To think we shouldn't assume WFH is easier / cheaper?

[BoredtoTiers]

Having read quite a few pieces in the ongoing debate about return to the office, some of the arguments being put forward have been that WFH is necessarily easier / cheaper (often accompanied by a suggestion that it's totally fine to pay less to home workers).

Now obviously, employers can make a job office based and employees can either accept that or go elsewhere. This isn't really about that.

My own experience is that home working has been more expensive and longer term will be cost neutral at best. Easier? In some ways, but not in others.

Yet I see a lot of articles and posts in threads suggesting that of course it's easier / cheaper. Often this is based on things like the cost of a London commute. AIBU to think that this argument simply doesn't hold water for many who have shifted to home working during the pandemic?

why is WFH more expensive for you,OP?

I’ve definitely found it cheaper. No fuel costs. No temptations to buy lunch out and I’ve not bought any new work clothes in two years. What’s not to like?

So much cheaper. No need for work clothes, fewer haircuts, don't buy lunches or coffees and no transport costs. We saved a fortune wfh.

Much cheaper for me too.

Wfh meant we had to have the heating on a lot more than we did when we were both in the office. It increased our gas bill by 100%. Neither DH or I have much of a commute cost (both walking distance from our jobs)

I am saving money as no train fares to pay but I do find myself working through my commuting time sometimes. So work are getting a bit more from me in that respect.

I used to walk in, now using energy at home, gas and electricity. I definitely think my costs have increased, but I do like WFH.

No WFH for me as I’m a teacher, but it’s saved DH a fortune. £400+ a month train fares, no need for work clothes/shoes/lunches/coffees etc

The 4 hours a day extra time that used to be spent travelling has been a huge bonus to mental health and work/life balance as well.

Why and how has home working been MORE expensive for you?!

It's been more expensive for me to work at home. I've been at home now since mid March 2020, so just short of 2 years. In that time I've been in the office for 5 days, with no sign of going back.

I live pretty much in the city centre, I had no commuting costs, I used to walk to and from work daily. I had an on-site gym with a hairdresser, both were really reasonably priced.

Since being at home my gas/electric bills have hugely increased and worse will come. I had to by a desk/office set up. Had to increase my broadband package when the DCs were also at home and have never reduced this as it's better for work. I've had to join a much more expensive gym. So it has really cost me more.

Not directly related, but I've also decorated, bought new furniture etc because I was sick of looking at the same old things day in, day out!!

Home heating is the big additional cost for me. And I do much less incidental exercise. Those two reasons alongside not getting to see my colleagues who I generally like and find it useful to bounce ideas off, are why I'm back in the office a couple of days a week (employer has left it up to us, but more and more people are now coming in).

I think it probably comes down to your job/commute. Namely do you drive far or do you cycle/walk. If you drive do you get free parking or do you have to pay. If you get a train it is long distance and do you also drive part way?

For some worming for home may not be cheaper if they cycle and take packed lunches. For many though it is cheaper especially as more and more cities look to introduce congestion/emissions charges.

It is also a quality of life thing for many - ie rather than spending 2 hours driving each day they only have the drive once or twice a week. I know some would rather be in the office 5 days but for many WFH does improve quality of life.

I can see it's cheaper for those with long commutes/going into London.

But where I work a large proportion of the workforce lives within a 15-20 minute drive and many walk or cycle.

wfh was more expensive for me as I can walk to work. I also used walking to work as exercise and destress time, so had to replace it with something else while wfh so therefore not saving any time. I had the same lunch wfh as I would working in the office.

Meantime my gas and electricity bills have gone up, and my job takes longer to do remotely.

I don't live far from work, about 15 mins drive and free parking. So since wfh I save maybe £30 a month in petrol costs but my gas and electric bill has increased by more than that.

For those who have a long and expensive commute, it's easy to see how wfh is much cheaper for them. But it's also not difficult to understand how someone with a short commute could be paying out way more in gas and electric.

Most people can't walk to work and don't get free lunches there, so it'll almost always be cheaper to work from home. So even with heating costs, it's cheaper. "Easier" depends on what you mean.

