To wonder how you can work from home without a separate office?!

[anonuser63732]

Just that really. We don't have a separate area with a door that closes. I'm working from my desk in the dining room but as it's open plan, there's no shutting myself away. Our dogs are either barking at passers-by or whining by the back door (which I'm right next to). I find it so distracting to see all the house stuff that needs doing while I'm trying to keep my head down or to hear my husband about the house whenever he's home. Although I'm grateful to be able to be home if the nursery is closed or the baby is sick etc, I'm getting frustrated that I'm first in line to cover just because my work is flexible hours and no office.

So... how do you do it? I'm considering getting a different job part-time locally just so I can be in an office again but with some flexibility! I also miss working face-to-face with people. Bah.

I work in the dining room, DP works upstairs. We can't hear each other usually, but if one of us is on a loud call there are three doors we can shut between us. It's fine, although I do sometimes shut my cats out if they're bothering me for food.

Housework can be distracting, but no more so than colleagues and office noise. I love WFH 😁

I love working from home.

I don't find it distracting at all. I generally work from the kitchen table but move around the house for a change of scenery. I enjoy having the dog as company.

But it doesn't work for everyone. Personally I'll never take a job that requires me to be in the office on a schedule again.

I've been hybrid for a while. I'm lucky enough to have an office. DH has just started doing some WFH days. He works in the kitchen. We're not open plan but it's harder for him because of the dogs, DC wandering in and out if they're home, etc. He uses my office if I'm not there. He could use another room but the kitchen is warmer.

I think if I was in your situation, I'd set up a desk in my bedroom and use the background blur function for teams calls etc. if I didn't have a space for a desk. I would invest in a decent bed tray to use as a desk and support cushions so I could sit on the bed as a chair but still have back support.

I don't have dogs, I have the place to myself in the daytime.

Whilst I think there are many companies needlessly having people in an office much more than necessary, I always qualify that by a view that an office should be an option for those who want it.

I started on the dining table in a lounge /diner, but have been banished to my bedroom.

My daughter got tired of being quiet in the living room during holidays and I apparently monopolised the dining table.

Now I have a lovely desk and brought home a chair from the office and I’m all set up in my bedroom.

During winter I sometimes move to the kitchen counter closest to the window to catch the morning sunlight.

I have a large lounge which has plenty of room for a big desk
During lockdown DS and I shared without problem using air buds and one of us relocating to dining room for long phone or zoom calls
I live in a quiet rural area with no one else in house most of time and one Dkitten
We did buy proper office furniture though as I like to be comfortable
These days I work from home a couple of times a month, DS probably a couple of 1/2 days a week

Most employees won’t offer you a WFH job if you don’t have a spare room.

It depends on how busy your home is but if I was you I would try having your ‘office’ in your bedroom, which is off limits during the day or get a different job.

Can you do into office at all ?
Ive worked on my dressing table in my bedroom since covid. Not ideal but could close the door so less distractions.
I also feel the need to run hoover round, load diswasher etc.
With us wfh more housework needs doing, esp kitchen and bathroom .
I also miss the routine of gojng into office buy love my lie ins. A spare room to use as office would be a dream, most my colleagues have this and so they never want to go into office

I've worked in my bedroom part time since the pandemic. I sit on my bed and have a fold out desk next to the window. The bed has been surprisingly comfy to sit on and allows for sitting crossed legged if I like.

@Itsnotchristmasyet never heard of this before? What's your evidence for this?

Bullshit

I don't have dogs or a husband. That doesn't help you much though!

I actually have a home office but haven’t been able to use it for about a year now because it’s upstairs and DD1 can no longer get up or down the stairs (the dogs have their own sofa in the office). So now I work at a desk in the living room. I preferred the separate space, but what can you do? I love WFH, and being able to do small chores throughout the day as a break from intense concentration, instead of having them all waiting for me when I come home. I especially love having my dogs around and just being able to decide to go for a walk with them when I need to clear my head. I should mention I’m self-employed, so not ripping off an employer. There are also no other people living with me, which helps a lot.

we have one desk and it’s in my DD’s room. In covid I have a spare room which was an office, now I use DD’s room when she’s at school, rest of time laptop tray on sofa (more often than not). No rules at our place about needing your own office, that would be ridiculous

I don't have pets and my house isn't open plan 🤷‍♀️

I work at the desk in the living room. If someone is there then I work from my dining room. I also wear headphones all day to drown out any noise and listen to lofi music when not on calls, which is what I did when we were in the office. I personally found the open plan office much worse; ours was open onto the kitchen as well so not only did you have the general chatter of people discussing work and weekends, and people on calls, you also had people constantly making breakfast/lunch/tea/coffee/a snack/holding informal one-to-ones in the kitchen area. It is absolute bedlam.

