Thing you do when you WFH...

[SleepDebt]

...that you'd never do in the office.

My DH was shaving his beard In-between emails this week and it made me chuckle at the thought of him doing this in the office.

What things do you do while you WFH that would be completely inappropriate/slightly hilarious if you did them in the office?

Reckon my boss may have been reading this thread, he was in a very bad mood and was barking requests today for everyone to switch their cameras on which he’s never insisted on before!

A friend said that her boss has read the riot act re expectations when WFH this week also cameras on for all meetings, all completely out of the blue. Essentially they are expected to behave as if they are in the office and specifically said 'not laying in the sofa in your pjs or painting your nails'. Also thinking she might have read this thread

Me too. Nothing nicer when I get home when I have been in the office to take my tights and bra off. How did I wear them 5 days a week.

It bonkers to me that people have meetings with no cameras on.

i’ve had two different jobs since WFH and in both, having camera off was simply not done. Most of my friends etc say the same thing. It’s really bad form and I’d get called out immediately for it.

I have loads of meetings without cameras on. I find it distracting looking at my own face on screen and much prefer them without.

The only reason to have camera off is if your Internet connection has got suddenly poor. Otherwise its so so rude

I manage to do sooo much while WFH & honestly don't know how I worked 5 days a week at the office!

Me & hubby have also dtd a few times while on our lunch break 😂 defo couldn't do that in the office !!

I think it’s a sign of how meeting could actually be bloody emails. Someone who likes the sound of their own voice droning on. Doesn’t need full attention.

Maybe etiquettes differs in other settings. Many meetings are conducted without any cameras on at all. I don't think anyone finds it rude.

Have to agree with this. In all the Zooms and Teams and Hangouts since 2020 I've only ever had my camera off for webinars when two-way interaction isn't expected.

My boss would be bloody horrified if I'd met with a business partner with my camera off, as would I be if my team had. The only concession would be for a very large meeting that we're present for all of but only actively involved in part of (at which point camera goes on).

But this again depends on the type of job. I've had zero on camera meetings. I'm not refusing to use one. There just hasn't been a need. I'm either presenting and sharing a screen (so my presentation is the most important one and camera is a bit distracting) or there are 25+ people in the meeting and everyone kn camera doesn't seem necessary to me.

I'm low down the food chain in the office so often get told to have my camera off in training meetings. I don't have to interact or say anything, ever. As long as I'm listening is all that matters.

It depends what kind of meeting it is surely. A small team meeting or client meeting - camera has to be on.

An all staff call with 40+ people, no need for camera to be on. If dept training sessions (maybe 20 people) are over lunch I turn my camera off so I can eat in peace!

I’ve moved from a cameras-nearly-always-on culture to a cameras-hardly-ever-on culture. It’s been interesting..

Have sex in my lunch break!

Have a shower, listen to the radio, take personal calls or messages, do a bit of online shopping, load or unload the washing machine. It all depends. I do 4 hours work any time between 8.30am and 1.30pm - whatever else I do is up to me.

Then this is what you do around your working hours i.e. your free time.
The OP was asking what you do while you're actually working e.g. sit in your slippers, stroke the cat, use a phone headpiece during meetings while folding laundry.

Do you turn the sound off as well, or can everyone hear you slurping your Pot Noodle just not see it!

Oh I see. What I do while I'm actually working is work. I'm lucky in that I never ever have to sit in on interminable online meetings. If I need to speak to a colleague we call each other. It's all a doddle.

@Roundaboutabee care to elaborate? I’m in a firmly cameras-on culture, I’m really interested in the differences!

It is accepted that cameras aren’t on. And I know that means staff are doing other things rather than engaging with meetings at times (because when nudged they go “oh, sorry, I missed that”). Good for multi tasking, but it makes meetings longer and inefficient.

It was three months before i saw the face of one of my direct reports. I’m quite a visual person - remember faces better than names - so it’s harder for me sometimes to remember what “initials” (as teams defaults to if there’s not a picture) said.

This is an organisational-wide thing. I was presenting to some very senior members of my directorate recently, who all had their cameras off. So I did my breezy “oh, I’ll turn my camera on so you can all see who you’re talking to” and they all turned theirs on, and even commented how nice it was to see everyone. But it didn’t cross their minds to initiate that.

otoh I have another team where someone is blind. There it’s very “cameras off” as a point of inclusion.

otoh I have another team where someone is blind. There it’s very “cameras off” as a point of inclusion

How bizarre. would you blindfold yourselves at an in-person meeting?

That’s really interesting @Roundaboutabee . I must say it doesn’t sell the cameras-off thing! I’d rather have a short fully engaged meeting than a long slow one in which I do emails in the background!

Drinking while working is a sackable offence at my employer...

@FooFighter99

How would your employer know if you had a drink in your own house?