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?

I must be incredibly boring! Things that I do on wfh days that I don’t do in office days:
Go for a walk before and after work (using commute time).
Work in my slippers and often take them off because I have a fluffy rug that I like to feel on my feet.
Let the dog out at break time.
Eat lunch in peace (can have a smelly lunch!).

I think that’s it!

I'm not doing anything wrong at all. I would happily tell my manager that I was cooking dinner while listening to a conference. Everything's above board.

There are many people not doing themselves any favours, and a fair few just being goady, but there are also very many people who recognise that WFH gives them a level of flexibility that working in an office doesn't provide.

I've been wfh for years and years and currently I work for a company which is almost entirely made up with remote workers from all over the world. It's something I chose to do, not something that was foisted upon me during lockdown. It would not have suited me when I was more junior, nor when my children were younger.

Have a nap 😂

Sometimes me and my husband grab a moment together if you know what I mean.

Best thing about wfh - a long & peaceful uninterrupted poo break

You know I’m right !

Our department meeting is an announcement meeting and someone else takes notes. Easy to just listen.

In which case, why waste everyone's time with a meeting? Just send an email to read?

Probably the ultimate homeworker having spent most of it farming and I live here, work here, never have a day off unless away from here, but have complete flexibility most of the year because we're arable. It can be long in the summer - longest yet was 22 hours but don't do it often, more typically a 16hr day in harvest, only stopping to get off the tractor to toilet in the field (and hope that you only need a wee). I sometimes spend the day titting around on mumsnet or decide to tidy, but sometimes work up until midnight getting accounts finished or some stupid paperwork filled in.

Nothing else is ever done when on calls/meetings though - either you need to be listening, concentrating and taking notes or there is no need for you to be there and it's time-wasting not working that you're doing.

Paint my nails on webinars.

@

Yes , no-ones doing themselves any favours on this thread

Well I'm the boss so and I encourage and support my staff in doing these things.

Good work life balance supports well-being, loyalty and retention which = greater productivity and reduced costs.

Move with the times people. No need to be a dinosaur.

@TheOrigRights

I work from home and am often more productive than in the office away from the noise and distractions (I share an office). I agree that some things can be done as you say, but a lot that has been said on here is a piss take . I'd be very sorry to lose the trust of my employer who is happy for me to do a hybrid working week .

Good work life balance supports well-being, loyalty and retention which = greater productivity and reduced costs.

Couldn't agree more

This thread is nuts and does the WFH cause absolutely no favours.

I work. I have actual real work to do. Same as I do in the office. Not allowed my camera off for meetings and have a heavy workload. Wouldn’t get away with gardening or sleeping and to be honest I’d be too embarrassed to be caught.

I’ve started going back into the office two days a week now. Fed up being at home.

I have a junior team member who wears her Oodie on team calls and it drives me fucking bonkers 😂

I’d never say anything though. I appreciate that it doesn’t affect me and I’m probably being a bit judgy. I just see it as a bit of a drop in standards I suppose - none of that when I was a junior.

Agreed. It's a privilege to be able to work from home and as someone with a disability I feel grateful as it means I can still hold down a full time job. It's full time and intense

Boasts about napping /having sex / epilating etc on work time are really frustrating as they mean it's more likely more employers will lose trust in peoole

Although some of the stuff mentioned here could be seen as a pisstake it could still lead to better productivity. I’ve had days in the office where I’ve looked presentable and been sitting in front of computer all day but not done nearly as much as days at home where I’ve done some housework and other things that people would frown at. Just because one looks better for productivity doesn’t mean it is.

I don't get why people are getting in a tizz about what people do in the daytime. Why does it matter as long as they get their work done. Seems like there is a belief that work isn't work unless it is under someone else's strict control. I'm a teacher so never get to work from home but don't begrudge anyone who does (well... Mostly). My husband works from home, earns far more than I do, and has a lovely time walking the dog, making elaborate meals and picking up the kids (and I've also caught him watching rubix cube YouTube tutorials while in a meeting on his other screen!) but he also works really hard and smartly and does work more in the evenings sometimes and does bits in his own time. Work just isn't the same anymore and I think people need to get used to that! All jobs are different.

Dye my hair

Have a bath

Sit in ridiculously oversized hoodies with a face mask on

Paint my nails

Sit on the sofa with my laptop and watch crap on telly

I only go to the office when I go to Hong Kong, but do sometimes see collaborators on the campus where I used to work.
An hour to commute, park, loo, make a cuppa and get to desk.
Every loo or tea break is about 10 mins cos they're a walk away and you invariably see someone and have either a work or personal chat.
I easily gain 2 hrs a day. I do sport (not for 2 hours).
My computer locks down every 55 mins for 5 mins. In that time I can wash up, sort a bit of laundry, write a birthday card.

I still get more work done at home. No boring chit chat. No waiting my turn for the sad office microwave, No 1.5hr commute.

Unless you want to micromanage someone down to the minute, I would argue that the time I spent hoovering is the same as the same gaggle of smokers standing outside twice a day having a break. No one works every single minute of a work day. My downtime now between tasks is at least now more productive rather than scrolling mumsnet while I sit on the loo. (Hiya).

When WFH I didn’t do much during the day that wasn’t the same stuff I’d have done in the office. But I really used my commuting time well as I gained two hours (commute was an hour each way) doing things like laundry, tidying up, having a bit more of a lie in and prepping dinner.

I don't get why people are getting in a tizz about what people do in the daytime.

I think because people are saying they are doing their nails, or gardening while actually working, not during their breaks.

Nothing else is ever done when on calls/meetings though - either you need to be listening, concentrating and taking notes or there is no need for you to be there and it's time-wasting not working that you're doing.

Yes, sometimes there are meetings I absolutely Italy don't need to be in and are a waste of my time. But it's not always up to me.

And not every meeting needs me taking notes - every couple of months we have a UK firmwide livestream (about 20,000 UK employees). It's just a bit of general info/updates from the CEO, then there's some Q&A from staff to senior people. I can 100% cook dinner/fold laundry/do my nails while that is going on. It requires the same level of concentration as watching the news.

I don't know how the word Italy got into my post!

Multi-tasking.

Today I watched a few episodes of west wing. Most of my meetings got cancelled. Normally I would listen to a relevant podcast (and I did that too). I wouldn't usually but work has been full on the last 3 months and I am exhausted. I did the necessary admin.

In which case, why waste everyone's time with a meeting? Just send an email to read? I've been wondering this for 8 years. At least now I can do something usefull. Managers theory: can have a discussion and explain more the reasoning. My theory: she loves being the centre of attention.