It is cheaper for me, but I still use wraparound care. I hate it though. I don’t have a dedicated space to work. If this carries on we’re going to have to squeeze in a garden office, extension or something which isn’t cheap. We don’t have the borrowing power to move. DH bought a partnership at work a few years ago,which sucked up all that capacity.

Someone was arguing this where I work the other day. Their opinion was that it should be the WFH employees who get extra allowances etc, not those in the office.

I think people will vote with their feet. If it turns out they're desperate to get back to offices and employers can't accommodate them, they'll have to incentivise more people to WFH. I suspect that won't happen though.

I save £100 in parking, I don't buy lunches, any increase in electric or heating is negated by this. But, I live alone have a separate work area and I appreciate not everyone has the luxury of those two which enable me to do my job effectively from home.

Not cheaper for me as I used to cycle to work so I am spending money on heating/lighting etc that I didn't before.

I prefer it though, I am choosing to go in one day a week.

Easier in that I can work in my yoga gear, not have to spend half an hour making the effort to look 'corporate'. Deliveries, sticking a load of washing on or prepping a long cook dinner and sticking it in the oven on a late lunch etc. I wouldn't want to go back in full time.

I choose to work in the office 5 days a week. It’s cheaper in terms of electricity and gas.
My son’s nursery is opposite work( secured place before the 3rd lockdown)
Save on tea bags and milk- I drink a lot of tea!

The mental cost has to be considered too- at the office we can have a chat, bounce off each other and we are there to work. WFH took a toll on my emotional well-being- I couldn’t separate work from home.
I think it’s different if you have a dedicated space but not if you live in a small place.

Don't get me wrong, I actually like much about working from home & my dept are now at home for the vast majority of the time, so I'm not whinging & I can afford it. I just dislike that suggestion that it must be easier / cheaper (often with a follow on that home workers should be paid less). I see most comments have focussed on cost, which is fair enough, but am also interested in the 'easier' aspect.

As to my own personal costs:

• My commute was by an efficient car so not all that expensive in terms of petrol. I still need to run the car, so not a huge saving.
• More money spent on electricity / gas due to being at home & I have an old house in Scotland.
• I did say I might end up cost neutral. Quite a bit of money spent upfront on setting up proper home working areas as unlike some others, this is no-longer a temporary thing for myself and DH. Of course that also comes at the cost of dedicating more of my own personal space to a working environment, albeit that isn't a monetary cost.
• My work had a heavily subsidised canteen and gym.

It has definitely cost me more. Mainly in heating.

I live less than a mile from the office so no cost saving there. I've never had to buy specific work clothes so no saving there. There was no where nearby to buy lunch so I always brought my own anyway.

It's just generally lonelier and more expensive.

I had to cut back on costs, I only use my broadband for work so that's gone this month. I'm using my work phone hotspot to connect, that will be an interesting conversation.

More expensive for me as I had to heat the house all day and use my own tea, coffee and biscuits!

And it's hardly environmentally friendly to heat perhaps 100 homes instead of one office.

@RoscoeConklin

Not cheaper for me as I used to cycle to work so I am spending money on heating/lighting etc that I didn't before.

I prefer it though, I am choosing to go in one day a week.

Easier in that I can work in my yoga gear, not have to spend half an hour making the effort to look 'corporate'. Deliveries, sticking a load of washing on or prepping a long cook dinner and sticking it in the oven on a late lunch etc. I wouldn't want to go back in full time.

I like all of these aspects as well. I much prefer popping a load of washing on when I'm off for a cup of tea than running around trying to do everything before or after work!

'Dead time' in the office was absolutely that, whereas I do appreciate that I have more options as to how I use e.g. short breaks between meetings.

I'm a 40 minute drive from work. Wfh saved me:
Petrol
Buying pens/stationery
Sweets for kids
Childcare costs ( obviously when kids were off, but if dh wfh, he can nip out and drop off/ pick up thus saving 5 hours of childcare)

More £££ to work at home...

Heating and electric use
Wear and tear on my PC
Use up more loo roll, hand-wash, tea, milk etc.

I walked to work as nearby so never had commuter costs.