Working from home forever

[Ehupflower]

AIBU to be honest about how hard it is to be motivated working from home! I've had to work from home since the middle of March last year, (like lots of other people) and we got told today that this is probably going to be permanent! I love my job but I'm so fed up of working from home full time I'm finding it harder and harder to keep motivated and not be distracted......

The new people starting their working lives will suffer greatly if it is based from home. When I started the office was my social life too. You learn how to work, get the benefit of working with experienced senior staff and generally just figure how it all works. Plus so many jobs need regular interaction that just can't be done over a computer- there will always be a need for in-office work.
When I left work I really missed the social life aspect more than anything.

Over time though you replace work colleagues with like minded people (who might also be work colleagues) who you choose to spend time with. Sometimes that will be someone you met at a school gate, an old or current neighbour, someone with a similar interest, someone in the same gym class (put that in there to throw anyone who knows me in real life off the scent!). You might message them sometimes when you wait for the kettle to boil, meet up for coffee, a walk in your lunchtime, arrange to meet at Sainsburys at 8am when everyone else is dashing around getting to work, grab some shopping, a quick coffee and then home for 9am.

Just like so many other things, wfh is very different socially at the moment. I do think though it works because I am not micromanaged. It would be much more stressful if I had to account for every minute of my day to someone who suspected I was at home watching daytime TV instead of working.

I love it. No miserable hours commuting, less expense, casual clothes, no office politics, no office bitches, peace and quiet to focus. Flexibility.

I understand other people are having a horrendous time. Childcare plus working must be a nightmare. Some miss the social interaction. For some it's a safe place away from home. For young people starting their careers it's a very different experience and I think they are missing out on a lot.

Horses for courses.

I hate it too op. I always have. I like working with people, even though they are sometimes annoying, I do much better work if I can ask questions/opinions etc easily. I think the whole business worked better, now all the teams are silos that never talk to one another. Zoom meetings are a total waste of time, too hard to debate, just for information or presentation that could be sent in an email/video. Our work are talking about significantly reducing office space, and if they do it will be another reason to look for another employer. I could do a longish walk to work, or short train journey, so no commute issues. If people want to work from home then thats fine by me, and of course certain roles lean more to it, but I believe organisations with a shared community of real people will win the day, eventually, I hope.

Offices have a lot of advantages for work. A lot of older experienced workers forget how important you are for young colleagues. When you start out in work, seeing how experienced colleagues deal with issues is one of the best forms of learning, as are the ‘social’ lunches and drinks, where, inevitably, issues are discussed and hashed over.

I think employers need to give some flexibility to people with family/home needs, and learning to work well from home is an upside to COVID. However, I suspect that, when COVID is over, within a year or two, most of us will be back at work most of the time.

Offices were invented for a reason, and the internet has only obviated a small part of that reason.

We have a rotation at work. 3 groups, in the office for 2 weeks, then home for 4. Keeps everyone in contact with people, keeps us from going crazy.

I don’t mind that. I hated working from home with no end in sight. I quite like knowing I’m back in the office next week.

I WFH for 7 years in a previous role, and I loved it. No having to spend fortunes on "workwear", no commute, no office politics, no being micromanaged etc. I found it hard to go back to working in an office.

But I can also see that for a lot of people, the social aspect of being in an office is important.

I think that there will still be enough jobs where attendance is required for them to work elsewhere is what they really want.

For me, the only downside is the cost of heating. In my previous role, we were given an "office costs" payment of £25 pcm towards heating, lighting, broadband etc. I think there should be some sort of allowance towards the costs, after all WFH saves employers a packet.

My DP has worked from home since last March and will for the foreseeable. He's factored a 'coffee break' into the diary 30 minutes each day aside from their proper breaks, for his team where they just chat about anything and everything not work related.
There are new members of his team who have never met any of their colleagues in the flesh but they have become part of things because of these daily catch ups.
Could you request something like this through your work?

I hear you Op. I am currently wfh. Pre covid I would get up at six, have a shower, get dressed, make breakfast, iron uniforms , help with any last minute homework, finding PE kit etc before getting to work for nine. Now I shuffle to my home office at 8.45. At the end of the day I don’t feel like exercise despite sitting down all day. It’s as if the less you do, the less you want to do.

I genuinely don't understand people who want to spend their days in office buildings and who get excited about seeing their colleagues. It seems quite sad to me!

@Ahmnotacat Do you not have any friends at work who you like to see? Have a mid-morning coffee with?

I also always presume that people who make comments like this have their own office space at home. They aren't stuck in the living room using a fold-down desk seeing the same 4 walls all day and then all evening...

WFH during a pandemic, particularly during lockdown is more difficult than WFH as a choice, add homeschooling to that and it’s not comparable. There is a difference between planning to WFH with space, equipment and vision and being sent home at a moments notice with your mobile phone in your pocket. Not everyone’s home life is conducive to WFH.

@Ehupflower once the schools are back and facilities are open perhaps you can find a new routine and hopefully space to work.

I would like to go back to the hybrid I had before, it was the best of both worlds, part of my work is very difficult to do from home. I also miss the social and learning aspect of the office.

Office working was forced on me!

Don't be ridiculous. Everyone has free choice when it comes to what type of work they do so unless someone walked you into an office with a gun to your head no-one forced you to work anywhere. If office work doesn't suit you then don't work in an office.

