The future of working from home

[Maighdeann]

Before the virus there were campaigns pushing towards flex working/working from home. Do you think now where it's shown it can be done (for certain jobs) companies will allow it to continue and is that a good thing?

[FairIsleViking]

I love working from home. I'm a lecturer, and before covid, I worked from home for a day a week pretty regularly, but came in most days for meetings / teaching etc. I loathed the commute, really hated it, and am so much happier not having to do it. Plus, I get more done as I have fewer interruptions. I like my colleagues but I didn't socialise with them outside of work and I am quite happy catching up with them most days on Teams

We are highly unlikely to ever be 'back in the office' in the same way again. From a personal pov, I'm delighted, although there will be significant implications for some aspects of my job - mainly teaching - that need to be thought through very carefully indeed. But the solution to that is flexibility, creativity and lateral thinking, not making everyone suffer an expensive, unhealthy and unpleasant trek into work every single day to sit in an expensive, unhealthy (and frankly quite unpleasant) office, if they'd rather not.

[Frozade]

I work for a company that has always been fully remote, and only apply for fully remote jobs for past couple of years so I love it! As such I've never met any of my colleagues,vibe still made good friends with a few but probably taken longer than it would in an office. They have a really good onboarding for new joiners, so felt comfortable straight away but I've also worked for other companies that are terrible and I felt so lost when I first joined, no idea who to call etc if needed help.

[StCharlotte]

@FinallyHere

Is it possible that with so much remote working, there will be less and less need for printed/bound copies of things

Not as long as there are living and breathing old school lawyers

[Zomblie]

I wouldn't t mind working from home so much if I wasn't trying to mind two primary ages kids as well. All they want to do is play computer games and argue. DH is working a 10 hour shift from 5am so is knackered all the time.

If I could have a proper study, with a desk, chair and a PC and a phone rather than being cramped at the kitchen table with a laptop and a rigid dining chair it might be alright.

As it is I can't wait to get back to work for a break and some adult time!

[foggybits]

@thecatsthecats

So 'improving footfall of TFL' is not a systemic issue we need to solve.

Where did I say we need to solve it? I wasn't making a comment on change or human behaviour. My point was simply I think the economy will be affected.

[SerenDippitty]

It doesn’t have to be working from home, people could go to local office hubs and work from there, would still save on commuting and wouldn’t have the possible distractions of working from home.

[managedmis]

Me neither, I couldn't bear having to hang around until 5 or 5.30 for the sake of it.

^
This is what it comes down to for me.

[DanniArthur]

I think it will depend on the productivity over lockdown if it will be implemented in the future. I've loved working from home and spending time with DD. She is a lovely calm child (I know I'm soo lucky) so I've managed to be very productive and have impressed my manager. However, colleagues of mine haven't pulled their weight as much (going by zoom meetings) which frustrates me as it will be impacting the likelihood we can continue working from home after this is done!

[BabloHoney]

I worked 2 days from home before lockdown and loved it. Was actually more productive then in the office as much easier to prioritise tasks without being interrupted and you suddenly realise how much time is wasted in long meeting or just chatting in the kitchen while making a brew! Also saved me a fortune not commuting and not having to put my son in breakfast club.

[LaurieFairyCake]

I hope they do. Far better for the environment and will save companies fortunes in premises!

[letitgolego]

@fairisleviking

How as a lecturer do you think more working from home will be beneficial to your students? I, and every single one of my friends from university hate online/zoom/teams lectures/seminars/tutorials and can't wait to go back to normal f2f teaching. This is a feeling shared among almost all the students in the country. So if the university tries to implement online lectures after Covid when they are no longer necessary there will be uproar.

Also what about office hours and quick meetings? My personal tutor is fantastic and if you email him in the morning he will often reply within a couple hours offering a meeting for the afternoon at at the very latest the next day. And these F2F meetings are valuable, you simply don't get the same kind of connection over zoom. Over zoom your lecturer can't look at the quick notes you've written, help you highlight the important bits and write plans then and there, or pick a book off of their shelf open it up in front of you and point out certain quotes and in some cases give you the book then and there to return when you're done with it.

Also of student-tutor relationships are built on trust and understanding and without lecturers returning to offices this wouldn't happen.

[Reginabambina]

@luckylavender I spend more money as a result of working from home because I go out for a coffee (office has nice free coffee), browse shops as a ‘lunch break’ activity (days when I’m in the office I spend lunch with colleagues), I don’t buy a paper on my way to work because I leave before stores open/I’m a millennial.

[foggybits]

I don’t buy a paper on my way to work because I leave before stores open/I’m a millennial.

That made me laugh 😆

[FairIsleViking]

letitgo

My post said:

there will be significant implications for some aspects of my job

I am perfectly well aware of the potential impact on students. Some teaching cannot be done effectively online and I understand the usefulness for both student and lecturer of F2F meetings, for example.

But my role does not require me to be in the office every single day, and there are some benefits to asynchronous learning methods, used judiciously, for many students particularly those with caring responsibilities.

[luckylavender]

@Reginabambina - Cheap shot. I don't buy a newspaper every day either and I'm not a millennial. It is however an industry we need to support especially in the fake news / post truth world. Everyone will have a different experience but I would imagine that most people will spend more when out and about. Our high streets need us to.

[Wexone]

I am loving WFH. I had an hours commute before each way in some very heavy traffic I would have to be on the road dead on 6 so would try miss most of it. I would be listening to the radio for traffic updates and constantly checking google maps for updates in case there was a crash etc (every week there would be at least one) I didn't realise how stressful this was until I started WFH.

