If you work in an office and are required to come in most or all of the time, what sector/industry do you work in?

[ilovemynewjumper]

I work in an office-based job that can be done from home. During lockdowns we were working from home 100% of the time. For the last year we have been expected to go in 60% of the time, but it seems people find ways around that and work from home a lot more than 40%, so when I'm in the office I'm often on my own or with just one other person. Work feels very transactional and lonely, and I really don't like it. I also don't like being in my own house so much - I like to get out more. I've really had enough. But it seems most people I talk to who do office jobs are in a similar position, working from home most of the time now.

So my question is - if I want an office-based job that actually requires me to be in most/all of the time, what sectors should I look at it? I can only think of schools/education. What else is there? The kind of work I do could theoretically be done in any sector.

Thanks!

bump

Not necessarily all of education, I work in a University and a lot of our support staff are still working from home. Most others are hybrid working, 3 days in, 2 days WHF.

I work for a construction company. Everyone has been in the office since September 2020.

Engineering on sites. Although admittedly Fridays and Mondays are quieter but there are always people about.

Thanks - this is helpful. Yes I've got a friend in a university and she says the same - I was thinking more of primary and secondary schools. Whenever I have to go into my kids schools the offices always look busy.

I work full time in the office, but you would have to work for my actual company as everyone other one in the sector does hybrid working.

I'm in Higher Ed. now, and we're in the office every day.

Previously I worked for a design engineering company and we were required to work on site then too as that kind of engineering is very hands-on collaborative, plus some of the product was being built on site and you can't do that from home. Not at that scale anyway. So maybe jobs around manufacturing or engineering?

Thanks. Sounds like engineering or construction might be worth looking at then.

Public sector, back in the office full time since the end of lockdowns. Not public facing.

I'm nhs and I'm in every day but some nhs office jobs are a bit 50/50 and some are at home

I'm in engineering. A previous firm (manufacturing) we were back in from late 2020, as per construction, including office based staff.

I now work for a larger engineering firm with more "white collar" engineers and remote sites. The sites are mostly in 100%, the office is hybrid, with individual teams setting their in/out split. My team are required in once a month. But I'm usually in a couple more days than that for f2f meetings. The office is smaller than it used to be though, so there is often a buzz.

So I don't think it is sector specific, more individual companies working out what suits them

Some bits of financial services are pretty much 100% in. Some that is for tech or compliance reasons, some of it is cultural (which comes with tonnes of crap so be careful what you wish for).

Interesting. Which bit of the public sector? I'm public sector at the moment and all office staff are wfh as much as they can.

Friend is a PA for a big architectural firm. Everyone in all the time like pre covid inc during tube and train strikes.

Me and dh both wfh without need to go into office. We prefer it. Have the choice like yours to go into office if we want to but never do as we don't like it. Both work in finance departments.

I work in education and we've been back in the office full time as soon as the WFH advice ended. No one else I know has gone back to the office full time (lawyers/IT/civil service/NHS/higher ed etc), just me!

Sales & lettings negotiator for an estate agency here. I work for a tiny firm, it’s just me and the boss, and my boss is incredibly flexible so if the kids are off school sick for example I can work from home. However, in reality people still like to come in to the office and talk to us face to face and as there’s only 2 of us and my boss is in and out all day someone needs to be in the office. Personally I hate home working, for a day or two if the kids are off school it’s fine, after that I want to be at my desk, in a proper office chair and with peace and quiet.

Thanks everyone

Icebear - that's exactly how I feel!

I work in retirement however I am also a lone worker so won't help your issues. But property management offices.

I’m a recruiter. As pp said it’s down to individual companies more than whole industries as to what policies are but hybrid/mostly wfh is becoming the norm, with some pockets of backtracking here and there

in my company we are mostly hybrid (if local) with further away colleagues fully remote but there is a small core of individual in every day, through choice (eg partner needing the office space, some single colleagues like the company etc)

Second what others have said - it’s really more organisation than industry dependent.

Size also plays a massive factor as well - I work for a large multinational who is very much hybrid but you can go into the office as much or as little as you want - each team sets it’s own culture. Some people will be in daily, some people might make an appearance once a month. But, there are always quite a few people in the office I work from - I think we generally have around 30% capacity across the week with some days heading to 80 and others closer to 10 (Fridays!) but that’s still 300 or so folks to chat to most days.

Around where we live most of the office jobs are onsite , especially smaller companies
There is not much wfh jobs
My jobs is either and i work in office a few days a week and home the rest , but not many jobs locally that offer this as I have been looking.
I like the mix as the office is nice to get to see people and sometimes chat one to one rather than via email and many of us don't have homes that can accommodate wfh
During lockdown both me and DH were WFH and it was awful, we were all on too of each other , the kids couldn't just be kids in their own home
Recently at our place have seen a lot more come in when its cold etc aa nice central heated office.

Private equity - we were the last ones out when Covid started and back as soon as we could. Occasionally wfh but expected to be in. TBH more work done in the office than at home as we work across teams and much easier if everyone is in

I'm in HE, we are permanently hybrid to save money but people can be on campus every day if they like - but it will never be as busy as the old days. We are somewhere between 40-60% WFH. The office buildings have been sold off so they can't return to everyone back in.

I think it's unlikely you will find anywhere that is 100% office based guaranteed forever any more as most people want the flexibility and the tech is moving on how people work.