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 haven't RTFT

But most companies won't do long term WFH only.

Get a new job.

@TedMullins

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.

it's very rare to take an hour for lunch in the office, so I get people are a bit hesitant.

But it's such a wasted opportunity. You are HOME, with all your own stuff available. You can easily go for a walk, a run, a bike ride, have a chat with your neighbour, call a friend - if they happen to be available - and talk whilst walking. You can do yoga or any zoom class. You can pop to buy a sandwich (for most people who have places selling sandwiches not to far..>

You could even nap really.

If you are already scheduled in a meeting, you won't accept another one. Just book yourself some time in your day. You should do that in the office anyway.

How can your job define your identity?

Some people really love their jobs and the relationships they build through it. OP said she couldn't have children and I guess therefore chooses to focus on her work, which she has every right to do. I dont think its sensitive to question that. I'm sure she will put some thought into what she will do during retirement when the time draws nearer.

I can understand and why do people just have to be nasty , the OP simply stated in her opinion. , some on here are like vipers just waiting to pounce.
For me I haven't got a job lost mine due to covid and its tough getting one as not a lot of office jobs are hiring at the moment.
In and ideal world I would like a mix of some at home , some in office as working from home full time wouldn't suit me .
But nice to have option to be able to wfh when needed

Also some of us don't have space for wfh

I think a lot of business that go completely for 100% home working will regret it eventually.

It’s fine for oldies that are established in their careers and have a big home in the suburbs (like me...I love WFH!) But most younger people starting out on working life need on-the-job mentors to learn from which is much easier to do when physically sitting next to someone. Modern tech is great but it’s just not the same over Teams.

If people don't want to WFH, then they can change jobs to an organisation that doesn't require WFH. Likewise people who work in organisations who won't allow WFH after Covid are free to move jobs to those that will allow WFH.

All this howling with anguish about how work has changed for ever need to realise that most people move around a bit during their working lives. Lots of people move due to relocation, money, career progression, not liking their boss, etc etc. WFH (or not) will just become another reason to change jobs.

After a few years of flux, workplaces will settle down again, some people will have changed jobs, some organisations will have moved location or downsized, and there'll be a new equilibrium reached.

@BluebellCockleshell123

I think a lot of business that go completely for 100% home working will regret it eventually.

It’s fine for oldies that are established in their careers and have a big home in the suburbs (like me...I love WFH!) But most younger people starting out on working life need on-the-job mentors to learn from which is much easier to do when physically sitting next to someone. Modern tech is great but it’s just not the same over Teams.

Yes, that's what I've been saying for months. Young trainees and other newly recruited staff will struggle if they join new organisations and have to rely on internet communication for their training and inductions.

It's already obvious with schools and universities that online learning just isn't as effective or enjoyable as classrooms/lecture halls.

Online learning/meetings etc have their place but they're really no substitute for everything, especially in the learning/transition environments when physical face to face/hands on support is absolutely essential.

How many times have we heard it can't be done, but it worked really well?

You can't run an office in a country if you don't live there (of course you can)
You can't start a department if you don't move over there and everybody is in the office every single day (of course you can)

Technology is a beautiful thing, the only puzzling question is why it took so long for employers to recognise the majority of workers are professional, can work just as well if not better, and the handful who watch daytime tv and cancel all childcare don't matter.

@user1497207191 have you seen the jib market at the moment , people are not in a position to op from job to job and with some professions thats really hard

Yes, that's what I've been saying for months.

Exactly. Few young ambitious people want to work from their bedrooms, with poor training and development opportunities. They’ll gravitate towards companies with good office spaces, thriving work culture - just like they always did.

@thecatandthevicar its not possible for all jobs though , especially when training people and also gdpr is going to have to be taken more into consideration, people wfh on kitchen tables etc , dealing with sensitive information

We had a surprising amount of new starters since covid started, they managed just fine.

In truth, he plan should be to arrange a few days in the office once the lockdown is over, but some people are already part of a team they have never met. Even I never thought it would work so well.

I do feel very sorry for students whose years at uni are being ruined.

But you can't compare your working life and working hours with the life of a student and the expectations of a course.

We had a surprising amount of new starters since covid started, they managed just fine.

They had no choice.

It doesn’t mean that’s what they’d want if alternatives were available.

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.
Depends on your job my dh contracted are 37 the reality is he does closer to 50 just to keep afloat not even on top , it's harder to ignore it when your desk is next to your bed and you can see the pile of work almost 24/7
Some companies wfh is great others not so much

@BluebellCockleshell123

I think a lot of business that go completely for 100% home working will regret it eventually.

