To think it you work from home you can still help out?!

[MusicalChairsOh]

Dh worked from home today. (First day he has when ive not been at home with the dc) I went to work, took both dc to nursery which made me late as he was going to do it but sprung it on me 5 minutes before we all had to leave that he had to wash his hair before taking them so I just took them instead.

I've come home and all curtains are still closed, lights are on and everything is exactly the same as how I left this morning.

I'm now running about picking things up from the morning rush and sorting things out.

Aibu to think yes you are technically working but you could still help out even out of basic courtesy?!

I hope your employers don't find out you've been doing that during working hours

I WFH but I'm part-time and fit my hours in between the school run. There is no time for a lunch break except on one day that I work longer hours and have to have a lunch break scheduled in because it's more than 6 hrs work. If housework doesn't get done before school then I can't do it until after school. In the middle, I am paid to work. Some people have more flexibility in the hours they work - some don't.

OP, this is a huge bugbear of mine in our house. DP and I both have high pressure jobs and regularly work from home, however rarely the same day. We've both been doing it for years.

When I work from home I am able to pop in/take out a load of washing while I wait for the kettle to boil or do any other task that may take a couple of minutes. He doesn't. When he works from home, despite that fact most of the day he walks around the garden on the phone he can't do this. It drives me wild as he easily could. He does NO housework full stop. I do it all.

If I'm working from home I can ordinarily find time to prep dinner if he's working outside (often technically after I should have finished work) so it's ready for when he gets in 8/9ish. However if he's WFH, it's an impossibility. So I'll get in at 8/9ish and either start cooking or just not bother eating. It infuriates me.

Ultimately people are different and their jobs are different, but generally employers know they get more from you trusting you with the responsibility to WFH as we do often put in extra time. It's about give and take.

Oh, and DP doesn't know how to open the bedroom curtains either...

I would be annoyed that he hadn't done the basics like open the curtains

Dh and I take turns working from home often. We both do the basics whilst at home. Like others you save on commute also, ie Dh might leave at 8am and be in office for 9am, if working from home he usually starts some work from 8am. Plus evening commute saved so will be working 11hrs on and off instead of 9hrs in office

It takes 2 mins to open curtains. Most people would open as soon as showered for the day, but you can be on phone or laptop and stand and open a curtain for a minute.

Things like dishwasher/ laundry get done when we work. We might throw laundry in and turn dishwasher on at 8am before leaving or starting work, then later whoever is at home can empty whilst having 10min break or transfer to tumble dryer. They will also often chop stuff at lunch and spend 10 mins making dinner. Then leave it to slow cook 5-6 hrs, stirring every few hours maybe.

We work for ourselves so our rules, but those basics really don't stop us working. Otherwise we wouldn't get stuff done.

I work from home (part-time). I wash up the breakfast things so when dh comes home there isn't a heap of washing up to do. I make cups of coffee. I go to the loo. I may answer the door if the postman has a parcel or recorded delivery for us. I definitely open the curtains and switch the lights off.

I may even put washing on if I've finished a work task, before starting another one. As people have said, if you are in the office you are going to meetings, chatting to colleagues, going to the loo, out for lunch etc. It's unlikely that you are glued to your desk for the full 8 or more hours (and if it is, you're either inefficient or you've got far too much work).

And I leave my computer on all day and answer emails etc out of work hours. I have enormous flexibility so I don't mind keeping an eye on emails, but working part-time means that when I do need to do something in the afternoon, I can turn the computer off and go out.

Anyway, all that to say yes he's unreasonable. He can open curtains and wash the breakfast things up.

People have also mentioned the time you save in not commuting.

I also imagine that a lot of employers lose far more time wasted on IT problems and the photocopier getting jammed than they ever do in people spending a few minutes a day when WFH to load the washing machine or sweep their kitchen floor for 5 minutes.

Yup! I use my non-commuting time to run or swim. Hoorah!

I get paid for 8 hours work. When I work from home I dont work any less that in the office. I dislike the idea of "working from home" meaning having netflix on or doing the washing. If people take advantage employers wont allow this anymore.
If he had gone to work he wouldn't have helped around the house, so pretend he did

But opening the curtains isn't a household chose, it's just what you do in the morning, like getting dressed and making the bed.

*chore

Opening the curtains just to close them again a few hours later can seem like a futile exercise, especially in winter and depending on working hours it could often be the case that the person who has gone out to work leaves before it gets light and returns after it gets dark and would therefore have no clue about whether or not the curtains have been open in the daytime while they have been out.

