to think some retired people completely forget what it’s like to be working full time?

Evasion again. You are allowed tucked away at home and possibly tucked away in a single user office.

But you can't answer the question whether you would be able to do it in an open plan office, because obviously the answer has to be no.

It isn't only archaic bosses that want their staff to work the hours they're paid for. I'm curious what job you can do effectively with the amount you've been posting today unless you will be doing extended hours unpaid. It would seem that you actually only have half a job to do a lot of the time.

Yeah but no one needs to be making up-invited comments about single working mums. It’s great you’re retired, but it isn’t a free pass.

Well it feels like a full time job to me! A good one mind!

Every generation thinks they have it harder than previous generations. I'm not sure I agree with you that today is harder for families than previous generations.

I find this thread distasteful tbh. (and I'm not retired). I have never been criticised by an older person for not doing something, nor have I found that they have forgotten what its like to work. The biggest judgments I have received are from fellow parents, or teachers, or colleagues. And no, @coulditbeme2323 it isn't the same as working to be a full time parent of 3. Many mums work and parent at the same time.

Who judges you on you decisions

Are you for real? See my reply. Im actually fumming. This is the most disgusting post on here.

We had it so good back in the day (and I lived through Thatcher). Of course we didn't realise it at the time.

What a mess politicians have made of the country.
But we have to take some responsibility as an electorate. We voted for Brexit. And I'm afraid we're heading for an even bigger catastrophe with Reform. We'll lose the NHS, Welfare, they'll decimate the Human Rights Act and the Equality Act.
And when/if that happens, like Brexit, we'll have no one to blame but ourselves.

Because 'immigrants' and 'poor, sick people'.

Not politicians allowing 20 million people to legally migrate here in 30yrs without building the necessary infrastructure to support that increase.
Not politicians allowing large multinational corporations to pay practically no tax. Not politicians giving us a referendum on leaving Europe which has completely fucked us economically.
Not politicians deregulating the financial sector enabling them to screw us all...and then bailing them out when they plunged the world into a huge economic recession.
Not politicians using austerity measures for 15 years with no real economic benefit...apart from making the rich demonstrably richer.
Not politicians dishing out billions from the public purse during Covid and awarding contracts (without competitive tendering) to companies with links to Conservative politicians and donors.
Not an ineffective opposition party who could have challenged the above but were too busy navel gazing and becoming obsessed with ideological bullshit ... because of 'activists'.

etc, etc ... ad nauseam.

It's all on 'immigrants' and 'poor, sick people'. 🙄

Posting, not paying.

You are determined to avoid answering the question aren't you? I think that probably tells us the answer is that you could not and would not sit in an open plan office visibly paying on MN so the rest of the business knew you were doing it.

As someone else said, you are simply confirming other people's prejudices about people working from home slacking.

No I've not forgotten how hard it was. Single parent working outside in all weather's... manual job.. not many cushy office jobs ..most of my peers worked in factories/ Mills.. be heading chickens all day long.. up and down factory lines in freezing fridges pickling vegetables... stood on cardboard to keep their feet warm.. stood at spinning machines sorting the wool/ cloth.
Baby boomers all of us.
Most of the men worked down the pit or building houses.
It was back breaking work.. then I'd collect my kids from my mums on way home ( walking .. no car).. half hour walk to work and back then another half hour to my mums.. sometimes she would have tea waiting for me.. then I'd wait for my Dad to give us a lift home.. where id bath the kids.. put to bed.. then start the cleaning ..no automatic washing machine .. was a twin tub..no microwave or tumbler dryer.. vacuum was big and heavy l had to pull about.. l did my own DIY and decorating.. l think l deserve my retirement. Luckily my two daughters have mod cons.. they remember us struggling and still amazed how we did it.

If you are not being critical why make a whole thread on MN about it?

You’ll be retired one day

Same old MN retirement bashing thread 🙄

Aye, sorry. Realised that after I posted.

I'm retired but I'm hyper aware of the pressures (time and otherwise) on working people. My son works incredibly long hours, sometimes all night and often at weekends (lawyer). I'm very respectful of his free time and would never, for example, pressure him to visit me - but I'm delighted when he does!

I respect friends who work from home and wouldn't impose or expect them to take time out for me.

Yes, I stopped full time work a few years ago and I try to remain aware of this as I’ve observed it myself many times.

When people ask what I do with my time my immediate response tends to be “Fuck all!” - followed by a very short list of some of the things we get up to.

I’m not old but I already wonder how I did all I did when I worked full time. In my case I had a heavy caring role too which has substantially diminished. I do think those years did long term damage, - mechanically and in terms of anxiety and I am aware how fortunate I have to have been able to step off the wheel thanks to money.

I think without awareness it is very easy to fall into this trap. My mum did despite her exasperation at her own mum doing it years previously.