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?

@Wherediditgo this happened to us as well, 3 of us were allowed in and had an unplanned meeting socially distanced sat on the wall outside the office at lunchtime. The project we were doing progressed more in that 30 minute period than at any other time before or since - the social cues to move forward with an idea, talk at the same time and be spontaneous, say no politely, and focus on just one thing were so much easier. Language flowed better so ideas came with it, faster and more imaginatively. The situation (novelty of human contact!) made us more enthusiastic. We ended up with some great ideas. In theory this should work online too but in practice over the last year, it just hasn't, for any of the team.

WFW = working from wall!

It isn't just WFH, but online learning that is negatively affected, not just for the students but for the person delivering the education.

I read a really sad post the other day from the parent of a student who was taking part in an online seminar. All the students except for the parent's DD had their cameras and sound off. She said that the lecturer sounded like they were almost in tears because only the DD in question gave any feedback. It must be soul destroying talking to a blank screen and must feel like talking to a brick wall.

I know that some posters on mumsnet have said that they won't have cameras and sound on in Teams meetings. I think they need to understand what it is like when talking to a blank wall. and the more that this happens the more insular people will become.

[quote Youngatheart00]@Hearwego you make a very good point re schools. There seems to be a general acceptance that a social setting such as school is the best place for kids to be socialised and learn. But somehow it doesn’t apply to adults who can be shut away in a box room 40 hours a week, 46-48 weeks a year and just get on with it?

Your vision of the future reminds me of the Disney film Wall-e. In the future humans have forgotten how to interact f2f even when side by side and permanently exist as a slumped flabby mess in a la-z-boy chair with a screen attached to it. I feel a bit like that now (switch the comfy chair to an office chair)[/quote]
I've said this before on other threads, but...

As someone who was homeschooled, I am fairly confident in saying that if you'd kept your kids in away from all other kids, and claimed all their social needs were met online, the local authority education officer's response would have been somewhere between unenthusiastic, and passing you on to social services. Until last year.

Side note: I think homeschooling can be great (we may well do it) but generally homeschooling parents do make sure their children have plenty of social opportunities.

Several people have already said that it was still shit over the summer when we were all Eating Out to Help the Furlough Bill, holidays were allowed, pubs/gyms/cinemas opened and you could have 6 people indoors. Plenty of us can't spring up at 5pm and go to the gym. I've a toddler to collect, bath, feed and put to bed.

A local pub was offering half a day there with wifi, unlimited coffee and a sandwich/drink lunch for a tenner.

I never took it up, but it was tempting - open fire, seeing other people, change of scenery.

I loved the idea of the pub ‘wfh’ but that only works if you are working on emails or a document. If you’re expected to be on bloody zoom / teams calls it’s not compatible and that is what my working life is like.

Yes I wouldn’t be allowed to do my teams meetings from a cafe, pub or friend’s house because of the likelihood of discussing confidential information.

If I have a day without meetings and just need to get my head down and concentrate on something then that’s what wfh is actually good for, and I would previously have worked at home on days like that anyway (approx 1 a fortnight).

I realise home working isn’t for everyone, perhaps you could find a hobby or do some volunteering where you have more face to face contact with people to make up for the loss of social interaction. Personally I think it will be a permanent change for many people, good for the environment with less commuting and a win win for many people. Some people will change jobs in the future if it doesn’t suit them. Lots of options xxx

@lidoshuffle

A local pub was offering half a day there with wifi, unlimited coffee and a sandwich/drink lunch for a tenner.

I never took it up, but it was tempting - open fire, seeing other people, change of scenery.

It could be the future for some pubs (daytime). Pubs are often more spacious than coffee shops with more capacity, have open toilets, hot and cold drinks and many serve hot food.

The downside is if it gets busy and you've got people around you drinking alcohol and being noisy.

I work from home permanently by choice (pre-Covid)and love it, but even I feel sad about this, on behalf of other people and also on behalf of my future self if I ever choose to go back to a “normal” job, which I do sometimes fantasise about and might do in the future. Seeing people regularly every day is so important for mental health and general quality of life.

I'd like to know what all these group hobbies are that people keep suggesting.

@RampantIvy I would also love to know when it is that people assume we should be doing these hobbies. Am supposed to be working 9-5.30/6 and got kids........the whole point of the office was getting social contact while working. that cant be replicated by picking up a hobby one evening a week - i.e. two hours per week v 36hrs

@greenyfrog21 but we’ve all gained 5 hours a day and £10,000 a year by not commuting any more! You’re just not trying hard enough!

The issue is that your career is your identity.

Having children shouldn't be anyone's identity either.

They are elements, but they shouldn't be it in it's entirety.

