If you work from home, do you actually work?

[fallacy]

I'm a SAHM but I have many friends that work full time. A lot of the time they wfh and from what I can tell, not a lot of work actually gets done.

I'm jealous.

I work from home and think I do more if anything because I feel the need to prove I'm working. When you say that your friends "don't seem" to work, what gives you that impression? It could be that they are doing a lot of work in the evenings for example so that you don't see it. I think that generally companies won't let people work at home unless they actually get things done.

Added to that of course is I don’t need to do hair and make up/dress and 20 minute commute each way ...saving probably another 2 hours of my day. I stroll downstairs and often start work in my PJs.

My DH works mostly from home and is very good at it. Rarely lets housework or cleaning distract him....

I'm jealous.
Why?

Because I don't work, I have my son at home all the time. When my friends are 'wfh' their children are in nursery and are therefore basically having a few days off a week!

I wouldn't give up looking after my son for anything though, so I'm only lightheartedly jealous. Just when I fancy one single cup of tea alone.

I work from home 90% of the time, other 10% i'll be in meetings or at conferences etc. Its a senior role, and most of the people I manage or work with closely are also home-workers. I spend most of my time on video calls, on Slack (you can see who is online) or working in shared documents, so i'm always available and visible to other staff members and definitely can't skive off!

I get much more done on days when I am working from home than I do when I go to the office. But that might be because so many of us work from home and we all go in on the same day and spend it chatting and generally catching up - which is also important for us as a team.

In previous jobs where home working wasn't such a big part of the company culture I did see some people taking the piss. I agree with PP that you can't look after small children and wfh at the same time, though some people I know then will make up the hours later (places/jobs that allow wfh are often pretty flexible)

Because I don't work, I have my son at home all the time. When my friends are 'wfh' their children are in nursery and are therefore basically having a few days off a week!

If they weren't working why would they spend the money on nursery?

Everyone where I work does at least one day a week from home and yes, people do seem to work. Apart from anything, we have Skype set up in a way that means you can tell who is logged in (and whether they’re actually using their computer when they are). We also have all our usual meetings (we Skype into them, so we get to have a nose at our colleagues’ houses via their webcams) and take phone calls as we log into our phone system remotely.

I manage a team and generally speaking the four of them all seem to get more done at home than in the office, particularly when they’re writing long reports or plans. And we’re all constantly in touch all day anyway.

I do think it’s more open to abuse in companies that aren’t set up so well tech-wise for communicating with each other from home, though.

I work from home one day a week and do work fewer hours, but I save time and pollution by not commuting. I'm able just to log the time I'm working so do pop out and run errands etc through the day.

Yep.

I get loads more done at home than I do in the office as no travel time and also no stopping to chat with colleagues.

Bonus is that my lunch hour can be very productive in terms of chores and dinner prep etc.

Harder if my husband is wfh too but we make the decision to sit in different rooms so that we don’t distract each other.

When my friends are 'wfh' their children are in nursery and are therefore basically having a few days off a week!

No they’re not. They’re working.

Of course I work. The clue's in the name. If I didn't, I wouldn't be working from home. I'd be fucking around at home.

Definitely. I actually get more done!

I WFH for myself, and I do work. I do take short breaks, shove a wash on, maybe run the hoover round or pop down the road to the post office, but most of the time I am indeed working.

I work from home. It would be very obvious if I didn’t do anything but I do allow myself to have my laptop on the sofa with the telly on on Fridays. Work is quite full on the rest of the time!
It’s nice being here as I get loads done during my lunch like cleaning or washing!

*When my friends are 'wfh' their children are in nursery and are therefore basically having a few days off a week!

No they’re not. They’re working.*

That's the whole point of my OP. They aren't actually working much.

Sometimes. It depends on the volume of work I have. Sometimes its just a case of checking up on emails and answering any queries from clients. Other times there is a backlog and I love working from home on those days as I get so much done without interruption. Plus, I get through laundry like no-ones business too - I tend to stick a load on while I'm making a cuppa, getting a snack.

At the end of those days I'm usually caught up on housework and actual office work.

Yes i do

Incidentally

When people are in offices they are often not working flat out, is the other point!

Lot of touchy people on this thread desperately proving how hard they WFH whilst looking at mumsnet.

Some people on the thread might be on an office looking at mumsnet

Yes, loads, enough to pay 5 lots of school fees and be the primary wage earner. We had a full time nanny in the house (daily nanny) when they were under 5 for the youngest 2 whilst I worked at home then.

I have a separate office and do the same work there I would do when I was part of a larger firm and had my own office in that firm.

Yes, of course but it is a different kind of work. I tend to be able to focus on getting my to do list shortened and activities that depend on no interruptions while I am at home, i.e. individual work rather than that which requires interaction.

I have quite a 'reactive' job so sometimes I'm so busy I don't even get lunch, other times I am quiet and there is literally nothing for me to do - if I was in my office, I would just waste time online, MN etc when I'm at home I take advantage of that and do some housework etc

I work from home at least one day a week. As long as I get the work done my boss doesn’t mind. I would never watch daytime telly and am probably more conscientious than when I’m in the office. Sometimes I go to school appts etc but I always make up my hours. I’d have a very guilty conscience if I said I was working and didn’t.

Is it just women who are suspected of being workshy /dishonest?

Or men as well?

In my office home working is for everyone, a day or 3 a week. Its flexible.

OP and recent poster seem determined that working mothers who can work from home are not working. Seems odd.

I usually work from the office but do wfh a few times a month. Sometimes I get lots more done as can do extra due to no commute. Occasionally, I don't do much and have a lazy day. I think its compensated by doing much more than my hours on other days and I know my boss is fine on it. I don't mean I do nothing, I mean I do easy work that I can do in front of the tv or maybe take a longer lunch.