WFH - how much are you actually working?

[Hardlyworking0]

Long time lurker first time poster 😊

just that really.. I work 9-5 and previously was working with clients and very busy with phone calls, emails, meetings etc. I would often work overtime or skip lunches to make sure I could get all the queries done.
I moved jobs around 5 months ago and my boss has told me there is no worry about being visible but just to ensure that all my tasks are completed. I host/attend a few zoom calls a week but it feels I’m doing hardly anything compared to previous roles. It hasn’t been flagged, in honesty I’m quite bored but enjoying being able to get things around the house done!
So.. if you WFH and are constantly busy or do you have a fair bit of free time?

Lucky you! I am flat out on the days I WFH.

Same as you I have work that needs to be done by x date rather than having to be in y hours every day. Because of childcare I do tend to work set hours though, if needed I will do extra in the evenings but try and avoid that. If i do have a lull ill ask if anyone in the team needs support.

Pretty busy, on days I'm at home I can obviously do things like put on the washing and if I'm on a boring call (like now) I might spend 10 minutes on here, which I wouldn't do when in the office. But I tend to work longer hours when I'm at home so it balances out.

@Rotherweird I’ve been flat out in every job since I left school so it feels very weird. My husband told me to get a grip and just enjoy it but I constantly feel like I’m going to be in trouble or I’m missing something 😂

Flat out. I'm public sector and the work load is horrific.

Similar to you. I can manage my workload so I tend to do more hours tues / weds / Thurs and take a more relaxed approach Mon / Friday.

Very busy. Public sector here too. The days are very long and the hours that were spent commuting are diverted into the working day.. I am leaving soon for a job partly in the office to reduce my hours.

So busy! But I like it like that. I like being able to spend time with the children after nursery, then finish off some things in the evening whilst they’re asleep. I used to do 8-6 but would often go in a lot earlier. Now I can do the nursery run in minutes, start work straight away and finish when I need too. The lack of commuting is such a bonus. I tend to go in twice as week due to the nature of the job, but I seem to get a lot less done there - it’s amazing how much time you spend chatting/making tea/having pointless meetings!

Sounds like it’s more the job/work than a wfh issue for you?

It’s nothing to do with wfh though is it.

you’ve got a job which is easier. You wouldn’t have more tasks if you were in the office 🤔

I moved jobs from a very pressured, badly managed, stressful job to one that required a normal amount of input, has occasional down time and where tasks need to be done by a date rather than a number of hours done a day. it took me ages to adjust - it was a weird feeling. I'm now fully adjusted.

DH recently did same. Used to be in super stressful, 18 hour days, constantly on call - now it's 9 to 5 and if he fancies meeting someone for lunch or knocking off early he can. it was interesting watching him go through the same adjustment. He said the other day 'is that what normal people's work days are like?'

No but in the office you often have to show you’re working so you couldn’t do something personal in between two calls etc…

I work more, I generally work what I would have commuted , I don't take lunch and I don't have 'chats' with anyone in the kitchen

I have the same amount of work to do whether it's from home or in the office. At least at home I can do other things, but I'm also logged on longer (using my commute time). I will also do work later in the evening whereas I wouldn't if I left the office.

I've always found the first few months in roles quite quiet. It's as people become aware of you and you start getting involved in projects the workload ramps up.

I work pretty much constantly bar lunch and making a cup/snack.

Same. That’s part of why I can’t stand working from home all the time and much prefer a mix of office and wfh; I’d rather be flat out in the office and have the journey home to decompress. Working flat out at the computer all day then just going to another room is hard.

@Believeitornot yes I suppose you’re right although I gather that if I was in the office I would find much more to do or work alongside others on different projects. I reach out and offer to collaborate but it doesn’t seem to get anywhere, I wonder if others are the same as me and just keep quiet
Just wanted to see if this was ‘normal’ as I’ve never experienced this kind of freedom in a job before where I’m not monitored so heavily
ps I’m not workshy I do have things I do but the tasks seem to be completed quickly!!

@helpfulperson yes I did think this! It’s quite possible this is the calm before the storm…

I work smarter which should allow me time to do housework but I prefer to be on mumsnet!

I have had managerial, senior roles for years that involve managing both people and processes within the business plus looking after clients, I would be on the go from 8am to 6pm without a break and often more. Every day whilst in the office alongside doing my main role I would be troubleshooting problems and helping across the company.

Now my role has changed and I can just do my own work and manage my own small team and we all WFH. I do more now in 4 days than I ever did in 5 so have agreed that my Fridays can be flexible. I do sometimes miss the buzz of the office and working across the wider company all of which is still happening but I am not there, then I look at my lower blood pressure my tidy house and the general feeling of wellbeing that I have.

I

@Hardlyworking0 - it is often much easier to complete tasks quickly when you can concentrate and there are no interuptions

I mostly wfh and have a lot of flexibility/limited oversight, I have deadlines and objectives to meet but visibility isn't that important- as I've come to realise over the past two years. I view it as peaks and troughs, I work hard when I need to and take a break when I dont

Me too. Find commuting hard work but its worth it not to have to deal with things in my own home. Lockdown was awful!

@BadAtMaths2 this sums up the experience completely! As some others have said it’s probably not the WFH aspect but the new job. I just think even if I was this busy in the office, I wouldn’t feel as guilty or like I was skiving in those downtime moments

@Onthegrid also true it’s much easier to concentrate on each thing at once. Also I find zoom calls are so much more productive than old meetings that would take 3+ hours and then going out to lunch and having to catch up on all the emails you missed..

Flat out, we were chronically under-resourced pre Covid and post, with such a buoyant job market and people leaving left, right and centre, we’re drowning.

Working from the office provides no relief, in fact it is worse due to constant interruptions and the open plan style of the office meaning you can hear every single Teams call going on.