To want to shout "I'm WORKING from home."

[DreamingofSummer]

I WORK from home. My office is in a converted garage.

This does not mean I am AT home and, therefore, available for random, "only take a few minutes" jobs like watering the plants, nipping down to the shops and taking grandkids to sports practice. I'm WORKING.

It's great not having to commute any more but I do miss being unavailable.

@namechangeninjaevervigilant

I don’t get the problem here. If you set up a message on your voicemail. “X is currently unavailable, X will call you back outside of office hours ‘ and screen calls. Don’t answer the door. If someone in the house interrupts tell them you’ll do it when you’ve finished work. If you set boundaries people will stop asking.

This. I work from home 60-70% of the time, and I don't answer the door unless I am expecting a package or a visitor/tradesman etc. And I do not answer the phone.

People who don't work (and are SAHM/homemakers/retired,) also get some people assuming they are doing fuck-all every day. A pal of mine retired early 2 years ago (aged 50,) due to a chronic health issue, and once people found this out, some of them started to assume that she was there for babysitting/childminding, picking up kids from school, and for popping to the shops to get 'bits of shopping,' and to pay bills etc.

In addition to all that, they assumed she was available (at ANYTIME) to take people to the doctor, dentist, optician, etc, and to give people lifts to hospital (2 hour round-trip, plus 2-3 hours there at the hospital, so it basically took the whole day,) and just generally running around for them, and thinking they should let them in and let them stay 3 hours, when they 'pop in...'

Very annoying.

I agree with Breakfast on P1 - it makes a difference if you refer to the place(in your home) where you work, as 'your office'.
If you have a particular person or people that are constantly trying to get you to do things, then, put a blanket ban on answering their calls or agreeing to do anything during working hours until they 'get it'.
Don't answer the land line or your personal mobile or any personal e-mails during working hours.
I LOVE working from home and get much more done, and am happy to answer the door / take parcels in etc, BUT I don't have anyone who doesn't understand that I do actually work on my working days.

I used to get people wondering why I needed a nanny when wfm.

Same, my kids are capable of understanding that while I am available for emergencies I am not really 'there' during work hours.

So if my kids are capable of understanding this, why is it so hard for other people?

The kids have the option of holiday club or chilling at home, they usually prefer to chill at home, on the understanding that they only stick their heads around the door if they really need me (and also to bring me coffee).

No time to post on mumsnet then?

I get this.

I often work from home in the winter, and sometimes at other times of year too. If DH and the DDs are at home I can have to be very firm that I am not here to blether and chat. I have at times had to propel them from the room and firmly shut the door.

The flip side of this is making sure your work (and sometimes yourself) knows that you're not 'at work' all the time you're at home.

I totally get this.
Because my boss is cool with my DC being at home whilst I work, A couple of the school Mums have decided that I can just have their kids as well and save them childcare costs.
I had to get quite bolshy with one of them before she got the picture that I am actually WORKING and no I won't have your kids as well as mine.

My DH gets that I am working and is very considerate thankfully but others just assume that I am lazing around watching TV

YES!!!!!
I work from home two days a week one attending meetings out of the house.
My dad keeps texting, are you at home. I'll pop over for a cuppa (and a lift home) after an appointment he has across the road. Then he will ask if I can just drop him into the shops/chemist on the way. His house is 25 minutes away at the moment due to road closures and associated traffic. He does not understand that's 2 hours out of my day that I should be working.

On the flip side, I know of a person who 'works from home' with their baby and toddler, them in sole charge. The amount of teleconference meetings where their colleagues have had to listen to them screaming at the children, or the children screaming at them, is truly appalling. And their absentee boss is never on any of them, and somehow just really isn't prepared to hear their colleagues concerns about this 'WFH' colleague. Who is in a position where they really NEED to be on the shop floor all the time.

aargh working from home is HARD!!!!
Ive been doing it for 7 years 30 hours each week managing my own diary and reporting my work on CRM.
Its tough not to be distracted (hence the post), but on the flip side I get a great sense of pride knowing that I CAN do it and the benefits outway the negatives.

