Do you get lonely working from home?

[Cattyisbatty]

If you work from home, solely. do you find it lonely and how much do you socialise in general?
I am thinking of giving up my p/t job and working from home for a family member's business - I wouldn't really interact with anyone during the working day. They say they have enough work for me but I am nervous about working from home and not having the social contact from the office. I only work p/t 3 days a week in the office, and it's not mega sociable as we are a small operation, but I do get on quite well with a couple of people and we have people popping in etc to chat to.
I have a few reasons why I want to leave - some are work related and some are personal - but the reason I am hesitating is because of the social aspect. I have wfh solely before but the kids were young so I did the school run or had them back after school, chatted to them etc - now it's just me, DH and the cat at home.
I do see friends - maybe go out 1-2 x a week on average either in the day or evening with others (not counting DH) but that's not enough interaction if I'm not in an office. Dh goes out to play sport on two evenings in the week. I'm not sporty, but I could join the gym.
I've waffled on here but you get what I mean I hope!

No

I love it

If I had to go back to an office I think I would be unable to cope

I'm so productive and so protected from all the lunatics out there. Have you noticed how aggro people are getting? I do not like it.

How social is your job OP? I WFH on constant calls, so by end of day I am completely peopled out. Our Accounts person sometimes only has one team catch-up per day and then is just dealing with emails. I know she finds it quite lonely sometimes.

I wouldn’t say I’m an introvert, but I love WFH - and now find going into the office not only a massive chore but also incredibly stressful with a traffic laden journey. Since COVID I struggle to work in a busy office with people babbling away, find it so distracting. Mandated to go in twice a week and dread it. I’m single and might not see another adult for a few days but would love to WFH all week if I could.

I’m ok with it but it has worsened my social anxiety and often don’t leave the house for a couple of days

It's very personality dependant.

I have a DH and 2 small children. I spend all weekend and holiday waiting for the week to start so I can slam the door shut after school drop off and get some blessed peace.

Some people would find that desperately lonely and quiet but I even regret getting the cat as he's so needy :).

If you are the sort that craves company you might struggle.

Pretty much the same. Have to go in twice a week and on those days (in order to get parking in a safe and free location), have to be up at 5am. Going through peri and really struggling with sleep so not ideal meaning on those days I personally feel more tired and not so productive. Also the stress of the public commute once I’ve completed the car journey part. And then the office itself, I work in projects and all my colleagues are spread in other regional offices so basically I put myself through a horrible 3 hr round trip costing £15pd to sit exhausted at a desk alone. And it’s hard to focus as it’s a huge office and I have great hearing (!) and it feels just as one loud chat finishes another starts!

My wfh days are more productive, longer and I just feel more focussed on the actual work and enjoy it more also. The isolation doesn’t bother me too much as I’ve been single and lived alone for a long time but as other PP said if you see daily banter/team connection as an aspect you enjoy and need then it can’t really in my experience be duplicated wfh in which case it may not suit you.

Love it. Like others though, I'm an introvert and enjoy my own company. I'm far more productive and my focus is better.

The only thing I do notice is that I need to get out of the house regularly. I live a 20m drive from the nearest town and go to Lidl or something just to get our of the house a couple of times a week.

I am a huge introvert and work from home mostly, I can go to the office if I want but as I am in a global team, I only go if there is a friend in the office or a meeting.

I love WFH and get my social time from walking my dog with people I’ve met locally. I find the summer a bit challenging as can have both teens and DH home (he is a shift worker) it’s fine at the moment, but by September I will be ready to scream!

Wfh is the part of the job I like least.

I enjoy working with others, sharing ideas, motivating each other. Support and discussion.

I work for a large organisation in a role supporting other organisations. Although I am part of a team, I feel like I am a sole trader. I evaluate alone, identify need, plan action, carry them out and evaluate again, all with little contact with others, including minimal time with senior leaders.

It is ok when all is well, but quite scary when it is not. It would be very easy to be held accountable after the event, with little support during any decision making in the planning stages.

I have WFH for four years and am not lonely during meetings but I live alone so I am lonely outside working hours. The good things are:

No commute
No work clothes - tunic and leggings all week
I can set my own hours
Great clients 90% of the time
I can take time off (unpaid) for medical appointments
Hydration and being able to use the bathroom as needed

no, but then I'm massively introverted (which people are always surprised by because I'm very chatty and friendly when I do see people, I just really like my own company!) - I could happily go a week or two without speaking to anyone in real life.

