I don’t want to go back to the office(s) unless absolutely necessary.

[Carpedimum]

Before the pandemic I worked at home as often as possible, but my workplace hadn’t fully embraced wfh culture and I was told that I needed “to be seen” in the office at least a couple of days a week. I also travelled to two other sites regularly, one 60+ miles away and the other 200 miles away. I went to my home office 2-3 times a week, but I dislike it and much prefer wfh. I dislike the commute, the bus from the remote car-park into the office, the distractions of the big open-plan and I can’t work nearly as efficiently there as I do at home. Obviously, the pandemic has been wonderful for me, in that I have worked full-time throughout, all from home since mid-March.
I welcome the vaccines etc. and the prospect of a return to normal life, except I am dreading needing to go out to work again. I have proven over a long period of time that I can do my job very effectively at home, AIBU to hope that I’ll be able to continue that with only very occasional trips for meetings in the future? I realise that the economy is a complex web of supply & demand, and part of that is the commute etc. I just can’t face the idea of going back to “needing to be seen”.

I'd also suggest that those who believe they can demand whatever working terms they like due to being impossible to replace might pause for thought. Perhaps there are companies out there with management who are content to be held to ransom by their employees, but I'd suggest such organisations are not on the majority.

The thing is that whilst many people think they are able to work from home, many companies are realising that teams are not working as effectively, management is harder and a % are not working as much. Dp is torn because he loves working from home 3-4 days a week yet not all his employees are working at the same capacity as they did in the office and mistakes are made (he doesn't think he should insist they come in if he doesn't!)

ATM it seems like we will never "return to normal" so you may be able to stay WFH long term .However no one can really foresee the future! I do wonder if long term WFH people may not be promoted as readily? Hopefully Im wrong here ,but out of sight and all that!

How has your employer been during this period? Ours has sent regular questionnaires, as an organisation we are working better and the majority want to WFH much more permanently, we are reviewing our policy (which was already very flexible tbh) and will be enabling more WFH, BUT they are keeping the offices and have ensured those who want to return, can. We are moving to a new office so it's good timing as we will be rethinking the space, more meeting rooms than desk areas now we imagine.

I think a shift to more-WFH-than-not will be quite a disadvantage for young people

I think it depends, I work for a public sector science body, we have fresh graduates who are having to live in HMOs in a random city they most likely would never have any reason to be in, our youth Union group have been very vocal about encouraging more flexibility going forward, many of them would rather live in their home or university areas, especially for their first graduate job which is likely temporary.

I think that WFH can be good ,but unless you have separate space away from the rest of the house it can be difficult to "leave work" as it were .Also not getting out ,and seeing the same room all day and evenings /W/E is probably not great for MH either!

@movingonup20

The thing is that whilst many people think they are able to work from home, many companies are realising that teams are not working as effectively, management is harder and a % are not working as much. Dp is torn because he loves working from home 3-4 days a week yet not all his employees are working at the same capacity as they did in the office and mistakes are made (he doesn't think he should insist they come in if he doesn't!)

Also social connections will atrophy over time.

Flexible working is a good thing, but there still needs to be an appropriate level of physical connection.

DH has just had to refuse the placement of an apprentice. In the office, he could learn by a few weeks of shadowing and accompanying site visits. That can not be done remotely.

Businesses are still leaning very heavily on the connections formed up to last March. Many businesses rushing to cash in on downsizing will find problems in the long run as staffing changes, experienced people move up, on or retire and new people come in needing ecperience and finding their place in the team.

Flexible working should be fairly considered, but the wider impacts of too much of the organisation becoming fragmented and isolated needs careful consideration.

@movingonup20 again it depends on the role, I have a friend who works for the Police staff, they assign crimes, decide if it can be taken further etc, their team's productivity has increased exponentially, it'll be interesting to see what they do as their Police management were hugely resistant to WFH but it's been a massive success. This is just one department in one county, I can't say it's the same across the country of course, but they have stats demonstrating the speed of their assignments so it's quite solid evidence, not just anecdotal.

Absolutely agree with this. The first few months of WFH I was really happy and things worked wonderfully, because I was in a role that I had been in for 8 years, with a settled team I knew well. I moved jobs in June, and it's been impossible because those connections don't exist and it's very hard to create them virtually. As soon as companies get maybe 10% staff turnover, they'll realise that 100% remote working is very hard to implement successfully.

Sorry, that was replying to @movingonup20 !

Unfortunately I don’t think you are alone OP. But DH’s company have already issued notice that they are expected to be able to return to working in the office full time in the near future and if they are unhappy with that, now is the time to look forward alternative employment.

The cities are dying a death, transport is suffering but regardless of any counter arguments about the suburbs doing well, the bottom line is if employers want employees back in the office then that is that. It is either do as they say or try to find another job that guarantees WFH full time.

OP I think you are getting quite ahead of yourself here and worrying unnecessarily. The vaccines are not going to work immediately, if at all.
The roll out will take an extremely long time and the likelihood is that we will probably have a few more waves before anything starts to change significantly.

WFH is going to be a thing for a long time yet.

