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?!

Working out your colleagues rent:salary ratio, and what furniture you think they should have is weird - and unreasonable.

At the start of WFH we were all asked to complete DSE checks (work also paid for IT kit that we needed, chairs but not desks).
My table is quite a way from my modem, so I switched to taking zoom calls on the sofa. I started with a large box initially, then bought a cheap folding table from argos (£12) for the laptop, as balancing it on my lap didn't give flattering camera views (and I also have to be careful of my cat interfering, balancing on the arm of the sofa wouldn't work).

None of your business whether or not she has a desk and you have no right to expect it. Reasonable to say she ought to set things up so her screen doesn't wobble during meetings. No obligation on you to listen sympathetically to complaints about back pain.

You can work wherever is comfortable, even if that's from the loo for all I care, but for client calls, definitely unprofessional to carry out a meeting from the sofa, and with the laptop wobbling and 'scrabbling' around for notes!

Anyone who cannot see this clearly has no idea about client perception.

I think it’s perfectly reasonable for people to WFH on a sofa or bed. A lot of people don’t have much choice. Often they live in a family home with other adults also WFM and/or children and pets running around which means both table space and quiet privacy for confidential calls are often in short supply.

At the other end of the scale my daughter works for an international tax consultancy and most of her colleagues are young professionals on secondment from other countries. These young people have come to London on 2/3 year contracts. They often live in shared houses with other ex-pats where the only table is in a communal kitchen/living space. They have no choice but to work in their bedrooms, the only private space they have. I feel so sorry for them. They’ve come to London to further their careers, to work hard and play hard in one of the greatest cities on earth thinking they will only use their flats for sleeping and have ended up locked inside 24/7 with strangers, unable to even to fly home and visit their families.

IMO working from your sofa or bedroom or bed is fine. A wobbly screen during a Zoom call is not fine. A £30 folding bed table from Amazon would fix it.

You are very unreasonable, as long as your colleague is doing her work who cares how and where? I fail to see the connection between working on her sofa and her salary. Some people feel more comfortable doing that, what they are paid is irrelevant.

@LajesticVantrashell
Have you suggested she get either a desk or work from her dining table? You know, when she moans about her back, just say "Mine has been a lot better since I started working at a desk/table"
Drop a massive hint - you can't really do more.

OP, you sound over invested.

This looks like one of those situations were you dislike a person and then activity look for things to get het up about.

It’s no business of yours. If she earns 30k more than you, then she is probably not too shabby at handling clients. Wind your neck in.

I agree for the calls that you should consider a smarter location and make a bit of effort with your hair and top.

Otherwise, it's really up to her. Maybe the living room sofa is where it's quietest? I tend to work at my dining table in the evenings but it's open plan with the playroom so during the day would be absolutely impossible. I don't have anywhere for another desk/table unless I was to commandeer one of the children's bedrooms.

Actively look

To reiterate: I don't care that she works from her sofa (other than her whinging) but I do care that she conducts client presentations from her lap. I consider those to be as important as an interview, and there's no way I'd conduct an interview from my lap. Even if it meant sitting on the floor with the computer on a box.

The salary/rent thing is because I can't fathom why you would continue to sit in discomfort if you could afford not to. And had the space not to. She's quite open about her finances with me.

The next time she mentions her aching back perhaps gently suggest that she'd be more comfortable at a desk, then leave it at that. If she has any common sense she'll take note.

I must add that at a past job my boss (who obviously earned quite a bit more than me) didn't even possess a dining room table - meals were taken on a lap tray on the sofa. Maybe her spare room is taken up with other things.

You'd hate me, I often take calls in my bedroom. Our house is small and I have few other options for privacy. I think most of us are just doing the best we can.

Maybe mention the wobbly screen

Maybe suggest a more supportive chair when she mentions back ache - although you cant be sure the backache is just from the sofa, she could have an issue she is keeping to herself no matter how much you think you know about her.

Everything else shows you have way overthought it all. Again, you think you know a lot about her but you dont know what her financial situation is apart from the basics of income and rent payments.

@LajesticVantrashell

To reiterate: I don't care that she works from her sofa (other than her whinging) but I do care that she conducts client presentations from her lap. I consider those to be as important as an interview, and there's no way I'd conduct an interview from my lap. Even if it meant sitting on the floor with the computer on a box.

The salary/rent thing is because I can't fathom why you would continue to sit in discomfort if you could afford not to. And had the space not to. She's quite open about her finances with me.

Whinging - just keep suggesting she gets a desk and chair and don't be sympathetic, she'll soon stop if that's all you're ever gonna say

Client presentations - if you are asked for any feedback from someone higher up, say you thought her set up comes across potentially unprofessional. If they're in agreeance they'll mention it in their own discussions with her.

It looks slovenly (now, there’s a word from grandparents era!). And, not good if screen is wobbling and notes not to hand.

And she’ll knacker her back doing that, not great from a H&S point of view.

I’m sure she’s perfectly able to find a different arrangement, but has chosen not to. It reflects on her.

I work from my sofa, bed and bath. I am a promoter for a fashion website which means I promote our sales and discounts all day long on social media. I also manage certain aspects of the website....couldn't care if I so it from my desk or sitting on a beanbag, at least I am working for my 5 children. Could even do it in my sleep.

To reiterate: I don't care that she works from her sofa (other than her whinging) but I do care that she conducts client presentations from her lap.

Read your thread title again. Why did you totally misrepresent your position? That’s what I can’t understand.

I can't fathom why you would continue to sit in discomfort if you could afford not to.

You don’t have to fathom it. People are different.

@lljkk

don't think your attitude has to be so judgemental.

Just tell her that her laptop is wobbling a huge amount and that's very distracting, can she come up with another solution to have unwobbly telecons.

Rest is none of your business.

This!

To be frank I'm not sure what you really want from this post. Plenty have agreed that wobblegate is unprofessional and absolutely the ONLY factor that impacts you. So they've offered the simple solution - let her know it wobbles, let her know you could see her scrabbling around. Other than that, I'm not sure what you want people to say?!

I’m sat at my kitchen island working.

If your company has an issue with this then they can provide budget for a desk or similar.

I think it's far more unprofessional to see somebody's bed in the background.... I find that a bit strange.

The wobbly laptop issue needs addressing ( and is easily sorted) but the rest is a non issue.

Also they should look into virtual backdrops. I have one of my office that I use for client calls

You can get ones that assemble in 60 seconds so you get your living room back at the end of it.

Maybe she doesn’t want a desk in her living space. I’m lucky in that I have a separate office to work from because I also run my own business from home so moving my day job home has been no issue. I can do my dats work and just close the door on it all.

If I didn’t have that space I wouldn’t be putting a desk in my living room because I don’t want to be looking at (or thinking about) my work stuff when I’m relaxing. I wouldn’t want a desk, however cheap, in my living space so yes, I’d work from my sofa, because it has more stable WiFi or from the kitchen table if I wasn’t in meetings. The very last option for me would be working from my bedroom and yet that suits you well - go figure 🤷‍♀️

You’re basically saying you can’t understand why someone wouldn’t do things the way you do.

All the squeamishness about seeing a made bed on a video call. Have you all been watching so much porn you're expecting Sally from Accounts to start unbuttoning her naice blouse and lead you over there for a cam girl session?

I'm working (well multi tasking) from my sofa, no room for a desk, just had mortgage approved for house with desks fitted for 2!