@JeanClaudeVanDammit indeed! am just a bit surprised that most people are so happy to have let go of ordinary social interaction like that.

yes, i might have gained an hour a day by not commuting (which is nice) and about £300 per month - i can now take kids to school.....but i've lost 9 hours of social interactive adult time per da. i have no idea how i would replicate that. in fact, seeing as i have a job - i cant.

Some of us can use their working hours a lot better and get things done at home, whilst still be in touch with work colleague.

The fact that so many posters confuse their social life with their job goes a long way to explain why the rest of us can work more efficiently when away from the office!

Some people seem to have a little cushy job, chit chatting with colleagues and having a laugh. Some of us have targets to meet and things to do, not an important role as such, but actually go to the office to DO something.

My kids at school are being kids. AT LEAST half their day is not about academic learning, or not sitting down listening to teachers learning. They do sport, have assemblies, have councils, do group activities and have lots of fun. I can't replicate more than 1 hour, 2 max, at home.

Schools are the equivalent of jobs that cannot be done from home, simple as that (or the ones where you go home to do the paperwork, but the bulk of the work is not there).

Get things done during the day, and as soon as lockdown is over, we can get out of the house and have a life. Instead of rushing home and wasting what's left of your day catching up with things, we can actually get out, with or without kids, and have a social life.

If your job is literally 9 hours of social interaction, you don't seem to have a role that is possible from home. If I spend 9 hours socially interacting, (even to do my job), personally I have hours of catching up to do at home in the evening.

There's such a very small pool of office roles that are done at a desk and can be done from home.

Not being able to stay home when you can work just as well or better there makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

@thecatandthevicar people are here talking about social interaction i.e. just chatting to other people about random stuf. bumping into people along the corridor. i have friends and family.....i miss chit chat...in general but also about work. and not all the time but a few times a day and randomly.

Some people seem to have a little cushy job, chit chatting with colleagues and having a laugh. Some of us have targets to meet and things to do, not an important role as such, but actually go to the office to DO something.

Christ stop being such a snob. Plenty of us have targets, important roles, DO SOMETHING, but also enjoy a quick chat in the lift on the way up in the morning or a face to face discussion with a colleague about a project. There are some things that I find easier to do from home, there are things that are much, much easier to do effectively in person with the team.

Some people seem to have a little cushy job, chit chatting with colleagues and having a laugh. Some of us have targets to meet and things to do, not an important role as such, but actually go to the office to DO something.

Oh bore off. I'm sorry your job is so Important that you couldn't possibly be expected to talk to the other peasants.

InCinemasWednesday

I don't have a career as such, it's not my identity and I have lots of stuff I like to do outside of work I simply like getting up every day and going out to the office. I like my short commute, I like my colleagues, I like the chit chat and banter, the tea breaks and just the change of scenery. Everything is 'flat' at home every day, I control my environment completely and there is no chance of anything unexpected happening and for me that's very dull, for all my workday interactions to be happening through a screen I'm missing the richness of life, I'm only using 2 of my senses, sight and hearing. I'm missing spontaneity and unexpected daily interaction, seeing weird stuff on my commute, talking to people on the train when it's delayed. I'm not sure if that makes sense, I feel that life sat at home from 9 to 5 on my own is a very 1 dimensional experience and I really feel for people who have been forced into workplace this way when they didn't want to

This is just how I feel. There's just not much to talk about at the end of the day. No comments about shit drivers on my commute, who you had lunch with and what they've been up to, did you see so and so in the gym after work... at least the kids are back at school and college so they have things to chat about. However they are teenagers so we don't get much back from them!

@thecatandthevicar I wouldn’t call my role ‘a little cushy job’. I’m responsible for a business that has £200m of revenue. Social interaction and building relationships are a core part of getting the job done.

Haha, my job is very far from being cushy, which is why I find it helpful to see colleagues in person to share ideas and mutual support.

@thecatandthevicar Surely it’s the norm for most people to get some of their social life and general interaction with others from their work environment. I think you’re probably the outlier here.

I think one of the benefits of physical workplaces is the variety of people you meet. In my central London office I talk to people aged from 20-60. My colleagues come from across the world and have a wide range of backgrounds, political viewpoints etc. Chatting to them gives me insights into a whole range of things.

If I attempted to replace this element of my life by strengthening eg my local friendships, something would be lost. My local friends are generally people like me - forty something, usually mums, white, middle class, homeowners. Going to work and talking to people who aren’t like you is essential I think. Otherwise people will be forced even further into their echo chambers and have even less understanding of the situations of people who are not like them in some way. Which is only going to be bad for society.

HerculesMulligann

The one place where I can't discuss of anything sensitive is my job! I have to be politically correct.

People I meet outside of work are via school, mainly via sports .
So we do have one thing in common, but I meet with people from completely different background, 20 years younger, or 20 years older than me. People from different religion, different nationality.

My fairly corporate, well paid colleagues and our clients who are even more corporate and even more well paid are not really representative of the "real world"