To be filled with panic about WFH culture becoming a thing of the past?

[themusingsofaninsomniac]

prefacing with please read the context before blanket responses 😊

I am stressing away as I tend to do lately on the same topic. I have WFH since the pandemic, with the odd day or so in the office I am lucky to have full flexibility with.

I have Autism. I also have ADHD. The combo together is quite the clusterfuck to navigate as a newly diagnosed female. Essentially the pandemic shone a light on so much and I'm so grateful that it enabled me to seek diagnosis, as much as it's an ongoing struggle.

From working remotely since the beginning I've never felt more stable and successful in my career. I was able to secure a promotion into a field I'd never have had the confidence to try in a non-remote setting in the first place, and I've been fortunate to earn a fair bit more as a result.

I feel completely at ease in my own environment and with the ability to tailor things to what works well for me. Having that commute time back has helped my wellbeing, as has having my lunch breaks in my own home. I am in a routine that I feel helps my mental health and the challenges neurodiversity brings me massively.

My current employer is great but they are the type of company that won't be around forever unfortunately. And from a lot of media and on here etc, it's becoming obvious that things are shifting to either back in the office or a hybrid with a good half your days expected in the office.

This absolutely fills me with dread. I feel like it would turn my world upside down. I'm sure people who don't relate to this will think I'm being dramatic but change and environments outside of your own control are so so hard especially once you've had several years of the opposite.

I guess I'm just wondering where this leaves me. I still have a few friends who WFH but not in my industry. I'm not sure if there would be more flexibility for me, but I also worry about how that will reflect towards my colleagues and I don't want to get anyone's back up. I guess I'm catastrophising that if I need to find another job I'll never be able to maintain what is working so well for me.

Not sure what I'm seeking here to be honest - reassurance maybe or just help to navigate this and whether it's best to be upfront with new employers from the start, or whether that might reduce my chances of being hired. I've been told I don't present as autistic, or typical ADHD but I guess the mix of both means it's a lot more blended. Either way I have generally got good feedback from interviews so it would likely not be known unless I was transparent.

I'd especially like to hear from someone in a similar boat too, if there is anyone? Probably not at twenty to one on a weekday though I imagine 😅

Thanks to anyone who has read this to the end as I know that got wordy!

It depends entirely on the industry.

I work from home 5 days a week.

The other day I had a search on indeed and there were plenty of companies in my industry offering complete remote role.

I would advise you, if things are changing in your industry, to retrain.

It won't necessarily stop although you may need to continue to branch out career wise, make sure your on the right pathway medical treatment wise & work with your bosses a out what can be done at home & what needs to be done in the office but good luck

What’s the point of driving for an hour to do a video call that you could do from home? Have you spoken to them about it?

Id look for a new job. The work from home hub on Facebook has loads

One problem is that 100% remote roles will probably get offshored over the next 5 years or so because if someone can do it remotely in the Uk then they can probably do it remotely from Gurgaon. So while it will probably look as though there are fewer remote roles, it won’t be because those roles are going back to uk based office roles.

Completely understand. The acceptance of WFH has been a godsend for many

YANBU to be concerned by the mixed messaging on this, not least from the government. A couple of weeks ago on 16 November they announced that civil servants would be expected to be in the office for the majority of their time. A few days later they announced a big drive to get disability benefit claimants to find jobs they could do from home. Hmm.

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/civil-servants-office-three-days-week-wfh-crackdown/

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/sunak-launch-work-from-home-push-get-sick-brits-off-benefits/

That is really tough OP.

Two things that potentially could help:

1. Tell your employer about your disability - a lot of employers will put things in place (and they legally should make reasonable adjustments for you).
   You have proven that you work well from home and it can be done, so reasonably, they should allow this to continue.

2. Retrain in an industry that allows you to WFH.

The second is easier said than done, I know! But if you really think things are changing in your industry and it will make your life harder, you need to put your wellbeing first. It might be the best option for you ultimately, especially if your current job is not going to last forever.

Don’t panic op. I think there will be WFH options for a good long time, because it’s become one way for companies to differentiate themselves.

Our company is wfh up to 50:50 and that’s working really well.

Everyone in my family is ND and wfh has been a game changer for us.

My work is looking for new office premises as we don’t have enough space for our teams to work together. The organisation is clear that being in office is essential for the well-being of our customers. Our policy is three days a week in and most manage it, it’s a great balance.

I honestly can’t tell you the amount of times we have been able to sort stuff out by going up to the right people at their desks and getting them to go and meet our people.

