To feel WFH has had its day a bit?

[Seaswimminginwinter]

Bosses think workers do less from home - bbc article

My job doesn’t lend itself to WFH but I have noticed on nearly every thread on here about WFH, people insist that they are more productive. However, I have to admit that this doesn’t match with my experiences. But I am one person so maybe I’ve been unlucky, except this article is quite interesting about perceptions.

I also think it changes homes and areas. My own DH is WFH today and it is my day off, meaning I will spend it feeling as f I am I the way in my own home. Homes aren’t meant to be offices.

I get there are advantages but overall I don’t think it works well at all.

Works brilliantly for me.
I wfh 3/4 days a week and I'm probably more productive as I don't have people interrupting me.

As a parent to a young child it has also helped me develop and progress in my career as I have a degree of flexibility.

I don't like listening to someone washing the dishes while on a call with me....

If anyone is actually doing that then they're just unprofessional and would be regardless of where they worked.

I agree it does depend on the job though.

I don’t actually work with anyone. Although we are a department our work is solely ours individually and we only “work together” if some numpty has underestimated the time needed to complete a job. Even then it gets cut down into smaller part so I will do part A, next person does part B etc.

Surely most government offices, civil service should be going back to the office, at least part time, as we have seen a clear decline in services such as passports, driving licences etc and no doubt much more. Of course some who WFH are honest and work their full hours (or more in some cases) but there are also many who take advantage. Just heard on R4 this morning that many companies say that wfh staff are less productive, and any attempts to remotely monitor are met with howls of outrage

My dh has been remote working for 11 years now and it was always called that not wfh. We have accepted he always needs a dedicated office space so have purchased homes accordingly. I can imagine if you aren’t set up for it then it must be much more difficult. I think that’s part of the problem. A few more years down the line and those things may improve. However certainly plenty of people simply cannot afford an office in their home. So I don’t see how it’s sustainable for so many employers to have remote working only.
In the past before we moved rurally, my dh would work in a co working centre for free which may be an option for some people. It was provided by a university

We all wfh, home of 4 adults, not a covid thing, something DH & I have done for years. We do have a custom designed & built garden office through, makes life easier.

I think the problem is that too many people think WFH only came in because of Covid.

Whereas many of us have been working efficiently and productively from home for years because our job is a remote role.

I’ve been working in my field based job for nearly 9 years. It’s a regional role. It’s always been WFH because of the nature of the role and because we only have 1 office and that is 100 miles away from where I live. So I can hardly pop into the office.

Plenty of us have been working from home productively and with high performance for many years before Covid reared its ugly head. WFH is not a new concept.

I don't understand why those same companies find it so difficult to set reasonable targets for whatever the work is and then talk to employees if they're not met. WFH doesn't change that basic practice. But I guess it's easier to moan on the radio.

I would have resigned from my career if WFH hadn't appeared - I couldn't handle the two hours each day of commuting, and then having to sometimes work until 11pm and still being an hour away from the office.

The working until 11pm still sometimes happens, the deadlines still happen, the work still has to get done to the same level - except now, I can work to get the job done, then close my laptop and go to bed.

I am definitely more productive, and happier (therefore more willing to work hard). Depends on your industry and role I think.

I've worked from home in some capacity since 2005. But I agree you need dedicated space, you can't be expected to tiptoe around someone. If you don't have the space they need to go into the office or work in a local co-working hub.

his commute was a 30min cycle and he hasn't replaced that exercise which isn't good I often do a "fake commute" where I go out for a 20 minute walk before work/the school rush starts. If I miss the morning window, I go out for a walk at lunchtime, and try to do at least 2 miles.

I was WFH years before covid on account o f my and my child's disabilities, no affordable or suitable childcare and no family support. Not very well paying or many hours but a lifeline that kept me sane and in the workforce and less isolated. If WFH had been a thing years earlier I might as saved the career I worked so hard to get and lost.

I am not sure whether the post is about you thinking people are not right saying they are more productive when working at home or about you not feeling comfortable on your day off with a husband working from home.

I have the experience that with my job when I am at home and get to sit down at the time that suits me I am way more productive then at work when theres people around me or I am just not physically or mentally at best for work. I have been working from home since years ago so have fairly long experience with this, not just over the last two years. My colleagues who now get one day a week to wfh if they want to say the same. It very much depends on the work you need to do and if you are able to actually make yourself sit down and put the hours in.

I'm sure people who are ambitious are doing a great job, unfortunately not everyone is.

I've seen threads on here with tips on how to look like you are working (mouse on mirror, gadgets brought from amazon) when you are napping and not working.

Companies aren't running properly on ground level. My friend works in insurance and does everything she can to not answer the phone.

It now takes 21 days to hear back from my local council as noone is on the phone, it took 3 months to get registered with my energy company. Their phone lines still blame covid.

It's not working.

Hybrid working is the way to go! My job lends itself to WFH part of the time. I could probably do 90% from home but chose to do a roughly 50-50 split.