I agree that people who work at home have "time" to open the curtains but it isn't necessarily on their radar if they are concentrating on their job in a room far away from the closed curtains. I put washing in and hang it up because that saves me time in the long run. There is no advantage to doing most other house jobs during the day versus the evening. Some people might like to work flexibly but I prefer to do as I would in an office. That way I get the breaks I need and I also get to rest in the evening like the majority of those who work outside the home during the day. Other people may want to do things differently which is their prerogative but I really wouldn't appreciate the expectation from a partner that I "should" be doing jobs around the house while working at home as I like to keep house work and office work separate for my own health.

If people take advantage employers wont allow this anymore

My employer doesn't have much choice as they don't have enough desks for everyone...last week I went in for a meeting and straight home afterwards because there were no desks left!

If an employer is getting work out of an employee and meeting deadlines why should he care?

Places I have worked never have staff working 100% of the time.

Endless trips for coffee, cigarette breaks, flirting at the photocopier, endless chat about nights out, planning social events, playing computer games, eating.

I agree - I'm self employed, but also employ people. I couldn't care less if they get all their work scheduled done. If that's 50 hrs paid and they complete to a high standard in 30 hr then good on them

Oh the rows we've had about this....mine works from home mainly but a lot of the time he doesn't have a fat lot to do besides answering the odd email. We don't have young kids but I would often be cleaning and wander past to find him on his office sofa reading a book. When I suggested he did some chores he actually said "just close the door and pretend I'm at work, if I was in the office I wouldn't be here to do chores and work are paying for my time". You can imagine how that went down. Several humongous rows later he now does iron/empty dishwasher etc if he has no work to do, but sometimes needs reminding 🙄

I really want one of these "work from home" jobs! Where do I apply?

I hate it when DH works from home. He expects me to bring him tea and basically wait on him, it's very irritating. I make sure I have to go out the days he's working at home!

*If an employer is getting work out of an employee and meeting deadlines why should he care?

Places I have worked never have staff working 100% of the time.

Endless trips for coffee, cigarette breaks, flirting at the photocopier, endless chat about nights out, planning social events, playing computer games, eating.*

Exactly this - my employer encourages home working (30% are full time home workers, the other 70% do it at least some days per week)

We're fine to do the school run, have older children (junior school age-ish) in the house before / after school, and get deliveries etc. Our employer trusts us. And that's the key ... if you don't trust your staff to work from home and not take the piss, why would you trust them to handle your money, represent your company or deal with your customers. They have much more power and opportunity to let you down in their day-to-day work than they do by taking 2 minutes to put a load of washing on ...

YANBU - firstly he doesn't spend time travelling when he usually would. But even if you are working from home, you are entitled to a one hour break over lunch, and 15 minutes in morning and afternoon. That's more than enough time to draw some curtains and get the laundry on - or even put something out of the fridge freezer and into the oven when you are all o the way home!

You don't have to spend time travelling if you are working at home but then I find driving a car fairly relaxing and I can't say the same for housework. Also, with my employer, I always feel I need to prove I am working by meeting all the deadlines in time. If I was in the office this wouldn't be so essential as they could see I was working.

Where I work, people certainly don't spend all their time chatting or visiting the photocopier and there is no such thing as a one-hour lunch break. I'm pretty sure that there is no "entitlement" for that long a break.

I work from home a lot.
Get all the washing done, can throw a hoover around, load dishwasher, tidy up. It is the work of moments! Moments saved by not sitting in a car for 2 hours.

I honestly think he was being bone idle.

I work from home 2 days a week. I start much earlier, finish later, normally get loads done, but can also squeeze in bunging in a load of washing or 2 and emptying/reloading the dishwasher. I don't do tidying or cleaning though during working hours. I might get a curry or stew started if it's something that benefits from slow cooking, but then I would work during the time I would normally be cooking etc later. I really appreciate being able to do it and in no way would want anyone to think I take the piss.

I work from home one day a week. I always do my hours, & if there is a need will work non-stop and avoid any housework. But quite often there is no urgent deadline so I will do housework and feel no guilt at all. I make up the hours I have spent doing housework in the day in the evenings or at the weekend. For my work it often doesn't matter when it gets done.

Today I did 2 loads of washing, an online shop, tidied up a bit, made some hairdresser and optician appointments for the family, popped into the shop on the way back from the school run to top up on milk and a few other things, sorted and put away laundry, did a dish washer load and put it away and made a stew, which smelt lovely cooking all day. I also did 4 1/2 hours work, and will work later this evening and on Sunday to make up my hours. My employers know I do this, they trust me. Whenever I get a new manager I always explain this straightaway and no one has complained yet.

YABU

Also, I don't understand what you mean by 'basic courtesy'. Courtesy of what to whom?