How is almost everybody physically able to WFH?

[someladdersandsnakes]

This is something I just don't really get. I work at a company which doesn't pay that well in a city where housing is very expensive but still basically everybody has somewhere at home that they can work every day. I currently have an office at home because it's a 3 bed and I'm now expecting our second child, when the baby arrives it won't be physically possible anymore to do regular WFH because the only place will be the dining table in the front room, only really suitable for occasional use because there isn't enough space around it for a proper office chair or anything. Nobody else at my company seems to have a similar problem though. I thought appropriately sized housing was a major societal problem yet somehow since the pandemic everyone has a suitable permanent workspace in their house? Including families, young renters, people still living with their parents, etc.

Of which bit exactly?

The bit where you believe if anyone has a minor ailment that doesn't prevent them working but would ideally not be brought into an office and spread around, they should take a sick day, cost the employer money (and potentially themselves if they're only on SSP) and impact productivity, rather than just working from home.

I have to say I've found this thread quite surprising, that so many people are still pushing for large quantities of time WFH in inadequate space.

But, from this thread, and from my own real life experience, the space isn't "inadequate", and, in many cases, it is a considerable improvement from the conditions at work.

I wonder if there will be a rise in people with musculoskeletal problems due to not having ergonomic work stations at home.

But people, as a whole, don't have "ergonomic work stations" in the office. If you do, then you are living in a privileged little bubble.

@NewName24 there have been quite a few inadequate ones listed.

Office chairs are usually provided, along with a budget for purchasing a desk and other essentials. Mine did, thankfully.

Ha Ha Ha

I take it you don't work for any publicly funded body.

@jobsjkfo it isn't 'inadequate' if people are managing with it though. 'Far from ideal' - I would agree with re working on your bed, but once again, not everyone that wfh is sitting, typing all day,
For the person worried about looking unprofessional if working on a bed, how is anyone seeing that ? Apart from the fact (as stated previously) loads of people aren't on video calls, even those that are would surely use a background? Either a corporate logo or one of the images of an office, or plain wall with a nice plant on a shelf of something. Nobody is going to be showing people their actualy room, are they ?

@NewName24 semantics, it's inadequate in my view.

No, if you can work as effectively from home as from the office, going in with a virus that others might catch is selfish, pointless presenteeism.

Don't large workplaces have H&S assessments of the work stations any more? No chance of that at home.

@Gwenhwyfar you can do them at home, I used to have to do it pre Covid and sent photographic evidence. But they don't seem to do them at all now, not even in the office, hot desking I guess- well not in the departments I work for.

When we started working home home during covid, I used the dining room and DH used the kitchen.

We then got a garden office put in.

And a lot of people use co-working spaces depending on cost, location and whether their work is particularly confidential.

Mine does and at home as well.

I work from the dining room table.

Maybe that's why the service given by wfh call handlers us so poor. Dogs barking, children shouting or crying, ages to get through. Service has gone down since wfh started.

@LoobyDop @evilharpy

To give context to my point, our team operates with a once-a-week requirement to be in the office. We enjoy a 4-day work from home schedule and one day designated for in-office collaboration, which greatly enhances our work-life balance.

This in-office day is focused on in-person meetings for brainstorming, collaboration with other teams, and a chance to connect with colleagues, often over a pub lunch.

As previously mentioned, this in-office attendance is mandatory, so any reason for not being present needs to be substantial and valid. This is in line with company policy.

So @LoveLifeBeHappy the principle of your in-office day is so important that you’d prefer, on the odd occasion that someone is unwell, them to drag themselves in or make everyone else ill or lose a whole day rather than dial in? It seems a pointlessly inflexible system.

I either sit on my bed with a lap table or balance my laptop on the arm of the sofa. I mostly just type all day. It’s not ideal but the alternative is risking having to sit in the ladies loos to work because they’ve got rid of a load of desks and replaced them with these booth things which are apparently for having informal and non confidential meetings. We don’t actually have informal or non confidential meetings but this doesn’t seem to matter.

@LoobyDop

Let me put this a different way. WFH no longer exists (for argument's sake). You're unwell. Are you coming into the office or calling in sick? A simple answer is required.

I hurt my leg and had to keep it raised so I got into the habit of working on the sofa.
During lockdown we could hardly ever both work at the same time but once the DCs were at school but we were working we do have a desk in the spare room but we took it in turns to use the dining table and got the smallest ever office chair.

I won the lottery on the same fanstasy morning so I just handed my notice in

But that's a moot point, because it DOES exist, and it exists four days a week in your very office. So the choice is one of the following:

1. Come to the office, pass your germs around for the sake of having lunch with the team and risk everyone being unwell. Or risk further harm to yourself if you've sprained an ankle, for example.
2. WFH, maybe miss out on some potential collaboration but spend seven hours chipping away at the to-do list, getting deadline work over the line, or catching up on admin.
3. Call in sick, even though you're more than capable of putting in a day's work. Cost your company money, cost yourself money if you're on SSP, negatively impact productivity, risk impacting project timelines.

Now weigh up these options and tell me which one you think is the most sensible and the most beneficial to the team. A simple answer is required.

I have an office in DS's old bedroom. I think when I first started WFH I just sat in the living room - but it was only a modified part of my job at that time (March 2020). I recall a couple of my colleagues having to work sitting on their beds at their time after their adult DC moved back home from their house shares.

Work gave me a chair when covid started but I bought my own desk
Have to use a desk really as I need a laptop, keyboard, mouse and curved screen and I'm 8hrs a day fully immersed on the computer/typing
Wouldn't be able to do it from bed!

Come to the office, pass your germs around for the sake of having lunch with the team and risk everyone being unwell

Firstly, it's not just for the sake of a lunch. As I mentioned, it's a day when all the DEV, Product, and Design teams come together for collaboration. We work on large-scale products that involve various teams in design, management, and development.

Additionally, our junior members don't learn remotely; they shadow senior members to learn. If they encounter difficulties, have questions, or blockers, they can easily seek help by approaching their mentors directly. This direct interaction fosters strong team dynamics, mentorship, and learning.

Moreover, we utilise our digital white boards where we brainstorm ideas.

If you're unwell, call in sick. Taking care of your health is important. Rest up, relax, and return when you're fully recovered.

WFH, maybe miss out on some potential collaboration but spend seven hours chipping away at the to-do list, getting deadline work over the line, or catching up on admin.

They have 4 other days to do that.

Call in sick, even though you're more than capable of putting in a day's work. Cost your company money, cost yourself money if you're on SSP, negatively impact productivity, risk impacting project timelines

We work in sprints using the Agile methodology, which means we have contingencies in place for situations where team members might be unwell.

Our DEV teams are quite large, so work can easily be reassigned.

I don't see how having a sick employee could possibly improve productivity; it sounds counterintuitive to me. Allowing someone to work while they're unwell risks mistakes and suboptimal work.

Statutory Sick Pay isn't a major concern for us. I'd much rather my team members take the time they need to rest and recover fully. Considering the value of just one feature, which is typically worth over £250k, SSP is insignificant for us.

Ahh bless you, well done 😊