I'm permanently WFH too now. I'm not sure how I feel about it. It definitely makes the nursery and afterschool club run easier, I can finish work, do a bit of dinner prep then stroll and get them rather than run for the bus and have a mad dash to get there on time. I do miss aspects of being in work and feel a bit claustrophobic leaving the house so little. On balance it's probably better.

Personally I love wfh - saves a stack of money on train fares and lunch. I can start earlier, finish at the same time - and don't waste 2 hours a day on a train.

Is it the lack of office or the home schooling difficulties (because I sympathise that much be very challenging). If it's not the latter can you not get into a routine, set yourself objectives then tasks for each day and tick them off?

I hate it. And I hate DH also being here WFH every day too, he’s on calls all day and I can hear him wherever I am in the house.

Not being able to separate home and work is terrible for my MH. I like getting dressed for work, I like seeing people in work, I enjoy my walk into work in the morning. I’m a sociable creature, and I work in a job where we collaborate all the time. A daily meeting on Teams can’t replace a quick “What do you think..?” when a new idea comes to you.

I don’t think your lack of motivation is solely down to WFH. Obviously you might be more suited to a hybrid pattern, a few days in the office and a few days at home.

I think some of the motivation challenges are because we’ve been doing this so long without any kind of break. I hated my job and now I’m WFH I’m much happier. I don’t get bogged down in my colleagues negativity, I find it easier to say no. However, I’m still losing motivation. DH loves working from home but his motivation levels are also dropping. We’ve both got loads of annual leave left, each about 3 weeks with the end of the holiday year in March. But it’s just simple things like deciding it’s been a crap week and we’ll go for a meal somewhere or we’ll go for a walk at the coast to blow the cobwebs away. You can’t do any of that and it’s just an endless loop of sit in your house and go for another sodding walk.

I've worked from home at least some of the time since 2008. However, I was always able to go into the office and have a coffee with people even if I only went in for a meeting once a week or whatever. I am a big fan of home and remote working but even I am having a bit of a groan every morning when I go into my home office for same old.

Home working is very different when you can have face to face meetings, or work in a co-working hub, or even go to the library to work occasionally as I suggested on another thread. Or the hustle ad bustle of a cafe. Lots of places are set up for home-workers now and you can rent meeting rooms in hotels or use their cafe areas which are usually quieter than the likes of Costa but there are still people to pass the time of day with.

It is a very different situation at the moment and it doesn't reflect what home/remote working is like when you have choice about it.

I also always presume that people who make comments like this have their own office space at home. They aren't stuck in the living room using a fold-down desk seeing the same 4 walls all day and then all evening

Nope, sofa and laptop, find desks really uncomfortable for my bendy body. Sometimes I even lie down to work or have a nap. That is why it works for me. My employer doesn't mind as long as I make it to the occasional meeting the rest of my time I just plan for myself. Already done a couple of hours.

@rosiejaune

There could be local office hubs for any business/individual to rent space (whether short or long term, hotdesking or reserved spaces/rooms), so people who don't want to work from home still have an office environment, but they don't have to commute to get to it.

Would still be cheaper than companies owning whole buildings, and offers a compromise between the two current options.

There are lots of co-working hubs around. It's just that you can't access them at the moment. But when you can and the kids are back at school, it's a great option if you don't have space to work effectively at home or just want somewhere different to work so you have the separation of home and work.

Our local council has some hot-desks for anyone, and there's also a business centre in the next town. The Village hotel chain has co-working facilities too.

I’ve wfh for quite a few years but not full time - I’d generally go in to local office one day, then travel to meetings in London or Birmingham for 1 or 2 days. This full time wfh, with 6yr old DS and DH being at home is killing me. I work best when collaborating with others on problems and however many tools and systems we use online it never beats being in a room together.
We still have people in the office for things they can’t do at home or if they can’t work at home due to space or connectivity. We are reviewing our estate across the country so I suspect we’ll see some offices go in favour of shared smaller spaces with other govt depts. thankfully my local office is also an operational depot where we store major equipment so hopefully it’ll survive.
I think a hybrid, and personal choice, model for where to work is the best outcome after this.

We will be wfh full time, some offices closing and others being for meetings only.
I hate it, ealky missing social interaction, realised my social life was work! Trying to work with everyone via teams is hard especially with new starters or apprentices

I enjoy it and it makes my life easier but for me, the office also has its advantages. I like to see people, not just talk to them via Skype. I actually do like some of them and enjoy talking to them.

My company does investigate about new reality, they won't allow anyone to purely wfh but they are open to flexible arrangements. Most likely we will end up with some kind of hot desk scenarios for some, others, like our team, has to stay together in one location in the office as we need each other to do our work (permanent 4-eye-principal for booking, release and signing). It is ok but not ideal as it is at the moment.

I can’t do my job 100% from home - I could do one day in the office or visits then the rest at home.

I've wfh the past 6 years through choice but 100 times harder with ds here 24/7 and having to home school

I'm loving working from home too. My company seem to moving towards a hybrid model so hopefully I'll never have to go in full time again.

I started a new job in lockdown and have never met my colleagues but have got to know them via zoom/teams and it's been fine.

I don't have a proper working space and just sit on the sofa mostly but I really prefer that to sitting at a desk all day.