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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think WFH permanently is a game changer?

548 replies

MiaMarshmallows · 26/02/2021 09:57

For working parents as it saves on childcare costs as well as commuting etc?
DP been told he can wfh indefinitely and it's going to improve his lifestyle so much more. For everyone saying he will be outsourced, not a chance. He is very specialised in what he does and earns a very good wage for it.
One good thing to come out of all this at least.

OP posts:
therealteamdebbie · 26/02/2021 13:39

HarryLimeFoxtrot

Many many jobs have never been possible from home already! And many more will reopen.

If you hate it so much, it's easy to switch.

Northernmum100 · 26/02/2021 13:39

It won't suit everyone. I haven't had the option to WFH (emergency services) and to be honest, although it has been hard, the benefits are there in terms of human contact, support, friendship and team spirit.
My daughter has just started an apprenticeship for a multi-national employer and is finding it so hard. All of her counterparts are just voices, she hasn't met any of her managers and hasn't been into the workplace except to pick up her IT. She feels so lonely and isolated in her work- I'm hoping that as the country starts to come out of lockdown her world opens up.

LittleGwyneth · 26/02/2021 13:39

Basically this thread has illustrated that we need to be able to choose whether we wfh or from an office. A blanket rule doesn't work for anyone.

MrBullinaChinaShop · 26/02/2021 13:39

@Sleepyquest

I like the idea of it, I also like the idea of me being able to get a job that was normally based in London or Manchester that I never would go for due to location. If it then meant a couple of trips to London a month, it would be worth it for the higher salary.
If people are working from home I don’t think the higher salary for London based jobs will exist any more.
ComtesseDeSpair · 26/02/2021 13:39

@therealteamdebbie

We had a surprising amount of new starters since the pandemic.

Sending the kit originally had a cost, but they are working just as well as anyone else.

You don't need to be in an office to do a job properly. You are probably more efficient at home if you confuse your place of work with your social club. The amount of hours wasting in an office with ridiculous tea rounds, inane chats, "meetings" etc... Work more and free your time to enjoy yourself.

In my line of work and plenty of others, those “inane chats” and “tea rounds” are incredibly valuable. They’re where a newly started caseworker bumps into a senior legal director and gets the opportunity to talk a little about themselves and has their name register with that director; it’s where you first hear somebody talk about a recent decision made by the Board which informs a piece of project you’re working on; it’s where the Head of Finance overhears you talking to your colleague about a team budget issue, and prompts them to take you aside to ask how they can assist.

This is what kept women out of senior positions in top companies for years: because so much of the important stuff happened out of working hours, at the networking events and after-work drinks which so many women couldn’t attend because they had family responsibilities. The men rubbed shoulders and got their names heard, and the women got left behind. There is absolutely nothing “confusing” or “silly” in many industries about acknowledging how very important the social aspect of office life is for your career.

wondarah · 26/02/2021 13:40

The amount of hours wasting in an office with ridiculous tea rounds, inane chats, "meetings" etc...

I love chatting with my colleagues & friends.

wondarah · 26/02/2021 13:40

and often we come up with new ideas through those chats

therealteamdebbie · 26/02/2021 13:42

But what if work is one of the places you enjoy yourself? Is that not allowed now? God forbid we have cups of tea or inane chat or do anything that isn't 100% work

that's not the employer's problem

Much better and efficient to actually ..work...during your office hours (and frankly, the banter and chats don't even stop at home completely!)

and have time to spend with people through exercise, hobby and family and friends too.

I'd rather have a bigger bonus than my company spending a fortune on offices and all the trimmings. We'll still have enough meeting rooms and desks to be in the office when needed.

SomeRandomerOnBumsnet · 26/02/2021 13:42

@theleafandnotthetree

I think your post was so well put, it made me realise that my post made me sound like a right smug twat, and righty so Grin Grin

If only every poster was like you, people might start to have proper grown up conversations and debates instead of bun fights Shock

wondarah · 26/02/2021 13:43

If people are working from home I don’t think the higher salary for London based jobs will exist any more.

This is tricky because I think when you factor in living costs people are only a few % better off. What if you have mortgage? Perhaps we will see wage stagnation (again) & house prices levelling.

LST · 26/02/2021 13:43

@therealteamdebbie

But surely you'd just keep whatever childcare arrangements you had previously?

exactly

after-school clubs are opened - or reopening
child minders are opened

People should have learnt to stop confusing working and childcare by now!

My dc get in at around 20 to 4. My mum picks them up and drops them off. I finish work at 4 now I am wfh. It used to be 5. I aren't putting my kids in after school club for 20 mind because they're back during my working day. I also start at 7 and dp doesn't take them to school until half 8, so again there is crossover. Companies allowing people to work from home are going have to expect some children being around some of the time.
therealteamdebbie · 26/02/2021 13:44

why do people think working from home means being in a cave?

