Those now WFT are you slacking?

[grapesandcarrots]

My friend told me her boyfriend sleeps in until 12pm when he's meant to start at 9am. He sets his alarm for 8.55am and writes a message in the group chat 'morning everyone, I am working on XXX this morning. If anyone knows any great resources for XYZ then please let me know." Then goes back to sleep. If anyone tries to contact him before 12 he can just say sorry I was so engrossed in research for XXX.

I was really taken aback by this.

The friend then admitted to finishing early by 20m and starting a bit late by 20m. To taking lots of breaks and calling her mum during the day and cleaning her flat and endless news sites. Both her and her boyfriend are on great terms, love their jobs, and their bosses love them.

I have not slacked off because its not it my nature and found i've worked more due to little else to do.

What are everyones thoughts? Do you slack off during the day more now and to what extent?

YABU - I slack off more
YANBU - I would never slack off.

I've wfh for 5 years now so the novelty of slacking has worn off . I've welcomed the flexibility though with having to teach my 6 year old at home .

I would be in the office 9.15am until 2.45.
Now I start about 8.30am and finish at 4pm. They are getting more out of me but they are excellent in giving me flexibility for appts and time sorting out one of my SEN children. I'll even work in the evenings if we have an urgent task. My director works mad hours so I've found this works better.

Though today I haven't been motivated. Not skiving, just not in full gear.

Its not so much slacking off but struggling to concentrate. I was ok up to xmas and now I feel sluggish and bleurgh. If I cant concentrate I put a load of washing on or something in an attempt to have a break in order to focus more when I come back to the laptop. With mixed success.

Quite the opposite, I work more now as my company naturally assumed that all the time saved on commuting is available for work

I’m probably doing the same amount of work and hours each day but I’m working them to suit me rather than the old office 9-5. I try to get away from my desk for at least 30 minutes every couple of hours and walk the dog or do a few chores.

Nope. Working at least 2hrs more per day, if not 3.

I’m slacking off a bit at the moment because my project has been delayed due to external reasons and I’m also moving teams in a few days so not worth getting heavily into something new. Other than that I’ve been working as normal. I did get into a habit of not logging onto my computer until after 9 but reading work emails on my phone from bed which I think doesn’t make a difference.

Not deliberately slacking, but concentration is shot to shit, and finding everything twice as hard. Dread our daily updates where I have to pad out what I've done, or admit to staring at my screen for hours at a complete loss how to tackle something that should be a 10 minute job

I am definitely doing more - my work is on my computer so i answer emails all the time if i am on it for something else

I do more. There no quick walk to the shop with a colleague that takes 20 mins off your day, no chatting in the kitchen whilst making a coffee, or getting drawn into a conversation at your desk, no lunchtime walk with my friend.

I never leave my computer for lunch, I often work whilst making tea/up until the moment tea is served by DH and sometimes go back after too.

no time to slack, work is very busy.

I’ve worked from home for years, long before the pandemic, and I definitely find I am less productive in the office than at home. I feel more accountable for my time at home, so if I’m longer than 10 mins having a coffee and loo break, I stop my internal work clock and resume once I’m back at the desk. I have fewer distractions at home, I don’t get interrupted by work colleague chatter, meetings are at a minimum due to zoom/google meet being a bit tedious, and I have my own home comforts around me - plus the cats! And I can squeeze in an hour or so extra here and there, around the housework and the DC. DH works mostly from home too so we have a nice work day together, usually with a cooked lunch, and no time wasted.

I don't like language like "slacking". It implies that unless you're giving 100% effort during every contracted hour, you're not working properly. That's bollocks.

Obviously this is highly dependent on the nature of your industry and role but the important things are whether your work gets done, on time and to a high standard - not whether you're at your desk and logged on from 9 to 5 exactly.

If your tasks and projects have weekly or monthly or longer timeframes then it's perfectly acceptable to "slack off" for a day here and there - again as long as it gets done in the end.

Indeed what most good managers realise is that downtime in the working day and week usually makes for better quality work. The time "slacking off" by staring into space or browsing the internet is when people will have creative ideas and brainwaves, not if they're looking over their shoulder for a boss cracking the whip.

If an employee isn't meeting their deadlines or producing substandard work then that should be addressed in their appraisal - and time management can certainly be a factor to be discussed. But I don't consider lopping 20 or 40 minutes off the 9-to-5 day or even napping to be particularly shocking.

I have ensured that I do more. I believe that a lot of employers are expecting more form their staff too now.

Homeschooling supervision for the primary child is slowing me down, but I am working longer days to compensate.

I am mostly working more but it is a bit patchy - so definitely not 9-5 every day but, over the week it evens out. So on Thursday, I am donating blood across lunchtime which will take more than an hour but I won't necessarily work more hours on Thursday to cover it. I appreciate the flexibility and my boss is amazing - she expects us to be away from our desk some of the time - hanging the washing out, emptying the dishwasher etc. when making a drink. And doesn't mind if I pop out to get prescriptions for my parents in the day. She trusts us to get the work done. I like it for the most part.

We have a very open culture on goals and productivity in our company. Our service users have all gone very quiet, but we're all working very productively to get ourselves ahead before things kick off again in Feb.

As a manager, I can't begrudge taking advantage of a ten minute break to put on some laundry when this is the example I set myself.

And it's good for everyone's mental health. We had a team meeting today with a real problem to grip with and even though it was tough work we all enjoyed the mental exercise. Everyone from the CEO to the lowest ranks are candid about having good days and bad.

For the hours I guess if it helps to stop burnout then it can help, and as long as the hours are made up via doing extra when necessary and if the work is too a high standard, these all factor in.

I take time out to wash and dry my hair, do laundry/hoover etc, but i am logged on over an hour earlier than when i was in the office and stay logged on 3-4 hours later than i did in the office, some of that to make up for homeschooling, some just in case i'm needed really. So i wouldn't say i'm slacking, all my work gets done very quickly when i pick it up and when i have spare time i make sure i let my bosses know.

I don't have a spare minute to slack off, wish I did! Crazily busy and my to do list just rolls on and on and on. Can barely go for a pee but always have time for about 8 cups of tea

My hours depend on what I'm doing. Some days I may work only 6 hours, other days I could end up doing nearer 10-12. I'm currently trying to home school as well as working, so I'm definitely not working 9-5!

I often do an exercise DVD in the morning which leaks into work time by about 20 mins (DS at childminders so it’s the only time I’m hands free!) HOWEVER I am much more productive at home cos I haven’t got the office chatterbox talking at me about her elderly dad’s bowel issues for half an hour at a time. I also admit I drift towards MN as my working day comes to an end

YANBU
I physically can't! Everything we do is monitored and it is bum on chair, at desk for your whole shift apart from allocated lunch/breaks

I'm very nocturnal and always have been and I struggle in a world where the dominant types are diurnal. I definitely work at least as hard as I always did but it's often from 7 to 8pm to 2 to 3am. So if you (not a personal you, a general you) poked your nose in through the window pane at 9am most most mornings you'd think I was slacking too.