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?

YANBU

WFH has never appealed to me before the pandemic, I live on my own and the complete isolation of it was driving me bananas. I talk regularly to my team even when I’m working home but I’m mixing WFH and office at the moment and realise how nice it is to see people I’m not close enough to that I wouldn’t call or message them randomly if we were all WFH but it’s nice to pass the time of day in the office. Possibly the loneliness of the last year is getting to me!

For young people just getting started in the careers I think it’s the worst. They’re missing out on the social aspect of work and are more likely to be living in house shares and not have suitable work space.

We're still in limbo at our place. Apparently "guidelines" are going to be issued soon about what wfh in the future will look like for us.

A lot of our office has been in FT since September through choice. At the moment they are leaving it up to us to decide how much we want to be in the office.

For me, one day a week in the office would be plenty. We can't talk properly in the office now anyway - we are all sat at individual desks surrounded by partitions. Others are happy to go in every day. I think it depends on so many factors - home circumstance, commute, whether you're a natural extrovert or introvert, level of seniority etc.

If we went back to full time office working or just one day at home then I'll be looking elsewhere for a job. My life is so much better now and I don't want to give that up.

I'm a secondary school teacher so I have now had a couple of bouts of WFH mixed in with a weird version of normal working.

YANBU. I knew fully WFH was temporary which made it easier to handle, but I was so bored! DH normally works 50% from home, which is perfect for him, but he's now struggling after a year of seeing very few people irl.

Working at home all the time, 100% on screens, I don't think is good for anyone.

This is a really good point that doesn’t get mentioned often. It will be interesting to see in a couple of years time whether there has been an impact on eyesight. We all know screens are bad for your eyes (which is why employers pay for an eye test if you use a screen!).

Then there’s the impact of spending more time sat down and not walking around so much. We shouldn’t underestimate the general activity level of being in an office, moving between meetings, going out to clients, popping across the office floor to speak to a colleague. And that’s before you even get into a public transport/walking/cycling commute. I do get there is probably less of an impact if you drive to work.

No level of exercise/walking during the week at the moment seems to even get close to the calorie burn of a normal day in the office for me. That may improve when the gyms reopen I guess but I still don’t think it will fully make up for overall reduction in activity level.

I get the impression there’s a London/regional divide here. Would love to know if that’s the case, and what people who work in other large cities think.

I live in Birmingham. Our office is a twenty minute walk away, from my nice suburb to the fringe of a dingy one. It's far too big, and was chosen by an ex director for its proximity to his home. There's nothing nice within walking distance for a thirty minute lunch break.

We're considering a much smaller office in either a nice suburb or more likely a very small serviced office in the city centre that will fit max half of the staff plus flexi meeting space.

The latter would place us amongst similar businesses, and would allow work teams to meet frequently - no team is bigger than half the staff. Plus staff prefer that at least if they're commuting, it will be to somewhere worth being when you get there.

(we haven't informed them yet, but there'll be an official wfh "package" for equipment, utilities etc, as we expect office use to be minimal)

I can understand why this is happening and think it will be widespread; I actually did a study into home working on a ftse 500 company pre covid. Collected and analysed hundreds of professional opinions.

• A high number were commuting at significant time/expense (both in and outside London).
• Childcare costs decreased substantially. Less commuting less wrap around care.
• Productivity was higher. More hours were worked overall by WFH staff yet they still perceived themselves as having a ‘better and healthier’ lifestyle. Largely due to autonomy over working hours.

-The vast majority of the workforce did prefer to WFH, at least PT.

Add that, Companies have now had to invest in equipment and set up to allow WFH and they can save ££££ on office overheads whilst also being ‘holistic, enviro friendly and trendy’ in their working styles. Ofc they’re going to do it it makes so much sense.

I’m afraid some staff wanting to have a reason to put on nice clothes and have a daily chat to colleagues isn’t really important to companies.

The real issues with this are;

• What happens to all the unused office space...etc. Turn into homes? Maybe for city centre locations but who wants to live on industrial estates? The companies who own these will be screwed.
• Cleaners, caterers, security staff, receptionists, facilities management... no offices no jobs
• Small businesses reliant on ‘lunch rush’ I worked in a city centre office and can name at least 20 cafes/small businesses whose customer base were workers on lunch. Also bigger companies like costs/pret will take a hit.
• The high street, you’d be surprised how much city centre workers contribute to the high street impulse buying on lunches.
• Car parks and public transport.

The ripple effect will be pretty significant

I get the impression there’s a London/regional divide here. Would love to know if that’s the case, and what people who work in other large cities think

I can only speak for my own study ^ mentioned above. But honestly much less than you’d think.
The average commute time and attitudes toward WFH was actually impacted more highly by factors like age, gender and salary than geographical area.

I voted U as I love being able to work from home most of the time, I have a busy family life, and I love the quiet solitude of being at home alone, with no commute.

But then I think back to when I was young, single and carefree, and I loved my working life, and the incessant socialising we did. It was so much fun. Life would have been much less colourful without it. In fact, DH and I probably wouldn’t have even got together!

So on that basis, YANBU.

