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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that everyone WFH thinks they are more productive but this view isn’t necessarily shared

287 replies

Cucumbertomatoes · 12/09/2023 18:32

On here, everyone who WFH insists they are much more productive than in the office. However, I’ve noticed this view is rarely shared by others, hence companies wanting workers back. It’s an interesting one as clearly perceptions vary. AIBU to think that while you might think you’re more productive you may not be?

OP posts:
CandyLeBonBon · 12/09/2023 21:53

I'd caveat with the fact that I was self employed for a decade+ before I got this job so I'm used to producing the goods under my own steam with minimum supervision

littlemisskt · 12/09/2023 21:54

Strictly speaking he’s not more productive in that example, he’s working 2 more hours. More productive would be getting the same amount (or more) work done in the same time

I get your point but he is only allowed to work certain hours and that has to include travel time so he is physically able to do more work on days he’s home, by some considerable amount. So, in essence, is more productive.

nokidshere · 12/09/2023 21:55

Well I don't know where any of the PPs work but it's definitely not with any of the companies that I have had to deal with in the past few years. Customer service is rubbish, phone queues are forever and that's if the phone is answered at all, background family stuff going on, people distracted, appointments are non existent across the board.

Fossie · 12/09/2023 22:01

Sierra26 · 12/09/2023 19:38

Staff say they are more productive, maybe they are (I am). But that’s not the point - the point is that workplaces don’t want to end up with remote workforces without a facetime culture, as this has long term implications.

They are two different things.

Yes this

Pammela2 · 12/09/2023 22:05

I think you’re right, op. Productivity isn’t great in the UK. Most research demonstrates its managerial issues but I think it filters down. Not having the back and forth with other people will stem a lot of ideas/understanding in personality nuances and how people cope.
But I think people who like wfh would find it very hard to admit that because there’s so much more flexibility than before.

BarbedButterfly · 12/09/2023 22:11

My main thing is that I cannot concentrate in an open plan office at all. They are too noisy, too bright and usually either too hot or too cold. I am perm WFH due to disability anyway, but I am definitely more productive at home. When I did used to work in an office I had to wear headphones to cope which doesn't do much for the collaborative work environment they bang on about. Besides the fact management go on about office working but never come in

DivingForLove · 12/09/2023 22:12

@nokidshere so true. I had to deal with someone in a customer facing role with their bloody dog barking in the background the other day 😬. And I know a lot of people who do both school runs during their working day which is a huge chunk of time 🙄.

Cupcakekiller · 12/09/2023 22:15

We don't get many WFH days and I'm more productive in one sense- no meetings across site/staff visits/chatting or phone calls. I find it deathly boring though- I love chat and having a laugh and find myself checking my phone a lot and idly grazing in the kitchen.

MsFrost · 12/09/2023 22:19

devildeepbluesea · 12/09/2023 18:44

This.

Also, IME many people are more productive at
home. I go into the office fairly often. The amount of time wasted with inconsequential chats, general catching up with people (we have lots of peripatetic workers even pre covid), trips to the kitchen and so on is incredible. I churn out so much more work when I’m at home.

Show quote history

Yep. I used to spend 3+ hours a day on this kind of stuff in the office (I actually timed it once or twice to work it out!)

It's not necessarily a waste of time because it's important social interaction for wellbeing, also forming strong connections with colleagues is good for work as well, so I wouldn't say it's pointless at all.

But it does take time away from desk work and 'churning stuff out'.

It really depends on the demands of your role, what you need to do/ your priorities, and how easily distracted you are by chatter. Everyone's different.

Crikeyalmighty · 12/09/2023 22:19

@Hedjwitch well that's refreshingly honest!!!

Fossie · 12/09/2023 22:20

UpperLowerMiddleClass · 12/09/2023 21:47

I think a part of the issue is that those who claim they are more productive at home often are more productive… but only within a narrow definition of productivity.

Yes, when I’m wfh I can free tick off more items on my to-do list, and have the space for some thinking and writing. All very good and productive.

Bu there’s so many things I get in the office that are broader than this. I can talk and get to know colleagues, which makes it a lot easier (and yes ‘productive’) when I do need to collaborate with them. I can have quick in-person chats rather than long Teams ones, or can have a random unplanned but useful conversation.

Also wfh has made me realise how much I pick up by osmosis in an office setting. Overhearing people talk about their work, or hearing some useful gossip, is all really valuable.

So - I think a lot of it comes down to whether you have a broad or narrow sense of productivity.

Yes this too

GreenLaurel · 12/09/2023 22:25

I sat in traffic this morning for an hour, have to say that didn’t feel very productive.

Wheelz46 · 12/09/2023 22:32

The company I work for have told phone based staff that children or animals must not be heard in the background. As all calls are monitored, this is easily manageable. If it continued to be an issue, the employee would be made to work at the office for their full shifts.

Same for productivity, if productivity fails while working from home, you would be back in the office prompto! Although you don't see anyone saying if productivity is low in the office, then you must work from home!

I honestly don't understand the backlash about people who work from home, if you get a poor customer journey, take the employees name and report to the company. If the same employee is getting multiple bad feedback, they can check for a pattern and see if it only happens when working from home!

Like it or not, working from home, looks like it is here to stay!

