Sorry, not sorry, but wfh really is much easier

[Jeannie88]

I know it's become the norm, especially post covid, but do those who wfh realise how much easier their lives are?

Sorry, but I have found it a bit pathetic and embarrassing that there has been a big defiance of 'going into office' once a fortnight to be such an horrific ordeal?

Don't you all realise how fortunate you are? No commute, time at home to do things those of us have to do after a day of being on our feet, all frontline and retail etc then look after our children?

Sp my point from.personal experience. We are a group of 6 friends (f) and go out regularly together. When we have been to midweek gigs, comedy nights, meal, the 4 who wfh joke how they can roll out of bed and be online within minutes to show present, then have breakfast and just work at their own pace and even during teams meeting they can sit back and contribute what they have to.

Then, the 2 of us who have to get up at 6am, dress for work, ready to drive so sensible of alcohol intake the night before and buy ourselves soft drinks in rounds or even drive and give lifts. Then do a full intensive day with full on human interaction and check e mails on the evening when we get the time to do so.

Of course childcare issues come into this. We who don't wfh have to take our DC to breakfast club or childminder then go on to work, the 3 of the 4 who have DC drop them off at school and rush back having been seen to log on early but not really working as getting them ready.

Ok so my observation and opinions based on this. I guess all the moaning on MN about having to go into the office (which really isn't so hard is it?) had incited me to raise this point.

Oh and I do have DP who wfh and he totally agrees with me. He's hardworking and doesn't do the slob thing, but agrees, in his own words. 'It's a piece of piss compared to going to the office and even that was so easy compared to your job'.

So please those who have the privilege of wfh stop moaning! Honestly, how would the world work if everyone wfh? It wouldn't.

I work part-time, fully remotely. If I couldn't WFH, I couldn't work at all. It's an introverted parents dream! No commute, no small talk, no childcare costs, no sacrificing family time... I feel very fortunate. However, work is work. Whether it's done from home or on site, it's still work, so people will always complain.

Is anyone pretending WFH is easier than going in? I've never heard anyone say that - I'm sure it's galling to hear people complaining about going in a couple of days a week when you have no choice but to go in every day, but I've never heard anyone claiming it's less easy than going into an office.

I work in a totally hybrid sort of field and no, I don't think I am ever going back to 5 days a week - I've been made redundant but most things I've interviewed for are only asking for one or two days a week in-office as it's the sort of work you can't really pretend has to be done in an office.

But yes, WFH much easier - can stay on top of domestic things more easily, need less childcare once you have older kids and so on.

I actually think it’s much harder to be promoted when WFH - you have to be louder and make sure you are talking to the ‘right’ people regularly. I know this is usually the case for promotions but it seems like you have to do more now.

Why does being sat in front of a keyboard mean I'm not actively working?
Seriously I take around 120 calls a day and I can't go for a wee or get a drink without people knowing

Of course it’s easier WFH…in terms of work life balance and juggling childcare etc. but what’s wrong with that? It shouldn’t be some kind of race to the bottom with employers to see how hard and inconvenient they can make their employees lives. In my case anyway, because I’m so relaxed at home and have a better work life balance I also work harder and am more productive.

I love WFH and I don’t hear anyone complaining about it. It allows me to run my life smoothly. I get up early and get a couple of hours in and then drop my kids to school. This alone saves me money and stress.

I can’t pretend work - like it would be very obvious if I wasn’t producing work. But I love not having a commute and being able to throw a wash on and even cook the dinner during my lunch break. It’s a game changer for working parents.

But every situation is different.

I work for an employer that employs around 8000 people.
Some aren't office based.
Let's guestimate that pre-pandemic around 6000 needed housing in offices.
My employer has closed 2 very large office buildings in the City Centre. No heating, lighting, electricity bills. (Computers, phones charging, fridges, fans, etc etc). No rent / mortgage. No security staff. No cleaners. No ground rent. No water bills. No toilet roll to buy. No cleaning materials.
Wfh is SAVING my employer hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of pounds every year.

With every one of these threads, there isn't one answer to suit all.

Are you shit stirring for The Times or Daily Mail op? It's so difficult to tell the two apart these days.

Wfh is way better than the alternative.
I also work term time only and my dc are adults, I'm totally winning 😬

OP @Jeannie88 , are you a teacher by chance?

I love WFH but know plenty of people who hate it. Lots of my colleagues go into the office by choice, even though they don't have to.

Personally, I've never had a job which required me to be in the office 5 days a week, even pre pandemic. I don't think I could cope with it as I hate early starts.

I bloody love my wfh days! I'm hybrid so do normally 3 in 2 out days. WFH definitely allows me a better work / home balance, which I love.

