WF "Home" question

[CheesesandWines]

I am in the lucky position to WFH 5 days a week. Of course this happened in COVID, and I have since secured this permeantly. I'm good at my job and at this stage don't feel the need to "network" and be physically present at work.

One of the benefits of wfh is that I don't have to commute and can also fit in hobbies and exercise in the day. Twice a week at lunch (which is 1.5hrs) I like to go to my local gym/ Spa and really relax / switch off. To fit this in, I then work from the spa in the afternoon. There's a private booth in the cafe with no outside noise and because I'm a regular customer I have the space reserved for the afternoon automatically.

Here's the issue. On one occasion the laptop moved and my line manager could see someone at the spa walking around in their robe. Nothing more. She is now saying that wfh means your home and that I can't work from the spa two afternoons a week. I think her attitude is discriminatory and is impinging on my own health. I work much better from the spa and all the work is done with my body benefiting from a full body massage before an afternoon of work. She says that me working from the spa will affect colleagues who have not been allowed to wfh. I've looked at my wfh contact and nothing i am doing is not allowed. I have a good mind to work from the spa every afternoon now to prove my point !

In theory I don't see the problem, but that assumes you're able to keep the background entirely appropriate and not slip to cafes and people in dressing gowns. Since you can't, that lets it out as an appropriate place to work if you're expected to be available for video calls.

So you take the admin task time as part of your lunchtime. Does your LM know and approve of this ?

Mate.. 😅

The OP smells Jo Malone candles (in her fantasy)

I think it’s unfair that you get to wfh and your other colleagues do not. How do managers even make that decision? It should be all or nothing unless there are extenuating circumstances. This happened at my job and I was the only one not allowed to wfh because I didn’t have a kid to pick up from school. I brought it to their attention and they let anyone who wanted to to wfh.

So now you’ve ruined it for people who are using the spa (and probably not during their 1.5 hour lunch break) from wearing their robes in the cafe. You sound incredibly entitled and act as if the works needs to fit around you. I worked for your company and had been told I had to work in the office I’d be fuming that you’re sitting in a spa cafe. Do you have the empathy to see how this feels to others who don’t have this advantage?

Possibly missing the point, but wondering why the OP's employer appears to allow only her to WFH as some kind of privilege, but then fails to extend the same opportunity to her colleagues? This company either embraces remote working and supports employees seeking to improve their work/life balance, or it's more the traditional, "bums on seats = high productivity" type of setup. The two approaches don't normally mix. Presumably there has been no shortfall in OP's work output or standard, so - apart from the obvious failure to blur out the background - I really can't see the issue here. If OP's colleagues want the same work conditions, then it's up to them to ask for it!

At first I ead your post and thought omg CF but actually it's only twice a week. Private area at the spa and on your lunch break. I am on mat leave but seriously considering doing this myself when I go back to work. I have to travel for work sometimes but am home based and the through of a twice weekly relax between school/nursery runs, work, life etc sounds like heaven.
I need to work out how to make this happen!

FYI it isn't a protected characteristic so not discrimination.

Haha you mean you didn’t know about blurred backgrounds before? How long have you had your imaginary wfh job again?

I’ll give you 2/10 for trying. The 1.5 hr spa lunch break was always guaranteed to reel them in.

One of the benefits of wfh is that I don't have to commute and can also fit in hobbies and exercise in the day. Twice a week at lunch (which is 1.5hrs) I like to go to my local gym/ Spa and really relax / switch off.

I don't think part of my WFH contract is 'fitting hobbies and exercise' into the working day. And do you really get 1.5 hours for lunch?

Do you work all your hours or have you made a loose arrangement with yourself not to?

As the 'employee' it's up to your employer where you work. You need to clarify this with them.

I often go to the spa in my lunchbreak for a quick steam and swim, I get really pissed off by the amount of people taking up space around the indoor pool sitting on laptops working when there are signs up saying no phones/devices etc! It’s meant to be for relaxation and it’s wall to wall people trying to have it all 😂

Mmm I WFH 5 days a week too but I think this is taking the piss. My manager has kindly said that I can WFH in a cafe or a Starbucks or even a friends house but i think there’s just an unwritten rule that some places are inappropriate

for example, working from a pub or a soft play. A colleague of mine actually got a discipline for working from a soft play cafe while her kids played in half term.