YABU I think that you do what is required by the company whether it suits you or not.

Employees should need to be "convinced" to go back to work. I'm all for the flexibility of wfh maybe 1/2 a week but no more. There are permanent WFH jobs, if that is the lifestyle people want they should apply for those.

I think a shift to more-WFH-than-not will be quite a disadvantage for young people

I remember my first couple of roles. We socialised after work and became good friends including going to each other’s weddings. Some colleagues even met through work and ended up marrying. A son of a friend of mine works remotely from home. He has no real idea of his new colleagues, it is a huge part of work at a certain age and he is certainly missing out.

In my opinion i really think the options of returning to the office or working from home should be made optional when things do (ever) return to a more normal way of life.
For absolutely years i have pushed for the option of wfh in my job, my work is 100% computer based but i work with sensitive patient data and have access to hospital systems in order to do my work efficiently. But there are many aspects that can be done from home and i've always thought a 50/50 balance of wfh and in the office would be perfect. My employer has always said no.

Until corona when suddenly it was fine to work from home and we were all sent home with our computer equiptment and guidelines on how to make sure we were being safe with data etc. I thought i would love it, but i soon came to realise that i dont love it as much as i thought i would, i have no real space for my office equiptment so i am using half the dinner table and my family have been unable to sit around the table and have dinner together since March. I find it impossible to concentrate, i end up putting the tv on, music, thinking about washing/dishes/cleaning that needs to be done. And to top it off as i am not a keyworker, in the initial lockdown i couldn't put my 1yo in nursery so i had to do this work and do childcare all day too.

When my work announced they were happy to trial people coming back into the office i was the first to jump up and say yes, however most other people have been the opposite and love being at home and dont ever want to come back.
I think for me its the lack of being in another environment that i miss, i work in the living/dining room and then when im done i turn the computer off and then sit in the living/dining room so i feel like im there 24/7, my computer on the table is a constant reminder of work and i feel almost trapped by knowing its always there. ( I know that sounds ridiculous!)

Anyway back to your point! If you are perfectly happy wfh and can do your job 100% from home then i think you should be allowed to stay that way, the same for people who want to return to the office though. For me coming into the office and having that little bit of normality is a saviour for my mental health.

@Bluesheep8 - yes you read part of a sentence and decided to take it out of context.

Thanks everyone for your responses to this conundrum. I’m heartened to know that some people feel as I do, and I really appreciate the views of the flip side. I’d not considered how it will be difficult to train and develop young people, that’s a very good point! Also, the social aspect of work is important to younger people, whereas I’ve gone beyond that, yes I met my husband through work lol!! I’m not worried about my job being outsourced to India, or anywhere/anyone else; I’m not deluded to think that I’m irreplaceable, but I do a good job, I’m respected within my company and amongst industry peers. I take the point about the incidental conversations around the building, but I think if you’re good at ‘networking’ in person then you’ll still be doing this through all the different Comms available to us. I agree that a return to ‘normality’ is some time off & I needn’t be worrying about this in the middle of the night yet. I also appreciate all the different views on pros & cons, and it’s really helped me to accept that I will be expected to go in some of the time as before. I might enjoy it more with a new perspective.

@Bluesheep8- yes you read part of a sentence and decided to take it out of context.

Which context could I possibly have taken that sentence out of that would make it any less of an awful thing to write?

And them making suggestions would be much harder as would have to email them or have a phonecall rather than just pointing and saying "I'd change that bit to xyz."

Not if the employer is in the 21st century and invested in a collaborative platform like M365, it's never been easier to have someone else "cast an eye" on something you're working on.

I'm another who has really enjoyed working from home. I am in a fortunate position that I have the separate space to do this comfortably. I love my office at home, it's the colour I want, the temperature I want. No passive aggressive arguments about whether or not the window is open. It's quiet, I can think.

However, I fully expect that the second that lockdown rules are eased then we will all be ordered back into the office. This happened before with claims that our office was Covid secure (it wasnt but big boss had decided it was so it was).

Unfortunately my boss is wilfully ignorant about Covid and also a great fan of presenteeism. Always happy to come into the office dripping with cold or with a stomach bug. She has an underlying health condition and seems to have decided that this makes her immune from Covid.

@Bluesheep8 - as you well know, the whole context of the sentence and post, is about wanting to wfh and the pandemic has enabled that for me and, clearly, many others who agree. If you’re trying to make out that I’m a dreadful person because I’ve found something positive during the crisis, then you need to realise that there is good and bad in every situation.
It is accurate to say that the pandemic has not been a wholly bad thing for society- like previous pandemics and wars, there are many examples of medical/technology/business/social improvement that have been instigated by sudden need.

@notheragain41 couldnt agree more. If anything I find it easier. I run a particular system at work and have lost count of the times I say to people 'share your screen' and talk them through making the change they want.

Remote working has changed my network. I find myself talking far more with people who were based normally at other sites than mine. I am spending less time talking with the people I used to sit near but I suspect they were using proximity to get me to do things they should have been doing for themselves.

It's not just about the technology though. It's the interpersonal aspect. Much easier to get someone's attention in person than electronically.