To ask how often you’d go to the office if it wasn’t a requirement?

[Orangegreen]

I work in quite a small team where people are rarely in the office all at once unless of a training day or larger meeting which is infrequent.

I’ve fallen into a pattern of working from home a bit more lately. Nobody has said anything about it. Nowhere is it mandated or discussed how much we actually should. For instance, some people go in for the morning and go home at lunchtime to work from home. Nobody bats an eyelid.

I haven’t been in a while so I am considering going in early next week. It will be ironic that if I go, everyone else will have probably chosen to stay at home though.

Commuting in is quite expensive and I don’t have a good reason to work from there other than to be visible. Would you go, or WFH until requested to do otherwise? As I say nobody has said anything and it is usually our choice but I don’t know if you stand out by not going in as often as others.

I'm expected to do one day, I typically do 2 or 3 as I enjoy the office environment and like liaising with colleagues in person. I certainly wouldn't go to sit in an empty office though as that's pointless. Our system is that we usually say the week before where we'll be in the coming week (office isn't big enough for everyone to be in together, so some planning is required) so if no one I need to engage with will be in, I stay home.

If you're happy being at home I'd wait until you're asked to go in. I wfh 100% and only go in once a month or two when a team meeting or the like is arranged.

Pretty much never. In more than 10 years I've been WFH, I have been to the office only a handful of times - but this also means I've been employed in situations where going in regularly would have been daft or even impossible - like when my boss was an American living and working in Florida for example.

Twice a week, max.

Pre 2020, I used to go into the office 3 mornings a week.

Now, I haven't been to the office (other than meetings) for nearly 4 years.

I am asked to do 2 or 3 days a week but I go in every day, I hate WFH. I like the routine of getting up and out, I dress for work and can easily add gym or social stuff around office hours. I like seeing my colleagues and we are lucky to have a team who want to spend time together. I hate seeing people on teams from home in their Oodies or with cats strolling across the screen/children making noises in the back. I understand that WFH suits some people but I do question motives sometimes.

Never. Unfortunatly I have to go in 4 times a year.

We are asked to do two and I do that. Yes, it's a cost, but I don't think you build the same type of team if you don't see each other in person. And the incidental conversations are often the most productive. I'm really glad my workplace is hybrid.

If I didn’t miss my dog so much when I work in the office I’d go every day I think. Although not having to get up so early is nice to be fair. I like the buzz in the office when there are other people in. Maybe work from home on a Friday.

I understand that WFH suits some people but I do question motives sometimes.
Nearest office for me is a horrible 2 hour drive - or 4 hours by train - adding 4-8 hours travel at my own expense every day would mean I'd just look for another job as it wouldn't be viable.

I have to go in twice a week at the moment.
If I had the choice it would be once a week, sometimes once a fortnight.

I would love to know how when you have distributed teams that have worked in this way for years (non customer facing) what benefits going to the office (where we will obviously not all be) are perceived to have?

I go in every day and when we were in the less strict lockdowns I got permission to go in twice a week on wellbeing grounds because I found it too much with the whole family being at home all the time.

I live about a mile away from work though so can walk in and it does me good to get out of the house in general, I move more at work, there are fewer distractions, and I do have more conversations with other people who are in, which is good for catching up on what is going on in my wider department.

I am more productive in the office, but I know it's the opposite for some people.

I’ve not set foot in my office since I was interviewed 18months ago, before that I was in a role for 5 years and used to go once a month or so. My team is global, I meet my direct team every few months but based around Europe so still not in the office.

Once a month. It's nice to check in and see some faces in the flesh but I'm about 300% more productive at home!

Me too. Our company has a "policy" (lax) of 3 days a week in the office. I go in every day. I've actually heard rumblings that our CEO is pushing for 5 days a week. I'm not surprised - we are a successful, high profile public company and productivity has definitely been an issue. More importantly, I think the collaborative parts of our job are missing something when we are all remote.

Our WFH policy is whenever you want unless there is a face to face meeting or something else that requires attendance. I'm still quite new so I normally do 4 days a week (did 5 days for the first 6 weeks) but once I'm up to speed (probably by June) I'll probably do 3 days a week in the office just to cut down a bit on fuel.

I do work at home any day when there won't be anyone else from my team in as there's no point being there otherwise.

I am supposed to do 2 days in the office, but i rarely go in at all. Most of the people I speak to on a daily basis are in other countries, so I don't really see the benefit. My boss is aware. He's the same.

At least 50 % if I could - we are back to one day WFH but only if there is nobody sick / on annual leave /recently left so in practice not since January...

Today is a lovely day and I could have got loads of washing done and hung out!

Just realised I didn't answer the question! Given the choice I would go in once a week, ideally my team would all be in on the same day (7 of us).

If not required to do so I don't go in. I go in as little as possible. There is nowhere to park and I hate commuting and office politics

Such hardship.

Never. We've recently been mandated to go in 60% of our working week. I hate it. Management have stated 60% will allow "greater collaboration with colleagues ". That's not been my experience so far.

Once a month.

I go in two or three times a week. Currently only working four days a week, so that's one WFH day. The nature of my job means that I often have to look at things on site, take pictures, do virtual modelling of spaces etc. I also seem to end up having useful conversations in the office, can ask advice etc.
Also my home office is the dining room table with a laptop, no room for a second screen really! I prefer being in the office.