I've been saying for years (way before Covid) that big companies should be made to facilitate hybrid working where appropriate. For context, I am a nurse but in a mixed clinical/office role and DH is a hospital based health care professional so I know lots of people don't have the option to WFH. I will be flamed for this but I also said if I ruled the world, pensioners would be kept off the roads for non essential travel until after 10am to ease the rush hour traffic - my 70 plus year old neighbour likes to get her shopping done by 9am so she can have 'the rest of the day to herself' to basically sit and watch TV or potter around in the garden - and she goes every day as otherwise she is just 'storing the stuff for Morrisons'!! WTF.

By facilitating a proportion of the workforce to WFH as appropriate, we could massively cut pollution, reduce the commute time for those who need to travel to work/school run/hospital appointments etc, protect the roads from wear and tear etc. Hybrid working means that supporting businesses such as coffee shops would still have customers - okay so maybe fewer but people would be more likely to spend more/treat themselves on the days they were in the office as they would be saving on petrol/bus and train fairs etc. When I was full time in the office, I always took my own lunch as the commute was very expensive but now when I am only in a few days, me and my colleagues always go out for lunch and a social catch up so we definately spend more in the surrounding cafes.

I think it shoud be more 'official' though eg help with heating/electricity costs for employees WFH. And employers should be made to demonstrate efficiency and tackle employees taking the piss and support those not able to function as well at home eg by providing the correct equipment. It really annoys me when people claim to be just as efficient/more efficient WFH yet when you contact the company , you get a message saying they will take longer to respond as people are WFH!!! People can't have it both ways.

Irrespective of whether people WFH or not, the mad rush hour commute when half the population needs to be on the road/train at the same time is outdated and frankly ridiculous in this day and age.

Dh works from home 3 days a week and he's top of the billable hours chart by a reasonable margin. I think it's personality to a degree, he likes being able to structure those days around the family but he also does way more than his contracted hours per week across the average week. Personally I like the separation of home/work and would never want a job involving wfh.

Surely most government offices, civil service should be going back to the office, at least part time, as we have seen a clear decline in services such as passports, driving licences etc and no doubt much more

There's a difference between the central government offices in London and elsewhere, which are not customer-facing, and therefore people can work anywhere; and customer-facing call centres etc, where you need to be in the workplace to get the job done properly. Although the DVLA delays weren't and aren't down to WFH, they were down to people not working at all and going on strike. Passport delays are probably simply down to demand.

I agree ! Something needs to change at this level.

Irrespective of whether people WFH or not, the mad rush hour commute when half the population needs to be on the road/train at the same time is outdated and frankly ridiculous in this day and age

Yes exactly this.

For me, WFH hasn’t been a good thing. As a naturally lazy person I find it really hard to motivate myself and not get distracted at home. I’m someone who does best under micromanaging. I’ve always needed to be in a “place of work” to knuckle down and concentrate - the only reason I got a first at uni is because I went to the silent section of the library and sat there 6 days a week! When I can knuckle down I’m really good at my job. At home I’m scrolling on my phone, on the Daily Mail, cleaning etc. I’m writing this now instead of working! In the office my manager sits in front of me so I have to actually work.

I do want to progress and not stay at the same level forever, but WFH is definitely hindering me in that. I live an hour from the office so come in once a week, but if I lived locally I’d be in every day. My husband is exactly the same as me. Spends all day watching Youtube and football. I also prefer the social side of the office, putting on makeup, nice clothes and driving with the radio on. Much better mental health than slobbing around at home in a tracksuit.

My industry have been doing hybrid for 21 years. It’s a mature model when people are mature, trustworthy and work hard.

I have various spaces around the house that I can work from. I put work away at the weekend

@ASimpleLampoon - I'm sorry to hear that about your career - that must have been devastating for you. I really hope a good thing to come out of the pandemic is that companies are more flexible so that people are helped into employment when they have challenging circumstances and are retained when their circumstances change. 💐

I will be flamed for this but I also said if I ruled the world, pensioners would be kept off the roads for non essential travel until after 10am to ease the rush hour traffic

Ha ha, maybe supermarkets could offer 10% off one (weekday) morning a week like B&Q does/did for the over 65s (67s?), to encourage retired people not to do their shopping on Saturday mornings!

Also far more cycle paths and (more) priority for cyclists and pedestrians to get more people out of their cars when taking kids to school. Not just for environmental reasons, but to free up the roads for people who actually need to be driving, and aren't sitting near the school with their engines running for half an hour plus.

I have been happily remote working since the start of the pandemic and have moved recently to a hybrid working policy so going into the office 1-2 days a week.

I was initially dreading it but I have enjoyed the interactions with colleagues I haven't seen in person for a long time, going out for a coffee etc. There are definite benefits of face to face meetings for communication, training and the general building of relationships.

However ..... my office days are far less productive, I get less actual work done. I am in an analytics role so really benefit from a quiet working environment - something I don't get in an open plan office.

Generally though, hybrid working is here to stay - something I am quite happy about.

no offence @kc431 but these are all things you can change! You say you managed to knuckle down when doing your degree and get a first so it shows you can do it. But people taking the piss like this will spoil it for others.

I've done it on and off for 30 years. It works fine if you're disciplined and goal oriented.