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?

@ClearMountain

we had a photocopying engineer out who said they had had redundancies The world changes. One day all photocopying engineers will be out of work because photocopiers will be obsolete. Should we force ourselves into outdated ways of working and living just to save certain jobs? What about all the new jobs that have been created as a result of this shift? I don’t think we can stop progress just because it doesn’t benefit some people. The same as we couldn’t stop cars replacing horses and putting farriers out of work.

I agree but I do think it needs to be acknowledged that change doesn't normally (not exclusively!) happen quite as abruptly as has happened with covid.

@gannett

there's still a lot more moving around even just doing things like walking from the car park, walking to the toilets, etc than if you only move between your bed, your kitchen and your table.

WFH does not prevent you from moving further than that if you want

Nothing stops you, but nothing makes you either. There's lots and lots of evidence that it's the loss of 'incidental movement' - stuff you do as part of your daily routine rather than conscious, designated 'exercise' - that has been one of the biggest drivers of weight gain since the 70s. Most people don't replace it with deliberate exercise - perhaps they should, but they don't.

1u will never b late for work
2__u will never have an accident going to work
3no traffic jams
4__definitely a better work life balance
possibly a pay increase as employer is not paying stupid money in overheads. Looking for another job,may in this very changing world,put you in exactly the same position in the future,as you are now,employers are looking at the bottom line with interest, i know my company is.
Bottom line is as of now,everything is going to change,& we have to go with it or die. the good thing is your still getting paid,a lot of us are not sadly.

I am autistic, and I have never worked anywhere that has made (or stuck to) the reasonable adjustments they’ve paid lip service to at recruitment.
Working from home is suiting me enormously, I actually feel ‘normal’ for the first time in my life as I’m not constantly overwhelmed. I am functioning. I’ve achieved a pay rise since WFH where I’d normally be due a breakdown.

YANBU if it doesn’t suit you, but I would be gutted if the option was taken away from people like me.

I agree but I do think it needs to be acknowledged that change doesn't normally (not exclusively!) happen quite as abruptly as has happened with covid
The big changes are always abrupt. The Depression in the 30s forced a very rapid change from a 6 day work week to a 5 day work week. WW2 very abruptly forced women out of the home and into the workplace. We’re living at a time of great social change triggered by Covid. But life evolves and I don’t think we should push people back into the office after Covid, just as we didn’t push women back into the kitchen after WW2.

[quote BlueSussex]@tentative3

The employer cannot make OP redundant if her post still exists.....[/quote]
Yes but there's an argument that says her post has significantly changed. They can't make her redundant but I think they should offer voluntary redundancy if they are significantly changing working conditions, which is what I've seen when we've had office relocations before. Incidentally the remaining colleagues who accepted the longer commute to keep the job also got a payrise to offset their increased costs - I wonder if companies will be offering that too?

@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!

Wow. Some posters really do have an empathy bypass. And an I am alright Jack but you cant complain attitude.

Of course its sad if you previously enjoyed your role and you are a sociable person. And its not always easy to "Just change jobs"

Op I feel for you. I go into my workplace once a week now. I enjoy being at home in lots of ways but I love seeing my colleagues too who are a great bunch. I would feel the same as you if we couldnt work together again.

@Meruem

Can you find a like minded colleague or two and work at each other’s houses now and then? That way you still get some of the interaction.

I was wfh pre Covid and I love it so I never bothered to do that, but I know a couple of people who did. Or meet up for lunch sometimes, once things are open again. We have done that a few times in our team.

Re working together at home - I want to go back to the office, I don't want more of the office moving into my house.

I feel for you op. I used to work with people. Now I spend almost all day in online meetings and do admin / phone calls in between. All the customer facing, interactive, fun parts of my job are gone, and they aren't coming back. Work has become so boring, with only stress and no ups and downs, no fun, no helping anyone else, no being able to learn a slightly different way of handling something from a colleague.
I'm applying my way out of there but haven't been successful yet.

