To ask for some advice re going into the office and WFH?

[Acapulco12]

I work full time, and pre Covid, I worked in the office every day.

During Covid, all my colleagues and I worked from home, which I got very used to.

Since the pandemic, I’ve found it difficult to get back into the routine of going into the office.

Whenever I go into the office, I really enjoy seeing my colleagues and catching up with them, but I find it difficult to actually go in. My colleagues are lovely and very inclusive, and there is a lovely social environment created even for colleagues working from home, as all the meetings are set up for colleagues to dial into virtually (all of the colleagues tend to split their working week between working from home and in the office).

I realise how this comes across and that it sounds very lazy - I don’t even live very far away from the office (about a 45-minute journey on public transport, roughly).

Does anyone have any advice for how I can get myself back into gear please? Thanks so much.

Just doing it more basically. Get up a bit earlier on office days and feel less rushed helps me too.

I think you just need to get on with it. Maybe get everything ready the night before, your clothes, lunch if you take it in etc.

Are you supposed to go in a set number of times every week?

I think what you're feeling is normal. I'm willing to bet that before the pandemic there were days when you couldn't be bothered to drag yourself in, but you went because you had to.

Do you work in a town/city centre? Could you arrange to meet someone for lunch/after work so that you have something to look forward to?

What do you do on the journey into work? Do you take a drink with you and something to read or puzzle book etc? What about buying an actual paperback and keeping it only to read in your way in/home from work? That way you’ve something to look forward to. Same with lunch - do you treat yourself to lunch you haven’t made yourself- nice to do something like that once a week if finances permit.

Just decide one day a week that would be best to go in when there are most meetings on or most people go in. Make it routine you go in every week on this day. You can then tell yourself on that day, just this one day and I’ll be WFH tomorrow.

Do it on the same day every week so it’s a routine embedded.
maybe Monday so it’s a start to the week - then it doesn’t feel as different to your normal morning routine

I’m exactly the same. Routine definitely helps.

What is it you find difficult about going in? Is it struggling to get up in time for the commute? Anxiety about being around people more? Finding yourself less productive on office days? Identifying what it is that’s causing the issue will help you (or us) think of ways to overcome it.

I agree with others though, simply doing it more will make it more of a habit.

Practise makes perfect. Keep going in and you'll get used to it.

Do you HAVE to go in? Just don't do it if you don't have to.

What's your motivation for going in?

What's your 'why'?

If you have a strong preference for working from home, and there's no pressing reason or consequence for not being in the office, it makes sense that you don't feel the urge to make the effort.

My advice is to figure out the why, or at least, a version of one, and use it to make you motivated.

Yep - this. I go in about once a month max and that's only when I have a specific reason like a meeting which has to be face to face.

Am similar..go in once every 2 weeks..the crack is not the same I Am so unproductive and stressed from the commute. everyone is on calls and the noise is unreal. (no booths to go in) plus even when I arrange to meet people they are too busy or we get interrupted to make tasks meaningful. then spend the next few aftrr playing catch up at work and home. I just have a nice routine at home and still produce but have to go in every so often to show face 😩.

I agree with the other posts, you need to identify why you don't like going in and then create a plan on how to address this. E.G if you're less productive, plan your focus tasks for WFH days. Then use the in office days for meetings, collaboration with the team. That way you've changed your mindset on what the in office days are for.
Although I should say, I hated going back into the office post covid. But mainly because it was a toxic work environment and I just wanted to do my job and not engage with all that. So I actively started applying for fully remote positions and managed to secure one. Now I couldn't be happier.
Covid made me realize how much I disliked where I was working and that there was an alternative way of working, that would give me a better work-life balance. Could it be that actually you're not happy in your role/company?

Why do you need to get back into gear? Is there a reason or expectation that you go back to the office?
If you can and want to WFH, why do otherwise?

Thanks so much all.

I think the same reasons why I’ve found it difficult to go in are probably down to laziness tbh! I’m very comfortable with my wfh routine but also realise it’s not good for me long term as I probably am less active when working from home.

Sometimes have trouble going to sleep at night at a reasonable time, which makes me lazier in the morning. The other thing is I save money on stuff like the commute (and food) if I WFH - the commute actually isn’t that much money, but I like buying breakfast and/or lunch when going into the office, so I often spend money on that.

