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Original poster

Am I the only one who actually LOVES WFH?!

149 replies

Battleoftheislands · 23/09/2021 08:13

I genuinely feel like a bit of a freak as I have seen so, many posts about WFH over the last 18 months on here and an overwhelming number of posts on those threads are stating that they hate it. I’ve started to feel a bit weird about it all and am genuinely thinking, is there something wrong with me socially because I’m honestly okay with not seeing many people?

I will pre-face this by saying I am extremely fortunate to have a nice house and a designated study to work in so I appreciate that this plays a huge, huge part, but I really don’t want this thread to be derailed and turned into a bloody class debate.

Is there anyone else on here that enjoys WFH and doesn’t wish to go back to the office? My colleagues and I all meet up every 5-6 weeks for a ‘social’ event so that’s working well in keeping us all ‘bonded’ if you like and I speak to them a lot during the day day on Teams meetings etc.

Honestly, I used to do so much travelling, I’d cover 450 miles a week in my car and I was completely burnt out. I don’t miss that part at all.

I love being able to walk my dog every lunchtime, I have more time for exercise now so have taken up running 3-4 times a week. I see my husband more, I can whip the hoover around or hang a wash up if I get a spare 10 mins etc which means my weekends have been freed up.

I also try and ensure I have a social life and meet up with friends or family every weekend to do something. I have a hobby that I do 2 evenings a week too so see people then. I see the odd person out when I’m walking the dog at lunch and as it’s a small village, mostly know them so have a chat.

Can we have a bit of a WFH appreciation thread for those that enjoy it?

OP posts:
minionsrule · 23/09/2021 14:56

Another one here who loves wfh.
I used to do 1 or 2 days a week from home and actually thought I would struggle wfh permanently as I am usually a f2f person.
I've gained 90 mins a day back, I take a proper lunch break and I can log in early without having to get up at stupid o'clock.
DH and I work for the same company so used to commute together so if one needed to stay late / go in early we both did.

Winederlust · 23/09/2021 15:11

Another lover of WFH here. Did it part time pre-covid anyway but full time is brill for all the reasons PP have given.
There's currently a push at my work for us to go back 2 days a week, citing things like team building etc. My team are scattered across the country so I wouldn't see them in the office anyway and a PP's comment struck me that actually, I've got to know my team much more intimately in the last 18 months than I had in the 18 months prior (through Teams meetings and Teams chats rather than just catching each other from time to time at the tea point). I just don't see the benefit of going into the office for the sake of it!

Lansonmaid · 23/09/2021 15:17

I love it - cut out a lot of commuting that was just wasted time. Like being able to nip out to the kitchen to put washing on, to walk the dogs, to be flexible about the hours I work. I'd hate to go back to the office. But as pp have said it depends on your house.

CrumpleHornedSnowcack · 23/09/2021 15:17

I enjoy it on the occasional day but having spent over a year working from home I hated it (and I have a home office). I really missed that Friday feeling & ended up just generally fed up & bored of my surroundings

SirChenjins · 23/09/2021 15:17

I've got to know my team much more intimately in the last 18 months than I had in the 18 months prior (through Teams meetings and Teams chats rather than just catching each other from time to time at the tea point). I just don't see the benefit of going into the office for the sake of it!

This is so true! I've had more contact with my (geographically spread) team and colleagues over the last 18 months that I have in the last 10 years.

Noshowlomo · 23/09/2021 15:20

I love it! Got to work 2 days in office and it annoys me greatly as there isn’t one thing I can’t do from home and 70% of my team are homeworking so I don’t see them anyway.
I am going to look for a permanent WFH role next year.. got my own office and it’s great. No long expensive commute and take my son to childcare and pick him up as well. I love it

cuppycakey · 23/09/2021 15:54

I bloody love it and most of my colleagues do too. Out of 75 of us, only one wants to work in the office FT. Most want to WFH full time, and about 30% want to do hybrid.

Luckily for me I can continue to wfh long term Smile

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 23/09/2021 16:24

Loads and loads of people love it! Maybe even a majority. At our work there’s a massive fuss being made from some quarters about having to come back - and we’re only taking two days per week.

I prefer a mix personally- I hate the commute and the time it takes but I like seeing people.

PieMistee · 23/09/2021 16:26

Love it! Would never work in an office again. I can work hours I want. My boss is amazing, completely trusts us to get the work done to a high standard and so we do..

midlifecrash · 23/09/2021 16:31

I am currently on an office day as we are mixed wfh/office now - great to see people but much talking and have got much less done

Daisyandroses · 23/09/2021 16:33

I do. It’s the only way I’m able to go back after maternity leave as a twin Mum also with an older child! I love it for every reason you’ve listed.

