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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Not sure if I want to work from home full time - would you?

123 replies

GymGirl23 · 14/05/2020 19:00

I work in a big office environment and most of us in my department have proved during the lockdown that we can work just as well from home if not better in some cases.

Heard today that we will be offered the opportunity to choose if we want to work from home full time, we'll be sent a memo about it soon. A lot of us aren't sure as it was fine when we thought it was for a certain amount of time before resuming our usual routine of commuting, looking around the shops at lunchtime, quick chats at the coffee machine and just having proper social contact. We've all worked together for years so have become good friends in the process. We also work effectively together as a team in person rather than on Zoom.

I spend 2 hours commuting each day but I actually find it relaxing as I read or listen to music. At the moment I'm working an extra 2 hours instead of commuting and working the other hours fully whereas in the office we tend to work 50 minutes out of each hour. I would miss the social contact and general banter. I think the novelty has worn off even though we do have a proper home office set up. There won't be an option to work 1 or 2 days from home and the other days in the office btw, it's basically home or office! Also I'm not getting paid for the extra 2 hours which I don't mind (and they haven't offered either) but if I was to work from home full time should I negotiate extra pay going forward as it's an extra 10 hours per week? What would you do? Really need advice on advantages and disadvantages! The one advantage is during the winter months not having to deal with cancelled trains due to a bit of snow and ice! DH works from home part of the week and kids are teenagers so not really distracting like small kids for context...

OP posts:
Mangofandangoo · 14/05/2020 20:01

DH does full time, other than from a environmental point of view it does have its perks but it can be very isolating and you have to be very proactive about finding reasons to go out, especially in the winter.

managedmis · 14/05/2020 20:03

Are you calculating your commute time in lieu of coffee chat time? Bit puritan, non?

EmpressLangClegInChair · 14/05/2020 20:06

Fuck no. I want to be back in the office.

WanderingMilly · 14/05/2020 20:10

I dream of being able to work from home but there don't seem to be the opportunities.
Given half a chance, I'd certainly do it full time. I wish....

rookiemere · 14/05/2020 20:11

Prior to this I worked from home one day a week. Wasn't a big fan as found it hard to concentrate. It's a bit easier with everyone being at home, but I really miss the chat and camaraderie of being together. Something blew up today and it would have been easily sorted in the office - but because you can't see everyone and read them properly, it becomes a lot harder. However the dog is loving it and I don't miss the commuting stress.

I work four days a week and once this is over I'd probably want to work 2 days in 2 days home. However it depends on what the office looks like. If we're separated by perspex and only a few allowed in at a time wearing masks, I'll stay at home thanks.

BackHomeAgain · 14/05/2020 20:15

I’ve been a FT home worker in the past and enjoyed it, but then I’m an introvert and slightly lazy so it suits me not seeing people and like convenience of zero commute. This was especially handy when I had a 1.5hr commute each way.

Now my commute is 10 mins so I had been happy to go to the office but now we’ve been wfh for 8+ weeks I think this suits me better. The change in tempo that comes with wfh is a delight.

In fact I had a day in the office last week and burst into tears later that evening thinking about doing that mad rush to work and school 5 days a week. The thought of it really stresses me out.

Ineverdidmind · 14/05/2020 20:19

We're having similar conversations at work but we're going to be offered a mix which suits me. I've always worked one day a week at home, it's now looking like I'll work one day a week in the office - although they're not opening up the office any time soon.
I'm pretty happy with that, I definitely wouldn't like to be at home full time. I think the odd day here and there to see people face to face will become a pleasure.

SoloMummy · 14/05/2020 20:19

Why are you working 2 hours more?
Surely not paying for trains is a significant financial savings, on top of lunches etc. Plus that should be 2 hours more at home. As well as potential for greater flexibility if at home too.
For me it's a no brainer. But not for more pay unless you're working 10 hours more now permanently. But if so, if prefer that as fkexi time and time off than money.

mynamesmrdiggety · 14/05/2020 20:27

I have a two hour commute. I honestly don't know, the thought of wfh permanently terrifies me. But I'll save a shed load of money on travel.

