To dislike WFH. Am I the only one?

[PrincessBananaH]

I appreciate how privileged I am to be able to WFH when some people can’t but, even though I can see the practical benefits (lower commute costs, easier to manage childcare drop off and puck up etc), I really hate WFH.
When I started wfh during the pandemic I thought it was lovely whereas now I find it incrediblh boring and i truly struggle to focus, to the point that on the days I am at home I am much less productive. Does this happen to any of you?
All my colleagues say they focus more when at home so I wonder if I am the only one or perhaps not all pf them are saying the truth.
I likw getting ready in the morning, wear some nice clothes, make up, sip a hot drink on the drain and meet real humans. Am I the only one?

Can you not go in a couple of times? Maybe.Every day at home is bad for you if you dont enjoy it

I honestly cannot praise it enough

Work/life balance much improved

I go into the office twice a month

There are pros and cons to it, I generally prefer WFH but think it can be both mentally and physically unhealthy most of the time, I don’t get as much exercise as I would if I was going into the office and also it can be a bit isolating.

On the plus side I don’t have to listen to office politics and annoying work colleagues

I get loads more done at home, but do get ‘lonely’, so go in to the office once a week. I think I am easily distracted and that is why wfh is good for me.

I do one day at home. That's definitely enough. The office environment has a lot of advantages for my line of work.

I mostly like it but have been doing it for the majority of the time since 2002/3. But late to change my ways now, I own more pj's than clothes 😂

I absolutely love it. I was wfh before the pandemic. I found being in an office incredibly stressful. I was in a constant state of high anxiety, even with a private office. I now also have a disability that would make working in an office extremely difficult.

the key for me is having a proper office in my home.

Personally I think having a separate work space makes a huge difference. I wfh during Covid in my now husband's home and I was at the dining table which I could see from the sofa in front of the tv. Fast forward to now and we've moved and both have a separate room to work in. I close the door at the end of the day and forget about work. I think hybrid is the perfect blend as I see my team and it gives us time to catch up and then have 2 days at home where I work quietly on my own and save the commuting time. I don't think I'd like looking at my laptop now on a night in my downtime regardless of how much I enjoy working from home.

I love having one day a week at home but I think I would struggle with more than that. I wouldn’t be motivated enough.

I love that WFH has allowed me to have a second fully WFH job though. It meant I could get through my daughter’s childcare years financially without getting into debt.

I’m also able to study fully online thanks to Covid.

I love it! I only work 3 days but have been wfh since the first lockdown. In fact my office was closed & my boss relocated to Scotland (from the SW). So I don't have the option of going into an office, which is fine by me.
I work on my sofa; DH works upstairs in our bedroom - but make a point of packing everything away at the end of the day.
I make a to do list & work my way through it - some days are busier than others.
It has allowed us to get rid of one of our cars; PIL no longer need to help with childcare as we can drop off & pick up, as well go into school when needed (our employers are flexible).
Honestly one of the best things to come out of the pandemic for us. BUT it's not for everyone, I have lots of friends utterly horrified at the prospect. So if it's not working for you then you need to suck up the additional commute time/costs, childcare etc.

I really like going into the office, my team are absolutely lovely which obviously helps!

We are hybrid so 3 days in office, 2 days at home. Or more in the office if you want to.

It's a perfect set up

This! We do hybrid working, we go in twice per week and that’s a great balance for me. I get my people fix on my office days, and really get my head down when I’m at home. I get more done at home but my ‘people days’ are important too.

No way would you get me back into the office 5 days per week,but I wouldn’t want to WFH every day either.

I listen to YouTube vids of coffee shop noise. It helps me focus. I also schedule my time so in my calendar I have time for each task which stops it being a long boring stretch of hours.

WFH full time during lockdown almost broke me mentally and physically.

I now go in to the office at least 3 days a week. I do like the flexibilty to WFH (which TBH I had before covid as well) but I am definitely more of an office person.

Don't be daft! I've got a perfectly good office to go to - why would I mess about finding a coffee shop to work in?

I hate WFH. Fortunately it's not much of a thing in my organisation. On the rare occasion I do WFH, I spend time moaning at my colleagues that I am lonely 😀

I'm easily distracted and thats why WFH is bad for me!!

OP, if the only reason is to save money I'd seriously consider going in more if you are much happier.
At least have a serious think about it.

I decided to go in even though it cost me more (although the heating was costing me being at home), because I am just not cut out for WFH

How funny! Goes to show how different we all are. I have a problem with noise, so that’s why wfh works better. I have my own office at home though which helps.

I struggle more in the office with the constant interruptions and everyone talking around me. I now wear headphones all the time in the office. If it went back to full time in the office I would leave.

I absolutely love wfh. I am a much nicer person both at work and at home because I'm not using up all my social energy being in the office with people all day every day.

I work better at home because I'm not distracted by others, or pulled away into things that people would think twice about normally, because I'm right there.

I can manage my work/life balance much better and feel like I'm not constantly playing catch up because I can put a wash on while I go for a wee or turn the slow cooker on while I make my sandwich.

I think there's a bit of a trap that when you wfh you feel so aware of not taking the piss, that you hold yourself to a higher standard of paying attention than you do in the office, and that makes you feel like you're more distracted at home. I doubt you are, you're just less willing to justify your distractions (cuddling the dog for a minute/finishing a cup of tea stood in the garden etc) than you are when you're in the office (talking Jackie in the staff kitchen/popping to the shop down the road for a decent coffee), because you are in 'office' mode.

I enjoy my office days much more than my WFH days for the reasons you give. However, losing the commute for half the week has given me my life back. Time to cook healthily, excercise, rest, socialise. Its made the difference for me of being able to stay in this job that I love probably until I retire in 15 years. Without WFH I had another 5 years tops of the commute.

I love WFH. My work requires concentration & focus which I find is much easier at home than it is in a noisy, bustling open plan office full of constant distractions. The massive savings of time & money which accrue from not commuting mean that my work / life balance is the best it has ever been. Long may it continue.

It’s obviously not for everyone, though. It probably wouldn’t work for those who need social contact at work for collaboration & creativity, or for extroverts who struggle with being on their own. That’s never been a problem for me, fortunately.

However, losing the commute for half the week has given me my life back. Time to cook healthily, excercise, rest, socialise. Its made the difference for me of being able to stay in this job that I love probably until I retire in 15 years. Without WFH I had another 5 years tops of the commute.

Yes, this is me!

I Imagine everyone will have different opinions.
Personally I would love to be able to find a job WFH I just can't find anything suitable.