Yes I have no choice to work from home as we are a farm, it's coming up to our biggest audit of the year, so far this week I've had 2 requests to babysit and a can I bring the kids over for the afternoon for a catch up? Met with considerable huffing when told I'm working.

Wfh has been somewhat ruined at my office because of the number of people who look after their children whilst WFH.

“Oh I can’t join that meeting, I have to take little Jonny to his friends at 11am” etc.

So if my kids are capable of understanding this, why is it so hard for other people?

It’s not that they don’t get it, they don’t WANT to get it as it doesn’t suit their agenda

Yes, I do manage to fit in other things as well e.g. the shopping and various demands from various family members. However, this means my working day stretches in broken fragments from before 6 am to after 8 pm.

@BreakfastAtSquiffanys There’s a pub called The Office - always think it was precisely for that reason! “Sorry love, still in the office” “I’ll be late home, we’re all in the office for a meeting”

m.facebook.com/TheOfficePubWarton/?locale2=en_GB

I don't WFH but I understand exactly what you mean. I work on a rota and do a week of nights, people do not get that as I'm not just awake, but need to be alert and capable I need to sleep through the day.
"But you're at home though...?"
Asleep! Fuck off!
Phone off, doorbell off and every door shut with white noise from the fan helps, I put a notice in the window next to the door - all it a achieved was confirming I was in and people redoubled their efforts 🙄
Ignore, ignore and ignore some more!

God yes. I often deal with teams in other time zones and, if so, I might take a couple of hours out of the middle of the day to not work, given I'll be on Skype to USA/Asia at ungodly hours. A few locals have made snarky comments about me shirking when wfh. They can fuck off. I have told them this politely.

I love WFH. Everyone apart from my (ex)FIL gets it, but I've known him more than 20 yrs so am just letting that one go.

Yesterday because it was so warm, I worked a bit at 6am, sorted DS2 for school, went for a run and was back by 9.30am ready for a conference call (done in my pants cos I was still sweaty) at 10am.

Same again today, except I'm getting my nails done from 2-3pm.

Mostly I try and stick to core office hours and am quite disciplined about work/life separation but there are times when it's a real benefit to be able to be so flexible.

TBH, I'm senior and mature enough to not give a hoot what others think about my hours.

yep i get this too - my parents randomly turn up on the days they know I work from home without ringing first, then get massively offended when i say I can't just stop working and entertain them for an hour - they flounce off in a huff.

My dad will ring and say can you pick me up from so and so - no dad I can't i'm working - but you're at HOME

The best one was my mum asked if i'd like to join her and my auntie for afternoon tea on one of my work from home days - no i said, i'll be working that day - but you will be working from home so why can't you join us? WTF?

New neighbour knocks on the door constantly during the day and when i don't answer she then rings me, if i don't answer the phone i get passive aggressive text messages.
She also thinks working from home means I'm free to answer the door all day long and answer stupid questions about trivial shit, regardless of whether i'm in meetings or not.

I get this as well - I work from home two days a week, in the office for three. People just don’t get it.

We’re on hols at the moment and DH just said to me “lucky you off work until Wednesday”..... no I’m back Monday, working from home mon/tues

I get more done working from home, but every time I make a phone call the cat thinks I’m talking to her and won’t leave me alone.

I WFH one day a week and I hate it. I would much rather be in an office setting. I don't have the best willpower which doesn't help but it used to drive me mad that people (dh) thought I had a day off. I have him well trained now and he does leave me alone, the kids are much better behaved!

Another one driven dippy by this.

I WFH once a week, DP has a day off once a week (he works Saturdays)

Lovely DP will do washing, mow lawn, prep dinner etc on his day off I'm exceptionally grateful for this. What I don't appreciate is being expected to do the same when I am working from home, I'll stick a load on the line or unload the dish washer during my lunch break but then I'm back to work. ARGH