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?

Now that my husband is working at home my home has become his office. It’s not pleasant for those of us who don’t work there too.

Totally agree same at my place

For me being able to work in the office will be a job clincher, hope jobs start advertising if you can go in

Line managing people you've never met in real life and zero white board sessions just makes my work life much much harder and more stressful

If you're in FS hopefully you have other options? I would love to be 80-90% from home but I'm big 4 and as most of our clients are FS they like us on site for security reasons 🥺

YANBU! I would be so sad if my work announced that too. I like working from home for a few days a week but absolutely hate it full time - I just don’t understand how a work culture can survive completely remotely? I find myself so much more socially anxious in the wfh life as well - all those mini social interactions that would assure you that all was well with your colleagues are gone now, everyone’s stressed and much ruder over email, team cohesion is fraying, let alone cross team collaboration which seems almost impossible now. I can’t wait to go back! Hoping for 3 days in office 2 at home. Fingers crossed. Easier said than done of course but OP hopefully a mix will be the norm and you will be in a position to change company you work for soon x

I am the same, unlikely to ever go back to the office, I've been wfh for a full year this week.

During that time I've also changed jobs, within the same company but completely different role. 6 months in and I still couldn't tell you what some of my colleagues look like!

My work had an on-site gym and I miss going there either before or after work, but mainly in my lunch hour. Don't have that option now really (well I could go in the evening I suppose but it's not the same level of convenience )

I've worked there for 15 years so I miss seeing friends, meeting them for lunch or after work drinks.

But mainly I hate that my office is now in my living room and there is no escape! I have a big double screen and laptop set up that takes a huge amount of space. I feel like it's harder to relax in the evening or switch off from work. I feel like my space is no longer my own.

So I hear you op.

Can you imagine being a school leaver / young adult and your first experience of working is in your childhood bedroom on a laptop, trying not to disturb people in your family who are also listening and offering advice about 'how to work', having little social contact with anyone you work with except zooming meetings, not meeting the OH you may go on to marry and never really learning professional etiquette (bar dressing top half appropriately for zooming) that underpins the rest of your career.....and we're supposed to be more worried about mental health nowadays.

@freezingmarch

Can you imagine being a school leaver / young adult and your first experience of working is in your childhood bedroom on a laptop, trying not to disturb people in your family who are also listening and offering advice about 'how to work', having little social contact with anyone you work with except zooming meetings, not meeting the OH you may go on to marry and never really learning professional etiquette (bar dressing top half appropriately for zooming) that underpins the rest of your career.....and we're supposed to be more worried about mental health nowadays.

I was thinking this about graduates

My work did this. I'm in my third week in a new job which is office based. They were gobsmscked when I resigned and horrified when I said why. Too late though. No idea if they are reconsidering.

YANBU @Youngatheart00 and ignore the rude 'drama queen' accusations from some posters.

I have been on furlough since the end of October, and have not been given a date to go back yet (same for DH,) and we are missing the interaction with colleagues and the works social life quite a bit. In addition to not seeing family and (non-work) friends, we have felt quite isolated, even though we have each other.

Sorry you feel so blue, especially as you know you may never go back to the office, and may always work from home...

I work part time and it is also moving to remote working only. Or occasional days in, only a few people there each time.

I am considering getting an additional completely unrelated job, pub or restaurant on the weekends or evening. I like social interaction.

Sympathy, OP, I would hate this too. The last year has been so lonely and I'm really looking forward to going back to the office 3-4 days a week.

The number of mainly low paid workers that are going to be jobless as a result of all this is frightening........ All the cleaners, janitors and shop workers will be the ones suffering the most.

Christ, why do people have to be so nasty?

I have a very 'people interactive' job (school!) and I have been so grateful that I get to see people every day, and I'm not even a particularly social person. My DH has been working from home for a year and has really struggled at times, he misses the office. He will hopefully be going back a couple of days a week eventually, which will be perfect really, he would be gutted if he was never going to go back again.

WFH is crap. People need other people (or I do, anyway). I'd be looking for another job, OP.

I know what you mean OP. I always loved my city commute and my friends at the office, it was nice to have people other than DH and the kids to talk to. I imagine I’d have been depressed WFH when my kids were younger.

YANBU

My former company has done this. I think they have already sold the office space. I still have a lot of friends who work there and they are not happy. Most of them live in one-bedroom flats (London) so they have to have all their work stuff (two screens and other equipment) in their bedroom or living room so there is no escape from work. If I still worked there I'd be resigning and looking for something new.

I’d be looking for a new job.

We’ve all been back in the office full time since last September. There are still firms out there that value human contact.

@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!

Why would you say such a thing? Finding a new job can be extremely difficult.

I totally agree OP - the whole but about loving your job usually has a huge amount to do with the people.

I understand how you feel, OP. My job is and has always been - working from home - but I spent a lot of time away from home visiting sites and clients - home just at the weekends really.

I feel for people who have always worked in offices and miss their colleagues and idea-spinning because that's an intrinsic part of office working. It's been tough for me relegated to Teams meetings only, so I can quite see that home working been an enormous wrench for many people.

I hope that some sort of equilibrium can be re-established, once all the vaccinations have been completed and people get to grips of what it's like to live alongside Covid; it's not going away, we just have to manage it somehow.

I very much agree with MobyDicksTinyCanoe about primarily low-paid workers who will find themselves out of work and competing in huge numbers for very few jobs. It's heartbreaking and that is where furlough-with-knobs-on needs to be concentrated. It should include re-training and active job seeking on behalf of those workers. It must be a terrifying time for so many.

I’ve been WFH for a whole year now. I hate it so much. I never want to do it again. Not even for 1-2 days per week. I might just about accept doing 1-2 days per year (when my site is shut for bad weather). But that’s it. I want my home back.

I don’t work and I don’t really like chat, but I can imagine what this would be like for people who do like the company. It’s a life changer, so it’s not being over dramatic.

Have you considered asking some more questions to the company and raising that you weren’t asked about your perspective of moving to permanent remote working?

I'm envious

I used to live in a tiny studio flat in a badly converted house with noisy neighbours. I got so depressed. I stayed at work late to avoid going home. Home was claustrophobic and miserable.

I enjoy working from home now but it would've been hell in the past.

The demographic of this website will mean that a large number of respondents will think you’ve hit the jackpot. If you were to post this exact same situation on 20somethingsnet or newlygradsnet you’d get many ‘poor you’ responses.

To be honest I’d start looking for a new job if I was told my company were going to a 100% WFH model even though I have 2 young kids. I’ve been doing a day a week WFH for a few years (as has DH) and I like it but prefer to be majority office based.