To feel sad that the world of work as we knew it has gone forever?

[Youngatheart00]

My work confirmed today we are moving to 100% remote working and will only get together a few times a year for team meetings. I find this so sad. I loved my working life - I know realise so much of that was down to the people. Now all I do all day is stare at screens and give myself a migraine.

They are justifying it by saying ‘most people’ want this despite me never seeing any such survey. It’s a blatant cost cutting exercise.

Anyone else fed up and lonely?

I also think people who struggle with motivation and productivity were the people who faced around a lot at the office, or would keep interrupting others to blather on. They used to effect my productivity. There was one woman years ago who wouldn't stop fucking talking at me all day, so I ended up having to blank her, and I got told off about it. Another office many had young children and it was constant talking about childcare, parties, clothes, toys, food, behaviour etc and I had to politely feign interest while just wanting to get on with my job. 10 minutes chat is nice. Hours of it is frustrating.

You are paid to work, not socialise.

Good point @JeanClaudeVanDammit. I realise that you can't choose the people that you work with, but I'm beginning to get the impression that some people seem to have the view that every work colleague should only remain as a colleague and that being friends with anyone you work with should be avoided.

Oh dear, I dream of a job I can do online but they're all either admin based (I've no track record) or IT or finance-type jobs for which I have no skills. I will just have to put up with going in to work, at least it's only part-time. I would put in masses of extra hours if I were working from home.... But then I'm not lonely and don't get my "buzz" from co-workers at the office.

@Youngatheart00

I would have been quite happy with a balance between wfh and the office. I understand flexibility helps many people.

I’m curious how many ‘I love my job’ people say that because of the actual work they do or because of the people and teams they worked with

Is it the people you work with that you really like or the job? Both can change quite suddenly and it is risky to base your whole identity/life around your job I am sorry you can’t have children but what about friends or hobbies (when allowed)? I love my job but it’s just what I do to earn money, it’s not who I am

That aside, I think what is galling to some is that this is the same as someone who applied to WFH being told their contract is being altered and they now have to come in. Except this way round, the assumption is that everyone will be happy about it.

It's a bit like in my last job where my boss kept trying to give me more hours on the assumption hours = money = happy worker when I applied for a 20 hour job on purpose.

@gannett
And there are easy solutions to all of their complaints. There's nothing stopping you going to a cafe to work if you crave other people around you.

This is impossible for me due to the highly confidential nature of my work. I’m sure I’m not unique in this respect.

Or from working with a colleague or two if you feel like it - there are plenty of spaces you can use to do this.

I’ve looked into this. The closest rentable office space is... on the site where my current office is based. I’m not thrilled by the idea of spending £££ per month for the right to actually go to my normal place of work.

I would be really upset too. I miss the office so much (well, the people). I could cope better with wfh if I had meetings, training etc to go to in person. Will there be more of this for you in future? I know at the moment it’s all virtual but I think it won’t always be.

YABU. I wish I would be allowed to work from home 100% of the time but my employer wants us back in the office as soon as the restrictions are lifted. If I don't like it I can resign and look for another job (as can you).

For many people WFH is much better. Less travel (less pollution, if you care about that sort of thing), less stress and more sleep make me more productive. I can get done in a morning what takes a whole day in the office, simply because I don't get all the interruptions. People can contact me when they need to, people can contact me for a chat, but I don't get the people sticking their head over the partition requiring me to drop everything to help them that happens in the office.

I’m hoping my work let me WFH permanently.....

But I’m middle aged, married with kids.I would have hated it in my 20s, so I can see other views.

I love working from home, it's perfect for my family and my life. I am gutted I'll be going back for 2-3 days per week in May. Absolutely gutted.

I feel for those for whom going to work was the only escape from their abuser at home.

Some of them are now wfh with the abuser, and/or the abuser is wfh and there is no easy escape.

I wonder if lots of Receptionists and Office Managers are now redundant or soon to be redundant. Or at least having their hours reduced.

@MeanderingGently
I would put in masses of extra hours if I were working from home

This is what happens. I want it to stop. I want the balance back. I’m sick of being expected to join meetings in the morning (Asia) or evening (Americas) because I can just login from home. I’m starting to see colleagues from Australia joining calls scheduled for lunchtime in the U.K. (our time zone means all global meetings happen in the 11:00-14:00 time slot - I especially liked the well-being one where the told us the ideal spacing between meals with no hint of irony that the timing of their meeting made that impossible).

Changes in working life are difficult for some people but a breath of fresh air for just as many.

Some people who struggled with anxiety about being office-based are very glad to finally be able to work from home where they can be just as productive.

The environmental impact of not commuting to work is also going to be a very good thing for all of us.

