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 like my hybrid working, I enjoy my days in the office from a social point of view but I get more done at home!

What has really helped me is that the days I do go in, I tend to WFH for an hour in the morning 8/9 and then get in the car & drive to work when the traffic has calmed down, get there in half the time it would take me to get there at 9!

This.

I don’t know anyone who moans about wfh.

My & DH's jobs could easily be fully WFH, but the bosses say we can't because 'the younger staff don't work', so need supervision. If I could WFH I could do more hours, so they're losing out anyway.

Ironically, we never see the bosses. The manager works remotely (only one allowed) & I've never even spoken to them. Just email. Staff call each other on the phone from 5 m away. We never see the other department & there's a regular morning tea we're forced to attend so we actually see each other. The staff member I share an area with is always scrolling social media at her desk. I can go a whole day and only say hello to a few people who stroll past my desk. I don't learn anything as no one collaborates.

It's a phallacy that WFH people don't work. Some people work, some don't. I find it amusing, though, that my SIL who WFH and never seemed to be actually working is complaining as her new promotion means she's on teams appts all day & has to be engaged.

I'd love WFH. My life would be much easier.

That's different, you're not sat in front a keyboard and are actively working. Your job is isn't the easier wfh I was posting. Respect. Xx

I sit in front of a keyboard, and I’m actively working - at home. While working from home might seem easier I have a very demanding, meaningful job. I just happen to do it most of the time from home. I don’t recognise falling out of bed with 5 minutes to spare, I’m up at 6 every morning to get myself organised for the day before getting the kids up. I can’t go out in a bender on a work night, I need my wits about me. Yes it’s easier not to have a commute but that’s the choice you make in your working life.

I would hate to wfh, and if my job required it I would have been looking for another one. My home is my sanctuary, and I wouldn't want it to also become my workplace, and for me the best part about working was seeing my colleagues every day. I would have been bored silly at home. I'm retired now, but that is totally different as I'm in and out all the time, whenever I want to be, not stuck inside, by myself.

Sorry, I've not heard of this from wfh, I'm not questioning those who really do have a full schedule they can't escape from. I suppose my post is devil's advocate as in my experience it really has been the case of my friendship group so have been a bit peeved but also interested if this really was the norm.

You should be able to go for a wee and have lunch, I do apologise, I thought only some of our proffesions didn't allow for that. X

Your experience seems to be your small group of friends who seem irresponsible, rolling out of bed within minutes of work starting and getting pissed the night before.

Who could have imagined that some jobs require a professional attitude and busy schedule? 🤔

OP, you make some pretty sweeping generalisations. And you seem to have friends with very straightforward lives. Or perhaps they are joking and you just missed it.

I wfh four days a week. I get up at 6.30, shower, dress, make breakfast, get ds up at 7am. We leave the house at. 7 30, drive to the school bus then back for 8am. Start work.

Work until 1, take lunch, which usually involves putting supper in the slow cooker or doing washing or hoovering. Then work from 2 until 5.20. Drive to the school bus stop, collect ds and home by 6. No rolling out of bed at 8.45 I'm afraid. No chatting at the coffee machine either.

On my office day I do school run, then catch a train to London. Do emails if the internet is working. Walk from Waterloo to Fleet St, work from 9.30 until 3.30, the walk back, catch the train, drive to school bus, home by 6.

Before Covid, I did 35 years full time in the office, 12 of them as a lone mum. Now I'm 60 and still working full time.

Wfh has mostly allowed women to return to work full time, alongside caring responsibilities. That doesn't mean they're doing con calls from their sun loungers. 🙄

Tbh some of your friends sound like immature dicks

As someone wfh I cannot imagine boasting to my friends who don't wfh about I don't need to get up as early as them in the morning

And a hangover is a hangover whether you have to drive or now

Are they very young and immature? Or have you just outgrown them?

I wish MNHQ would pin one of those warnings they do above some threads. One that just says: “no one, literally not one person, gives a shit what your fella says”.

Yes I realise I'm fortunate. I also know that I did 20+ years of shitty commuting, I served my time. I've WFH full time for 11 years now, well before covid came along. And yes, I do a proper day's work.

My husband says you are wrong...

🤣🤣

Yep I LOVE wfh. I can't do it all the time (HR based) but this week I'm 5 days from home 😁😁.

Really? Oh I know quite a few who are exasperated about having a teams meeting which interrupts school drop off. They don't lead it and only have to present yet make a big ordeal of it. They are part of the work day and paid for so I really don't see the hardship? My DP wfh and doesn't like to login late so I have to take a morning off work.

