To think WFH permanently is a game changer?

[MiaMarshmallows]

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.

As an owner of a childcare setting I can assure you people are certainly saving on childcare by WFH. Young and old children alike. No commute, lunch break optional for some so they can choose to do a shorter day, older children who are fine so long as someone in the house etc. We are earning about 70% of what we were earning this time last year, despite having all the same children doing the same amount of days.

It is good for parents and/or people with established careers, but not so much for others.

Reasons it is bad:
When you are new in a job or career. It will be much harder to learn, establish yourself etc.

Many people make friends through work.

People in stressful jobs get support from off loading to colleagues.

Many people don't have space. Until I was around 30, I lived in places where I simply would not have had room to work from home. Plus when I was house sharing, I would have hated being in the same house all day with random people I was sharing with.

And for some people it's there idea of hell.

@TheLostDiadem

It better bloody not be. The town I live in is already too expensive for locals to buy a property. The last thing we need are a load of Londoners coming down and being a bunch of condescending pricks.

Agree. I am a refugee from Richmond, Surrey.. Couldn’t afford a house so moved out of area to see house prices gallop up with others fleeing for larger houses and lovely countryside around.

@BlueSoop

I would love to wfh but the fact is most employers want people in. Imo we will end up with a social divide where poorly paid workers are wfh and higher paid workers are required in the office.

It’s definitely the opposite in my job role.....higher paid will continue to work from home now where as those on lower paid roles will Be required to work from office predominantly.

Top grads aren’t going to work for firms who only only WFH. The firm will end up only with staff with caring responsibilities.

what does this even mean?

I started a new job during the pandemic, i have been in the office precisely once (after 6 weeks or so) to collect my laptop and log in via the company system to trigger all the permissions. Most of the team were there that day, but due to complicated rules (only one person allowed in an office at one time, all masked up etc) it was a bit weird. We have at least 2 Zoom with video) team meetings every week, often more, but those 2 are for real team things from "argh i can't make anything work" to "argh i feel chucked in at the deep end with no support" to "did anyone watch Bake off last night" type of thing. It's been pretty good, actually, and i deffo appreciate not having a daily 2hour plus commute.

But i do miss being in an office, as that one day showed me.

As for pp saying "but when would we meet people" in general WFH doesn't mean being stuck at home all the time. Usually you'd be able to go to the pub/cinema/football/shopping/restaurants etc etc when not working, with your friends. That is making this all very different to regular WFH scenarios.

@Enwi

As an owner of a childcare setting I can assure you people are certainly saving on childcare by WFH. Young and old children alike. No commute, lunch break optional for some so they can choose to do a shorter day, older children who are fine so long as someone in the house etc. We are earning about 70% of what we were earning this time last year, despite having all the same children doing the same amount of days.

Presumably the inevitable endpoint is that hourly rates will become less possible to offer, and fixed day/half-day rates will come in?

For me, I am at the end of my mental rope, living at work. Crammed in an unsuitable space that means we can't use our house to the extent we want. I'm lonely, demotivated, and depressed.

I am starting a new job on Monday that is office based, leaving my role of 15 years, because I cannot work at home any longer

The London Skyline is a mass of cranes,building offices..
With increasing WFH will there be such a need for these monstrosities?
The money saved on season tickets/commute time is considerable for office based workers.

I absolutely hate it - don't have a home office, I hate not being able to just ask someone a question but instead have to phone, which normally goes to voicemail. I can't regulate my time as well.

Also - surely younger children need to be out in childcare anyway? I could never look after a child while doing everything expected of me by my workplace.

How does it save on childcare? I can't do my job properly with 2 children in the house. I've been working after they are in bed, it's exhausting.

Tbh I feel a bit sorry for all the children whose parents are planning on taking them out of childcare - where there are fun activities, attention, outings, social contact, friendships etc - and then expecting them to spend several hours after school each day and all day most days of the holidays entertaining themselves quietly in their bedrooms.

Agree about who will return to the office and who will end up sidelined. Our company (1,500 employees, Canary Wharf) re-opened for voluntary returnees over summer 2020. It was noticeable who chose to return: it was mainly younger employees, who wanted to be out and around real people and were desperate not to have to work and live in their bedrooms 24/7; and men, many of whom explicitly said they were quite glad to have an excuse to get away from the kids at home. I’d wander around Canary Wharf at lunchtime – so many men everywhere! Women, particularly mothers, don’t need employers to have any more excuses to think of them as uncommitted to their jobs; or to assume when a female employee asks if she can WFH that she’s going to be half-heartedly working whilst doing childcare at the same time.

I think wfh might seem like a great idea but I am not so sure in the long term. I think it will lead ultimately to mental health problems for a lot of people.