There's been no discussions of when/if we will be returning. I think we will likely downsize premises and have hot desks and go in as and when.

I just can't see most businesses continuing with all the associated costs of running a full scale office when they can save money.

I would like to go in on occasion to create a balance, but don't want to go in 5 days a week (not that I did anyway).

We interviewed for a position Christmas time and several of the candidates negotiated salaries lower on the condition that when normality returned they would be able to remain WFH almost exclusively. We were happy with the arrangement, the person who eventually got the position did this and salary is lower than who they are replacing.

TBH I don't expect it to last.

Right now business managers have £ in their eyes from all the money they will save by closing down offices, but mass working from home hasn't gone on long enough yet for them to have understood all the downsides.

It reminds me of when every company was offshoring it's call centre work to India to save money, and it was predicted that there would be hardly any call centres left in the UK. It didn't last because offshoring wasn't the panacea they thought it would be and the cost savings came with other disadvantages they hadn't considered.

@ClearMountain

I agree but I do think it needs to be acknowledged that change doesn't normally (not exclusively!) happen quite as abruptly as has happened with covid The big changes are always abrupt. The Depression in the 30s forced a very rapid change from a 6 day work week to a 5 day work week. WW2 very abruptly forced women out of the home and into the workplace. We’re living at a time of great social change triggered by Covid. But life evolves and I don’t think we should push people back into the office after Covid, just as we didn’t push women back into the kitchen after WW2.

Your post mentioned horses and carts, which wasn't an abrupt change. Nonetheless, the fact that other abrupt changes have happened in history doesn't make it any less difficult for the people for whom businesses closed on 23rd March 2020 and in some cases have never reopened. It's not just about WFH vs the office, it's about recognising those industries for whom enormous changes have happened, and that it's not as simple as saying someone who worked in a coffee shop in Canary Wharf should simply get a job in someone's local village where the coffee shop is busier than it used to be.

I don't think we should allow employers to make massive changes to working conditions without consultations under the guise of covid, innit? If a shift to WFH is beneficial to all then assessments will bear that out and will ensure that employees do not bear the costs, financial and otherwise, of this shift. It was one thing for people to make do on 24th March 2020 but a year on it should not be OK for employers to turn round and say yes, you will now be working from your dining room table with a laptop for the rest of your career.

No. Most people hate their jobs and would do anything not to have to travel for 2 hours each way in the dark on crowded, dirty, noisy transport and pay for the privilege.

This is a very middle class desire imo.

I totally understand. My office was closed the year before Covid so I had already been WFH for 12 months before the first lockdown. I miss my colleagues, I miss the change of scenery and small, random daily experiences leaving the village, I miss wandering down the high street to get a sandwich or changing in the gym and going for a run at lunchtime. Due to staffing changes I have never met in person 75% of my colleagues.

I don't think that you can build a healthy and productive company culture unless your staff have regular opportunities to meet and interact in an unstructured and informal way outside of online meetings. I don't think you can bring on new employees and train and mentor young people new to the world of work if they are not working alongside experienced colleagues. Just because a load of employees with established home lives and careers have decided they're happier without the commute or office politics, is not a good enough reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

The temporary changes of the past year should be examined and used to inform new, flexible working patterns. Companies who just see the £££s of savings to be made by closing down whole offices may live to regret it.

Yanbu OP.
I'm actually an introvert who hates working from home. I miss the one to one conversations with colleagues just before or just after meetings as well as at the coffee machine etc. I dislike group events, whether formal or social as they are generally quite superficial and I don't get 'proper' conversations.

I'm absolutely delighted that the shitty shitty way that things were is gone forever. Sorry if you enjoyed it but others didn't and we can't make everyone happy.

I feel for you OP. I hope you can start looking around for other jobs - a happy worklife is so important.

YANBU to feel how you feel but the people generalising on here are BU. Not everyone wants to go back, not everyone wants to WFH, not everyone hates their job, not all single people found it awful, not all people living with families prefer being at home.