I think in general, working parents love it.

I do feel sad for younger people though. As starting work in my early 20’s massively shaped me as a person and built my confidence.

My children are babies but I hope they will have the opportunity to do the same in some way, no matter which career they choose.

Annoyedanddissapointed · 23/09/2021 16:36

I get why people hate it when they don't have a space for it. I got no kids and have designated office/box room.

Interestingly I always considered myself an extrovert, out and about with different people, can't shut up but I love this. I do like occasional day in the office still.

Bells3032 · 23/09/2021 16:37

I much prefer it. I was never one who based my social life around the office anyway. three hours a day less commuting on hot trains, time to do laundry etc during my lunch hour. I am 20 weeks pregnant and i got to have lunch time naps in my first trimester when i was exhausted.

Honestly i don't miss my stuffy office, unclean bathroom and i probably get more work done with less interruptions. I don't spend time searching for meeting rooms or a desk to work on in our over capacity workspace. I just hop onto Teams and meet with my team and not disturbed by background noises.

Much much prefer it even when i was in my tiny flat and working off the same table as my husband

Daisyandroses · 23/09/2021 16:40

@Bells3032 yes to unclean bathroom! I think one of the main reasons I love working from home is access to my own loo! As weird as that sounds. Grin

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 23/09/2021 16:47

My productivity has only doubled because I'm working extra hours! We're back in the office 2 days a week thank god - as much as I love DH I need to see other people.

I presume a lot of the people who love wfh have a proper set up whereas I'm working from the dining table, meaning have to eat off our laps the whole time and I can never close the door on work.

TheReluctantPhoenix · 23/09/2021 16:48

Money + middle age= great WFH.

No money + youth=awful WFH.

If you have already built your career and have a lovely house and are married (or long term attached) the. What isn’t to like about WFH?

If you want to be noticed, mentored, maybe meet someone romantically, go out for (real) drinks after work, live in a crappy box, WFH is rubbish.

LukeEvansWife · 23/09/2021 16:49

What about middle aged and no money?

TheReluctantPhoenix · 23/09/2021 16:50

@LukeEvansWife,

I don’t know.

Maybe middle ground? Pluses and minuses…

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 23/09/2021 16:52

@TheReluctantPhoenix your post comes across as very snobbish. I'm middle aged and married and fairly comfortably off but I don't have a spare room as we have a one bedroom flat and it's not a crappy box!

Daisyandroses · 23/09/2021 16:53

Well in that case I’m middle aged at 30..

TheReluctantPhoenix · 23/09/2021 16:54

@PinkSparklyPussyCat,

It is quite the reverse.

It is an argument for those who have made their money and success by networking in a real office not to pull the ladder up underneath them.

I am not sure how you read snobbery into it.

LaetitiaASD · 23/09/2021 16:54

Personally I love work from home. I am lucky like OP - half decent house and a study.

Advantages - comfortable clothes, no commuting time, no commuting cost, no workmates to annoy me, no workmates to distract me, can put on my own choice of music or radio, have everything I need to hand if I need to do personal admin in the working day, no pressure to have pointless work drinks every week, etc etc

Disadvantage (for me) - nope, nothing, I got nothing.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 23/09/2021 16:56

Sorry if I took it the wrong way @TheReluctantPhoenix. I was told on another post that WFH would mean those living in squalor, i.e. me, would be able to buy somewhere better with the money we'll save and it made me a bit over sensitive!

Daisyandroses · 23/09/2021 16:57

@TheReluctantPhoenix on the flip side we have quite a few young people who started WFH projects at the same time as me, have done amazingly well and have managed to make a name for themselves. I have a friend who started our project and is now leading the team.

You have to adapt and it’s not always going to work but it can.

SirChenjins · 23/09/2021 16:58

If you want to be noticed, mentored, maybe meet someone romantically, go out for (real) drinks after work, live in a crappy box, WFH is rubbish

That really all depends on the type of office you work in - a lot of people don’t work in offices where they have mentoring programmes, formal or informal, or after-hours drinks. It’s not a blanket youth = awful wfh. My son is 24, he and his friends love wfh most of the week - they go in one or two days, but it saves them a fortune in commuting costs, they’re actually better off not having to pay train fares, petrol, parking charges and so on. That money saved then goes on travel, nights out and so on. They seem very happy - DD who is frontline NHS is quite jealous!