To think working from your sofa is unprofessional?

[LajesticVantrashell]

Like most people, I’ve been working at home now for close to six months along with the rest of my colleagues. We have a spare room for an office, so I’ve had to set up in our bedroom working from my vanity table/desk where I normally do my make-up.

My colleague, so as not to drip feed, earns considerably more than me (think £30k more) and lives alone paying a nominal amount of rent in relation to her salary (I know this because she told me). Yet, she works from her sofa every day. Yes, none of my business, she can do what she wants but she’s constantly moaning about her back and being uncomfortable.

Yesterday, we had a meeting with a potential client and we all dialled in. We all had certain bit we needed to present and my colleague was again, sitting on her sofa with her laptop on her knees. This meant the screen was wobbling about everywhere as she scrabbled to reach her notes around her. To me, it just looked completely unprofessional and I’ll admit, it really annoyed me.

So AIBU to think that on a high earning salary, with enough space in your living room (because I can see from the Teams calls) and after six months with potentially long term home working being suggested, that she should invest in a bloody desk?!

@Alongcameacat

There's no reason for working the same as you would in an office unless the job can't be done as well unless you do that .Working from home means getting the job done without going into an office.

By that reasoning. you could wear whatever you like to the office if not customer facing?

Some employers have a standard of dress - usually smart casual - because they think people act more professionally when dressed in smart (er) than their usual clothes.

I’m sure research has shown this to be the case. I worked somewhere that had a dress down day once a week. They stopped it because productivity dropped significantly on that day of the week.

The fact that only some employers have a standard of dress suggests it actually makes very little difference. I very much doubt the company you worked for saw a drop in productivity just because people were not dressing so smartly one day of the week. That may have been the excuse given but I doubt it was the reason.

I very much doubt the company you worked for saw a drop in productivity

That may have been the excuse given but I doubt it was the reason.

It really doesn’t matter whether you doubt it or not.
You can’t actually say any of what wrote when you don’t know the company or culture surely?

I worked there. Dress down days had a completely different atmosphere. People visibly relaxed, chatted longer, took extended breaks and finished earlier to put on make up before going for drinks after work. You can’t possibly say that didn’t happen. I was there. It did!

Just to add I didn’t see anything wrong with dress down days and IMO social interaction in the office is far more important than any amount of expensive ‘team building’ exercises or days!

My sofa is much easier on my back
If I sat at a desk I’d be in agony, especially a makeshift one

People in working from home not being in a full office setting shocker!

My back wouldn't cope with a laptop on my knee full-time - but if I'm on the sofa I have a little wheelie adjustable laptop trolley that I use for it, but there are times when I HAVE to work from the sofa as my normal desk is in the conservatory and if anyone's having building work or the like done in their gardens it gets too noisy to work in there. We're doing the best we can in a 2 bed house we've completely outgrown - as are a lot of people and not everyone has the wonderful large garden and large wallet for a garden office, or spare bedroom, or space to go into the loft that MN seems to think is just normality.

I mean I do agree that it looks unprofessional but why should she spend money on a desk and desk chair only to have to get rid of it again when working in the office resumes?

I’d love a desk at home to work from but I have no space for one in my flat so I use my kitchen table.

Yes YABU about working from the sofa. Being unprofessional is not related and she should have been organised. I often join long calls from the sofa but have screen on table opposite on a stand. Her company should get her a desk.

Has anyone mentioned it to her? I was mortified when (after working on my lap for nearly 6 months using a lap tray beanbag thingy) a colleague pointed out that when I shared my screen and typed the camera wobbled all over the place. Buying a desk had been on my to do list because I’d realised that working from home wasn’t just a short term thing, but just didn’t get round to it. As soon as i realised how bad it looks to others we rearranged furniture and put a desk in the corner of our bedroom.

Going freelance and working with lots of other small businesses has really made me realise there's no need to stick to some rigid rules about what we think work should look like. As long as the work is done to a good standard, it really doesn't matter if someone is doing it from the sofa or fully suited and booted sitting in a purpose built home office.

So long as she gets the work done, I wouldn't call it 'unprofessional'. Whether it's particularly good for her back in the long-term is another matter.

I agree. Very unprofessional to do calls from sofa. Work from sofa in your scruffs but make an effort to show professionalism when on camera. I'm sure it wont be long before they'll be a policy in place standardising camera calls etc

DH works in the spare room, son works in his room. When I had to work from home I was on the sofa in the living room - the only table and chair I could use is in the conservatory where the internet is shit. I get that it might look unprofessional if she's video calling customers and it seems daft if she's uncomfortable...but it's up to her.

Are the offices you used to work in not been made covid friendly yet?

I’ve worked from home from my sofa for years. My back is fine.

I sit at a desk for most client calls. But not all. I’m senior in my business. And on the billions of additional video calls I’ve been on this year, I’ve had chats with very very senior people with laptops on their laps on a sofa.

You are being a weird as well as unreasonable imo.

Spare bedroom? Dining room? What are those?

Lucky you.

My husband years ago could not sit in chairs or a sofa he lay on the lounge floor with as a severe bad back.Could not take sick leave .This is a DIY company that delivers the next day

I work from bed and wear pjs. I do my best work when I’m 100% cosy with my feet up. I wear a normal top for meetings and put a fake background on so no-one can tell where I am.
Some people may think I’m lazy but I don’t care, I know I do good work :)

I work from my sofa. Have done for years. Built up a superb business. Sometimes I move to a chair. Sometimes I lie on the bed. Literally nobody knows nor cares.
OP needs something to worry about.

Seems like you and your company are quite ignorant about the DSE regs. The first thought in your mind when seeing a colleague working regularly from their sofa should be to considered about their health and asking them if they have been provided with suitable equipment to enable safe working at home. It has been 6 months.

I think you should sit up straight for a client and have your things to hand, and not have your camera wobbling. YANBU. Ask her nicely to put her laptop on a surface because the wobbling gives you a headache. And next time she complains about her back shout 'for God's sake get a desk, woman!' But with a laugh, so she can laugh with you, but will also get the point.

My husband is working from home in our porch and has brought home an extra monitor, extra laptop and good office chair from work, which is great but space is tight. We don't have a big enough house for a spare room, we don't even have enough rooms for those that live here.
Although it's lovely to have work supplying chairs, desks etc, not everyone has room. Salary doesn't necessarily equate to circumstances. Ok you say she has a big lounge but maybe the table was being use by others during the day and it's damned inconvenient. She could at least get a folding table for the sofa to stop the wobble. We often Zoom socially from our sofa and use the wooden kitchen step to put the laptop on.

@Alongcameacat

I very much doubt the company you worked for saw a drop in productivity

That may have been the excuse given but I doubt it was the reason.

It really doesn’t matter whether you doubt it or not.
You can’t actually say any of what wrote when you don’t know the company or culture surely?

I worked there. Dress down days had a completely different atmosphere. People visibly relaxed, chatted longer, took extended breaks and finished earlier to put on make up before going for drinks after work. You can’t possibly say that didn’t happen. I was there. It did!

That only demonstrates that people may behave differently if they have a day of the week that is different to the rest, in this case a "dress down day" made the day seem more casual. It doesn't demonstrate that people work less hard in workplaces where smart dress is not required on any day of the week. I work in a job where deadlines have to be met regardless of what you are wearing. That is true of a lot of jobs.

YABU.
You sound bitter, is it because she earns more than you?

I assume lots of people are doing this. My husbands been working from our bedroom as there is nowhere else he can work with the kids at home. We don’t have room for a dining table let alone a desk downstairs.