Why are (some) people so against WFH?

[thistimenextyearwellbemillionaires]

I see so many threads on here about why people shouldn't be able to WFH and I don't really understand why people would be against it

For most people it seems make sense with their home life & financially as saving on commuting costs. When my children were young I was 5 days in the office and had to rush back from town to collect them and it was so stressful, it must be great for people not to have to do that now.

I know some people might take the piss a bit, but this happened when people were in the office full time too, there would always be someone always in late, leaving early etc.

I am lucky that my company is hybrid and no plans to change that. I've been offered another role recently which was a big pay rise but 5 days in the office and have decided to stay where I am. Where I work, whether you're in the office or at home you're expected to produce the same work and results and if you don't you'd be out so they're no slouch in terms of expectations of their employees.

Interested to know people's honest opinions.

I've wfh since March 2020 until last month. I went to the office once a week.

As a full time working single mum, it was a godsend. I could do school run, then be at my desk by 8am. Nip out again at 5.15 to collect ds off the school bus 6 miles away. I saved on commuting costs but paid my own heating and power. My employer benefited from only paying for a tiny office and getting 9 hours work a day out of me. Less pollution and congestion for everyone else. We didn't miss a target in that time.

Then last month I changed job and am back in an office full time but I have a 12 minute rural commute so little congestion or pollution, and my ds is now 16 so old enough to sort himself out. My heating bill will drop, I'm enjoying the adult conversation.

I was diagnosed with bc during the wfh period and it allowed to work straight through chemo without too much of a struggle.

So I see the benefits of each. I've been lucky that if wfh is a passing fad, ds and I benefitted from it at exactly the right time.

Why is it 'entitled' though? If people are able to do a role from home either fulltime or hybrid, then why shouldn't they be able to at least request it. People have a family life, it's hardly a new thing and surely we should be looking at ways to help a huge amount of the workforce not hinder them. Where I work (global corporate) they are working at ways to help people with work life balance, they're even talking about term time roles.

Also... I think the people moaning when they have to go into the office frustrate people. Unless you've got a WFH contract, it really is a perk not a right. If you chose a job 90 mins commute away... that isn't your employers problem. If they move the job it is their problem. I have sympathy for those struggling with the extremes of childcare though... the primary school wrap around closes at 5.30 which judging by the traffic turning up at 5.25 is tight for people.

I occassionally wfh and get just as much or more done than if I was at work. It works well if I have to take DS to a appointment for example and work around that. I'll do the same hours but might finish at eg 7pm to account fir going out in the day. I work for a very small company and it doesn't really work to wfh regularly, my ideal would probably be 2 days/week at home, but it's more like 2 days a month.

I have to say I'm pretty envious of various people on MN who can do their work in 2 or 3 hours at home and this is allegedly a ft job, and paid as such.

Depends on the role and the Client, it's not personal or some powerplay.

I work on a project basis, if the Client stipulate no WFH on the project, they will only take on board people who work in the office fully time, the individual risks being out of a job as there are fewer projects they could be put forward for. Some technical specialist or task based roles may be more suited to WFH. Project management, co-ordination and team lead roles - not so much. So depends what sort of roles people aspire to, and whether they recognise or accept the reality of what some of the roles involve, e.g. no point arguing about not being able to WFH if you aspire to leadership roles.

But also having to go to work is not a new thing, and whilst it's lovely that employers take into consideration people's family lives, they don't need to. It's not actually their responsibility. It's not the employers problem you chose to have a family. Nobody is saying they shouldn't be able to request it, but it is entitled to just expect it.

I hated it. I like to keep work and home separate. I liked the time to read on my commute (or listen to an audio book when driving). I liked a quick pint in the pub by the station on the way home. When I WFH I usually pottered about all morning didn't start on whatever project I was doing until after lunch - result I was still working at 9pm in the evening.

I much, much prefer going into the office, even with "hot desking".

I’m not totally against it in principle and I can totally see how it would be hugely beneficial for some people, like people with young families, long commutes etc.

But I have concerns with it becoming the norm. Especially for young people starting out in the workforce, I remember going for drinks after work and having such a great social life when I first started working, I think it’s quite depressing that we may have a generation of young people starting out sitting in their childhood bedrooms working. I also think we may likely see health problems related to WFH, smokers are more likely to smoke much more if they are WFH, people may be more likely to have that extra drink the evening before as don’t need to drive the next day, working in the kitchen that little bit closer to your fridge probably isn’t great for lots of people (although I appreciate offices are full of cakes and biscuits!), the social isolation, not having to get up and get ready for the day in some roles, the ability to sit in pjs all day.

again I’m not totally against it but I wouldn’t like to see it become the absolute norm.