I wfh only 1 day a week in my current job, I have wfh 3 in my last job. I prefer sitting at the dinning room table. There is a desk upstairs in Ds1's room now he's gone to uni and Dh uses that occasionally, but I'm not keen. I wouldn't like to wfh full time. I prefer being in the office.

I've worked from home for nearly 7 years without a separate office. I move around during the day depending on what is happening in the house, I've got a folding desk if I need to work upstairs. Meetings tend to be in the conservatory and anyone passing through keeps the noise down.

I'm used to working in chaos though. I don't tend to notice.

I'm in the same situation (minus the dogs) but for me it's either wfh or travel 4 hours a day round trip (the company I work for got sold & my nearest office went from being a 30 minute commute to a 2 hour one, so I accepted the offer to wfh) or get another job. I'm part time for childcare reasons & part time jobs in my industry are like hens teeth so I just have to do the best that I can. It's a bit crap, the house is now a bit cramped I can no longer ask someone round for a cup of tea & the baby has to play upstairs as there's no floorspace downstairs any more (we put a desk in the living room). Once the youngest is in school I might then be in a position to up my hours/look elsewhere. It's a bit crap, but I've kinda gotten used to it!

How would a potential employer know if you’ve got a spare room or not?!

That's me a lot of the time. Bit of a dash sometimes if someone calls me unexpectedly. That's because I don't want to be interrupting everyone else with a call.

I work at the dining table and my husband works upstairs in the office. I work 1/2 home 1/2 office and he’s full time at home. I don’t do household tasks during work hours but might during lunch. The dogs can be an issue but if I have an important meeting they go to the office upstairs.

My kids are out for the day at school. I like the view in the dining room and proximity to the kitchen! My kids know not to disturb us and I keep the house fairly tidy. Obviously with toddlers it’d be a much bigger issue.

For several years (starting when COVID hit) I worked at a desk on the landing. It was a pain because if family were home they did need to pass by me. But headphones and a blur background if anyone else was home sorted that. We moved and one of our requirements was a separate office for me (as I’m now three days a week from home and only two in the office). Bliss!

any evidence for this at all?
How would they prove it, for heaven's sake? Make you do a video tour of your house? Why do people make up such crap?

Anyway OP I agree. Even when I lived alone during the pandemic I set up all my work stuff in a different room (obviously I was lucky to have a spare one) - it was just so much better for my mental health to be able to shut the door on it at the end of the day. Otherwise I'd never be able to switch off if I had to see the computer all the time, every day. Plus from a physical health POV it's important t have a proper set up rather than crouching over a tiny laptop on the sofa.

Is it the WFH at all that's the issue or mainly the lack of space? If the former depending on your set up (maybe not practical if you have a desktop or multiple screens) then you could try a co-working space or coffee shop/pub for a few afternoons a week. But if not, yeah you might have to think about if you want to change jobs going forward if you don't like it.

If it's the set up you can google for ideas on how other people have managed it - I've seen wardrobes/airing cupboard/cupboard under the stairs/space on landing, etc being turned into a workspace. If you're going to commit to WFH for a long time might be worth doing an attic conversion or getting one of those offices/functional sheds in the garden (if you own a house).

I just lie on my bed with my laptop on the days I wfh….stayed under the duvet today as it was freezing …..just put a back drop on my screen during meetings….the dog just sits with me….partner comes in and doesn’t disturb me until I’m done at 4pm

I’m another who works from a tiny desk in our bedroom, just enough room for my laptop and notebook. We have a study, but OH gets priority on that, as he has more than one screen