Does anybody feel happier WFH?

[Spanakopitas]

I've never done it before, but I've got a new job which is 60% WFH 40% office based, and I've no idea what to expect.
I am just ready for a change. I've always worked in education and social care which involve being around others constantly, I've never had an office sort of role.
I'm fed up of toxic workplaces, cliques, bullying and so on. Not saying the new role will be perfect but I'm hoping that being at home most of the time will help things.
Just wondered if anybody else feels happier now they WFH?

I hated wfh during lockdown but we have a same split 60% home and 40% office and I enjoy it. I was stuck at home on my own with my DD so I was demented. I enjoy the split now. My team is small and I'd say it's definitely a 50/50 split on people being happy with doing the current set up and the other 50% want full time wfh xxx

Endlessly happier. My work day feels so much more manageable around young children as I can use lunch for a few stretches, a bowl of noodles rather than a sandwich, put a decent meal on for the evening and tidy up a bit.

I spend my day in a garden office where I mostly just hear bird song and with the rabbits hopping about outside. Once or twice a month I have a day in London and it feels like a proper treat.

We all go through phases of life and wfh is such a gift to me in this one. I think every day about how I used to commute across London and how sad I was in that phase, and feel grateful.

I suspect if I were still in paid employment I'd be the same

I'm self employed and originally worked from home. After a few months I rented an office. I now do a mixture of both. I'd hate to be at home all the time.

I wfh 3-4 days a week, and really love it. I get way more done, much less stressed, and now really enjoy my 1 or 2 office days.

I do 2 days in office and 3 at home. I love some parts of wfh. Being able to get along to school to collect kids in 5 mins and ability to take a walk in nice surroundings over lunch break is great from a personal perspective and being able to block yourself as unavailable to just plough through something is helpful at times. I miss the clear divide between work and home and I struggle to keep it when working from home. I miss the ad hoc collaboration that happens in the office and knowing about what’s going on in the broader team and get distracted by jobs around the house. I find with everyone hybrid working our email volume has gone through the roof and I dislike it as a way to try and ask & answer questions/reach decisions, which is a big chunk of my job. I know though that most of my colleagues prefer it and are unlikely to ever want to return full time to the office.

I've recently gone from 5 days in the office to 3 in the office / 2 at home. I'm not exaggerating when I say it's changed my life. My commute takes up 2 hours a day so suddenly I can fit in exercise, my house is cleaner, I spend more time before school and after work with my young child and husband and I'm eating better too. I like the mix though and I don't think I could be fully based at home.

I worl from home 100% of the time and will never go back to an office if I can help it.

Millions of people feel happier working from home.

I do 2 days office 3 days home and it’s ideal for me. Saves money and time on commute, and allow flexibility for appointments, supermarket, errands etc when I am at home

I also work 60/40... Mon & Thurdays in the office, this is my first hybrid role and I love it!. The only tricky I find is that I struggle when learning new stuff WFH as I find I learn much better face to face rather than on teams. Hopefully your induction / training period OP will be office based!. I would NEVER want a full time office job .

I think for me the benefits out weight the negatives. I had a lockdown baby and it's made returning to work much easier, like you said no commute saving time and money, I worked on a big site before and spent a lot of time traveling around it for meetings, allows you to do some household tasks in week - put washing on, put it out to dry, put a slow cooker meal on at lunch. I've also got a job I couldn't never gave travelled to everyday so definitely more opportunities etc.

In my old job we did have a fantastic group of people and we were all friends but I'm still friends with them even though I no longer work there. In a new job it is harder to build those relationships working from home but its not impossible just takes longer x

I think hybrid working is ideal

Yes and no!
I do 4 days at home and 1 in the office. If my office was closed I’d prefer 2 days in the office. It’s isolating being at home on my own so much but it does encourage me to focus 100% - it’s more distracting being in the office.
im really strict with my routine when at home including going out for a daily lunchtime walk even when it’s raining and I don’t want to.
it’s great for the work/life balance, no time spent commuting for the majority of the week, can put a load of washing on and hang it out when I’m taking a break, home for deliveries, and every couple of weeks I take a long lunch and dh and I go out for some food together.
But it’s easy to get comfortable working in my lazy clothes (I’m always showered and presentable but I find I wear leggings and big baggy sweatshirts every day and don’t make any effort with my appearance, I look like a lazy arse most of the time!

I am mainly at home with a bit of travel for meetings and collaborative work with my team who are based all over the country. This is perfect for me. I have had several different roles in recent years and haven’t worked full time in an office since 2017. With some roles it felt harder than others to be home so much but never to the point that I didn’t want to do it at all

I’m a fan of the hybrid model. I couldn’t wfh full time. I’m actually more productive in the office. I don’t have a seperate working space at home so it’s dining table for me and there are so many distractions.

Sorry, that should say if my office was closer!

I think what your commute is like is a huge factor in how much you enjoy WFH.
Mine is a 15 minute bike ride, it's free and I enjoy it. Also we don't have to wear business wear, I dress the same for the office as I do at home. My colleagues are all nice, no bitching or politics. For me going into the office is just nicer than being alone in the spare room.
Although I do appreciate being able to WFH if I want, like if I feel a bit sub par, the weather is horrific, I have to go to something at the school during the day etc.

I'm an accountant, both this job and my last were fully WFH and I'm noticing lots more are going this way when nosing at whats on offer.

I'm hybrid working. Anywhere from 1-3 days a week in the office. I love it. I do the school run and spend time with my kids, whilst working.

I will never work in an office 5 days a week ever again.

I think it depends on where you would be working when at home.

I'm in the (previously unused) dining room and DH is in the loft. It is peaceful and not too hot and I love it. Hate going in to the office.

I WFH full time and absolutely love it.

Short commute (bed to desk lol) and no traffic and expensive parking.

Quiet and calm workspace - I don't cope well in an open plan office and can get very anxious and panicky around a lot of people.

I got in talking to people around my own schedule rather than people constantly approaching your desk.

I can eat fish for lunch without offending people with the smell 😂

I don't need to worry about my teen being home alone or need grandparents to step in during school holidays and training days.

I'm home when she gets home from school.

So many positives.

I go in a few times a month. I really prefer it for a wide variety of reasons- I feel more connected to my community, have headspace, can have lunch with DH and be there for pick up and drop off of DD.

It does help that we both have our own office space at home, though! I am unproductive on office days.

Overall I found it better being in the office. I like the flexibility of being at home, but I found it easier to get work done when we were in. I work in an area that involves a lot of collaboration/discussion, it is just easier when you can usually speak to the right people. I also got a lot of in-person queries, these have not been replaced and now it is obvious people are making errors.

WFH is better for the state of my home and I do quite enjoy it, but it is definitely not better for getting stuff done or stuff being done right!

“I'm fed up of toxic workplaces, cliques, bullying and so on.”

Not to mention the lack of compassion of flexibility born of being underfunded and understaffed!

I used to work in a school. Had to take a sabbatical to care for a parent on end of life care. When I went back I lasted a month before crippling anxiety and panic attacks set in.

I’m now self employed and WFH but have a couple of client meetings a week. It’s bloody marvellous.

60/40 sounds like a great combination. Good luck.