My WFH days are often longer days, there's no excuse not to work late or early when the laptop is right there 😂 it's also easier to be super productive rather than in a loud shared office. As a company we've been proven to be just as productive at home, so it's not like everyone is off slacking and doing no work! It saves the company money on bills / offices (as they don't have to have offices for everyone al the time) so that's a win for them.

I think your friends sound like they have an atypical wfh routine - no one I work with just rolls to their laptop 2 minutes before logging on for a meeting!

I am very grateful to covid for giving me the opportunity to work hybrid f/t role. Before the pandemic I worked p/t at a mnw job which fit round school times. I also have caring duties for a family member which I've now split with another relative.

Working f/t has made me a bit more unavailable & has forced other family to pick up the slack. People have relied on me being too available when I worked p/t.

I'm on maternity atm but usually WFH 5 days a week since 2020, only going in if required (a few times a year probably).

It's loads easier obviously. It was a godsend while pregnant too, I would have hated trying to secretly vom in work toilets during the first trimester etc. I'd never work in an office full time again.

I have lots of friends who WFH too, I've never heard a complaint about it other than during lockdown and people were trying to educate their kids at the same time 😂

That's different, you're not sat in front a keyboard and are actively working.

@Jeannie88 you've clearly never had a job that involves staring at a screen all day. You'd be surprised how exhausting it can be.

I absolutely hate working from home.

In your situation of course I understand and please accept my apologies. This post was in no way meant for those who have to wfh and truly sorry not to have come across as having not accounted for that. I was just referring to friends and those who moan about having to go into the office as a hindrance being completely physically able to do so and mentally as well. Xx

I have a similar mindset. I managed to get a fully remote job and it’s also very flexible with working hours, so I am likewise very flexible with helping colleagues, which is what my role entails. I’ve taken phone calls after I’ve finished for the day and worked on to get a job finished for example. I don’t recall ever staying behind after my finishing time at any job when I worked on-site.

Work appreciates what I do and I know my output is higher than others in the team - it’s been mentioned by my own boss a few times.

It’s easier for sure.

That’s exactly why people moan about going in at all when the same work can be done at home.

I mostly wfh but go into the office when I can as enjoy seeing others. My problem is that I most definitely am working - often scheduled in team calls solidly from 8.30-5 with maybe 15 or 30 minutes break if I’m lucky. Going into the office just to sit on calls doesn’t make sense as the teams rooms are more for a quick call than full day calls, and I’m speaking to people around the world so we can’t do a F2F. Before Covid I wfh 1-2 days and generally find the office less intense than calls - at least you can pop on the loo as you walk between meeting rooms.

I think many of those complaining are those who signed up for wfh jobs and are now being asked to commute to offices when their life hasn’t been set up to do so. I.e. they’ve moved further from the office as were told 100% or 90% wfh…

@thanKyouaIMee I was exactly the same as you before wfh permanently and I loved it. Great work / life balance.

Didn’t enjoy full time wfh for a long time. And I definitely have rolled out of bed and logged into a meeting 2 minutes later, more than once. 🫣

Of course wfh is easier. I work just as hard, but I get to skip the commute, don’t have to worry about meals, and don’t have to fake socialize nearly as much.

it is especially true for me. being in the office is extremely stressful because I am ASD and because I have severe allergies. getting to avoid that stress is a miracle. I’ve been wfh for 15+ years now. I work my ass off to do a good job and keep my employer happy. I absolutely wouldn’t want to be back in an office.

working is easy, but being in an office is hellish.

Yeah, I do prefer to wfh because, yes, I find it easier than commuting and being around people in an office setting. Every job has its pros and cons. Someone always has it better and someone else has it worse.

You're free to be annoyed that friends dare to complain about aspects of their life that they don't like (even if it's only going into the office once a week, once a month, or once a year), but that's life! We're all annoying someone, whatever we do.

I get that and I appreciate the apologies

It's just there tends to be a spate of "disabled people should just get jobs" posts on here, whilst simultaneously being a spate of "people wfh should go back into the office"

Meanwhile we have a government who have actively encouraged businesses to return to the office, whilst simultaneously saying that disabled people on benefits should get a wfh job

So when someone else starts a thread bitching about wfh it does feel like part of the daily trend to make disabled people's lives harder

The reality is that the number of disabled people on work went up due to the amount of remote work available during/post pandemic. So when people are moaning about having to "go back" to the office, some of us took on remote jobs because we needed remote jobs and are now being pressured back into an office we can't go into

I get that wasn't what you were referring to, but the high level of conversations around lazy wfh people and how they should just go back to the office contributes to a society and work place that is hostile to disabled people, even though I totally get that wasn't your point, your aim and you are just having a random moan on a forum.

Not jealously at all, we love our jobs as we help people and the social interaction on a daily basis is so rewarding. Yes my choice, I could've chosen a different career but it wouldn't sit well with me, personally I've always enjoyed those moments of making a difference. X