Google employees 'more productive working from home'

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To think we will see most people who can work from home WFH in the next 2 years?

www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2020/11/19/google-employees-productive-working-home/

Do you prefer WFH or going to your workplace? Or a mixture of both?

I much prefer WFH

Although that may be related to the fact I worked for a strict / old fashioned company with very little flexibility, felt chained to my desk despite not always having much to do (in an entry level role, not much room for growth either)

Whereas wfh I have much more flexibility, sleep better, go for walks, keep on top of household chores, significantly less anxious (I used to get butterflies every morning during the commute to my office)

I think people who wfh will be made to pay more tax.
I know in my old company as well that they were definitely not looking to do full wfh even if things returned to normal. There were certain things that were not working as well remotely.

I think anyone who had a really long or hard commute can definitely make a better employee when they work from home. All that energy that goes into the travel to and from offices in big cities. All the stress that goes into trying to find reasonable accommodation in "commutervilles" - people will be able to live further out in smaller towns or rural areas - have more of a life balance.

I think wfh will become in some way the norm. My DH never thought it would work but now prefers it. He starts later as no commute and it's less stressful. He can help with pick up etc. It certainly makes our life a bit easier.
Going forward his office plans to basically shift rotate going in for a day or two as it is hard to bring on the younger members of the team without face to face interactions and training but that probably the biggest downfall - nurturing talent.

I like going to my workplace. Its much easier on site than at home and I like my team. I like the roads being quieter.

My team have been very productive WFH, I’m really enjoying it, I’m not overly social at work so I’m not someone who needs to spend time with colleagues. My productivity has increased, but as I’m now at home my son needs less time in after school club as I’m able to take my lunch at the end of the day so I can finish slightly earlier.

Also, as one of my friends said, it will create a divide between the wealthy who can work from home and the ones that have no choice but to work away from home. I sort of get her point.

I think a lot of people will continue to work from home. For many of us, it is a lot more productive to do so. But we will have to make some major changes to how we manage a hybrid workforce.

I've worked from home for many, many years and could never go back to being permanently in the office again.

There’s a big article in The Times today about how wfh hasn’t boosted productivity. According to Bank of England policy committee member wfh is unlikely to last as most companies haven’t found it productive. He also thinks that wfh will open up the jobs to overseas workers - not a wholesale shift of a call centre, but individuals applying for uk based jobs from overseas if they can wfh most of the time. I suspect that for every company that thinks it works well, there will be another who has found the exact opposite and will be keen to get employees back.

@MiaMarshmallows

I think people who wfh will be made to pay more tax. I know in my old company as well that they were definitely not looking to do full wfh even if things returned to normal. There were certain things that were not working as well remotely.

Why? We're spending more on our own bills at home. The only thing I'm saving on is petrol.

It's a shame and a nonsense that there is any talk of taxing it. It's environmentally friendly, freelancers in lower paid roles, such as copywriting and virtual assistants have been doing it for years - often because they needed flexibility around childcare. Why penalise them?? Why penalise anyone?

@MiaMarshmallows

Also, as one of my friends said, it will create a divide between the wealthy who can work from home and the ones that have no choice but to work away from home. I sort of get her point.

Well, I see her point, but it's also a bit of an incomplete one. Workers in professions such as schools and hospitals and transport need to be away from home but there's something innate about being out of the home - you wouldn't WANT to do those jobs without taking that into account. And with decentralisation of offices, you'd hope accommodation near their workplaces would even out in cost.

Then you have retail and services - which again, one would hope become less centralised. The workers in the shops and supermarkets near me live locally, and I had to commute further than they did before this.

Then there are factories and warehouse workers, who should be on the up as the High Street dies. I'd be happy to see working conditions improve there, and more flexibility in employment. Not so much zero hours, but instead flexibility of hours you choose from 16-40 to take as a minimum.

I don't think it's nearly as straightforward as "home workers are rich and have all the advantages".

I prefer wfh as not sitting on a crowded train each day is welcome. Some of the time saving is spent working, but it is a trade off I am willing to accept. I spend more money locally as a result.

I don't expect to be 100% wfh once the vaccine has been rolled out, but given the choice I would not go to the office every day. I recognise that I am fortunate and that it will create a divide once it becomes long term.

I prefer a mix. I like being with people but also like that there are fewer distractions at home. DH office has permanently closed.

I used to walk to work, and it was lovely to get fresh air every day and have a separate work and home life.

I find working for home more difficult. People expect you to be constantly available, being in a meeting isn’t an excuse anymore because you still have access to emails and instant messaging.

