Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think working from home is becoming a skivers charter

233 replies

Viviennemary · 06/12/2017 18:44

Of course I know there are a lot of people who work from home very conscientiously. But it seems more and more people when they have childcare problems, house needs cleaning, traffic bad, staying in for delivery or they just need an easy day. Work from home. Anyone come across this. I know it's a bit of a risk putting this in AIBU but I just wondered.

OP posts:
yorkshapudding · 06/12/2017 18:47

There will be people taking the piss working from home and people who are very hard working and productive from home. Just as in any office you go to there will be people who are genuinely conscientious and people who are good at looking busy whilst doing fuck all.

Chilver · 06/12/2017 18:47

I find it the other way completely. I've worked from home and barely taken a break AND worked the 1.5hrs I'd normally commute as well! Don't know anyone who honestly skives when working from home.

Adviceplease360 · 06/12/2017 18:48

Yabu, husband works from home and works harder than he would do in the office to prove he's not skiving

Fishfingersandwichnocheese · 06/12/2017 18:50

Not sure. When I work from home I find it a lot harder to switch off and stop.

Others may well not.

HotelEuphoria · 06/12/2017 18:51

Me too, yes I may put the washing in when I get coffee, but I don't have to walk a huge open plan office and go down two flights of stairs which I would in the office. It's about productivity.

OnionKnight · 06/12/2017 18:51

Yabu, husband works from home and works harder than he would do in the office to prove he's not skiving

I do the same, plus colleagues can see when I'm idle after 5 minutes...

yorkshapudding · 06/12/2017 18:51

I have a friend who admits that she does fuck all whilst working from home. But I also know some home-workers who are incredibly self-disciplined and probably get much more done than they would if they were in an office full of people distracting them. DH's company did threaten to stop all working from home at one point as there was a spate of several people claiming they were working from home but then it transpired they were combining this with looking after children who were sick/on inset days etc.

Nyx1 · 06/12/2017 18:51

YABU
If the job can be done from home, then there is no problem
I am far more productive working at home than in the office - I find it really hard to concentrate with all the noise in the office, plus I'm already pissed off on arrival after the commute so it takes time to clear my head....during which time, I shuffle paper about and look useful.....

Also, people have their work measured - well in 20 years mine always has been! I have deadlines to meet etc. So if the people to whom you refer are doing this, great.

Also work at home days equals no wasted commute time or wasted lunch time. It's a win all round. I think employers should be encouraging more of it, along with flexi.

jarhead123 · 06/12/2017 18:51

I find it hard to believe anyone does a full days work when 'working from home'

PrincessoftheSea · 06/12/2017 18:52

It does not matter as long as you handle the workload assigned to you. I think flexibility makes people more productive.

Nyx1 · 06/12/2017 18:53

x post Hotel "Me too, yes I may put the washing in when I get coffee, but I don't have to walk a huge open plan office and go down two flights of stairs which I would in the office. It's about productivity."

exactly. Our office is also freaking huge and the nearest loos are all fecking unisex as well so every time I need to go I trek across to the nearest ladies' and there's always a queue.....

and then people wander up to to your desk to waste time chatting.

blackteaplease · 06/12/2017 18:53

I always work better from home, I'm more focused and less distracted.

yorkshapudding · 06/12/2017 18:53

But to be fair Jarhead I've worked with plenty of people who don't ever do a full days work even when they're in the office 40hours a week. If someone has a good work ethic they'll work hard wherever they are. If they don't they won't.

EmpressOfTheSpartacusOceans · 06/12/2017 18:54

I'm on a website team and if someone working from home isn't working, it becomes very obvious very quickly.

VioletCharlotte · 06/12/2017 18:57

I get more done when I wfh. I take breaks to walk the dog, out the washing out, etc, but in the office I stop to have conversations, go to the loo, make a coffee, etc. I tend to work longer in the evening at home too as I work in the time I'd normally be driving.

You'll always get the odd one or two who take the piss, but these are the same people who take the piss in the office too.

Fekko · 06/12/2017 18:57

We are the same. Out email and Skype has 'active' status lights. Plus the biggest always phone when I go to the loo so suspect they are watching me!

peachypetite · 06/12/2017 18:57

Don't think location makes a difference. I see people doing nothing in my office all day!

Raisedbyguineapigs · 06/12/2017 18:59

Surely it's no ones business apart from that persons boss? If the work that needs to be done is done and that person is contactable, and no one else is having to pick up the slack, then its nothing to do with anyone else. If the boss has a problem with slackers, then they can change the rules. I cant work from home, but my DS was ill and my DH worked from home today. He said he got loads done because no one was interrupting him. If a child is sick or they have childcare issues one parent would have to take a sick day anyway, so what difference does it make to anyone else if they are completely absent and watching Jeremy Kyle or working from home and actually doing some work?

areyoubeingserviced · 06/12/2017 18:59

When I work at home, I work much harder and I am much more focused.

Commuterface · 06/12/2017 19:00

I think YABU. When I work from home I'm on emails the second they come in and find I'm a lot more productive when writing reports and policies than when there is the distractions of the office. We also work on deadlines a lot of the time so can sit idle when working from home. Plus, you know, we're adults and trusted and treated as such.

Commuterface · 06/12/2017 19:02

Can't sit idle!

Basecamp21 · 06/12/2017 19:03

I permanently work from home and reckon I do the same amount of work in 4 hrs that colleagues in offices do in a full day - so I often knock off a couple of hours early.

But I do my job and when I need to work all day I do.

If I ever felt I was being watched I would be sat at my computer but not doing any work

IvorHughJarrs · 06/12/2017 19:05

I think like everything it varies from person to person. I probably fiddle about a bit more putting washing on between calls etc but then I am not distracted by colleagues, random phone calls, etc and often work a bit later as I don't have to think about the journey home

I do however have a friend who will say things like "I was working from home so went to the gym, did the shopping, had lunch with a friend, then did a couple of calls before picking kids up from school". I'm waiting for her boss to notice but it's been going on for years and he hasn't yet

Tiddlywinks63 · 06/12/2017 19:06

YABU
I was much more focussed and productive working from home; instead of a 90 minute commute each end of the day I would start at 7.00 and plough through until 5 or 6pm.
Few distractions, peaceful surroundings and no interruptions.

verite · 06/12/2017 19:09

I regularly work from home and am far more effective than when in office. I hate housework and daytime TV so not likely to get distracted by either!