It’s fine for oldies that are established in their careers and have a big home in the suburbs (like me...I love WFH!) But most younger people starting out on working life need on-the-job mentors to learn from which is much easier to do when physically sitting next to someone. Modern tech is great but it’s just not the same over Teams.

Complete myth. I'd wager that no one ruling out the idea that young employees can learn and be trained remotely has ever actually been a young person doing this.

I've been mentored, learned industry norms and mastered more computer systems than I can even count - all from home without anyone sitting next to me in person.

Young people can do it and no doubt will do it.

For me personally, the absolute biggest benefit is getting done in 4 or 5 hours what used to take 7 or 8 in the office. Interruptions, phone calls, pointless meetings etc.

Today I logged on at 8am and am now finished for the day. So just under 4 hours. If it was an office day I would have left home at 8 and got home at 5 so 9 hours. Just to do the same amount of work. Ok that doesn’t work for people who have to be logged on for 8 hours a day but I can’t be the only one getting so much time back. And that’s just one day.

Young people can do it

Of course they can. Question is do they want to if alternatives are available.

We had a surprising amount of new starters since covid started, they managed just fine
That would totally depend on the job though some are near on impossible to teach remotely , every industry will be very different
Also its the younder generation , what 18/19 year old wants to wfh full time stuck in their bedroom , there may be a few but the vast majority it may not be workable as prob still live at home and may even share a bedroom, plus work helps this age group socialise and learn work behaviours etc
It seems too many companies are not doing for the benefit of the staff but that the cost for themselves , otherwise they would offer a choice
But think how much rent , electric , tea & coffee , heating companies are saving

Of course they can. Question is do they want to if alternatives are available.

As we've established some will and some won't. Because whether WFH suits you is down to your personality. This hand-wringing about young people is just an attempt to depict WFH as innately detrimental rather than something that can be a positive.

When I was a young person, I could and did choose to do this rather than the "alternative" of office life.

But think how much rent , electric , tea & coffee , heating companies are saving

All that fades to nothing if they can’t compete with others in their sector.

Businesses always had the option of cheap office space in the middle of nowhere. There’s a reason why they didn’t take it.

I love WFH but I'm incredibly privileged in having dedicated space, privacy etc. I work from a separate room that I can shut the door on in the evening and not re-enter until the next morning. I don't miss my colleagues (I speak to them all the time!) and I don't miss the hideous, expensive and depressing 15 hours per week I used to spend commuting.

Not all parts of my job work perfectly from home though, so by the end of the year I'll probably be back a few days a month to do the essential face-to-face stuff. But no way on earth am I ever going back to just sit at my desk in my dark, dingy office for the sake of it.

Thankfully we've been told that WFH will be the default setting from now on, with staff expected in only for things that can't be done online. Our huge central London office has been 'mothballed' and we'll be moving to smaller premises that won't have space for all of us at one time.

It suits me beautifully and I would be gutted if the expectations changed again to mean we all had to be showing our faces every day just for the hell of it.

But...having said that I do understand that not everyone feels the way I do and that's why I think flexibility must be the key going forward. A more humane way of working that allows everyone to manage their work-life balance in a way that suits them. It would be a shame if, as a society, we squandered a chance for positive change for everyone.

When I was a young person, I could and did choose to do this rather than the "alternative" of office life.

Super and yes I’m sure there are some.

However, I’m equally sure not many young 20 somethings want to work permanently from their bedrooms in their parents houses/cramped shared flats. And most companies will end up catering to that if they want to attract young talent.

@TheKeatingFive

We had a surprising amount of new starters since covid started, they managed just fine.

They had no choice.

It doesn’t mean that’s what they’d want if alternatives were available.

There's also a difference with managing fine and achieving your full potential. The reason that I could manage perfectly well wfh (although by choice I am coming into the office) is that I have the experience and confidence from years of working within offices and with people face to face.
When I first started out I would have been far to shy to have a general chat with someone I didn't know or had never seen face to face over zoom. It was the adhoc general chats with more senior staff in the canteen or in the hotel bar if working away (or even outside having a cigarette break way back in the day) that built up that confidence and working relationships that meant I got to hear of different things happening outside my department or potential job opportunities that ultimately have put me in the position I am. It would be a shame if this is taken away from young people moving into work now.

I love wfh and my productivity has really improved as I’m less tired from commuting etc. Also the office was always freezing and now I’m warm enough - I’m sure that helps with my mood. But I do feel very sorry for the juniors in our office who had much more of their social life in the office, or people with homes that aren’t suitable for home working, or family lives that are suffering from too many people working in the same home (eg both parents and an adult child all trying to wfh, or a relationship with a lot of conflict). I’d support people in my organisation wfh if they want to and if they’ve worked well at home during the last year but I’d want at least a small office open for those who are struggling.