WFH related, what do you do when?

[Justaonetimeting]

Your technology lets you down? My internet seems fine to me, no problems with streaming Netflix etc but for some reason my connection to the work system just doesn't work every now and again.
I try starting and restarting. I know it's not the laptop as I got a new one from work very recently and had similar issues before on the old one. It just won't load the desktop. I've spoken to IT and they just blame the network, most of my colleagues have similar problems.
My question is what do you do when this happens? I just go into the office but I grow a bit resentful of this as it's not my fault and also with two children home from school I try to get started at 5am so I can do something with them in the middle and then log back on at 4 and work until 7/8. It's just not possible for me to go in the office at these times.
Surely other people have had similar issues since last March? Do you just say 'sorry it's not working today'? I feel so frustrated when it happens, as I genuinely want to crack on. Today I've had to ring round and find someone to have my kids so I can go in as I have so much to do! Really I should be able to say 'sort the network out' and not have to do this every other week.

Prior to Covid I would go into the office. That's not allowed at the moment - if it's a short-term issue I just make the time up. I haven't had anything longer than a couple of hours (touch wood). If it looked like being something longer-lasting I'd ask my manager what she'd prefer me to do.

Are you connecting to your home broadband or using your work's mobile broadband?

If you're using the mobile broadband, that would explain why Netflix works but your VPN doesn't. Maybe try connecting through your home broadband and see if that's any better.

If you are connecting through your home broadband, get an ethernet cable from IT and try plugging directly into your router.

More than one device that can connect helps me.

if your IT department say it's the network, and your colleagiues have the same issues, chances are there's not likely to be anything you can do to fix it. It's not your connection to the internet, via your service provider that's the problem, but the network your company runs. If they aren't going to fix it, then you can either accept it and struggle at home, or go in to the office when it best suits you.

Sorry, I realise this isn't very helpful.

Sounds like your work system isn’t up to that many connections.

Our remote server needed upgrading for this very reason.

My Internet has been fine but if it wasn’t I’d go in to work.

I WFH and work use VPN. I had terrible connection problems to start off with, think several times a day. Work kept telling me it was my router. I didn't think it was as my dd also WFH and had no problems. I blagged a new router from my ISP and it made no difference. Someone told me about powerline plugs and my work life has been transformed.

@DDiva

How old are your kids ? The main issue is that you haven't arranged any holiday childcare. I assume working in the office isn't such a problem when they're at school.

I don't know about the OP, but there is very little holiday childcare available this year. All three holiday clubs that I normally use are not available to my DC. So mine are at home (though my DP and I are splitting our annual leave).

The Main Issue is that the OP's work VPN clearly can't cope with the traffic. OP, ours used to be like this every Friday (when the man and his wife WFH - especially bad after the schools came home at 3pm).
Luckily for me, when the pandemic was starting, so early March, they did a huge amount of work to make the VPN more stable.

All you can do is try to work offline as much as possible, and vary the "I'll go into the office" with "I can't do my job today".

FWIW, I think it's wrong to expect anyone to go into an office if the reason you need to is because of circumstances within the employer's control. Morally, we have a duty to stay at home where possible, and employers therefore have a duty to try to accommodate this. (Obviously this doesn't apply where it is not possible to work from home, but where it is, companies must do what they can to facilitate this.)

But also, mesh networks (such as the BT home hub discs) do make a big difference. If you've got fast internet, there can be a real difference in where you're based in the house, so maybe your tv is getting a better signal from your router?

We all worked remotely before Covid so we don’t even have an office. If my internet went down, I just wouldn’t work.

I’m confused as to how you’re connected to work. Are using WiFi, the mobile internet or connected by Ethernet? The Ethernet option is definitely the most secure and you’re less likely to have connection options.

*connection problems!