If you WFH in winter, would you rather?

[WFHinWinter]

1. Go into the office (assuming there is an office space available) and use their light and heat to keep warm.

Or

2. Still work at home despite the added heating costs or faff to try to stay warm without using heating?

I feel like it would just be easier (cost and warmth wise) to go into the office, but at the same time I love home working and not sure I can be arsed to get myself into the office.

You?

I definitely prefer to stay at home. My commute is £40 a day and there’s no way I can use that much energy. In winter I particularly resent being in the office and missing all of the daylight hours. I’m actually more amenable to going into the office in the summer for the air con, but still - I’d rather keep that £40 in my pocket.

Not sure why anyone would pick 2.

Unless their commute costs less than a few £ it's just not financially comparable

*not sure why anyone would pick 1

Gah MN need an edit button

Home.
Going to work is almost always more expensive with travel costs, or work clothes or lunch expenses, generally a combination

Plus you save time at home as no commute. You could theoretically ask to work as extra 30 mins at home to gain that cost of heating. Instead of the commute time either way.
You also won’t freeze getting to and from work.

@WinterMusings Thank you, some helpful suggestions on here, I’ll take these on board. I have to go out to do school run anyway, so once car is warm it’s not much further for me to carry on to work, so I’m thinking if it’s really cold it’ll be cheaper to do this and be warm all day. I’ll see how much the bills v fuel go up in October.

Commutting for a month costs me £750-£800 more if I buy a coffee and lunch. Much cheaper to be at home.

WFH costs me more as I have a garden office to heat, commuting is free as I cycle but would still rather wfh.

2

I WFH through last winter and never put the heating on between 9am & 4pm. If I was cold, I just put on an extra jumper & had a big mug of tea. The amount I save on commuting costs far outweighs any costs of WFH so I’m much better off.

WFH. Costs me more to travel

Home working. Going into the office every day would cost me and DH around £400 each. The energy prices would have to rise a bit before they overtook £800 a month. Currently paying around £190; of course they will rise again in the winter but not to £800!

WFH every time. My commute costs £7.50 per day, plus in winter there’s every chance I’ll end up walking to the station/on to the office in pissing rain. Trains are only once an hour home (pre-pandemic every 20 mins) so a stressful/unpleasant crush on the train.

My office at home has an electric radiator (rest of house on gas) so I only need to heat that room when I’m home alone, and I also wear lots of layers so I don’t need it so much. Will probably buy a heated throw this winter, but the £7.50 commute cost would pay to heat the room.

I’ve just accepted a fully remote role and my biggest worry is isolation rather than bills.

Stay at home. My heating is always on and I can wear warm clothes.

definitely work from home for dh.

WFH

No saving going into the office because my husband would be at home anyway and it would cost me nearly £20 a day in petrol and parking charges.

WFH, id do anything to avoid commuting in the cold, dark & rain! I don't have the heating on during the day just layer up.

Work from home. I love my house. Also it’s £32 a day to go to the office.

My commute is £25. I could have the heating on full blast and I doubt I’d reach that…

100% stay at home and work where I can control the heating and use my heated throw - our offices are never very warm. Winter also means a grim commute in the dark along unlit rural A roads and the constant worry of snow, ice and other bad weather.

Oh and the cost of petrol isn’t anywhere near the cost of gas and electricity here at home.

WFH.
Expensive public transport commute that is far in excess of heating, lighting and other costs at home.

You need to factor in the cost of travel .. work attire - laundry - make up - accessories - coffee / lunch when out - ad hoc purchases that cast your eye

There's also the companionship / friendly face / team working versus the often lonely isolation of being at home and having no division between home and work balance

Hybrid would be a happy medium to cover all bases

2 for the costs, convenience, comfort and disability friendliness.
DH will also be wfh so our commute savings are huge.

2 for me, but it is going to depend on a lot of individual circumstances.

It isn't about the money for me, but the time, the convenience, the productivity, the flexibility, the use of my time when not clocking work hours (ie - I can be productive with tasks at home during lunch break rather than trapped time in an office, plus of course save on commute time).

It used to cost my DH just under £2k pa for his season ticket. It certainly doesn’t cost an extra £2 k in energy for him to WFH!

@alphapie

Well, you could read other peoples posts, then you'd know why some other people make the choices they do.

@WFHinWinter I don't really do either. My job is driving & I don't get mileage paid (long, boring, story). But I have (and may again) do office work (accountancy/office/staff management etc) and have chosen to WFH whenever possible & would only look for WFH if I were to look for office type work again.

avoid the commute
avoid the cos of commute
flexibility for 'life'
get stuff done at home
extra time at home with no commute

i can't think of anything at all that would make me work in an office again.