You know you can get out sometimes, pop in the office, meet a few people there.

Staff and company briefing work just as well from home, most of the work is better from home.

Nothing stops you from arranging a coffee with your colleagues the day you pop in the office.

Most of us have managed very well before!

wondarah · 26/02/2021 13:44

I'd rather have a bigger bonus than my company spending a fortune on offices and all the trimmings.

I'm a cynic so wouldn't necessarily expect any savings to go back into employees pockets.

therealteamdebbie · 26/02/2021 13:45

Companies allowing people to work from home are going have to expect some children being around some of the time.

absolutely not, why should they?

If you manage to have childcare for LONGER before, you have no excuse for having less now Grin

NeedToGetOuttaHere · 26/02/2021 13:47

therealteamdebbie My DH’s company have sold the office space, there is no office to pop to.

MrBullinaChinaShop · 26/02/2021 13:47

Companies allowing people to work from home are going have to expect some children being around some of the time

Why? DH has worked from home for years. Absolutely his company doesn’t tolerate children being around while he’s working. We pay for childcare, just like we would when we were both working out of the house.

therealteamdebbie · 26/02/2021 13:47

Basically this thread has illustrated that we need to be able to choose whether we wfh or from an office. A blanket rule doesn't work for anyone.

for decades the blanket rule was the office which did not work for the majority to say the least

and it's only for a few office workers anyway, it's impossible for so many jobs to be done from home, it's not such a big deal.

MrBullinaChinaShop · 26/02/2021 13:48

@therealteamdebbie

why do people think working from home means being in a cave?

You know you can get out sometimes, pop in the office, meet a few people there.

Staff and company briefing work just as well from home, most of the work is better from home.

Nothing stops you from arranging a coffee with your colleagues the day you pop in the office.

Most of us have managed very well before!

But that’s assuming companies will keep an office open for people to pop to.
therealteamdebbie · 26/02/2021 13:48

@wondarah

I'd rather have a bigger bonus than my company spending a fortune on offices and all the trimmings.

I'm a cynic so wouldn't necessarily expect any savings to go back into employees pockets.

you probably have a point there!
NothingIsWrong · 26/02/2021 13:48

@therealteamdebbie

A lot of "hubs" are opening or will open for those people who are desperate to leave the house too

If you need a more formal working environment for a few hours a week, you can find it easily.

The pandemic has shown the old fashion working way is no longer valid.

Again people say "oh just go out to a coffee shop". My work is highly confidential so WFH means you are AT HOME. They were even a bit sniffy about DH being in the house at one point. I told them I'd be happy to return to the office in that case and got told no so they had to suck it up.
OverTheRubicon · 26/02/2021 13:49

@IcedPurple

For working parents as it saves on childcare costs as well as commuting etc?

I wouldn't feel happy if my employee were looking after their kids while being paid to work for me. It might be acceptable in current circumstances, but won't for much longer.

Also, while everyone insists they are 'just as productive' working from home, many people have complained of poor customer service and inefficiency from employees WFH. I'm not sure it's the 'game changer' people think it is.

As a lot of people have said upthread, you can save on childcare while WFH while still not having to do both.

My commute was an hour long, so WFH, 5 minutes away from the school, means 2 hours per day saved on after school club X 2 kids. Older kids could easily entertain themselves for 1.5-2 hours while their parents finish - or it's also easier to be flexible with hours at home, eg starting at 7am and finishing at 3 for school pickup. During school holidays or if they're a bit ill, many younger teens are fine to amuse themselves for a few days at home, but are also not necessarily mature enough to be left at home all day if a parent is out from 8-6.

All of those are big savings that won't affect productivity, but likely will make workers and families happier.

MsHedgehog · 26/02/2021 13:50

@oakleaffy

So you're a "refugee" from Richmond who moved away from London, and agree with the other poster about Londoners coming down and being a bunch of condescending pricks.

So you by that logic you agree that you, too, must be a condescending prick, seeing as you've done exactly what you and Lost are complaining about...?

therealteamdebbie · 26/02/2021 13:51

But that’s assuming companies will keep an office open for people to pop to.

depends on the nature of the job.
Some meetings must happen face to face, some clients need to be present.

And you also need an office space to store some "material" depending on your industry. Working from home with 2 or 3 laptops and a printer is workable, you can't transform someone's home into a warehouse of some kind.

menopause59 · 26/02/2021 13:51

I hate it and can't wait to go back to the office

I will never moan about the commute again, or leaving the house early for a meeting.

Zoom meetings are the devil

Facultymeatings · 26/02/2021 13:51

How will young people learn the necessary social and business skills that you can only get in person? Not through Zoom, that’s for sure!

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