To wonder how we ever did 5 days a week in an office?

[OptimismvsRealism]

I work hard and love my job (legal). Spent a day in the office today for the first time in months and honestly feel sick. The people flu! I couldn't go back. All those blokes in the City saying WFH was an "aberration" are deluded.

I get that some people love it and there's enough diversity in this world for everyone to find their niche but Oh My God am I glad I don't have to do the daily traipse any more.

I think employers who can offer WFH have realised they need to allow some kind of hybrid working, or they can't recruit. They might not need to if the local employment market is not very competitive, but when other comparable organisations in the same area offer WFH, and you don't, you do lose out on candidates. You often lose the best candidates too, who can pick and choose where they work.

Yes @Hayliebells before our hybrid policy was finalised, we would advertise vacancies with no mention of hybrid, and when the inevitable queries came in, our response was “hybrid policy to be confirmed” and (surprise surprise) we couldn’t recruit. Potential applicants wanted hybrid roles and weren’t prepared to commit to an organisation that hadn’t made its mind up yet. So applications dried up, and this didn’t change until our policy was finalised, and we started advertising hybrid vacancies.

The same could just as easily be said of the criticisms of it. In this thread, as in all of them, we've had people who've decided remote working is a bad thing because they've experienced poor customer service, despite the obvious other reasons why that might be the case. And people who've decided it's bad for young people per se because of a few they know. If we're going to be critical of people generalising based on their own experiences, there's plenty of that to go around.

Also the tough, adapt with the times thing is what a lot of it does come down to. People might want a workforce who are more willing to come into the office, but that doesn't mean they can have it.

Yes I got 3 job offers on the same day. I picked the one that confirmed (and put into my contract) that I would never have to go into the office more than once a week. That was as important to me (if not more so) than salary.

I am with you OP; used to do 5 days a week in an office and honestly don't know how I managed it; I couldn't now! Love WFH and to be honest get far more done than I do on my once-weekly office days

Controversial view incoming!

There just aren't loads of guaranteed cushy wfh jobs in most places anymore. It was never sustainable for the majority of roles to stay remote longer term. It massively impacts culture, training, progression and is a really bad thing at the start of a career in all but very specialist roles. It's awful for developing soft skills.

As an employer the tide is definitely turning. We're attracting loads of people because we're now unusual in offering even hybrid. I know this because I'm now getting told it by candidates on a weekly basis.

I actually think we will see most of the roles which are currently fully remote being replaced by ai in the next decade.

Yes AI and other outsourcing abroad is going to be even bigger in the next decade I think, especially with people insisting on hiding at home being "productive". Most people I know now are either working in the office most of the time or hybrid, for those who have office jobs.

AI and outsourcing abroad are two very different things. I can see that AI is likely to be hugely significant, but what factors are going to come into place that make outsourcing more likely than it is now? After all, the labour and skills shortage both form very substantial incentives now.

Who do you think would do all the jobs that can't be done from home OP? You're very lucky that you can wfh, but many of us simply don't have that choice. And it doesn't mean that we like going into the office, school, hospital etc to work

Same! I love wfh and can do more.hours now as don't need to factor in travel time. So I can earn more and spend much less on travel.
I used to do 10 to 12 k miles per year. Now I do 4k miles. So obv it's helping the planet but helping me mentally also:)

OFGS! For the millionth time, OP knows this! That's why she said office workers!

I don't mind doing five days in the office now. I quite like going in and socialising.

And our big office had a pool table, a library, a book club, bean bags for break times

I couldn't manage 5 office days either.
I'm time poor and hate wasting it dawdling in yet another traffic jam when I could be picking kids up, sorting the shopping, laundry, whatever.
I hate office days because it's hit and miss whether I'm on time or not (childcare opens when it opens, I can't just leave another 20 minutes earlier on the off chance that someone broke down on the motorway that day) and as childcare closes when it closes, you don't see me for dust come 5pm, there is no spending an extra 10 minutes squeezing things over the line, I have to go!
WFH days I can even start early if required, which is a few times per quarter for meetings, absolutely a non flyer in office days. The flexibility goes both ways.
My work is only a 20/25 minute drive away in normal traffic conditions, at rush hour when everyone else is trying to get to work too? Double it and extra in case of disaster. What a waste.

What are you on about, she didnt say office workers.

She in fact said that if anyone doesn't work in an office job, that they should change their career to an office job.

Which is such a stupid thing to say.

It was then pointed out to her that nurses , doctors, teachers, plumbers, electricians, shop workers can't all change career to office jobs

What are you on about, she didnt say office workers.

She in fact said that if anyone doesn't work in an office job, that they should change their career to an office job.

Which is such a stupid thing to say.

It was then pointed out to her that nurses , doctors, teachers, plumbers, electricians, shop workers can't all change career to office jobs

@Carly944

She said if people were unhappy about being unable to work from home then they could and should get another role where they would be happier. And she's right, we are all in charge of our own happiness. If I wasn't happy in my office based job then I would get another. She didn't say that everyone should get another job, she said they could if they were unhappy.

And she did say office, it's right there in the post title 'to wonder how we ever did 5 days a week in an office', not 5 days a week in a ward, or classroom or a building site.

But her thinking that people can just choose to get another job annoyed me.

People can't just choose to get another job.

My colleage has worked in my office for a year. He is trying to change jobs.

He has recently gone for two interviews with different companies and he didn't get the jobs.

My other colleague just went for an interview with another company, and he didn't get the job.

You are competing against hundreds of people for jobs.

People CANT just get another job where they would be happier. People apply for jobs and don't get them

OP sounds like a "let them eat cake" type

@sandorschicken OFGS! For the millionth time, OP knows this! That's why she said office workers!

No OP did not say office workers.
She said those who would like to wfh but can't should change jobs. Hence my asking who she thinks would do all those jobs. They are essential and necessary, and I'm sure many of us who do them would prefer not to have to leave home to work each day

We work hybrid now. I love my colleagues in my team and I enjoy their company in the office but we all prefer our home days. More productive, more comfortable just better all round!

@Carly944 I'd agree that OP did make it sound as if everyone can say they're unhappy on a Friday afternoon and walk into their home office with a new role on Monday morning, we agree there!

But, I do think there are many on this thread who are trying their level best to 'put words in her mouth', she's quite aware that teachers, judges & scaffolders can't do their jobs from home and they do however difficult it could be, go for a career change.

I agree. I do go in though anything from 1 to 3 days a week but love wfh. I organise a lot of meetings and what does drive ne mad though people refusing to come in for meetings even though given notice and some always asked for the meeting on line last minute as some excuse not to come in. Some of our rooms don't have teams so hard to do this if others are in the office for it. Not fair either unless a good excuse. Very grateful I can work wfh some days and know how lucky I am.

Not controversial so much as silly. It's very hard to recruit talented professionals right now (anyone involved with this knows). Most employers need to be flexible. My employer said I had to come in a day a week and I said no. I still haven't spent a full day in the office since 2020. I get good feedback. I give my all to my job. I support juniors (including those who prefer the office).

I absolutely cannot wait to see the compulsory office people trying to force neurodivergent or anxiety suffering gen z into the office

They'll just quit and the employers will have to eat crow pie

Why do you do the job, then! Seriously, it makes no sense.

You can choose to get another job. I feel sad for you if you doubt that.

As a disabled person, I have to look for roles which suit me. I wouldn't be able to do anything else. Going into the office 5 days a week would be way too hard for me so I chose a job which allows me to wfh.

I've told you that my colleage just applied for two different jobs in different companies and he didn't get either job that he went for

Did you read that

So can you please write clearly here:

how my colleague can "choose to get another job"