To ask if you sneak off to the gym during work hours?

[inneedofaglowup]

I know there's a lot of "that's cheeky and taking the piss" bit how many of you actually do it when working from home and is it really that bad if you do do it??

Let's just hope those of us at the 'bottom' don't all decide to get a flexible WFH job then.

We also have impromptu calls, but it's accepted that if it's last minute, someone may not be available. For example they may have taken their lunch break. Which they may have moved to accommodate their day (be that meetings arranged over lunch or life stuff). Or they may have pre-arranged to do something else. Or they may be in a different meeting they can't come out of.

Our company understands that life happens. As long as we are at pre-booked meetings and our work gets done, if I'm not available at 3pm one day, I'm not available.

If the question had been, do you ever sneak off during personal hours to do work, then that, would sadly be a yes.

When I worked in the city I used to take a slightly longer lunch (an hour and 20 mins) when I could and go to the gym, and then take very short breaks other days. As long as I did my work, that was fine. Obviously when I was very busy, I didn't take lunch at all.

Expecting everyone else to work around her as routine is quite selfish. She doesn't work for two hours every evening either so it's not equivalent payback anyway.

Good point.

You want her to work a full day AND then work the evening? It's you that's the problem here.

Her working hours being say 9-12, 2-5, 7-9 or whatever they are clearly works for the business. Perhaps you'd like to schedule your meetings in the evening so they are actually in her working time?

Er, no, cos I'm meant to be at my desk between 8.30-5. same as everyone else I know wfh.

I'm not in a 'do your allotted work whenever' role, if a colleague or my boss couldn't get hold of me I'd be in trouble!

I sometimes go in my lunch hour though and I get to put washing on, use my own kettle and waste no time commuting which is priceless.

On you go, what’s stopping you?

@AgnesX that's the problem then, if it isn't fairly balanced.

But I can't agree with her "expecting everybody to work around her hours", if she is expected to work for two hours in the evening on some evenings, she does need to take that time back. If that's in her calendar and it's in her calendar in advance. I'm really struggling to see the problem. She can't be expected to work in the evening and all through the day.

No, I used to do it by arrangement with my boss. I came in at 8, worked to 11, went to the gym and was back at my desk by 1, worked to 5.

Sneaking off? No, I wouldn't be comfortable with doing that.

I clock out of timeware. I wouldn't sneak out no.

As above, she doesn't work two hours every night so the payback isn't equivalent.

As for the evening work, she knew what the role and hours were when she took the job.

But that's different they chose a job where they have to be somewhere at a certain time, I chose my job which gives me the flexibility to go to the gym during the day.

Should we stop all flexible working because others don't have it?

I am a manager and if anyone on my team took an hour to go to the gym, 2-3 times a week I'd be chuffed. Exercising is good for managing stress, boosting your immune system and unleashing creative thoughts. Sedentary lifestyles are killing us (slowly).

I'm a healthcare worker..
Nice that people consider doctors, nurses, dentists, teachers etc somehow below them.

Well that's a separate issue isn't it?

But her blocking out the equivalent time would not be unreasonable, yet you seem to think it's "selfish" somehow to not work additional hours.

But if you want to work flexibly from home you will just have to stop being a healthcare worker won’t you?

I promise you no company is going to think ‘hey maybe we shouldn’t give our workers any flexibility because those poor health workers don’t get it’ and your job I would guess isn’t going to start being flexible so if it’s such a problem do something about it and quit the bitterness towards those who have done.

I don’t see anyone saying you are beneath them that’s obviously just how you feel about yourself.

I also reiterate, teachers get the whole summer off so they do get perks with their job.

So? You don't have to be a healthcare worker your whole career - go and apply for some wfh admin jobs if it's so attractive. You clearly resent the fact that other people have more flexible jobs than you do.

And that's not what "race to the bottom" means and you know it. But just because some people have inflexible jobs doesn't mean everyone has to have the same inflexibility.

I'm not complaining about additional hours I'm complaining about the block being splat in the middle of the UK/European day. When you have a large SLT or are in a large team you just can't do that and then complain that you're missing out on stuff.

You’re right, I just hadn’t made the connection before now!
For example my health club rarely gets a quiet time these days and the pool and jacuzzi areas only used to be busy when there was a class on so now I’m in the pool looking at a lot of 20s to 40 year olds enjoying the facilities at 10am and 2pm and no doubt inbetween most with their phones - maybe ‘working from phone’

I am retired.

Yes I go to the gym during my wfh days. I also often come into work late or leave early so I get to my gym class on time. As long as I get the work done, I make work fit in with life these days. Spent too many years fitting my life in with work. I still get the work done.

No, thankfully I don't feel like that about myself. But I've read comments on threads similar to this saying 'get a better job where you can work from home then' and I can see why healthcare workers are leaving when instead of being thankful people are just suggesting they quit.

Honestly it's just a goady thread, maybe even a newspaper fluffpiece. I work from home, and I work very hard. Like a lot of WFH jobs though, my tasks are more project based, so I can take an hour to go to the gym and then work an hour in the evening instead. I don't "sneak" anywhere, I'm contractually obliged to work for 37.5 hours a week and do well more than that - just not always 9-5.

These threads are always make me think about the sheer amount of time wasted in the office chatting over photocopier, being asked random questions, having work interrupted all the time. But if someone puts a load of washing on then it's somehow terrible and taking the piss, even if it wastes less time.

Sorry but I don’t need to be thankful to you for being a healthcare worker when you are being so rude about other people. You have zero idea what the rest of us do but are happily judging away.

My point stands to anyone who is jealous of others flexible working to go find a job that allows it. My workplace have had flexi home working in place for donkeys years, they aren’t going to change because of jealous people and I’m not going to genuflect to healthcare workers as some kind of higher being than the rest of us.