I'm trying to imagine what spa would have private booths in their café. Are you sure it isn't a strip joint OP?

Our hybrid working policy focuses on confidentiality, data security, health & safety and the ability to work without interruption. It also must be in the UK (we would allow one week a year abroad if added onto a holiday and with certain conditions- most often staying with family who live overseas). And you must meet your working hours requirements, so only flexing hours in line with policy or with explicit permission.

If this situation was reported / noticed we would do a full review to ensure full compliance with all policies.

Sounds like an information security issue - how are you preventing people from listening to your calls? Even if they can't see your screen, people nearby will be able to hear you speaking?

I think she means that little room where she's getting her waxing done or her eyebrows threaded. While working.

Why are you in a position where you can wfh full time and some of your colleagues not at all? That does seem pretty unfair. I had a job a few years ago where whether or not you were allowed to wfh was based on how far away from the office you lived. Obviously not company policy, just how my boss decided to apply it. She also happily agreed for us to be allocated the shittiest part of the office furthest from the windows- she didn’t care, because she worked from home 90% of the time. I left. Little things like that matter.

& @Maireas why do you think that? Most civil service depts are hybrid, HMRC certainly aren’t 5 days a week WFH. Do you just swallow everything the daily mail and civil service bashing press tells you without looking into it further, or thinking even?

I work from a hot desk office rather than home, I've held several contracts in the years I've been there, I've never had an issue - but it is a workplace rather than a leisure space.
There are booths and conference rooms for private calls, and a secure controlled WIFI network.
I'd compare a spa cafe to working from Starbucks or similar - some employers are happy with that situation, others not.

What is the job and what are the cultural norms in your work place? Data security? Clients/professional role? What about the rules for staff not on wfh contracts?

As a manager it is my responsibility to ensure fairness and equity across the board. For office based staff they can't take over an hour for lunch regularly and I would be pretty horrified if they showed up on screen with someone in a robe behind them. The roles we do are confidential and commercially sensitive so wouldn't be able to have calls in public spaces.

It depends on the situation is the real answer. But I would sure as hell be speaking to HR about what were corporate norms and expectations, as well and wanting to know that the staff member was performing well.

What job do you do OP?

I’d love to know what job allows you to have a zoom/teams meeting in a public place.

Sorry, puddles, my bad, as the kids say.
I was actually joking because this is such a nonsensical thread - as if a civil servant could work from a spa! I could have said GP or financial advisor, my point is that it's ludicrous!

I think most WFH policies state that you shouldn't be looking after small children while doing so.

You're taking the piss too.

I’m gonna REALLY piss people off now. I WFH 2-3 days a week, the rest of the time I’m out seeing customers.

I work from pubs, cafes, sometimes I even set my laptop up in a park if I can get good enough signal and the sun doesn’t blind the screen!

I used to be a member of a health spa and would often work from the cafe, and sometimes I’d take a break from work to jump in the pool for 15 or so mins, or even jump in the hot tub! it was bliss!

Did working at the spa affect my productively? 100%. I was SO much more productive there than at home. At home I find it really hard to switch from home, to work mode, and then switch off once I’m out of work mode. However when I’m out and about I find it much easier to settle into a routine and I am SO much more productive but more than that I actually ENJOY work! I can literally stare at my screen all day if I’m at home and get nothing done.

Now obviously I am fortunate I have a role (I work in sales for a massive food and drink company), that allows me to do this but honestly this attitude of you need to be sat in a cubicle all day how dare you even LOOK UP from your screen is so old hat now.

We’re not stuck in the Industrial Revolution we don’t need offices to be modern day cotton mills, why DON’T we use technology to our advantage! If you can work with a laptop, a VPN, a hotspot etc - great!

And if people aren’t more productive? I couldn’t give a shit. I would MUCH rather people have a work life balance and fuck it life is short I want people to enjoy their work and surroundings as much as is possible!

Am I saying everyone should work from a spa? No. But for Christ’s sake why are so many people determined to be slaves for companies that would have your job role posted after you’d crocked and your body is still warm.

OP enjoy the spa, and if they do a decent coffee can you let me know where it is and I’ll join you 😉

"honestly this attitude of you need to be sat in a cubicle all day how dare you even LOOK UP from your screen is so old hat now."

Absolutely no one is saying this 🙄