I’m single and live alone and I’ve loved it, I’d happily never go back to the office, it’s done wonders for my mental health and work/life balance (or as much of a life as we can have at the moment). I also like my job primarily because of the work I do, not the people (I do like the people, but they’re not the top selling point).

I don’t think going back to the office 5 days a week should be imposed on everyone. Neither do I think permanent WFH should be. People should be offered flexibility and a choice.

I understand op, I thrive on interaction and would hate to work from home. I'm a teacher so no chance of it but my DH has hated working from home and the isolation it brings. We are overseas and he has gone back to the office and chooses to work once a week from home for a bit of variety.
If it were me I would hate it and be looking for a job elsewhere.

I'm pretty much in the same position as you OP. I really like my job and the company I work for, and there are certain aspects I like about working from home, but I miss the people so much! I'm lucky that I only have a 20 mins commute, absolute max, and now I'm working in my living room with no alternative unless I move house. I'm hoping that eventually I will have some time in the office. It wouldn't be easy to find a similar position with same pay and benefits anywhere near where I live.

I no longer work, and DH has WFH for a year now and this is now not likely to change, apart from the odd meeting here and there. It suits us fine: we live in a big house in a lovely place and are well settled.

However, I worry about this for my DC, one especially who has had MH problems for years. Sitting with a laptop in a little room all day after she graduates would likely send her back into depression. Leaving the house gives structure, change, stimulation as well as human interaction, the opportunity to make friends etc.

OP, I feel exactly the same. Luckily we will probably move to blended working (3 days in the office/2 days at home) which will be ideal for me. However until then, I'm stuck WFH until at least September as nobody will be back in the office until then and even then it will be staggered.

I currently work in a corner of the kitchen on a camping table and although DH and the teenage kids are great and generally out of the way, it's still distracting and annoying when DH forgets and puts the washing machine on just as I've started a Teams meeting!

As for this comment To be fair at the moment it’s crap because you aren’t going out for other things but when you can go to the gym, out for lunch, see friends at the weekend, DO THINGS Sorry, but although it was marginally better over the summer, I still didn't like WFH.

When WFH I can't go out for lunch during the week as only have a half hour break, will go to the gym after work when it's nice and busy (to see people!) and friends are at work so they're not around in the week. Yes, weekends will be different thankfully (and full on, I hope!) but the weeks days just drag...

I also miss my hours commute and never thought I'd say that!

I'd love to be back in for half the week. I am stuck at home with the wife 24/7, having to feign interest in inane shit. Happy to continue the 50/50 childcare arrangement we had pre pandemic, but those two days in were my escape.

My new goal is to build up enough savings to cover a little studio flat somewhere that I can escape to a couple of times a week.

In a way I am more productive, as I want to earn more now to fulfil this! I am well paid but I know I'll be getting smashed with uni fees and paying for holidays and 'nice' (read:unimportant to me) things like new cars etc. I need enough of a nest egg to get my own place whilst making sure the wife has no comeback with we found spend that on xyz. She has the opportunity to do the same, we both have the same childcare/work balance ( didn't want to cause any disparity of earnings or pension to her)

So yeah, capitalism wins.

I'm with you OP. I've very much enjoyed working from home but I cannot WAIT to get back to the office. I was born to work in an office. I love my DH dearly but I'd really like to see some different faces!

How can your job define your identity?

What happens when you are made redundant? What happen if the only job you find for a while is much below your skills?

How do you manage retirement?

When you chose to do an office job (many professions are active, or not compatible with being at home, some people have always refused to work in an office all day, and fair enough), it's a worry when you confuse your working life with your social life.

I don't understand the argument about "screens" either. Don't you use computers in the office?

There's an argument about productivity if you find so much time to faff around and chat at work that you are barely in front of a screen. We use to email even the person sitting opposite, so no change there.

People saying they get fewer breaks and work longer hours at home... you do realise your contracted hours are still the same? Take an hour for lunch. Start at 9 and finish at 5 and go to the gym (when it opens) before or after work.