MerryMaidens · 12/09/2023 22:33

Yes @UpperLowerMiddleClass exactly. I'm in a job which has some detailed technical work but is also very relationship based and if you are at home all the time then you might get the technical bits done ok, but developing the relationships helps with getting things done more quickly and to a better quality. You also get more chance to be involved in big decisions by dint of overhearing stuff!

I was in the office today and managed to grab my director for a casual chat about positioning of a piece of work, bumped into someone in the canteen who I'm going to need on side for something tricky, and took one of my line managees for coffee to talk some things through. Among other things. It's not wasted time, it greases the wheel! I'm usually in the office or out and about at meetings 3 days a week which is about right.

Of course your job may be totally non dependent on others, but in reality I think very few are. I hated being a self employed consultant, it was so boring only answering to myself.

HeatherMoores · 12/09/2023 22:35

Caspianberg · 12/09/2023 18:46

Dh and I are both self employed, so only respond to our own efforts. Business is a success, targets met, therefore that’s good enough for me.

I think it makes a difference if you’re self employed as presumably you like your work as that’s why you started doing what you’re doing. A lot of people don’t particularly like their jobs they do it just for money. It’s different if you started something because you’ve turned a passion into a business. Most of us want to do as little work as possible I’m not doing it for fun!

Healthyalltheway · 12/09/2023 22:35

It really isn't all one or the other. Good companies allow a flexible mix, so I work from home the first hour or two, then come in for the rest of the day. If needed, I am in easier of course. This way I don't get stuck in the morning traffic, do my reports, emails at home without everyone around and then am in. It is about the balance of the two and how it works best.

Sallycinnamum · 12/09/2023 22:36

I went into the office today. Commute in took 25 mins more than usual due to a fault with the train and when I finally got into the office I didn't actually get to sit down at my desk and do any work until the afternoon because I was constantly interrupted by colleagues wanting this, that and the other.

So yes I am more productive at home but I do think interacting with colleagues in person is important even if it means I get less done in the office!

EasterIssland · 12/09/2023 22:37

Are we seriously discussing and probably talking shit about those wfh 3 years down the line ? Seriously? Op some days I’m not productive at home , I admit it. But some days in the office I’m not neither , depends on the workload. But I’m a happier person than the one I was 3 years ago when I was wasting my time waiting for an unreliable bus. Not sure what you really want to get from the thread which has spoken about loads od times in mn and always bashing those wfh. If we weren’t productive then companies wouldn’t call us back to the office , they would sack us

randomsabreuse · 12/09/2023 22:38

It depends what I'm doing. Stuff I need to concentrate on like writing complicated spreadsheets with cross references or detailed writing is much better at home with minimal distractions and interruptions.

Informal collaboration is much better in the office.

Online meetings are probably better at home as my internet connection is more stable and there's less noise around but could be either...

I'm happy to be in 2 days a week but more than that on a regular basis is less productive - some weeks I might be in 4 days, others 1 or none...

HeatherMoores · 12/09/2023 22:39

My productivity is the same at home as it is in the office. There’s a lot of wasted time in the office. When I’ve got urgent work to do with deadlines it’s easier to just get up and start work straight away and not worry about having to get food/ milk etc ready for the office and commuting etc.

Sunshinesally78 · 12/09/2023 22:40

I wfh and it feels relentless tbh, I eat my lunch at my desk and feel because I am in my own home I am always accessible and always at work! There's pros and cons to it and I have seen people who really do take the p**s, I have no idea how they get away with it because my workload is huge! I really do think it's down to individuals and their work ethic but the same can be said for those who do work on site.

LittleRedYarny · 12/09/2023 22:43

I think for me WFH is more helf to being productive. I struggle to be focused on work in the morning unless I’m tasked by someone else to go and do something. It’s not until about 10:30-11am does my self initiation kick in and I get more and more productive as the day goes on. When I was expected in the office at 8 and the working day would start to wind down at 4, this just as I was really into my peak. Now with WFH I can stay in my productive peak a lot longer and still be able to do dinner and other stuff because I’m not wasting time commuting.

LightSpeeds · 12/09/2023 22:44

I'm sure not everyone says they're more productive WFH.

But I know I am! In the office there are so many distractions (mostly chatting, general noise and hubbub, people coming to the front door constantly). At home, I just get my head down and get on with it only stopping to get a drink or for the loo.

I wouldn't say that's the case for all homeworkers though.

QueSyrahSyrah · 12/09/2023 22:45

We're all 100% in the office (less the odd day WFH when circumstances demand it).

Whatever productivity some of our teams gained through lack of disturbance in lockdown, we lost tenfold in collaboration and training newer team members. I've been with our small company over 15 years and am one of a few 'go-to' people for questions from any team.

When I was WFH teams and phone calls were far more disruptive to my own work than a quick face to face 'Que; do you know how to solve this?' question ever is in the office, with the side effect that nobody other than the asker heard the answer, so there was no learning by osmosis like we have in the office.

Deathbyfluffy · 12/09/2023 22:50

As a team leader I find it’s those with kids who tend to take the piss most - a subset of parents seem to think that it’s acceptable to have their kids at home and in their care when ‘working’.

We’ve had to bring those people back to the office, which is a pain for everyone involved.