Is WFH worth it?

[pickleandcheese]

I'm struggling to make a decision about changing jobs. Currently I work from home and have done since covid. It obviously has a great deal of pros - no commute, can work in my pjs, very flexible for childcare/school runs/sick days and overall very quiet and stress free.

However it's made me feel very isolated and our team has pretty much disbanded as a result. My work was never particularly interesting (think receptionist/clerical work) but now it's just me sat at home with no office banter or visitors. It's just really lonely. I've also fallen into the trap of keeping my 2 year old at home with me for one day a week to cut back on childcare costs and very quickly realised what an error this was. It's impossible to get anything done unless she's napping or occasionally my in laws will take her for an hour to two. But in the meantime I feel like I'm failing her and my employer.

Anyway another job has come up in a role in much more interested in but it would mean going back to the office for at least three days a week. Initially this would cost me money as I'd need to increase dd nursery days and the wage increase wouldn't cover it. It would also mean no more 'popping out' to do the school run and sick days would be sick days not just logging on and seeing what I could manage. I'd have to wear real clothes and there wouldn't be any flexibility or free time. Work time would be work time.

I'm wondering if it's worth it. How much do you value wfh? I know I've been lucky to have this for as long as I have but truly, its not all daytime tv and pjs, it can be very hard and very isolating. Wwyd in my position? I don't want to go for a new job, get it then miss my freedom.

popping out' to do the school run and sick days would be sick days not just logging on and seeing what I could manage. I'd have to wear real clothes and there wouldn't be any flexibility or free time. Work time would be work time.

If I could do all of this when WFH, I'd be very worried and be expecting my post to be made redundant.

I work in a project based role, presenteeism is acknowledged by the higher-ups as pointless. When I was working in a hybrid environment, I would go into an empty office and spend my days on Teams calls anyway. I'm now fully remote with colleagues covering a variety of timezones, and it's fine. I think I'm more of an introvert than I realised though, because I don't feel isolated working from home. A bit of fresh air helps me more than random chitchat with people I've nothing in common with apart from our employer. We are on the cusp of moving house and I'll be working hard to establish myself in the local community via volunteering or going to a local club, etc. I'd rather this be the basis of forming friendships as apposed to colleagues from work anyway.

I couldn’t work from home full time. I don’t think that I would be productive enough because I’m easily distracted. On days that I do work from home I have to make myself a timetable.
I do make sure that I dress as if I was going to work and still do a kind of commute by walking before and after my work day.

I don’t have small children and honestly don’t know how anyone does it with young dc.

Most people still have them in childcare. Just as they would with a FT job.

I now WFH 99% of the time.
pros - get up later, no commute, can get things done in the morning, can get washing in if it rains, be in for deliveries, wear more casual clothing, radio on all day, etc

cons - can be very isolating, I haven’t seen some work friends for months on end, you can become ‘invisible’. I’ve put on weight too, no walking round the office, no lunchtime stroll, easier to eat more unhealthy foods.

However, having been in the workforce for 42 years, I love it mostly, my work day is now much shorter without the 45 min commute each way, the fight for parking spaces in the car park.

I don't understand how you work from home and do nursery runs, before and after school runs. School commitments, and having a two year old home one day a week. Do you work in the evening, because your not working during the day it seems.

First of all, you need to put your young child back into childcare. As you gave found, you can't work and look after a small child. You are effectively committing fraud as you are not doing the job you are paid to do. This is no different to someone sitting doing internet shopping all day or popping out shopping and not making up the time (and I really hope you do make up your work hours to compensate the flexibility of being able to do the school run etc).

My job is hybrid so I do get to go in the office but even then, we are are very reliant on Teams and a day would not go by that I don't speak to at least one person via video call and most days we have multiple meetings and video calls so I don't ever feel lonely working from home. My DH works from home full time and he loves it. He doesn't have as many teams calls as me but they make an effort to have one check in call each morning to catch up with his team.

I would never give up my flexi working, even for much more money.

I'm a single mum and without WFH I'd be fucked for childcare. I structure my day around DCs school and am with them in the afternoons for an hour or two before I go back to working.

I go in to the office once a week for some social interaction. I also do a lot of socialising outside of work so that helps.

If you read the full thread instead of popping on just to make bitchy comments then this might be clearer for you. I work flexible hours so if I need to go to a school commitment mid afternoon then I can add an extra hour onto my day to make it up. Or in the evening.

My youngest goes to nursery she isn't home with me everyday. But yeah one day a week she's with me because frankly the cost of childcare is already crippling us and I naively thought it would be easier than it is.

The fact that flexible working hours are so alien to so many people makes me think I'm pretty lucky to have it.