The amount of times a conversation is overheard and a solution provided.

The amount of new starters who are given support in their role.

The amount of social events returning and enriching relationships and connections.

Local businesses I speak to struggle for customers on Fridays. Very few people come in on Fridays, I’ll wfh today.

We have a few colleagues who cling on to wfh, and come in reluctantly once a week. I’m sad to say it is noticed and there’ll be no chance for promotion for them. They can’t really raise any issues of not feeling supported etc as they’d be told to get in office more often. They’re pretty much left to it and not actively part of their teams sadly. When we have meetings, generally everyone is in person, if we have to set up a call because one person is at home, people feel frustrated with waiting around (it’s like two minutes, but it is noticeable!)

We don’t have issues with recruitment we as pay well, so I imagine my business/industry is not the one for anyone who prefers languishing at home alone!

Which sort of industries will have the best WFH options?

It’s definitely moving back towards a hybrid. I’m civil service and we are increasing to 60% in the spring (from 40%). New people / talent scheme staff will do more. There’s a lot of benefits to in person working. We do have some staff on a full WFH contract, but they are tightening up on that too. I think for those who haven’t come back at all (we had some teams who believed the 40% didn’t apply as they could work from home, well we all could, we proved that but it’s got to be fair to all) are struggling the most. Those who regularly come in twice a week are ok with it. I have a disability so could probably get an adjustment but don’t want to be that person, because yes people do talk. It is a shame losing the commute time and the extra cost. You can always find another job that’s wfh 100% if your company moves back to office. Our organisation now needs to find space for 60% as we have increased headcount massively since pandemic

I hear you!
And yet this government is 'considering changes to the work capability assessment so “they better reflect the modern world of work and the opportunities more readily available to disabled people” including “improved employer support in recent years for flexible and home working” – leaving many disabled people considered 'fit to work’ at work capability assessments, based on the idea that we can work from home. Many of us would love to. Where are all these WFH jobs for the disabled?

I'm a multi disabled worker in a wheelchair, struggling with the amount of commuting and travel I have to do, especially in winter when things become very precarious. I'm currently ending up with well under the NMW and worsening my conditions and health by what I do to get places, but it's the NHS who picks up the bill, including an average four week hospital stay every winter, as a result of pushing through too long. Of course I then loose my PIP that is supposed to help meet the costs of working while disabled, and if I return to hospital even overnight within four weeks, (usually do) I lose it again while still being expected to afford to meet addtional disability costs of commuting.

I'm a freelance worker (no choice) and wish to stay working, so constantly looking for work, but the only WFH work I've ever been able to find and secure was the government food parcel helpline during the pandemic. Acquired entirely by luck via a relative of someone I happened to know, not from advertisment.

Generally remote working requires building based working first, and physically disabled workers can't hide their issues and struggle to get hired so they can get to the point of WFH.
The whole system really angers me especially as I'm unable to access local job center independently and expected to pay for someone to assist me to get there. (out of the same money expected to cover disability aids, equipment, food, travel, transport, carers top up etc ) The argument is as long as the building itself is accessible, your physical ability to get to it and into it, isn't their problem.

It's not going to become a thing of the past. That ship has sailed. The print media have a significant vested interest in trying to close the door now the horse has bolted, though, because the sector did awfully out of the reduction in commuting. Lots of people bought a morning paper for the bus or train, who don't now. And then of course some of them are mouthpieces for the current government, who also don't like it.

Basically, the workforce don't want an end to remote working. And people vote with their feet, so even those employers who prefer it can't necessarily enforce or afford it. Premises are also expensive. Enough space for everyone to come in costs a lot, which is why so much of the public sector was doing enforced hybrid in the 2010s.

WFH isn't a new phenomenon. I've been doing it since 2011. Yes, I think companies want employees to be more seen, so more hybrid, but wfh isn't going anywhere.

If you're productive I honestly wouldn't worry. It's the slackers that companies are trying to clamp down on.

It totally depends on situation and job. WFH for juniors who live in a house share is a nightmare. Many young people do not have the space for a desk outside their bedroom. In our office it is 3 days in the office and it has improved communication

This comes up a lot on here. I don't get why people think roles that haven't already been offshored are all going to go in a few years time. It's been almost 4 years since the mass move to remote work, and will have been longer in some jobs. And we have a labour shortage in the UK already, making recruitment harder and sometimes impossible. What is it about the situation now that's making offshorable roles remain here now that's going to change in like 2027?