It will be interesting to see that if companies originally based in London who are now asking staff to WFH only will start looking at a wider location area when recruiting new staff. There will be no reason to pay 'London' wages when someone can be recruited elsewhere.

YANBU. My workplace is the same. All offices have been permanently closed. All new starters will also work at home. It’s a huge, huge change. It actually suits me, but for many it is terrible - cramped in shared flats, working out of your bedroom, no decent WiFi, loneliness etc. All the facilities staff who worked in the building have been made redundant.

I feel for you but I LOVE working from home. I'm late 30s with small children and it's saved me costs on travel, extra hours at nursery and my cleaner (as I now do my cleaning before work and during my lunch break!) I feel organised and calm without any commute. I don't miss it one bit and I'm glad we are not going back!

That said, I also feel for younger people or people like you who want that social interaction. I love being alone at home (as I normally have small people climbing all over me!) but I imagine it can get lonely.

Meant to add, the company I work for has several offices in cities across the country, including the north of England, London, Scotland, Wales etc. All offices are closing.

It’s been great for us as DH was staying in london most of the week while I stayed in Wales. (We moved from london to Wales) However, I agree that most offices could do with providing real interaction. It should be opening the option of home working really, especially for those with long long commutes, rather than all office work being stopped.

If you don't like your job, why not look for something that has more interaction with others?
Personally, I'd love to wfh permanently. It's so nice not having to put up with annoying colleagues in the office. Don't have to listen to their constant wittering on about stuff!

@Windchangeface thank you for sharing, that’s interesting. I guess where I was coming from with London is really driven by the large number of young professionals, many of whom are attracted to jobs in London for the lifestyle that goes around it. Then once you’ve built up your life around that being cut off from the office life seems to have a bigger impact. So I can totally see how it would be impacted by the factors you mention.

WFH works for some but not for all. Unlike the OP we have been surveyed and the majority want wfh with exceptions such as team meetings and supplier visits. However, when the office re-opens, those who have difficulties doing so (space, other family members present, or other reasons) can go back to an office if they wish.

My concern is for some local businesses (though others may thrive) and public transport, especially buses. Roads will not be that much quieter, in part because of lazy parents who don't walk them and their able bodied children short distances to school.

I am still able to talk with my work colleagues, excellent people to work with but colleagues not friends. Boundaries do need to be set be they the self-imposed ones (don't answer emails out of work hours except where you have genuine on call responsibility and are paid for it) or the work ones.

@CarriesFlower82 that’s great that you have saved money but you’ve already mentioned two businesses who are adversely impacted by you wfh. Your nursery will be receiving less fees and your cleaner less income. Not so great for them.

Only some sectors are affected though. Many jobs can't be done remotely.
Overall I think it is a good thing.
Will cut down on the number of cars on the road, lower commute time lead to a greater flexibility change the nature of the workplace, making it easier for those with caring responsibilities.

Work isn't a social club- if people are using it to fill a personal need for chit chat then then we should consider whether the 40 hour week is too long and inefficient.
Maybe we should be looking at a 28 hour model, working solidly and then freeing up lots more time for people to socialise and have leisure time.

I’m another who loves it
I found work , the politicos , the people really made me anxious

I’m also a LP and it really works for me to be home

But that’s just me , I do get that others don’t feel the same

I would hate this OP - work can be so much more than just a job and having to work throughout the pandemic is what/has kept me sane knowing there is life outside the front door.

I understand the concern. However, why not join an organisation such as Rotary, Round Table, or Rotaract, depending on your ago. 35 years ago, we moved from London to Lancashire to buy and run a shop. My partner went from a corporate job based in a large office with several hundred workers, to a business employing one other person. As his job was liaising between the sales and marketing departments he met with lots of people everyday. He knew 2 people who were not members of my family. My cousin invited him to join Round Table. He was instantly part of 30+ people, meeting and working on projects. As he got older he moved to Rotary. We have now has 35 years of a fantastic social life, having met people on all walks of life. His friends now include car salesmen, small businessmen, the retired county coroner, a couple of teachers, a Geordie who also happens to be an African Chief, as well as employees from all walks of life. We are not particularly philanthropic, but the fund raising has included Santa floats, dinners, quizzes, a beer festival and marshaling events. Later this year they are organising a rock concert. Through the pandemic they have met via Zoom and it has kept our sanity and given us a huge support bubble. It has really opened our lives up. These organisations are desperate for younger members to join. The old rules have gone. They just need enthusiastic younger people to join and enjoy the fun and fellowship that we have. If you are going to be stuck at home all day, you will be saving a couple of hours everyday in commuting, getting ready, winding down etc. Why not use the time to meet new people and give yourself a new social structure.

Even in the us , my husband job is doing the same. I miss the days i had the house all to myself when I am home. Now it is in constant mess from 4 adults (husband, college son, and sister) and one child . With so many meals , and dishes- son with red meat allergy, husband and daughter picky eaters, my sister is vegan. Adults are messier because they snack and cook all day long—- thanks to remote jobs and schools

Anyway, my husband and I feel working at home is actually an invasion of privacy (they can hear your home life, or see it) and a robbery of internet.