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?!

I do most of my work in my ‘soft office’ aka my bed.
I’m more comfortable sat on the bed working.

But if I have a meeting I always go into the office for it.
I don’t necessarily think it’s unprofessional to do a meeting from the sofa, if it’s tidy and you have a table or something to put the laptop on.
It’s definitely unprofessional to have the laptop on your knee and by the sounds of it be unorganised for the meeting.

I have sometimes had Team meetings from my bedroom or sofa, due to the fact those rooms have the best internet connection. Will usually do calls from the dining room but if the connection is not good then I have to decamp somewhere else

I think it's appropriate to say that you noticed in a client call that her wobbly laptop was a bit distracting, and ask if there's somewhere more stable she can position it. I currently tend to take client calls in my living room, as overlock down with everyone 'on', the wifi is substantially more stable if I can plug into the router, but I set up a makeshift table so it looks (hopefully) more professional, but still clearly my front room not an office. I'm hoping everyone isn't judging me horribly now...

I don't have room for a desk in my flat. My laptop is on a pile of coffee table books , which works fine. In the scheme of things I cant get wound up re. a wobbly laptop.

I have a desk that I work at some days. But sometimes I work from the sofa because it's comfier. Although if I have a video call I'll move to my desk or a table so the laptop is steady. But I wrote uni essays from the sofa so I'm used to it by now, doesn't make me any less productive.

Bean bag tray, wobbly problem solved.

DH often does calls from the sofa in the sitting room- so that we can do what we need to undisturbed in the rest of our home. How is it unprofessional? He's not wearing Speedos and a clown wig!
He speaks only about work, there's a blank wall behind him, he's not interrupted by the children because they understand if the door's closed it's private. We could afford a thousand desks, but a desk doesn't fit in the space we have or with our decor.
At other times he's at the kitchen table, depends on what the family need.

See, I think seeing a bed in the background is less professional than sitting on a sofa 🤷‍♀️

@RedHelenB

Work should supply desks surely?

I don’t have the room in my house for a desk. When I’m WFH I use a fold out table. I can’t use the kitchen table as the WiFi is non existent down there.

We don’t have room for another table, and the kitchen table is always in use.

I’ve worked from 2 sofas, bed, bedroom, garden, and you know the world has carried on turning.

Our kitchen is noisy. And people constantly wandering in and out.

My colleagues my think I work from my sofa all day because that's where I take my calls but I'm usually stood up stepping for most of the day.

It's not unprofessional, perhaps bad for her back, but that's up to her. Everyone is having to find ways to make wfh work for them. My poor dh is in our spare room surrounded by a wall of packed boxes as we moved recently. My toddler and I are downstairs so he can't really use the dining table etc as she will try to visit him. Again, it's not unprofessional, it's managing in a tough situation. Also, just because she gets paid more it doesn't necessarily mean she has more spare money.

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?!

Or even just sit at a table. If you need a stable surface, you could even sit on the floor and balance your laptop on a coffee table.

I’d be more concerned that her back will be fucked by sitting on the sofa hunching over a laptop for hours on end each day. I’d approach it that way with her. I spent a year working from home with an unsuitable chair and I still have back problems now even after I got myself a decent office chair.

If it were me, i’d raise it as being concerned for her physical well-being and maybe send her a link to what this sort of work set up could do to her physically long term.

Oh, I'd love to work from a treehouse @LouiseNW! What kind of line are you in?

I find it weird when I can see colleagues beds during teams calls.

I too work from the sofa unless I have a meeting / some serious work that needs real concentration.

But tbh you just sound annoyed that she earns more money than you.

You sound judgmental, but there are ways around the issue of backgrounds etc. I started off working from the sofa and have since moved to the dining table. No spare room in this house, and no space for a desk either, so I've invested in a decent office chair. We use Teams, which lets you set a background so that people don't see your house behind you.

This is still all a learning curve for many people.

Fair point on the bed. But that's the only place I have to work from. I'm using my office chair so my back is protected and my screen is steady when presenting.

I don't care where she works from either most of the time, but when presenting to a potential client, I don't think you should be balancing a laptop on your knees when you have the option for a set up that works better for your posture.

I agree with you. It looks very unprofessional. It might be acceptable to sit on a sofa, but the wobbling is ridiculous. As if she doesn't have a coffee table or a chair to put the laptop on. It is very distracting when screen moves.

Britain is probably the only country I know about where most people seem to not have space for tables🙄 incl folding ones.

Does your company not do DSE checks? We have to have a set up which adheres to health and safety, and I’m pretty sure working with a laptop balanced on her knee long term is going to create posture problems further down the line. Maybe something you mention to management so they can advise or help her with equipment?

Agree with pps that the sofa is not a problem, a good level surface would make a big difference. There are some great ones on Amazon and home stores, either bean or foam base or on fold-out legs which can go on a coffee table and bring her laptop camera up to optimum height. Suggest one to help her out with the wobbling screen?

I think your point about scrabbling around for notes and titling laptops is entirely valid. She ought to to be sitting on the sofa in these meetings.
Everything else is up to her.

Ought not to be.

Companies are still responsible for H and S which includes screen set up and should provide what they reasonably can so that you are working in the correct position. But even so most wouldn't stick to it. Perhaps sofa is the best wifi spot. I would perhaps mention wobbly screen is distracting but apart from that its up to her. I work in several places round my home.

Re: DSE - I think that's only if you have a WFH contract which none of us do.