What sort of job is it? Would you have to literally wfh or could you go to a pub/coffee shop/library/co working space if you wanted a bit of buzz?

I’ve done it for over 15 years. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I’m not a social person. Even just DH in the evening can be a bit much sometimes even though I love him very much and we have very similar interests.

Totally depends on the person, I have a friend who has WFH solely for about 6 years now and loves it, would leave her job if she was made to go back into the office. I on the other hand absolutely hated being full time WFH and really couldn’t do that again- I am hybrid now and love the balance.

I usually say no, but actually yes, I do get lonely WFH, with DCs at uni and DH often overseas.
So I joined the gym again (rather than working out at home, a pandemic legacy) and I joined a choir. I walk my dog 2 x a day and meet up with friends at the weekends and some evenings, just to get my fix of people.
Having said that, I do enjoy the focus and lack of commute that WFH gives me. At 50, I've done enough of driving and hour to work and back.

I’ve worked from home for several years and I live alone. I have the news on while I work and because I’m so busy I don’t really have time to think about being on my own. There are plenty of meetings and chats via teams personally I find it hard to concentrate when I’m in an office.

Yes I do and due to that I started using a office hot space. I pay a monthly charge and go to an office soace. Chairs tables wifi printer and paper (tea and coffees) available. I dont work with anyone of my company but mingle with lots of other people and different genres of work. The other day there me, a lady who deals with tax advise and a journalist all sat at the big share table (also got induvidual desks)

For me it gives me the best of both worlds. I am close to home but I get the sensation of watercooler chat.

We also have get togethers every few months and breakfasts. Its great.

I wfh full time just go to office one day a month. I love it. I have video calls with team members who are friends. I walk the dog during the day and chat as I walk in a busy dog walking place. Partner and kids are often around. What I do find is that I feel like going out on the week more than my partner who works in an office so I tend to see friends in the week after work for drinks and a chat more than I used to. I love it 99% of the time though

I have WFH FT for more than 5 years, and I honestly don’t get lonely at all. In fact I don’t mind spending a lot of time on my own, partly because my work requires focus & attention to detail (which is very difficult in a open plan office), partly I’m used to it and partly because I’m naturally introverted. I usually have either R4 or Sky News on all day in the background and I also sometimes listen to podcasts. Music radio just annoys me.

BUT, while WFH FT suits me, it very definitely isn’t for everyone. Many people would be climbing the walls by the end of the first week.

No I don’t get lonely. I do enjoy the occasional jaunt into the office (very occasional) for the novelty but I would hate to work there regularly although I do really like my colleagues. It’s the whole commute/being in an office thing that is off-putting.

I do a lot socially outside of work though, so my social ‘meter’ is pretty full already.

I WFH most of the time but I don't get lonely as I go out most evenings for exercise classes/running with a running club.

If you don't waste time commuting (and deal with unreliable trains or traffic jams) you can commit to hobbies.

I think it def can be
I go in once a week but get social interactions outside of work. I also chat to people at work quite a lot via teams but I don’t think I’d have as a good a relationship if I didn’t see them occasionally

dh is wfh 100%- he says he doesn’t mind but I don’t think it’s great for his mental health. Mostly as he isn’t really interacting with the rest of the world like I am (to some extent).

while it’s always the least productive day by far I like getting in the car and having a change of scenery once a week

but if you have other stuff going on in your life I think it could be just fine

No, but I interact with colleagues sometimes on Teams, and interact with the people we support.

Crucially, I have lots going on in my personal life. I tend to be out most of the weekend, and 3 - 4 evening during the week I have things on.

I also "chat" with various people in WhatsApp groups quite a lot.

I wfh all the time, my employer shut my office.

I really dont like it, but it is what it is. Once a quarter I travel to our big office in the north but otherwise my only interaction with colleagues is on Teams.

Nope, but often in the evening when I see people, someone will say “eerrr you haven’t spoken to an adult all day, have you!”.
I can open my mouth and it all comes pouring out. Bla bla bla.

I did wfh for a family member's business for 7 years and found it very isolating. I have much preferred the hybrid role I have now.