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Original poster

Working from home. Turns out I'm a bit shit at it.

70 replies

LemonRedwood · 10/05/2019 21:30

Started a new job a little while ago. I cover a large area and there's a also a big push in the organisation for "smart working" essentially enabling employees to work from anywhere (ie reduce unnecessary travel to reduce all the petrol claims).

Today was the first day I didn't actually need to be anywhere. Except 1 meeting this morning and my colleague lives quite near me so we had our meeting in a local coffee shop. So I then came home in order to "work from home".

Well, I turned on my computer. Then I cleaned the kitchen. Did 4 loads of washing. A Tesco shop. Put the bins out. Sent one email. Made one phone call.

I might be one of those people who just works better at work

OP posts:

GreyBirds · 10/05/2019 23:07

I’m exactly like this too! I have a totally different mindset in each place. At home or in a coffee shop I know I could technically be doing anything if I wanted so I just can’t work properly! Reminds me of the transition from school/sixth form to uni actually - at school I knew I was obliged to be there 9-3 and if I was there I might as well work in that time. At uni I had loads of free time where I could do whatever I wanted. Ended up causing me many nights of no sleep before a deadline!

Babyroobs · 10/05/2019 23:07

I have recently started working from home but it's a struggle ! Barking dogs, kids that have forgotten their keys, couriers turning up with parcels for neighbours. It's a nightmare .

thewinkingprawn · 10/05/2019 23:08

The vast majority of people at the last place I worked totally took the piss. I think it’s because most jobs can be done in less then full time hours if you are super efficient therefore if you are wfh one day per week and are super efficient the rest then you can afford to put a wash on, go to the shops, pick the kids up and frankly no one will notice. That had been mine and most of my colleagues experience of the at least the last 3 corporates I have worked at over the last 15 years.

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sackrifice · 10/05/2019 23:08

i work from home and actually work. From 8-5:30 unless I am out and about visiting projects.

I use the outlook calendar to book my time to tasks, and actually do work.

It's crazy.

Sparkyduchess · 10/05/2019 23:08

I’ve worked from home for 15 years. I get up, make coffee, and then sit down at my desk with my office door closed. Other than to nip to the loo or make more coffee, I don’t emerge until the end of the day.

It takes discipline to do it effectively, I love it but it’s not for everyone.

Gincompetent · 10/05/2019 23:10

I've worked from home for more than 10 years. I have an office and I treat it exactly the same as I would if I had travelled there by bus/train.
When it's 8.30am I take my coffee, and into the office I go... and I work.
Coffee again at 11, take it into office and work.
Lunch around 1, half an hour tops
Then work solidly until 5, only going to the kitchen for a water top-up or quick snack.

I work on flexi time too, so if I've had an evening event, I'll start late/finish early or go to the gym at lunchtime.

I'm paid to do a job and it's a busy one - it would show very quickly if I wasn't putting in the hours. I have built up the trust I have so i can pretty much please myself. Sometimes I'll nip down to a school function, or to the dentist/library, but I always let my boss know I'll be away. She knows I work more hours than I'm paid for, but I don't mind as I have so much flexibility.

This is how it's supposed to work.

What is it you all do where you can get away with skiving for so long??

NCforleg · 10/05/2019 23:12

@Gincompetent What is it you all do where you can get away with skiving for so long??

Agree. If I don't get my work done it'll have a huge effect on a lot of things.

Taxiparent · 10/05/2019 23:16

Tooglamtogiveadamn2
I am a Head of Faculty and teach online from home, it’s great!

Gincompetent · 10/05/2019 23:17

Same here @NCforleg
People are always expecting things from me. They'd send out a search party if I went quiet!

Flower777 · 10/05/2019 23:19

I am utterly crap at working from home. I never used to do anything.

I have also learnt that I am crap at any kind of self directed study course from home. I just don't do it.

herethereandeverywhere · 10/05/2019 23:21

I work from home 1 or 2 days out of my 3 day week. Whilst I do pop some washing on or go to the shop I'm avoiding a 2 hour round trip commute so that time is mine!