Notthetoothfairy · 14/05/2020 20:34

Try doing your usual hours at home and see how you get on. Surely the workload is the same and work doesn’t magically disappear on the days you commute into the office?

notalwaysalondoner · 14/05/2020 20:34

One thing my DH pointed out which is super important is that if half of you are in the office, it won’t be at all the same as when 100% of you are wfh. Those wfh will struggle to join in meetings (as half the people will be in the same room already), feel left out of social stuff etc. It won’t be the same as now when everyone is separately on a video call. Of course for some people that will be worth it due to reduced commute etc. but it should be considered.

I also wouldn’t consider it if you’ll be working you’re commute time - if you’re just busy because of lockdown that’s one thing but if your boss expects you to work those extra hours or if you don’t have the self discipline to keep to your previous hours you’re just working extra for the same pay.

BackforGood · 14/05/2020 20:35

Just adding my voice to those saying you shouldn't be expecting to work an extra 2 hours a day.
One of the (many) advantages of working from home is that you gain the time that you used to use commuting, and you gain the 'trapped' time that was your lunch break - you don't give it to work to work for free Hmm

I LOVE wfh but my job involves several reasons why I get out of the office and go to meetings or deliver training or visit our 'customers', So my wfh is doing what I would normally do in the office, from my home office. It is probably about 1/2 my working week, and is perfect. I'm not sure I'd want to wfh if my work were all purely office based. If makes sense when your dc are aged about 8 - 13ish, when they can be there in the house and not bothering you, but if yours are older, there is less of a need to 'be there' when they get in, etc.

BeetrootRocks · 14/05/2020 20:36

No thanks. I was doing 2 or 3 days a work at home anyway.

I miss going into town, meeting friends for lunch, my workmates, work drinks and parties.

I also find it harder to keep motivated.

Craiglang · 14/05/2020 20:45

I can't WFH but DH can/is. Before lockdown he had already started WFH one day a week when the house was empty (me at work, DC at school). The rest of the time he was travelling or at the office. Given the current situation he expects to be travelling significantly less and WFH more, but not FT. There are aspects of his job that cannot be done at home and he's missing working with his colleagues in person.

Even if I had a job where it was practical to WFH even PT I wouldn't. I enjoy going to work and getting out of the house.

letmethinkaboutitfornow · 14/05/2020 20:53

@GymGirl23 - I miss my colleagues, I miss the watercooler chats about life and universe. majority of my job is built on good rapport with my reporting lines / peers. Zoom is great occasionally but does not replace a good office atmosphere for good.

And I have a fully furnished / equipped study at home

so YANBU!

GnomeDePlume · 14/05/2020 20:55

I would be happy WFH forever but one of the things which is making it work is that everyone else is WFH. Everyone is available on their phone.

woolyrab · 14/05/2020 21:01

I would be happy WFH forever but one of the things which is making it work is that everyone else is WFH. Everyone is available on their phone

I totally agree, we use Teams and whilst we did in the office, people are more captive now so very accessible.

Wingingitsince2018 · 14/05/2020 21:08

My job is 70% office based and 30% working across various sites with my team.

In a dream world I would only ever go in to work if I had to be on-site. I could still catch up with all team members, could schedule meetings on these days as needed and still keep the social aspect.

There is nothing I can do in the office I can't do from home, we have flexible working already and some days I wonder why I bothered going in as the office is deserted! (Pre lockdown obviously)

I could also avoid my incredibly passive aggressive boss who types obscenely loudly.

VivienScott · 14/05/2020 21:12

I have a similar commute but will happily wfh. The money I’m saving etc is great. I’m fitter from having time to exercise, proper walk at lunch, cooking actual proper meals, I think under normal circumstances I’d definitely be happier!
I’m hoping to be able to wfh with one day in office a week eventually.

