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.

WFH should really only be for those not in public facing jobs, Utility companies, insurance, councils, and other companies that serve the public should be in the office so things get done in a timely manner and staff are available to answer the phone. I do not want to do rubbish online chat with a bot because staff aren't available to speak to or other people are in the background that are not part of the workplace.

Hopefully no one on this thread WFH is providing a service to the public

My husband does part time at home and part time in the office. His office moved just before COVID and is currently a 40minute drive, 1 hour train commute and 15minute walk to get too. He cannot park anywhere near his office so driving and park and ride is just as hectic plus more tiring. His train is frequently late/cancelled/delayed mid journey. He is frequently not in his office until 9-9:30 and spends most of his day on the phone or teams meetings with people around the country - rarely actually communicating with people solely based in his office. They then close the office at 4 for everyone to go home. He doesn’t see our children until 6pm (or later if they’ve got clubs etc on).

When he is working from home - he is productively working from 8am until 4/5pm and gets chance to actually see children for breakfast and can say hello when they get home. He is more
productive because there is simple more time
available and he still doesn’t the exact same meetings and phone calls as he would in the office anyway.

I do hybrid. I deffo get more done at home but prefer the office. I have better boundary when I work in office. I finish for the day. I also like observing people and chatting to people.

I do think the winter months and trying to stay warm will push more people into their office if there are choices.

WFH has enabled a lot of disabled people to get back into the work place.

@orangeisthenewpuce Certainly doesn't work with me, I'm always contactable. WFH tech means I am also contactable on both my personal and work phone if I do need to leave my desk during work hours. As I said, it does not suit everyone, but it certainly suits me 😉

Sounds like your issue is that you have not organised childcare whilst you are working.

People should be encouraged and helped to leave abusive relationships. Their colleagues should not have to be forced to go into the office, just so DV victims can be away from their abusers at home.

As I said in the post you’re quoting, DH is the childcare. But, as I also said, we don’t have a big enough house for me to have private workspace that’s well away from the children. Which is one reason why WFH was a bit of a nightmare for me.

It just isn’t perfect for everyone in every situation, including working parents. Sorry and all.

Absolutely, I am so sick of phoning fo Kabila only to speak to someone in a very poor connection in an echoey room.
in my previous job my supervisor worked from home most days and it ended up not working out at all as she was almost impossible to get hold of and it was just a general pain. I hope it ends forever really soon

My partner is a total convert. He has an office space at home and we don’t have kids tho. No sign of his team being sent back work is still getting done how it was and teams still being used for meetings. He works probably longer days without going to the office.

A lot of jobs I see advertised are hybrid or fully remote.

It won't.

I know this is MN heresy because WFH is now a feminist movement, but it really only works in my opinion if there’s childcare in place. It’s one thing to put a wash on or hang it out, but when people are carrying out childcare (and it’s really obvious when they are), it isn’t on. Where I work, there are so many women who won’t do meetings 9-10.30 or 2-3.30, who say they’re logged on at 8 and until 6 but are completely uncontactable, and who are adamant that the work is getting done so it’s fine. Meanwhile the work is getting done by the rest of us without kids.

I love WFH but it needs proper boundaries and good management. If you couldn’t bring your kids to the office, you shouldn’t have them at home.

Where I work, there are so many women who won’t do meetings 9-10.30 or 2-3.30, who say they’re logged on at 8 and until 6 but are completely uncontactable, and who are adamant that the work is getting done so it’s fine. Meanwhile the work is getting done by the rest of us without kids.

What terrible management. Obviously it's completely wrong that these women are meeting their contractual agreements, but why are they being allowed to get away with it? Who are they accountable to? And why aren't the rest of you up in arms?

It’s a hangover from the pandemic, when they were all allowed to reduce their hours 50% on full pay for 18 months, whilst the rest of us worked unpaid overtime. We got on with it because it was unprecedented, but now trying to put the genie back in the bottle is a nightmare. My colleagues don’t want to pay for childcare anymore and attempts to get them back into the office have been met with union involvement. It’s public sector so nothing moves beyond a sluggish pace, and they’re a vocal bunch of people.

The rest of us are up in arms but we just keep getting told it’s being monitored and they’re taking action (which they’re not). The union is involved on our side too but there aren’t as many of us as there are of them, so it’s difficult. I’m no longer working as much unpaid overtime as I was but it’s hard when you’re in service provision to vulnerable people.

Anyway, yeah. I’m looking for a new job, and it’s pretty shit.

Really?

When I go into the office, plenty of people disappear off for a gossip, long lunches, fag breaks (!), surf the internet etc etc.

That’s a management problem. As in they are shit.

Not a wfh problem

It’s public sector so nothing moves beyond a sluggish pace, and they’re a vocal bunch of people

🤨 the pace is usually because of things like pesky employment law or other regulations.

I don’t think me being critical that they’re being sluggish in dealing with a clear management issue is a sign that I’m against employment law protections, but crack on.

I agree. Which is why I said that WFH needs good management.

You did not state that your DH was the childcare, you stated ‘…while DH raced after another child.’
Therefore, I assumed that you did not have adequate childcare in place and that DH may also be trying to unsuccessfully focus on working in a paid role whilst running after children.

I sympathise with you re. lack of space. Even more reason to find childcare which will enable you to get on with your work at home without distraction.

I’ve worked remotely since Covid, although I had the odd day WFH before. We’ll be moving to a hybrid model, which I’m looking forward to for the purpose of collaborative working, change of scene and a chance to catch up with colleagues. I work 4 days pw and also reduced my hours to work shorter days so I can do school runs and do not have to be available when our children are at home (unless they’re at home sick). If I do log on in my own time, it’s my choice. I’ve recently changed jobs to avoid having to work in my own time as much. My current employer actively recruits when staff leave, whereas my previous employer did not.

Which goes back to the point again that people slacking off often gets interpreted differently when it happens in the office, even when the office environment is being used to facilitate the skiving as in your examples. And there are absolutely people who utilise being physically present in a workplace as a way to take the piss, just as there are people who use being at home to do the same.

Essentially, people doing fuck all in the office doesn't get used as an argument that everyone needs to get back into being home based pronto. But there are always some people who think skiving when home based it's a reason why wfh is bad.

I can lots of advantages for parents (mainly women)WFH but I think there are some downsides too
One of my direct reports takes large parts of the day off doing school runs,giving kids their tea ,walking the dog ,supervising homework and then seems to work from 9 until midnight
I am not sure that’s desirable or sustainable
From a selfish point of view it also means that when I log off about 7 having dealt with all emails and planned the following day , I come in to lots of messages from her

Also if an urgent job comes in from a client I do tend to give it to the person I can go and talk face to face with ,it can’t really wait until the school run is over

The people who WFH do rely on people in the Office to do some stuff
This was ok during the pandemic but office based staff are pushing back on this now

Interesting times

Your previous Supervisor was skiving.

Yes I agree! If people are going to slack, they’ll do it regardless of where they are.

but most people don’t slack, most people do their jobs and it’s all fine