I hate working from home and don't do it even though I have the option 3 days a week. But I don't think you have much to worry about, I very much doubt it would disappear - I've been vaguely job hunting for several months and it's a struggle to find jobs that aren't 100% or near 100% remote - employers are using this as a selling point. Also many bosses love WFH so of course don't want to kill it off.

I think there's a lot of noise about dragging people back to the office but I don't see it in many industries. In some parts of my workplace, which has in-person customers, people have to be in once a month if that.

If your company ceases to exist, at some point you might need to think about a career change or using your transferrable skills (you will have many!) to pivot to a different industry, but honestly I think you'll be fine finding a job that suits your needs and lifestyle. The genie is out the bottle and there will be plenty of employers that recognise this.

I completely get this.I know someone who has managed to register as a homeworker when the general office policy is you need to be at least 60% in the office. He has ADHD and argued that it was a reasonable adjustment to work from home as he was more efficient this way. I guess you would need to be pretty established in your role, and to feel comfortable disclosing your diagnosis/e for that work though. It's such a tricky thing to manage. Best of luck.

xH works in IT industry, they have experimented with offshoring work, coding especially, contracted to non-native English speakers in not high income countries. It doesn't work well for them and they are increasingly unenthusiastic. Communication & monitoring is poor, time zones to negotiate. Lots of misunderstanding about exactly what specs they need. I keep thinking if that company can't make offshoring work well, then it doesn't work that well at all.

They are having more success at getting AI algorithms to do routine tasks for the company, very much at highly repetitive secretarial type level tasks, though.

I think it will depend on the individual business. Some own their premises so need to justify the cost of keeping them running so it makes sense that they will be encouraging their staff to go back into the office.

Some businesses rent and have already downsized on the basis that some or all of their staff work from home. My husbands employer is a good example. Pre-pandemic, several offices across the country and lots of site-based project staff. Post-pandemic just one small office left and very little requirement to work on site as they've implemented software that means most work can be done from home.

So I think if I were in your shoes I'd be trying to identify the organisations in your industry who have a mainly home based staff and keep my eye out for job opportunities. Also don't forget that if you are diagnosed your conditions are likely to be disabilities under the Equality Act and you can ask for home working as a reasonable adjustment.

I'm not sure this is true. Though it is a trope which gets trotted out on MN a lot in these types of discussion. I work in a tech industry. While there has been offshoring of generic helpdesk type roles, roles where specific skills are required have remained onshore.

There is good reason for this. If, as an employer, you only need a small number of people with a specific skill you recruit them individually. You cant easily employ a single person in another country without there being payroll & employment law issues. You can get round this if you are an international company and happen to have a office in the country where the potential recruit is located. Add to this time zone issues.

I was recruited during one of the lockdowns so my role was fully remote. Now, in theory, I am hybrid however I am in the office very infrequently. My WFH record is excellent, always available, quick to respond. Add to that I have specialist skills. It took my employer well over a year to recruit for my role. Yes it's possible I will be required to be in the office more frequently but it hasnt happened yet.

I'm not diagnosed. I went into work this week and it felt like micro management. I was clenched the whole time I don't think I breathed. Some of us can't concentrate with people around. I went home at lunchtime as I was able and did a beautiful job and everyone was happy. I think in this time of neurodivergence you can argue that you work much more efficiently from home. Set it out clearly, maybe show proof and a letter from your clinician will help. Promise to show your face occasionally. Maybe demonstrate that you get MORE work done at home because of less time spent commuting. Bosses tend to have no understanding of the huge difficulty with 'masking' that a lot of us have to do just to leave the house but they need to learn.

Fully WFH jobs existed before Covid. I’ve been in my fully remote tech role since 2018. I think businesses will wake up once they start losing good talent to fully remote opportunities

There are people in my office who come in every mon-fri who are wheelchair users. Those who need adjustments get disabled parking if they need it or come in late leave late etc. People are realising it’s not really about what you personally prefer, but about what’s right for the team and the customer. It entirely depends on the culture of your workplace. Mine is that you come in, work collaboratively together and get on with it. There are a few people who wfh fully because of a bad back etc. I’ve never met them. They will not get promoted as they’re just unknown entities. They don’t get involved with projects as they’re not there. And they’re not supporting others in their roles as they’re largely absent.

You may be able to find workplaces that allow you to stay home for good, but it must be industry dependent surely.

At our work, the hybrid policy was initially 2 days in the office but now it's going up to 3 days and to be honest I think it could rise to 4...I don't think they'd ever be able to completely stop WFH though