer's gift.

I see so many WFH bashing threads whether its here or Facebook. The "get back to the office" and "they never had WFH until Covid".

Many of us were forced to work from home during covid even if we didn't want to (I certainly didn't and would rather have gone into the office). While many were furloughed during covid those of us who could work from home had to and employers went out of their way to make sure homeworking was possible.

You sound really immature.

I do some of my work from home & i can't just pop out whenever i want.

Ive also spent periods working in offices with no issue having an opticians appointment at lunch etc.

If you happen to work in a location that meant you couldn't get to the those things within lunch hour thats no different to people who work from home & don't live in a town centre. I can't get my hair done on lunch when im wfh as there's no hairdresser close by but i can when in the office.

Hope everyone is now minded to pencil in some gallivanting leave

Only on Mumsnet do I see adults whining “But it’s not faaaiiiir!!!” like this. Most people get past the age of 10 and realise life isn’t fair.

She still has to do the same hours though, she just has flexibility.

If you can't retrain why don't you just work at getting promotions to become more senior? If you get high up enough you'll eventually be able to galivant too! Senior roles are super easy, no stress, its just about getting your hair and nails done all the time really.

Your jealousy is beaming through.

If you don’t like your situation, change it.

I WFH but still have to work the same hours per week as office based colleagues.I don’t go “gallivanting” in work time! You sound jealous of your friend.

If you want to WFH then get a different job.

News flash princess. Life’s not fair.

I think your friend has flexibility due to her senior position.

she hasn't even specifically said that her friend doesn't understand she can't!

So yeah, v unreasonable. I wfh but of course I understand I have more flexibility than people who don't (albeit not as much as OP assumes we all do)- I'm not an idiot! That's literally one of the main reasons why I do it!

If you want a different job with different advantages, change jobs! You're not an ancient serf tied to the land. WFH isn't the only work benefit - some jobs pay more/less, some have good pensions and other benefits, some have lots of freebies, some have great colleagues, some have flexible hours, some have lots of AL, some are really interesting, etc...

Whining about it 'not being fair' you can't wfh is as ridiculous as me, someone who does wfh, complaining that a pilot gets to do more travelling as part of her job than me! Or that a brain surgeon gets paid more than me.

I wfh 3 days a week and can assure you I'm not gallivanting around getting my hair cut etc. Most gallivanting I do is nipping down to put a wash on. We still have to work!

Exactly this - we must be available 9-5 to speak to clients.
We get a half an hour lunch break and that’s it. Also not a high earner maybe in line with the national average and we are made to work for it.
We are allowed time out for appointments only but if it’s more than an hour we have to owe the time back.

Life isn’t fair, but you’re setting yourself up for failure if this is the bar you’re judging fairness on. Employment contracts are a negotiation, it’s on you to advocate for yourself and push for certain terms like remote working if that’s what you want, or a higher salary.

plus is it really that surprising that someone senior is usually higher paid? Of course you get paid more if you have more responsibilities or a more senior title. Surely that is “fair”?

to be honest I struggle to find sympathy for your argument especially the waffle about you deserving more AL. When I work from home, I am actually working. Sometimes I miss parcels etc because I’m physically working/in a meeting presenting where it isn’t feasible to stop the meeting to accept deliveries. Let alone swan off to go to appointments when I’m supposed to be working. Not everyone who works from home is dossing nor are they basically on annual leave.