It's swings and roundabouts really as a lot of people will also miss the social aspect of everyone being in the office.

I think we'll see more variety in working culture and if you are not happy then hopefully you can find a different job which will suit you better.

I am lucky in that my work for the most part can't be done from home, so I am still at work, I have done a few weeks at home over the last year when it has been possible but I hated it so YANBU. If I was made to do FT WFH I would be looking for another job.

I agree that it needs to be flexible with an element of choice.

@Usagi12

Speak for yourself, most people I know are back in the office from 12 April. Just find a new job and cut the drama!

Joker.

@Dbwoshem

The long term impact will be huge. Less money being spent and businesses will start to close, such as sandwich shops that relied on lunch time trade. Peoples fitness levels will go down as all living sedentary lifestyles. People will also eat more because they are at home. Lack of social interaction may seem OK at first but I've been a sahm for many years now and it is completely isolating and you lose all of your confidence in social situations. I also worry about younger people starting work for the first time. I don't think it's a good idea at all

Some of these arguments against WFH are just bizarre.

I literally started exercising regularly when I started WFH because I no longer had to either get up at stupid o'clock before work to fit it in, or to do it after 8 hours in an office when I was knackered to. WFH is immeasurably better for the health of every single person I know who's done it!

And like I said... I started out WFH in a new industry when I was young, back in the '00s. Did neither me nor my career any harm at all.

But I find myself wanting to ask colleagues opinions, which previously would have been really quick, now involves emailing hoping they're not too busy etc.

This.

OP I've said this several times on MN but it always seems to pass people by that remote working during covid is very different to remote working in normal times. Depending on what sort of set-up you need, you can work anywhere. You don't need to be at home and you could use a local co-working hub where you can have a chat and a coffee and meet people (and in some ways it's better because people are not all in the same firm). As an example, the hotel chain Village hotels have co-working hubs, and my local council offices have one too. Some are a bit expensive and some are very reasonable although it depends on how much your commute would be. A daily ticket into the office is £35 for me or £100 a week, so £25 a week for a desk is a bargain.

I have worked from home at least some of the time since 2005 and regularly one day a week since 2008. Then I moved to most days a week with only one day in the office. A lot depends where you live and work - if you can walk to the office or it's only a short drive it's very different to commuting into a big city for work and paying big bucks for unreliable trains. I save so much time and money by working at home and can spend money locally once things open again.

Lol at the rude posters saying helpful things like “cut the drama,” & “just find another job.” How effing rude.

Yes OP, I understand, for many many peeps without children/families work is and has had been a lifestyle and the source of positive social interactions. I understand. It is a different landscape now.

Make sure you create opportunities to see the people you get on with, on a very regular basis.

@JaceLancs

We went back to office last August and now have a mixture of WFH and office based 1/3 of my staff want to work all of their hours in office 1/3 want to WFH permanently 1/3 want a flexible mixture of the 2 I will ask those who want to WFH permanently to join the flexible mixture of the 2 when restrictions end as it shares the workload more evenly In your position I would start looking forward new jobs that work better for you

It shows how people are different.

A lot of people want to be in the office and around other people. A lot of people like to be at home and find the open plan office overbearing, or can't stand the commute. A lot of people want a mix of the two.

It's about time companies were more progressive and flexible around home working.

@gannett - if WFH works for you that’s great. I’ve had a full year of it now, and it doesn’t work for me at all. I hate it. I’ve never been this miserable at any point in my working life. I’m sure some of my colleagues will want to continue WFH at least some of the time - good for them. I don’t expect everyone to want to be in the office. I don’t care where they work - why would I? However the fact that I personally desperately do want to go back to the office is an equally valid viewpoint. And (as this thread shows) I’m certainly not alone in this preference.

I think the long term impact will be huge, I'm not particularly bothered by it as I worked from home anyway and go to see clients out, so that'll be great being able to do that again. However, for younger people just out of school or university, being part of an office / work environment is a huge thing and they need the social interaction that comes as part of it.

But I find myself wanting to ask colleagues opinions, which previously would have been really quick, now involves emailing hoping they're not too busy etc

Yes this is the downside, but again it depends on your role and whether you need an answer right now or can wait. Even in the office they might be in a meeting or in the loo, so patience is required wherever you are.

Ultimately it should be a choice and it can't be that difficult for employers to accommodate flexibility with those who want to be in the office more to do so, and those who like remote working to do so. It's not great in the OP's case where they just say it's 100% remote working but if you really don't like that, you find another job.

Good god. Genuine suggestions we should pay for the priviledge of having a desk outside our homes, having originally applied for and happily worked in an office job.