Plus's are- Getting up later, no rushing in the morning. Getting more done as no one interrupts you, nice quiet office can listen to light radio in the background, eating better as not eating as many chips from the canteen, have lovely views from my windows, able to go for a walk at lunchtime, be able to put on a proper dinner. Finish still at a reasonable time. Able to go bed later, not dead on 9 like before, no rushing in the evenings getting lunch ready clothes etc. Being able to keep on top of light housework such as throwing washing on, taking it off the line etc. I feel a much more relaxed person and my sleep and exercise has improved imeensly. Am not as exhausted as I was.


cons- Miss the interaction with my colleagues sometimes you do feel a bit left out of things, as my office was in the city being able to pop into the shopping center after work to go to shops not near me. Some days its hard to get motivated and hard to wind down after a hard day


My work has WFH implemented till the end of the year and are now working on what will happen next year. We were the only site in this country that didn't have it in place. Senior management was very dead against it, we did have a flexi time policy though. I really hope that it is something that becomes permanent, would like three days at home and two days in the office if at all possible. It would mean have a better work life balance, be able to have more of a life at home, go to the gym or a walk in the evenings, catch up with friends and family and not to feel so tired all the time. We are grown adults we can be trusted to do our work. I think it will also help smaller towns grow, as people say more business open as more people tay around, instead of becoming commuter ghost towns. I understand it doesn't suit all professions nor some people, but people should have a choice

[KatherineJaneway]

Takes all sorts, different people suited to different tasks etc etc. But the hill I will die on in this debate is that I have NEVER had mine or other's time absorbed, their emotions or their productivity damaged by someone who is task focused at work.

I can be social and task focused. You don't have to be one or the other. It isn't hard to switch between one and the other.

Whereas a lot of 'people people' have wreaked absolute havoc in their workplaces - on both task and people people. From outright bullying, to cliquish behaviour, to time wasting - unfortunately being a people person doesn't make you good at it. Which is why I'm far happier with those who leave their personalities at the door!

Ridiculous generalisation on people who are social. It is very easy to be social and be professional and productive. No doubt there are people who behave unprofessionally but in my experience they are in the minority and annoy social people as well.

I'd rather someone brought their personality into work than working with a mood hoover.

[SlipperyLizard]

I’ve started a new job during lockdown, I’ve been made to feel very welcome and can luckily wfh (which I usually do one day a week) but I don’t feel part of the wider “team” yet and struggle to join in with group calls as I don’t have the personal connections with others or recognise voices/know everyone’s names.

I’m not even a very sociable person, and I would miss that aspect of office life if it disappeared completely. Xmas dos, team socials would be a nightmare for new starters who might be meeting a lot of colleagues for the first time, even after months of working!

I love not commuting, though.

[WisteriaHysteria]

No commute is wonderful! I get up early every morning, have a relaxed coffee, do some yoga, it's blissful. No running for the bus/train/tube, no expense.

My company gets even more out of me wfh. I log on earlier, work longer, take fewer breaks. If anything I am more productive at home than in the office.

Before covid I was actively looking for another job. I've now realised it wasn't the job I disliked. It was the commute, having to go into London every day, wasting time being interrupted by colleagues who won't stop talking. At home I'm happy, in control of my work and liking my job much more! I really hope wfh is a permanent change.

[isitsummertimeyet]

i would prefer a permanent WFH option.

saves 2 hours travel a day commuting

allows me to be flexible with my working hours

saves on the enviroment driving less.

i dont miss office banter, enforced after work socialising.

this does me just right and the dog now has company during the day

[Womencanlift]

As a pp said I hope when life starts to get back to normal people get a choice based on what suits them personally rather than being forced to come into the office or wfh.

My observations (from both MN and real life) is that the wfh permanently side seems to be louder and if that is the new norm then I will really struggle.

I, like so many of my colleagues, have no space for a permanent wfh set up and before people say well just move somewhere where you can have a spare room it is not that easy. I am fortunate that I have a dining room table to sit at but I have never had so many back problems than I have had in the last month. I have friends and colleagues working from living room floors or on their bed as they live in a house share or a one bedroom flat. This is not sustainable.

I hope employers work with their employees to find the best individual solution for each person whilst also being in line with company needs.

It’s funny how some people on this post have said if I have to work in an office I will look for a new job. For me it is the exact opposite. I just hope people get what works for them after all this is over

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

I'll be handing in my notice if my company wants to switch to working from home. I hate it, I'm not set up for it and can't be set up for it. I have to work at the dining table and that won't be happening long term.

[ErrolTheDragon]

It's obviously very different for people thrown into wfh suddenly, without proper facilities at home and likely inadequate company systems in companies which have been reluctant to enable wfh in the past.

When we moved here, in 1995 when 'broadband' meant an ASDL line if you lived near enough to an exchange, and really only affordable if the company would foot a business line, we duly chose a house in a suitable location and with a room for me to use as an office - and not the tiny one designated as a 'study' by the vendor.

Obviously the broadband is fantastically better now, VPNs are commonplace instead of requiring a lot of work from IT to configure, all that sort of thing - but it's not a free alternative to office space and facilities.

[B1rdbra1n]

Working from home might be sustainable if we had a society in which working people had good access to secure and affordable homes

[thecatsthecats]

Ridiculous generalisation on people who are social. It is very easy to be social and be professional and productive. No doubt there are people who behave unprofessionally but in my experience they are in the minority and annoy social people as well.

I didn't say that all social people were like that. There are social people who cause trouble and people who don't cause trouble.

What I've never in my life encountered is a task-focused person who causes trouble for either social or task-focused people.

I agree that it's a minority, but the minority of trouble makers can make a hell of a splash by themselves.

(I actually do sit somewhere in the middle myself - I'm introverted, but that just means social interaction drains me rather than energises me. If I didn't expend social energy at work, I'd be more able to spend it on my loved ones. And for the past couple of years I have been drained to the fucking limit by social trouble makers!)