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.

What are all these WFH jobs?!!! Please tell me because I'd love to have one!

And I bet they’ll lose a significant number of their skilled staff during that transition and have the cost of recruitment and training, I think it’s very narrow minded in a long term business plan to think they will get everyone back 5 days when it’s been proven they don’t need to be.

I've never thought it's terribly hard to change jobs with a bit of imagination. Say you were a nurse, you could segue into med tech work that's office based. Teacher? Online tutoring or education policy.

What kind of role are you looking for? I think the vast majority of what would’ve been a typical office based role will now by hybrid.

Nobody forced anyone to do those roles, and in all honesty they are all kind you actively have to make a conscious choice to do. You can equally make a conscious choice not to if you really want a different style of working.

But there are loads of things other people do and love that I'd loathe. Is that allowed?

There really isn't a choice for so many of us in the jobs we have and it is not that easy to move, your comment is very unrealistic and insensitive.

Personally I think anything that takes away a reason to leave the house, when one is perfectly able to do so, is not necessarily a good thing.

Your argument seems to be "I am a bit unhappy so everyone should be".

Doesn't it at least help if the roads to work are a bit quieter for your commute?

I've been back in since early 2021, dp has been back since mid 21 - he had no choice really due to the lack of productivity of a couple of members of staff, interestingly the ones who thought they were more productive at home! I personally much prefer being in the office

You say that like you think it means the post you quote is wrong, though?

This is such a smug post.
Less than half of people can work WFH OP.

I don’t think recruitment to these jobs will be helped by making everyone else work from offices or wherever else. By stopping people wfh.

It’d be helped by giving people better pay, and other improvements to their working life in order to make it seem worth the trade

I suspect the OP's coworkers are even happier about her never having to come into the office than she is.

My sister and I were just discussing this today saying how we don't know how we did 5 days in office. I work hybrid which I find perfect. I am a tired menopausal woman who's in her fifties though. I get loads more done when working from home without people yapping and distracting me in office. I know the Daily Mail makes out everyone working at home is skiving but it's simply not true. Plenty of people waste time in the office.

Oh you poor thing. Imagine having to go out to work every day.

I shouldn't have but I did really enjoy that comment

Wfh is fine if you are settled. But for a youngster starting out it is vital to go to a workplace. How else do you learn how to work? Despite my vocational degree I learned everything on the job, my colleagues were my friends too - I moved from another country and most of them had been at uni outside London. A number of us just starting out and older people who showed up the ropes. Plus being there was exciting and fun (sure at times boring and mundane but it was publishing so a lot of deadlines). I'm still friends with people that I met over 40 years ago now. You don't make those connections through a computer screen.

The trouble with MN and these smug WFH threads is not everyone works in an office.

I worked from home for years before it became a trendy thing with Covid. loved it in many ways but… God, it became boring.

There's no examination in this post of young people who aren't like you. The sort of setup you praise here disproportionately benefited young people who were outgoing and lived in or near London. It would've disadvantaged and even excluded lots of others.

I prefer a mix, which is also what I did pre Covid. I often find the days I go in now are easier, I put more pressure on myself to be productive WFH, plus no distractions, at work the stresses are different and there’s more of an opportunity to connect with colleagues.

I am lucky tho to work with some decent people - don’t get me wrong there are some insufferable arses too, but our paths don’t have to cross too often thankfully.

It might get easier if you went in once a week or anyway on a more regular basis? I can see it would be a shock to the system after being used to WFH.

My job requires me to go into work every day. I do have to deal with some staff who WFH though. I'd much rather they were on site instead of having to wait for a reply to a query by email or on teams while they were hanging their washing out or picking the kids up from school.

Of course it’s allowed. It’s also allowed to tell people that you’d loathe to have their life. Doesn’t mean it’s not a dick move to do so.

I’m autistic and have ADHD. When I had to work five days a week in an office, I was eventually either fired from every job I had, or had a mental breakdown and had to leave. For me, WFH is the difference between a life on benefits and a life earning 60k a year working from my living room. Some of us genuinely cannot cope in an office, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love our jobs or don’t want to work hard! Isn’t it great that there’s now options for those who enjoy working in solitude AND for those who like company and the office environment?