WFH can be so B**** annoying - let's list the ways

[OhBling]

I run my own business. I am the main breadwinner. I work from home. Mostly, it is a good thing and WFH works for me. But ARGH, sometimes it makes me so annoyed. Today, yet again, I had to go all the way downstairs from the loft to let DS in because of course, he forgot to take his keys. It's a small thing but drives me mad - I'll be in the middle of a call or concentrating on something and I have to get up. Especially irritating when the whole reason I'm upstairs is becuase I have stuff to do and don't want to be disturbed.

The assumption broadly by anyone and everyone that I can just do things never ceases to annoy me. It's like I have a little "kitchen table" job for pin money or something.

DH talks to me whenever he’s having a break. I’ve told him many times that I often can’t talk. He’s why I go into the office.

I live only with adult ds who is usually reasonable so don't get a lot of this. However I have an older relative with mobility issues - she had a hospital appointment once and asked if I was busy and could take her.

No, I'm working.

But are you busy?

Yes, I'm busy doing the job I am paid to do........

some of these aren’t specific to working from home and I think are probably to do with being a woman. I used to get ‘can you just nip’ or surely you can do this / talk to me now etc when i was office based. My job was just not seen as important…

My family have got used to me working from home but when I pop out for a walk I have to dodge the neighbours. I want to enjoy my breaks in peace.

Mine is that the rest of my family leave stuff everywhere - no doubt thinking I'll be at home to sort it.

Juice on the side needing to be put in the fridge.

Teacups from last night by the sofa.

Empty loo roll insides on the windowsill.

I don't even think they register. I've stopped doing it and everything is a bit messier. But I'm wfh so I don't have to look at it!

My dear neighbour has just got a falls alarm, she had apparently put me as first contact as I am at home all day. Trying to explain that I am at work so may not answer the phone really confused her.

I think the poster who pointed out this is more a woman issue is probably right. Women WFH have to just suck it up while men WFH get their own dedicated spaces and everyone tip toes around. Argh.

This. The walk from the garden office to the kitchen isn't long enough for me to take my work hat off and put my mum hat on.
I can easily fix this, I just haven't!

YES YES YES TO THIS WITH BELLS ON!!!! 🔔 🔔 🔔 🔔
I wanna watch EasterEnders at lunchtime in peace and completely unjudged thank you very much 😒

And why is it assumed that I am the automatic lunchmaker for the both of us on the occasions he's WFH??? He'll do it if I ask, but why do I have to AAAAAAASK?!?! grrrrr.

"Can you put the vacuum around this morning?"

No, I'm at work. You can do it.

"No... I can't... I'm at work"

🤯

I sometimes make a point of logging off and then getting my book out to read for 30 minutes - "commuting time".

It does feel like there is no downtime. In the office, if its quiet, you surf the Internet or get coffee or chat with a colleague. At home, if I am not super busy I find myself feeling like I should do all the chores or go collect dd from her dance class or whatever.

The Jehovah's Witnesses keep coming to my door.

I made the mistake of talking them for a while the first time so they keep coming back.

Well hell would freeze over before I agreed to run errands 30 minutes away or look after other peoples children.

But the bloody building work two doors down drives me to despair. What are they possibly doing that is THAT LOUD.

I'm now retired from work after redundancy but WFH as looking after two GS after school twice a week and another GS three days a week. And NO!! I don't want to be available at the drop of a hat to fill in because one of the other GPs or aunts and uncles has decided they can't bothered to pick the boys up or whatever. My days/mornings/afternoons are my free time and I'm Bl*y knackered anyway!! Leave me alone!!

Bloody cold callers. I think they’ve taken the opportunity since lots of people are at home during the day.

Driveway cleaners, gutter cleaners, roof cleaners, charity lottery, religious groups….

I absolutely adore working from home. I have a place of work but I rarely go there, I work from home whenever I can.

But what's annoying is being the street's parcel hub. One day I genuinely had seven parcels for other people in my hallway.

And my mum's daily phone calls. Even if I ignore the phone, I can still see/hear it ringing which breaks my concentration. The other day her call was to "let me know" that a lady who lives on her street that I've never even met has got Covid. Okay.

Also, neighbours' tradespeople. This can't be helped of course but for the last couple of weeks, I've been listening to a gaggle of builders discuss topics ranging from the local unavailability of OSB, the unreliability of Tom the plumber whoever he is (though they call him Tom Plumb which I love), Gary's weight loss success, Paul's son's lack of motivation for anything in life, an upcoming trip to Lanzarote, and much much more. JFC.

My mum and mil who are still coming round for a random chat. I don't answer the door anymore.

Fucking washing up left in the sink from last night. Washing up is not my job, I do all the cooking.

DH has been off sick the last few days, he kept sticking his head into my office giving me a narrative of what he was doing. FUCK OFF. Thank god we don't both work from home.

I've only just started wfh regularly and I love it so far and it makes me enjoy days in the office more.
However, my dh has has a wfh job for years and when we moved to our current house was able to set up in a lovely office room. I'm stuck in a corner of the room the kids go in for various stuff at the moment. They're at school 95% of the time but there's still detritus everywhere!

THIS⬆️

• DH coming into the room I work in for a ‘chat’ about 5 times in a day.
• neighbour knocking to have a chat about the bin collection.
• no clear breaks/lunchtimes.

I don’t like WFH and try to avoid it . Most of my colleagues love it though. Their houses must be quieter.

DH and his 'can you just...' no I fucking can't. Sounds harsh but I've had 3 years of this. Can you just do this for me today, can you just pick up this from the shop, can you just drop this parcel off...

I say to him now, I can, but I only take 45 mins for lunch, I'd planned to do some washing/make dinner during my lunch break so if I do your 'job' you can do the washing/dinner when you get home. I'm not rushing around like a tit to squeeze it all in.

And the kids being ill on DH's day off and he tries to carry on with what he had planned that day (usually gym or swimming). Sorry but I'm working, you need to be on sick duties. I don't mind him leaving the dc here while he does the school run to save dragging them out as well, but I'm not being nurse as well as trying to look after a sick clingy toddler.

I really struggled trying to arrange for a surveyor to view my house the other week, they couldn't understand that it wasn't that I wouldn't be at home but that I'd be working and I can't have a surveyor in the house for two hours (with pets) asking questions etc. while I'm WFH.

I booked a day off work to accommodate it, I wasn't being unreasonable, I just couldn't fit into their earliest available slots.

oh yes. We are dealing with a subsidence issue and they are sending people round constantly. They are always a bit bemused when I say, "no, that time doesn't work as I have a call". It's like, "whaaat, you can't accommodate our 500 suppliers whenever we like, at short notice?"

I sit in the room downstairs at the front of the house so delivery drivers can always see me when delivering parcels to neighbours who are out. I have them ringing the doorbell insistently and occasionally knocking on the window to get my attention often when I’m presenting at a meeting. I’ve started to mostly close the blinds although it’s annoyingly dark then!

Like others my biggest issue is with everyone presuming you are available to accompany them or do jobs for them.
You would not turn up at my office to ask me to leave to ring and make an appointment for you or go into town and do what you need doing but being at home seems fair play.