There's a lot of resentment here and I get it. But my manager is aware of my situation and ok with it because I continue to meet targets and do what's asked of me (somehow).

"You are effectively committing fraud as you are not doing the job you are paid to do."

My line manager (who is aware and has approved this) will be for the chop as well then I guess.

I would not like to wfh full time neither will I want to work at the office full time either. Hybrid work is the best of both worlds for me as I go to the office 1 day a week and will be 2 days a week from January next year and I feel this is good enough balance for me. I’m always helping people, training some, etc when I go to the office so being able to focus when at home is always advantageous for me and I like the relaxed feeling. I’ll never take a job that’s full time in the office at a loss like you’re proposing no matter what

I’ve been wfh since covid and it’s a hard thing to think about giving up with all of the perks! But similar to you, the lack of interaction and living in pjs isn’t doing me any good. I’ll be going on maternity leave in a few months and plan to make a change afterwards - sometimes what we need to do for ourselves isn’t always what we want!

Another thing covid has normalised is people busybodying about other people's working arrangements. And thinking that because something is the case in their workplace, it must also apply elsewhere. You demonstrate both vices quite neatly in your posts.

It really depends on personal circumstances. For me, mid 40's, married, happy in my relationship, kids who still need me on the school run and to be around after school for activities etc it's totally worth it. I love it and my quality of life would take a massive hit if I had to go into the office for most of the week. Others in different circumstances find the office a life-line.

I mean if your job is as dead-end as you describe, maybe nobody really cares that much about what you do.
How prevalent flexible working is doesn't really matter here because you are considering leaving for an office job. However as an aside ... most big orgs these days have it, but it really depends on team working patterns.

I work in a global team across 3 (at least!) time zones and the flexibility goes both ways. I get to block out up to 3 hours (half the work day) but as I often start at 7.a.m or finish at 10 p.m. to accommodate other time zones managers are happy for me to do so. Sometimes I need more solo time to finish things up so when I do it doesn't matter. It really depends on what projects I'm working on at any given time and I'm always reachable for urgent things.

However there are people whose job consists mainly of UK meetings, it would be ridiculous for them to expect the same. Also they can't really 'make up' the hours as they need to work with other people to get things done. So they all have to be in at the same time

I should add for me WFH is like being in the office without the commute. I dress up, am on camera a lot, interact with my team and beyond via calls and teams chats and the workplace culture and team interactions are good. Plus we all meet up face to face once a month.

@FasciaDreams it is dead end that's why I'd like a change. It offers me no personal fulfilment but has served a purpose in paying the bills and allowing me to be flexible for my kids. Thank you for pointing out how dead end and pointless it is.

I'm sure your global teams, time zones and projects make you a far more worthwhile person, congratulations.

I mostly WFH and it saves a lot of time and some money not travelling into the office which isn't very far.

Time is the thing I mainly save, though.

I don't get lonely because I spend a lot of time on the phone.

I have a part time job that is fully WFH and a full time job that allows WFH one day a week. They’re flexible with it tho and allow us to WFH more if we need it for childcare or due to bad weather etc.
I find the one day a week at home enough and wouldn’t really want to do any more. It is annoying going to the office if everyone else is at home though. I do find the extra day at home good for my mental health though. I can do more around the house, get things done in the city that I can’t do when in the office (my employer is based in a rural area). I’m also pretty introverted so feel like I can recharge a little bit while I have the house to myself so feel more productive when I’m next in the office.

I wouldn’t be able to do my second job without WFH. It’s task based with a deadline that I do during evenings and weekends. I also used to be in the office full time, and it’s a very toxic environment so really glad I don’t have to be there.

I would be a bit wary going into a 3 day part time job if already lonely though. Would you get enough socialisation during the 4 days you’re off, OP? That would be something to consider as well, maybe 4 days on/ 3 days off would be better?

It might also be more difficult to build relationships with colleagues if you’re on different days or not there as much as them.

@pickleandcheese I'm not sure why you're upset when it's you that called your own job dead end again in your reply and not just that, demeaning. I have not made any judgement of my own volition.

The rest of it was just logic, nothing to do with whose job is better. It stands to reason that if your job strongly requires a body 9 -5 then you don't have the flexibility to do anything else. Otherwise, you can make up the time. This was in response to you stating that it was 'alien' but also in response to PP who seem to be quite annoyed about flexible working.

It really depends on the nature of the job. If you are worried about later going back to something flexible then that's something you have to consider. Again, global teams is not something superior but a valid reason why there's a business case for flexible working. Equally, if the job's all in the same time zones but highly 'collaborative' like the new job then that won't be possible. You might want to consider what kind of working patterns your future career steps lead you to.