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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To work from home is of benefit to the employee and the employer loses out

110 replies

poppincandy · 03/08/2010 18:42

Maybe I just have the wrong RL friends but all of my friends who have the opportunity to work from home with their very well paid jobs take complete advantage of it.

They go off to the gym, get their hair done, go out for afternoon tea, collect their dc from school (therefore have the children at home from 3pm), take children off to activites, etc.

To do their job they have to always be contactable by their devices, but I'm sure the jobs would be more efficient if they were in the actual office. All of these friends have battled to get working from home introduced in their companies, and I can't help but feel that once companies cotton on to what is happening the opportunity will decrease not increase.

So AIBU that if you are working from home, you should actually be working from home? Or am I just jealous that they get to do all these things, whilst being paid fantastic hourly rates to do them?

OP posts:
minipie · 04/08/2010 10:46

poppin, the issue with your friends is not that they are working from home but that they are getting other people to do their work.

Which could happen whether they work at home or in the office. (Though I suppose it might be a bit more obvious if they were in the office).

mumeeee · 04/08/2010 10:57

YABU. Dh somtimes worlks from home. Yes occansionly he takes long breaks to get something else done or just to relax. But he often works late into the evening and by that I mean 9 or 10 pm.

TrillianAstra · 04/08/2010 11:00

I don't have children yet but one of the things I am bearing in mind in my career is the opportunity for flexible or at-home working. Work that can be done at different times and whlie not physically being in the office is a big bonus.

ccpccp · 04/08/2010 11:43

Working from home means you are in control of your own hours.

As long as the work gets done and is delivered on time, then there is no problem.

However the Monday only work from home crowd (i.e. still drunk from the weekend) are taking the mickey. That arent kidding anyone.

lolapoppins · 04/08/2010 11:56

Dh mainly works from home and prefers it that way. If he worked in the office he'd be commuting to and from London for almost four hours a day, so by cutting that out he gets a lot more done at home.

omnishambles · 04/08/2010 12:02

YABU - if people get their work done then theres no issue is there? I spread my at home hours over the week and evenings and it all gets done.

People are responsible for their own work whereever they are working and if they are getting enough done then it becoes a problem.

Presentism (sp) is a problem both in the office and at home - efficiency isnt measured by how long you sit in front of a screen but what you do while you're there.

tethersend · 04/08/2010 12:04

YABU.

I am a teacher and have just got a job whereby I can (sometimes) work from home. Oh yes.

I can't wait. If anyone tries to take it from me, I shall be forced to kill again.

Mingg · 04/08/2010 12:07

"Efficiency isnt measured by how long you sit in front of a screen but what you do while you're there " oh how I wish that was true!

omnishambles · 04/08/2010 12:09

Mingg - speaking for my work that is - sorry thats not the case at yours - we have individual projects to crack on with and so it doesnt matter when we do them as long as they dont run late.

tethersend · 04/08/2010 12:10

Oh, the omitted part of my post- the point, if you will, was that this has come about at the insistence of the council who have had to sell off buildings and now no longer have offices for my department.

omnishambles · 04/08/2010 12:13

And if childcare was cheaper I would be in the office so [shrugs]

And by letting me WFH now my work are guaranteed to retain a longstanding member of staff and I'll be going back FT in a couple of years.

At my work you can do PT/flexible even if you dont have dcs - you can be training or doing an MA or all sorts.

The downside is that it bleeds into all of your life - am never off work iyswim.

TrillianAstra · 04/08/2010 12:23

Efficiency shouldn't be judged by how long you sit in front of a screen but by what you achieve while you're there.

OrmRenewed · 04/08/2010 12:34

"The downside is that it bleeds into all of your life - am never off work iyswim."

ohhhh yes! I can empathise with that DH gets really narky at times.

deaddei · 04/08/2010 12:47

I work from home, and (shock horror) go to the gym, hairdressers, coffee shop)
But I work smartly- maybe work a couple of evenings which gives me a free day.....
so YABU. I'm sure your friends' bosses would cotton on if they weren't getting stuff done...do you not think your friends are saying things tongue in cheek?

