Do people wfh (esp public sector) relax during day?

[Phy]

by relaxing I mean do other stuff rather than working? Have recently started working public sector and wfh a lot. I am surprised how little gets done. When I knuckle down I can do a lot, but this seems unusual. I am not sure if it’s just assumed people will work less hard than say, private sector, maybe to offset lower wages?

Alas no Daily Mail journo - early start, late finish, no time for screen breaks, 15 min lunch on a good day, about 10 hrs a week in unpaid overtime and all for a salary which rose by 2% when inflation is in double digits and which doesn't pay enough to live on.

I work in the public sector having recently moved from the private sector. Like you I am surprised how many people do very little, however, those that work well certainly stand out from the rest and are recognised for it. There seems to be a bigger divide between hard workers and slackers than I ever noticed in the private sector. I'm not saying this applies to all public sector workers but it has certainly been my experience

And I would say that is across all days, not specifically work from home days

I work from home as much as I work in the office , I never relax as one of the kids is always home anyway and incomodante just sit watching tv during work anyway, but yes I do small thinks like putting dishes away or putting the washing in the washing machine , if I can be hands free a bit I start dinner . Really depends on the intensity of work that day

I can start work at 7am and not sign off until 8pm, I've been known to be messaging my boss at 6pm on a Friday.

If on days where I'm really struggling to concentrate I go for a 2 hour lunch break (a walk to clear my head and 30 minutes sat in the fresh air and a trip to Tesco) it doesn't matter so much because I do make up for it.

The office is different, I don't take the work I need to concentrate on in (I do that at home) it's stuff that doesn't matter if I get interrupted or I have meetings.

I work from home. I take a lunch break because the screen is tiring. But aside from that I'm working all day. If I don't get what I need to get finished, and utilise my time efficiently, then it builds up to the next day, along with the work that needs to be done then as well. It wouldn't take long to spiral out of control. So no. I don't relax during work time.

This!!!

My WFH days tend to be my multiple meetings where I might have 5-6 back to back, then grab 30 mins for lunch (maybe run into the laundry to swap over the washing into the dryer) then back into it in the afternoon. On the days I go to the office I get a lovely train commute, a nice 20 minute walk there and back (when I might get a proper coffee for myself) and I take a proper hour for lunch, usually with a colleague.

Public sector - I work stupidly hard when I WFH and in the office. I'm lucky if I get a break between meetings to nip for a wee.

Hope that helps.

That's true, I have climbed the career ladder swiftly.