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.

DH is WFH from today and the work that would usually take him days to do has taken 3 hours. He had time to make me lunch and has spent the afternoon with me. Being in the office has more distractions than home and he's never been so productive. However, his employees (none have children) are doing half the work they should in twice the amount of time. We don't think they realise he sees their progress (or lack of)...

@2020quelhorreur guess it depends on the job. If there are no phone calls, no work to do for me so yes I can browse MN/play candy crush. I work half days some weeks as I work Saturdays too. Often finish my shift at 4pm
People might be having a coffee break or lunch

I'm not slacking off. However, I will be working 30 mins less per day to recoup my extra heating and electric costs soon in line with the tax rebate which I cannot get as I earn too little to pay tax.
I've asked my employer last week and it's hone to H. R. I suspect I won't get 6 per week so will take it back in time if necessary. I'm the only P. T in the team and I know the others have amended their tax code.

I am still going out to work but my dh is wfh. He does his allocated hours, sometime he has meetings after meetings or back to back calls, other times he is responding to emails or working on his most current project. He is at a more senior level in his team though and has a lot of accountability. He will sometimes log on on a Sunday if he feels he needs to inordwr to organise the week ahead.

He has our 4 and 3 year old at home on a Monday and Tuesday whilst I am at work. They largely entertain themselves but he feeds them and checks on them in-between calls.

I wouldn't say slack off but I'm more flexible. Like today, I took a longer lunch to go shopping for food but then I worked late. And I'll often take longer lunches but no proper tea breaks like I did at the office, which could run on if you got chatting to people in the break room! I also think I'm more productive on days I'm not necessarily doing my full hours (maybe because I'm just in the zone and there's no distractions?) so that balances things out too. I'd also say I usually do more work than my colleagues anyway so sometimes it's nice to slow right down when I'm finished my work

No, of course I haven't slacked off whilst WFH!
Why, who said I had been?
Barbara - is this you again?

No, I'm working 12-15 hours a day, because we've so much work on. Even then, it's never enough. We need more people, but not making enough money to hire them, due to Covid.

I think how hard people work is dictated by their workloads more than where they are working. I’m working hard atm because I have a lot on. But a few weeks ago when I didn’t have so much on I wasn’t working as hard.

I still have the same amount of work to do and it takes me the same amount of time to do it...I could slack off but then I'd miss deadlines

I can't get away with slacking much really. It would take no time for it to be picked up, you have to bust your arse not to fall behind. I'll stick the odd load of washing on etc but I'm mostly working.

Yes. I do what your friends boyfriend does. Most days I sleep in and once I’ve done what I need to do for the day I’ll finish. I go to the meetings I’m required in on zoom, meet my deadlines and my phone is on for when my boss calls. But our deadlines are quite long and sometimes there is literally nothing to do but wait until a query has been answered to progress with work. What am I meant to do on those days, stare at my computer twiddling my thumbs? You bet I’m going to have a nap!

Yes, I do slack off. It's easy isn't it, no-one around. So I take more breaks than usual, catch up on a Netflix programme, longer lunch, might browse MN, occasionally chat to mate on the phone. Adult DDs here so may stop to chat to them in passing. & I exercise for at least 30 minutes although that's 2 X 15 minute separate sessions.

This isn't all day every day (exercise is daily though) and I get my work done - just a lot more slowly as I'm going at my own pace. Most people aren't as productive when they're not in the office with boss and colleagues but I don't think so many would admit it.

Plus people are talkative aren't they - eg your friend told you (Why?) & Now you've done a post about it. Seems like stuff people would mostly keep to themselves. Which is for the best really.

my mind took a bit of a wander this afternoon (a spreadsheet to work on that I didn't have any inspiration for) - but then I ended up working until nearly 8 to complete it.
so not exactly "slacking off".

I work more flexibly at home, i certainly don’t do any less hours. My employer doesn’t mind what hours we do, just so long as the work gets done - fair enough.

I wfh all the time, so this isn't much different for me in that respect, but I find I work SO much more wfh (and with flexible working hours) than when I worked in an office. In the office, the temptation is always there to chat to colleagues etc. At home, it's usually just me and the dogs and I'm far more productive. I do take breaks to do the hoovering/walk the dogs etc. but I'm much more productive when I'm at my desk and I'm checking emails, responding to urgent queries, taking calls etc. all the time, even when I'm not at my desk, so I go over my contracted hours most weeks. The one thing I do struggle with is "leaving" work as my laptop is always there. I often end up tapping away in the evenings and it's a really insidious habit. I'm making a much more conscious effort to log out by 8pm these days, but the organisation's core hours are much wider than the norm, so I do have an immense amount of flexibility. I think if I worked somewhere that required a much more structured, set "work day" I may struggle with it a little more, particularly trying to wfh around DH also being at home and with toddler DS about as well these days. Because the organisation I work for gives me a huge amount of trust and flexibility I want to repay that tenfold, so there's absolutely no temptation to take the piss because I don't want to lose their faith. I never felt like that when I worked very prescripted hours and was micromanaged at every turn.

Well, I'm still working. I've been online since 8am and expect to be on for at least another hour. So I don't think I'm slacking

I don't know anyone in my industry (finance) who is working less since we've all been working from home. Everyone has been working minimum 12 hour days.

I do pop onto MN intermittently just to have a 10 minute break. Frankly because I think I deserve the odd break

I don’t really have any work to do, haven’t since I started this job in lockdown.

We’re monitored by management. It’s easy to see if people aren’t doing their allocated cases/targets, and we signed a form at the start to say if our productivity was down by a lot, regularly, then we would be pulled back into the office. Not sure how people can get away with slacking as surely managers would notice work not being done?

Half our team have mobiles with zoom. Half don't. Some of them with phones have said they are dialling in from bed and leaving cameras off!

I'm a SAHM, but I voted on behalf of my DH who appears to be working a lot...although, it could all be a very clever ruse . He starts meetings at 8.30ish and finishes at about 6.30. If anything, I think he works longer hours at the moment, as he doesn't have the commute to do.

I’m extremely busy atm! My industry has become very busy as a result of covid, and I have loads to do. I don’t sweat the small stuff - I’ll put a wash on or hang one out, but equally I’ll work late if I need to get something done, or join a meeting at the weekend. Luckily my employer is more results driven than clock-watchy.

Chance would be a fine thing. 12-14 hour days here.

No, I’m doing about the same amount as before, probably even with the schools closed. I just do it differently, and at different times i guess.

However, although I’d never act like the guy in your pp, I did find it funny in the abstract, for instance as though it was in a book or sitcom. If I worked with him I’d be bloody pissed off if I found out!

However don’t people get pissed off with his chirpy 9 am emails asking for resources? We have a general rules of not sending unnecessary emails.

Bloody hell, I wish! I’ve been so overworked since the start of lockdown, so much I am quite close to resigning.