There is no way I'd get away with dicking about doing nothing though. People need me to do stuff and answer stuff and deliver stuff - if people don't notice you're doing nothing it rather suggests the organisation can do without you, which means your role is redundant...
There's probably some deep-seated fear of job-loss from my childhood (redundancy and financial hardship featured highly) but I cannot let myself not do my work. It sits there and festers and makes things worse! How can you not feel stressed doing nothing when you should be working?!!

RuffleCrow · 10/05/2019 23:23

I'm the same - i lack the necessary discipline

DrWhy · 10/05/2019 23:31

I love working from home. At one stage I had an agreement with my line manager that when I had reports to write up I’d do it from home as there were so many fewer distractions. Now sadly home working is being reduced across the company - I can’t remember the official justification but I suspect it’s because people weren’t doing the job effectively. I can still do it from time to time and I find that since I start when I would have set off on the commute and finish when in i would have got home, don’t have any chats over coffee or in the corridor, don’t attend any pointless meetings - I actually get more done even if I do put a couple of washloads on and do some prep for dinner at lunchtime.

mollpop · 10/05/2019 23:41

Where I work, WFH (working from home) is now called SFH (Shirking from home)

BrylcreamBeret · 10/05/2019 23:43

I had a hell of a day working from home today, first time ever. My Excel corrupted and I have a backlog of cash flow and annual audits to write up because the former Director of Finance didn't do any at all tried downloading new Microsoft packages on works server and none of the passwords they gave me worked. What a nightmare. Think I'll stick to the office

NCforleg · 10/05/2019 23:50

What WFH jobs do you all have? We don't have an office so all work from home apart from meetings. I'm a family support administrator for a charity. As I said if I don't do my work then people will know!

MsLumley · 10/05/2019 23:50

I WFH one day a week and have done for 7+ years now. One thing that I've found helps is to arrange weekly calls for the morning of my WFH day. That gives me something to focus on and I can spend the rest of the day working on the action points from the calls. WFH is a different dynamic from office working and it does take some getting used to but once you crack it the benefits are enormous.

mollpop · 10/05/2019 23:57

I'm civil service. Pretty relaxed but I don't take the piss and work really hard. I tend to do more when I'm at home to prove I haven't been slacking

yearinyearout · 11/05/2019 05:11

My DH works from home by switching on his computer, then lying on his office sofa in between the odd email reading a novel. I think your way is far more productive.

SherlockSays · 11/05/2019 05:55

I WFH every Friday, I use it t catch up on all admin type stuff, finalising presentations etc. Which I don't get chance to do during the 3 days I'm in the office/out on visits and I don't work Monday's so I need to get myself ahead.

SherlockSays · 11/05/2019 05:57

But I do put a wash on, have a nice cooked breakfast, walk the dogs etc. And I do all those at times to suit me - but I still work my 7.5 hours, just more sporadically.

I work in a very laid back place though - it's not unusual for people to arrive in the office at 10.30 etc.

speakout · 11/05/2019 06:01

I work from home- been self employed for 15 years and love the freedom and flexilbility it gives me.

On busy daysI get up early to tidy the kitchen and take bins out, some mornings I have an early gym class, then OH does the kitchen before work. I put in a load of washing early too, that will get hung out by 9am.
Then work- I focus on that, will pop to the supermarket around lunchtime if I need to, then quickly stick something in he slow cooker, working again most of the afternoon.

I don't find motivation a problem, but I would rather be working than doing housework!!

Soontobe60 · 11/05/2019 06:02

I occasionally WFH when I have reports to complete which demand my full attention. I find there are far more distractions at work than home and can get the report done in a day whereas at work it would take me at least 3 days.
My reason for not WFH more is the poor internet reception I have so accessing the server can take ages! Any suggestions on how to overcome this???

WhoKnewBeefStew · 11/05/2019 06:02

Sounds like you have nailed the ‘working from home’

MeakTiger · 11/05/2019 06:09

I worked from home for years and would never do those things; I was always very productive. I had to account for my time in 15 minute slots though and at the end of the day those slots had to add up to 8 hours. I couldn’t put doing a Tesco shop or cleaning the kitchen against a client account!

I don’t work from home very often now and I am in-house so not billing clients but if I am at home I still account for my time in 15 minute slots and make sure it adds up to eight just to be fair to my employer.

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