Plannergirl9 · 14/05/2020 21:14

I've been told we will likely be working at home permanently. It's taken me a while to get used to it but it's been OK. I think it will be easier once lockdown is reduced.

SoloMummy · 14/05/2020 21:45

@GnomeDePlume

I would be happy WFH forever but one of the things which is making it work is that everyone else is WFH. Everyone is available on their phone.

I think that you may well find that everyone is more available after this.
I wfh as a norm, we all have WiFi phones, mobiles, plus use Skype, zoom and hangouts depending on the situation. So it's very rare for someone to not be available.
Even those who are in the 20% of the organisation that don't wfh, this seems to be working well for.
So I wouldn't expect this to go back to as it was before. Why would it as that would in effect be a backwards move....

Original poster
GymGirl23 · 14/05/2020 22:13

Thanks for all the input! A lot of great points were raised and some I certainly hadn't thought of...

I probably didn't make myself clear about a couple of things. The commute is 1 hour there and 1 hour home, not 2 hrs each way. My employer pays for 50% of my season ticket along with other perks. Also, they didn't ask me to work the extra 2 hrs; that was my own decision as we have a back log of work to catch up on so thought I would put my commuting time to good use. It seems that there will be extra work to do on an ongoing basis though even when we're up to date.

I'm definitely veering towards NOT working from home as I don't think it will suit my personality long term. Again we often have lunch out on Fridays and from talking to colleagues this evening I'm actually surprised by the amount who still want to 'go out' to work and separate their work space from home space! I thought it would be 50:50 but it's more like 80:20! Three colleagues who live on their own and lead very introverted lives love WFH and want to continue it. They will literally be totally isolated then and I really can't see how that can be appealing? Surely in their situation it would be good for their mental health to interact in the real world a little? I guess it's a case of different strokes for different folks!

Thanks again and I will update further when I get more info on the terms and conditions!

OP posts:
Sleepingboy · 14/05/2020 22:20

But you still dont explain why you are working for free?! So what if you have a backlog. If your boss wants it cleared and you are willing to do overtime to get it done then you should be paid for it. You are an utter mug doing it for free! Your boss must be laughing!

VioletCharlotte · 14/05/2020 22:32

We're having similar conversations where I work. Personally, I love wfh, I used to do it two days a week before all this happened so I'm fairly used to it. It's great not to have the commute and have more time in the morning and evening, plus be able to stick washing on, walk the dog at lunchtime, etc.

Not everyone feels the same though. The younger members of my team are quite unsettled by the idea and feel they will miss the social interaction. As a manger, I think it'll make team building more of a challenge and I've already found it's trickier to have those more difficult conversations over Teams than it is face to face. I think I would like to see an option where we have so where we can go in for team meetings and to carry out one to ones, etc .

lanthanum · 14/05/2020 22:41

I work from home (part-time), and used to do so in another job as well. The one I dropped, I was the only one working mostly from home (although there were others on the team who were part-time or who did some work elsewhere), and although that was fine for a couple of years, after a while I began to feel too out of the loop, and also that my bit of work was being marginalised, or decisions made that affected it without anyone telling me. Colleagues came and went, so I no longer knew everyone - on one occasion I met someone at a (non-work) pub meet, and it was a while before I realised we were colleagues.

The job I still do is different, because lots of us work from home - including everyone doing the role I do. We have an active "online common room" which replaces the "chats over the coffee machine/lunch". Because we're all in the same boat, it's a bit harder for us to be overlooked, and when the upper echelons of management (who don't always understand how we work) make decisions which don't work for home workers, there's a collective outcry, and often an apology.

So I guess I would say that if you end up with some people WFH and some not, a gulf may gradually spring up that may make things difficult. That will be especially true if there's no option to split the week. Would they have any provision in place for occasional days when everyone comes in? (I'm guessing they may be planning to cut the size of the office, so that might be difficult to organise. My first team did have meetings when we did all get together, but we were sited within a larger organisation so there were rooms easily available.)