I think it has real negative implications for childcare. Savings on breakfast club because you don’t need to spend 45mins commuting and can do school drop off at 8:45am means many care settings won’t be viable. What happens to women (and let’s face it, it almost always is women) who need childcare first thing in the morning - care workers, nurses, those who physically have to be in work?

I only lasted a month wfh, my notice period, I decided to retire as I hated it so much. DH put up with it for 9 months then retired, DS was wfh but has to go in as his broadband is not good enough in his rented flat.

I'm so glad my working days are behind me so I don't have to wfh, stuck upstairs in the spare room, it was awful, neither me or DH saved any money from it as we don't commute or have young children

We both WFH now, sold one of the cars, no commute, no travel or in work coffee expenses, £6 pw tax back each..... tell me why I'd want to go back....

Glad it's a game changer for your DP. Certainly doesn't mean it's that way for all parents.

DH enjoyed WFH for probably the first 2 or 3 months, but he misses social contact. He's very shy but feels really comfortable round his like minded workmates and although it's no problem for him to WFH for good, he doesn't want to. They'll probably get them back in 2 days a week in about 6 months time and he can't wait. We're lucky to have a spare room that he's made into his office so at least he can 'get away' by coming downstairs but he hates it now.

Bloody hell, no! I hope WFH does not become the norm! Ironically, I was the one who WFH (teaching violin/strings) before all this started. Then I had to work out how to do it online.

Meanwhile, DH and my 3 adult sons were forced to WFH as well - but we have no spare rooms, no studies. People WFH sitting on their beds isn't ideal - back pain has ramped up. Downstairs we only have a lounge/open-plan kitchen (where I usually teach when everyone else is out at work!).

So no, WFH isn't just about children under the age of 8, OP. Children who are over the age of 20 are also a problem when they still live at home, let alone husbands!

And our town centre will die without people going back to work in offices. OP, it may not concern you, but what about all the little local independent coffee shops, sandwich shops (I don't mean Costa!) and clothes shops who have always relied on foot-fall during the week?

I'm guessing that in a year's time, the whole WFH thing will be much less popular. I can't cope if people stay at my home when actually it's MY working space, and not theirs, and we have no room for them.

Bully for you, OP, is what I'm feeing right now. I do think you're only thinking about what suits you, and not seeing things from the perspective of people who aren't like you.

I really hope I can work from home forever. Its so much better for me all round.

I work for a legal firm and have absolutely loved WFH as have all but one of my colleagues. He had pre existing MH issues and has really struggled.

Our office is up for sale and we will now be wfh permanently, with a change to our contracts, which means our place of work is home, and our working time starts whenever we leave home. This is fabulous for most of us as we spend so much time travelling to chambers/court/client visits, all of that will now be working time

A small office is being retained for some admin staff and the chap who can't work from home for MH reasons, plus anyone else who has problems with it I guess.

We won't have any problems at all with recruitment because young people will still get to meet others out and about whilst working, but won't be tied to an office commute on those days when you're just sending emails or doing zoom meetings (which we will be doing a lot more often) Plus the advantage of fewer working hours.

@Whammyyammy

We both WFH now, sold one of the cars, no commute, no travel or in work coffee expenses, £6 pw tax back each..... tell me why I'd want to go back....

You obviously don’t want to. Doesn’t mean everyone else feels the same though.

It is a game changer but in many ways and as they say "Be careful what you wish for" because if the job can be done remotely then longer term it can be done from anywhere which potentially drives the wages down because there will not longer be a regional weighting (and I am not just talking about London/South East but also UK/Mainland Europe/East Europe/further afield).

Some people will benefit, and some will really miss out if even flexi wfh becomes more of a thing.
Pre covid, with a london salary you might have chosen to buy a large house in a commuter/rural area and have a long and/or expensive commute but have space to wfh or put a garden office in. Or you might have chosen to have a short commute and bought an expensive city flat with no outside space.
The person in the shires is quids in by not buying a season ticket, and working in their dedicated work space. The person in the flat saves almost nothing and is working from their bedroom/kitchen. And even if they decide to move away probably cant sell a city flat with no outdoor space.

Would be a game changer for me if DH could indefinitely.

Not using him for childcare but just being able to leave some kids behind when dropping off to activities etc
Not having to wait for him to get home so I can go to my regular hobby etc

@TheLostDiadem

It better bloody not be. The town I live in is already too expensive for locals to buy a property. The last thing we need are a load of Londoners coming down and being a bunch of condescending pricks.

Charming.

I hope a weekender buys the house next to yours and occasional edges the nose of their land rover into your parking space.