I think probably the way forward is as PP suggested: pick 2 days a work to go in and stick to them for a while to get a routine, prep my lunch and work stuff the night before, treat myself a bit on one of the days with lunch etc. I think I just need to make it nicer to go in than wfh.

When I am in the office, I do enjoy it - socialising with colleagues etc (I really like my team) and the work environment is a perfect set up - rather than working from my bedroom, which I currently do.

I just find it difficult to get up and running in the morning. The only slight annoying thing about the office is needing to book a desk and that there isn’t enough space for everyone, so can be difficult to find a quiet space for meetings/calls etc.

I know that sounds very lazy. I think the pandemic ruined me!

I do have quite a busy lifestyle and lots of hobbies etc, and do get out of the house of course. It’s when I’m given the option of wfh versus going into the office, the laziness impulse kicks in and I tend to opt for wfh, so I need to nip that in the bud.

I totally get the laziness thing (although having to do the school run in the morning has forced me to address that to some extent). Sometimes it's just more appealing to bum around the house in leggings and a massive jumper, snuggle under a blanket or eat endless snacks. Going into the office more has helped me. There's a lot to be said for the ad hoc conversations you have and my relationship with the junior members of my team (who don't directly work for me but I have some oversight/mentoring responsibilities) is much stronger for it. I do normally dread it but it's also never as bad as I think and it makes me appreciate the WFH days even more.

OP I am the same. I feel sooo much better when I've been in the office but I absolutely dread it and I'll find any excuse not to go in. For me it's the commute I dread. Mine is only about 30-45 minutes on public transport but I just dread it, it feels like a faff and I just cba. If I was in walking distance I'd go in all the time. I've actually realised too many wfh days in a row make me start to feel a bit grey and lost, I really need some human interaction, though I am a true introvert who loves my own company and loves to wfh!

100% agree and identify with this! That is 100% what I am like 😂

I don't consider 45 mins a short journey! But depends on where you live, I guess.
I have a similar journey but by car, by the time I park, walk across the massive carpark into my building, find a desk, plonk the laptop down and start work it's been an hour. Also I hate getting up early.

I love dressing up and motivate myself by picking a nice outfit and wearing some makeup. It certainly has gotten easier with a routine, rather than scattered, random days.

My work have told us we have to come in at least once a week now. It’s the same day every week so I’m trying to see it as that’s what happens on Tuesdays. I, like so many others got very used to WFH for so long. I love it. My desk set up and environment is suited exactly to me. In the office I have to find a desk (never the same one and someone else was using the day before etc) so it’s never set up exactly as I like it and takes some time faffing around. I’m a total introvert who needs the quiet to concentrate. I find it so hard actually doing anything productive when I’m in so like others have suggested, I try to arrange my work week so that Tuesdays are now more meeting and social focussed. Although do find it annoying having to catch up on actual work the next couple of days. I hate the social side of it. I get social anxiety, red rashes appear and it’s embarrassing. WFH I can hide that and have found I’ve become so much more confident behind the screen.

Coming home after being in the office I am always absolutely drained and have a sore head. My commute is an hour each way on a bus. Suppose it’s just something I need to keep doing to adjust. It’s tough though. Routine I think will help it become the norm.

Can your home office be somewhere other than your bedroom? There should be separation of the two and it's not good to sleep and work in the same space. You may find the separation at home helps with going into the office. Also it's been shown time and again then having a regular set bedtime is better for sleep quality and mental health.

The problem with hybrid working is you can't switch off from the commute and do it on auto pilot, like you would have if you were doing it every day. For most of my 20s, I couldn't have described my morning commute, it was totally on auto pilot.

We've got loose agreement to come in once a week, and I really struggled with it,until I started making everything as simple as possible for my self in the morning. Same train each time, check the night before, packing my laptop, making sure I had lunch ready to grab. Basically stripped as many decisions as possible out of the morning, and it's getting easier slowly.

Sometimes, when the weather is crap, it's still hard, I'm looking forward to light mornings. But for me, making it as easy as possible and not having to think too much, has really helped make me stop dreading office days and commuting.

Agree with set days. Pity you have to book a desk, unfortunate.

I think consecutive days in the office are easier than alternate days. I used to do Tues and Thurs and I just found it really disjointed and disruptive. Now I do tues, Weds, Thurs and it’s much easier. I also think more of the working week in office is easier.