The work day starts much earlier and continues later. You are never away from your desk or out of the office.

I can’t wait to get back to the office

I work in an industry where all roads lead to (or used to) London, if you want to make any real waves in it. Being from the North and not wanting to live in London, the opportunities are much more scarce and not as prestigious. I just landed a new job that pre-covid would have been based in an office in London but now they've realised wfh is doable, they allowed their employees to choose what they wanted to do, thus opening up opportunities for non-Londoners like me.

So opportunity wise, wfh becoming more acceptable has been very much a good thing for my career but at the same time, I really, really miss being in an office with colleagues, company and chat! My cat's not really making up for it and nor are regular Zoom/Teams chats.

As for productivity, I think I'm more productive wfh simply because I have some kind of weird guilt complex that leads to my mental voice telling me my bosses are going to think I do nothing all day when they can't see me, so must do more!

I like office mates.
I like chatting to commuting buddies.
I like cycling to work (is part of my regular commute)
I like the pretty environment around my offices (change from home).
I like the lack of distractions.
I like the dedicated space.
The printer is wonderful in the office.
I like having my own desk (have to share with DC at home).
I like casual chats with scientists who use specialist equipment
I like big crowds.
I like the many shops I pass as part of my commute (not available in home town)
I like the buzz of a happening place.

Versus, the 3 big things in favour of WFH are:

no late trains, no expensive trains, can catch up on emails & other work during long meetings.

I think it depends a lot on your job. I work with a lot of IT developers and having their own space to sit and write code all day with minimal interruptions is their idea of heaven. My job involves talking to people, producing collaborative pieces of work and being aware of things that are going on across the business. All of these things are way more difficult to do remotely. It takes me much longer to do the same work as it did in the office, and I'm now often missing things because communication is not as effective. If I had to work from home long term, I would resign. I find it far too exhausting.

I'm a sahp but my dh has been very happy wfh. He works in a very senior position, which he previously thought wouldn't be possible to do from home but this has been the year his division has outperformed the most.

I am a uni lecturer and am hating wfh.

I miss people. I miss students and chat. I HATE distance teaching. I HATE blackboard collaborate. I DESPISE meetings on TEAMS. DH also wfh (happily) and we are getting a bit edgy with each other. I have a space heater and three lamps in the day so am not saving money.

It might not be so bad without endless cycles of child self isolation. I suppose I am mixing wfh with work while parenting, so I could imagine something blended in the future. But I need more actual people in my day to day life.

I like a mix of WfH and going to the office, maybe 60/40 in favour of being at home. I like the focus being in the office gives me, although I have been very productive while WfH, including going through our busiest time of year.

Logistically, WfH makes life so much easier. No more hour long commutes, either me or DP can drop the children to nursery, life admin and home improvements are easy to arrange and be carried out simultaneously. DD3 has SEN, and WfH means I can fit attending appointments around everything else I'm doing in the day, instead of having to take time off.

If I didn't have all of that to deal with, especially all the wife work, I'd be in the office full-time. I like being around colleagues, and I prefer having a clear separation between work and home.

I hate WFH. I hate not seeing another person during the week apart from my husband.
I used to have a very short commute, so not much lost there.
I'm less efficient, less effective and more easily distracted.
I resent subsidising my company with space in my house.
I never see my line manager and she is not good at keeping in touch, so it's very much out of sight, out of mind.
I can't wait to get back into work.

I’ve been as productive if not more WFH but I’m aware it’s not the same for everyone in my team. I don’t want to go back to my commute and spending all that money on petrol and parking. Right now we have no idea whether we’ll stay WFH or do mix but it sound unlikely I’ll ever go back to being in the office full time. I’ve been asking about WFH for years and we were given so many excuses but this has proved it can be done!

I much prefer wfh and have done it exclusively for 11 years. Before that I went to the office 2-3 days per week and wfh the rest. I am dramatically more productive wfh. I don’t feel the anxiety of being on display, which I had even though I had a private office with opaque walls. I can truly focus on my work at home.

I’m sure my extremely introverted personality and job that requires basically visualizing an algebra matrix in my mind as i write complex statistical code plays into the effectiveness of wfh.

I started a new job 8 weeks ago and I feel quite cut off when working from home. And the kids still have to go to nursery, so it doesn’t save much time at all. I’d rather be in the office most of the time. At least until I’ve got to grips with the job and have got to know people. I don’t feel any camaraderie with my team and I miss that. I don’t pick stuff up easily by just being able to overhear people’s conversations. To be honest, I think bosses need to think a bit more carefully about how to onboard new staff.