I'm not at all insufferable about my job, I love my job, it's so rewarding in every way.

As stated, those who wfh should feel the perks of it? Xx

What jobs are your friends doing to be able to have so much free time wfh?

I can only go on my partners and friends experiences where people book meetings in for times when you have a meeting already, or 3 meetings already. Wfh doesn’t help much with that sort of schedule.

My partner often has days where if he didn’t cancel meetings, he’d be in meetings from 8am-7pm with no break for the toilet or to eat. If he doesn’t cancel something, he either has to try to finish a meeting a few minutes early or log on a few minutes late to the next one in order to get a break. That was his life when he worked in the office too. When he does get a gap, he’s working on various documents.

Wgikst I’m sure there are people who don’t work hard, as you get those people in every workplace, you do sound clueless OP. Your perspective based on your partners and friends experience is nothing like mine based on my partners and friends experience.

I’m a lecturer and work four days - one WFH day and three on campus. On my WFH day I prep all my classes for the week, do marking, and write up student support notes/check in with students who need help via Teams.

If I was doing that in the office there are people in and out, I’d have to walk to the coffee shop to get a drink, and honestly, I roam around looking for people to chat to. Twas ever thus pre Covid and WFH being a thing for us! In my days on campus I teach pretty much back to back.

Yes, at home I play with the cat, empty the dishwasher, pop out to return a parcel at lunch. Per pp I also always now bring my laptop home and respond to emails/Teams messages out of hours as they come in.

My manager is great and recognises that maybe people are not sat at their laptops every minute of WFH, but the time is more than made up. It’s great being treated like a grown up and valued!

😅

I love wfh and will never return to working in an office.

I certainly don't moan about it.

I'm glad I don't work from home. My home is small, and there is no private space, so wherever I worked I would have DH or the children wandering through. I enjoy the walk to my office, and ability to do errands on my way home. I like that I can just leave my work at the end of the day and go home, to a separate space where I'm not haunted by my to do list. I like spending time with my colleagues.

You can make that point about anything. Assuming you live in the UK you have a lot of luxuries that many people in the world don't have. Do you never moan about anything?

Thank you for giving me a real insight into the question I posed. This is what I needed to hear, it's not just rolling out of bed etc. You are truly amazing and an inspiration ❤️. You've worked so hard, I hope you can enjoy a well deserved retirement soon. Please don't see my post as anything against to you personally, I completely admire you. Xx

Yes, I think WFH is far easier. I think it gives me a far better work/life balance. No commuting time or cost, dinner with the family every night, more time with dc, my laundry gets done during working hours as I'm so much more productive at home I have time to spare.

So yes, I think it's easier. Which is why I do it. No moaning here.

your whole post literally contradicts itself and can be summed up as "well, yeah, duh."
Of course people who WFH realise it's better in many ways than going into the office 5 days a week - that's exactly why they are unhappy about being made to go back to the office. Obviously.
If WFH was worse and they didn't like it, they wouldn't complain about it, would they?

There are lots of jobs that are better than others in different ways - more stimulating, more fun, better paid, more holidays, better pension, more flexible, lots of travelling, etc... the good news is we live in a free country where you can apply for whatever job you want!

if the fact some people can wfh and you can't bothers you that much be better off spending your time applying for a new job rather than moaning on MN.

Thank you and after posting this question I did want to get real life answers. I do realise wfh can be intense but not all day, every day? It sounds like your partner has a senior role and much in demand so hopefully his salary will justifiably reward him for this. Is it like this every day? My DP is in management also but when wfh has flexibility. Xx

It wasn’t until I was on maternity leave from my teaching job that I really noticed just how easy some people have it. Don’t get me wrong there will be loads of people working from home putting in a really hard shift 9-5 or longer, or even working late into the night etc. My neighbour has a very well-paid job and works from home. Every other day I’d see her around lunch time taking a wander down to meet a friend for lunch, going to the local coffee shop, going for a walk then back home. This could well be within her hour’s lunch break although anytime I’ve spoken to her she does joke that she’s meant to be working so I doubt it.

As a teacher we were asked most days to either give up our lunch break to supervise the playground, wet play in classrooms or I just had so much work to mark or get printed etc that I would barely have 5 minutes to scoff down a sandwich. Colleagues would spend their break crying about what had happened in the previous lesson or writing out paperwork for pastoral notes, violent incident forms etc. I’d then be back in the classroom in the afternoon, often being physically assaulted by kids or just generally dealing with rudeness, loud noises or screaming children. The contrast of getting to work in the peace and tranquility of your own home (especially for an introvert like me) just sounds like absolute bliss!