The billionaires and other super rich people have lots invested in corporate buildings and so when most of us started to WFH during the pandemic, the value of their investments went down. Now that we're not back to the pre-pandemic norms and many companies are downsizing their real estate, their investment are suffering. These people either own media or have opportunity to create a narrative in the media that people WFH are lazy and not productive. Some people then read this and either parrot it on MN and other places and/or, if they are in positions of authority in their workplace, look to call people back to the office.

It's, in general, not about productivity or concerns about what you're doing at home, it's about money and the super rich remaining just that.

I do think that some people who hate wfh, can't conceive how it might be better for others. They know they can't work that way so they think no one can, not understanding that we're all different.

The reverse is equally true. As evidenced on this thread, people who prefer wfh can't (or won't) conceive how other people might have valid reasons for not liking it. Oh no, they're just jealous. No need to consider them at all.

I don’t think full wfh is great for people early on in their career, you can miss out on absorbing information, culture, developing working relationships, etc. from not working around teams. Senior people don’t really get to know them and their capabilities because there’s less opportunity to observe them in the workplace.

working collaboratively in person can be beneficial, the idea that sparks from a chat in a kitchen, overhearing a conversation in the office.

it’s harder to spot if someone is struggling.

Some people find it quite isolating, and even if they can go into the office, if it’s empty it won’t help.

in organisations with a mix of roles, a manual worker can’t pop on teams to discuss a problem with timesheets or paperwork in the same way that they can pop in to the office.

Some people might be less inclined to go on a teams call or phone someone to ask what they might think is a daft question in the same way they would if they shared an office.

impact on town centre economies and jobs if offices are empty.

These aren’t reasons that apply to every role or situation, but they’re all fairly legitimate imo.

my own team worked fine enough during lockdown, and there’s no skivers, however, as much as everyone enjoyed wfh for different reasons and didn’t want to come back to work, when my office introduced a hybrid policy, they all agreed that they felt the benefit from some in person working. You need enough people in the office to make it worthwhile though. If you only have to go in one day a week or something, unless everyone is in on the same day, there’s really no point.

So neither are new things, work & family (which I'm sure most of the workforce have / will have at some point) . I just really don't understand why organisations wouldn't want to have a workforce that would be able to make both function.

While WFH may be very good for people with young families, it does leave young new starters feeling isolated. Training is best done face to face.

I wouldn't be able to do the job I do if I had to be in the office 5 days a week, it would cost too much in commuting costs. It's only doable as I do 1 day a week in the office. So for me, its opened up the job market.

Public sector workers will not be paid from everyone else's taxes, that's ridiculous.

I agree. People who want to wfh just can't appreciate how detrimental it can be for others. People starting their careers need to be around others, to learn and develop for instance.

I love wfh, I would not want to give it up but I split my time in the office - not just for me but for others too.

Because i don't think it's fair for employers to pay people who pretend to work so they can not pay for childcare

There is nothing wrong if people do the same hours at home as work and genuinely work

I work from home part time for a well known company, I prefer to get my head down get on with my work and be in the comfort of my own home. I'm able to collect the children quickly from school and nursery, it's wonderful and the least stress I've ever had whilst working.
I save on expensive bits and travel whilst out and about! So many pluses.
Using my own toilet haha being able to floss after lunch I could go on!

Eh? I don't think the thread is saying this at all. The question is why people are against WFH ~ I WFH, totally understand why people may not want to, but I believe the strong dislike for people who DO WFH is very much stemmed in jealousy.

Of course if people don't want to/can't WFH they're fine to be in office/workplace. I don't think anyone's saying otherwise.

But both can function. Maybe not in the way people would want but options are available.

If you're in the public sector being paid from everyone else's taxes then you should be in the office.

I don't understand this. Offices are hugely expensive to run - why do you think this should be something the public purse prioritises?

I think they’re just jealous tbh. They like to think no one does anyone at home and they are working much harder and are much more hard done by than everyone else.

Yes people will do household tasks etc while working from home, but people stand around chatting with coffees in offices so what’s the difference?

My job has billing hours, so there is no way to get the work done other than putting the hours in. It really doesn’t matter where I am, and to be honest, a lot of substantive work needs quiet, so home is a great place to work.

I really agree with this. Young people still need to learn the skills of being in a professional in-person environment, soft skills and meeting etiquette etc, and we should not lost sight of this.

Many managers are not very good, and have a poor idea of how to monitor work output so monitor presenteeism instead

Sone people just like being around lots of people , and since managing requires people skills, people who like people and have decent people skills are more likely to get a manager role and then they like to have people around because they are people persons

Some activities or jobs require some face to face interactions , - team building, anything that requires frequent meeting or new people ( such as customer facing roles ) , idea generations , workshops, training

Sone people are lazy and think everyone else is like them

I do agree with this! I think WFH is great for people established in their career, but new starts really need bums on seats.

I also think there’s a knowledge/skills gap with the covid cohort anyway where they’re uncomfortable picking up the phone/speaking to people in person, so working from home allows them to continue this without gaining the necessary communication skills.