Heracles · 04/08/2010 13:10

YABU

Of course they "take advantage of it". That's kind of the point! As long as the work is done then it shouldn't matter how, where and when it's done.

How much time is wasted in offices dawdling away surfing the net, nattering to friends, staring out the window? The difference is, when you're 'wasting' time at home it's your own time and you can do something you'd rather be doing during it.

lowrib · 04/08/2010 13:20

My lovely DS is the product of a work at home day

And since me and DP weren't even officially together at the time, had I not been able to bunk off work manage my own time so as to go and meet him, DS would not exist, myself and my wonderful DP would most likely still be simply stealing some time together when our paths crossed (we lived in different countries) - or perhaps we'd be with different people instead. Life would be very different indeed!

So I for one can say I owe my current and future happiness to work at home days!

lowrib · 04/08/2010 19:25

Sorry didn't mean to kill the thread

porcupine11 · 04/08/2010 19:30

YANBU - I worked at home one day per week after having DS1, and he wasn't at nursery that day, so I got two hours max done during his nap, and always though 'I'll catch up at the weekend/evenings', but it never happened and the work and guilt mounted up. It really didn't work out for me.

Now I'm freelance and I'm very motivated and get loads done (obv at home) so I think it must be that 'day off school' mentality kicking in when you're on someone else's time!

fluffles · 04/08/2010 19:43

When I work at home I work during my normal travelling time so I can take a long break at lunch and go for a run. It is nice for me and normally very productive for my employer.

zazen · 04/08/2010 19:56

I think YABU, and your RL friends are cheeky mares! I work from home as my own business and never slack off ()

But think, have you never had a hair appointment / gym session at lunchtime?

Surely home workers save their commute time, and have breaks when they need them, not just when everyone goes for coffee at 11.

Maybe your RL friends get their work done when their kids are gone to bed? Maybe they need their targets reviewed, if they can -doss-- off- only work for a few hours to fulfil them.

I hope you ladies are remembering to use some of your utility bills against your tax - your employer might be liable to pay for your heating lighting electricity when you are working from home... if not don't forget to put in as a business expense when doing your tax returns.

Remember, the planet benefits also by reducing commute time. A jog during a break is much healthier than hanging on to a strap on the tube.

starkadder · 04/08/2010 21:37

Another YABU, I'm afraid.

I work from home and I do loads. I don't go on about it all the time though, so probably friends who I see in the daytime (I only work 30 hrs a week) think I lounge around all day scoffing chocs and painting my nails. That's because it would be a bit boring to bang on about my working day to other people, particularly my SAHM friends.

MammyT · 26/10/2011 22:56

You are being very reasonable about some - at least two of my friends go to the gym and mind kids while WFH - and unreasonable about others. When I work from home, my desk phone is forwarded and I am as responsive as the days I'm in the office. Oh and yes I have childcare in place.

MidsomerM · 26/10/2011 23:13

YANBU in my experience of seeing friends work. I hear them saying "shall we go shopping for the day- I'm working from home you see. As long as I have my mobile switched on at 2pm for a 10 minute conference call we'll be fine.". Makes me so jealous, because it's impossible to work from home in my job. Then they do half an hour in the evening and want a ticket-tape parade to celebrate their hard labour!

JustRedbin · 26/10/2011 23:17

I reckon I can do the equivalent of a full days work at the office in a morning at home. Then go out with the mobile switched on.

niceguy2 · 26/10/2011 23:47

Whether or not you can work from home really depends on the type of work and also the mentality of your company.

Where I work, my boss doesn't give a toss if you are working 16 hours or 50 hours, as long as you are happy and the work you are getting is getting done.

The general attitude is that working from home gives you flexibility but that cuts both ways. So he doesn't moan if I am not at my desk at 10am because I went to run an errand and I don't moan if I have to work at 7pm for a few hours. This basically means no overtime for me.

Also don't forget that office space is very expensive. Especially for larger companies who tend to have large expensive offices. So by having people working from home means you don't need to rent as big an office.

It also means your staff are more likely to value the flexibility of working from home, so your attrition rate is lower. For example, we've lost one person in the last three years.

So yes WFH is a benefit for the employee but the employer gets a lot out of it too. But you do need to be able to trust your staff to work without having to constantly check.