AIBU to think that if WFH employees aren’t getting their work done, the problem is with their management?

[Chessboardtable]

So many people seem bitter about WFH and claim employees just slack off.

I WFH and have done since 2020 and my output since 2020 has been higher than before 2020. I work in a job where output is pretty easy to measure.

I am also a billion times happier for numerous reasons I won’t list but the main ones are not having to leave DC in after school club until it closes, no stressful commute on frequently delayed trains and more time to exercise.

I do my work flexibility, e.g. yesterday I finished early to collect DC at 3.30pm but I had worked Wednesday and Thursday evenings to get the work done in advance.

AIBU to think if WFH staff aren’t doing their work, they are not being effectively managed?

Surely most jobs require some sort of visible output… what job wouldn’t need any results or visible work done, even if just replying to colleagues, turning up to meetings etc?

I think if the manager is happy with the level of productivity from a homeworker, why does anyone else care what they get up to?

I find it weird how wound up people get about complete strangers who aren't even their colleagues WFH.

It's sort of a spiteful 'if I can't do it why should you' attitude.

I hybrid work and I work hard because my kind of job requires it and it would soon be obvious if I was sat watching netflix all day.

I don't give a shit if someone else has the kind of job where they can fully WFH and have time to watch netflix. As long as they're not working for me who cares? I know someone in sales with a job like that. Her employees don't give a shit what she does with her day as long as she hits her target. Why should I care she gets more time to do her own thing in the day than I do?

>It's not "piss taking" (as I read on another thread) to fit your job around your personal life as long as it doesn't impact on the client.

@fieldsofbutterflies personally I think it’s fine to impact the client so long as you don’t kill your business! If you’re happy to lose a client who isn’t happy with your way of working all good. So long as you’re honest upfront (these are our business hours, or I won’t be able to get that to you until Wednesday - do you still want to book?)

Why would anyone work a full day if they didn't have to?

Lots of jobs don't need eight hours sat at a desk - if someone can get the work done in six, what's the issue?

Theres a ‘London weighting’ for extra expense of working in the capital but I often think there should be a ‘can’t work from home weighting’.
Obviously this would apply to workers such as nurses, doctors, maintenance workers, shop staff, delivery drivers, teachers, hospitality workers etc.
Self employed could be given an extra tax allowance.
These workers mostly can’t take ‘time out’ to collect a parcel or pick kids up from school or answer the door bell.

In my job, productivity isn’t easy to asses from month to month, but over a period of years it becomes more obvious. My own productivity has increased significantly since 2020 because I get more done when I work from home. There are fewer distractions, and I also work during the time I would otherwise be commuting. I try to WFH two days per week. Management supports this for all staff because they recognise that flexibility produces better results. But there are procedures for managing underperforming staff.

I also dislike the sneering about WFH. I work thanks very much, the people I work for and with would soon let me know if my output slowed down or they could not get hold of me.

I agree. Office work should be judged on efficiency and completing the tasks you are given rather than on hours with your bum on a seat at arbitrary times.

I agree. I WFH much of the time and thrive on the trust and flexibility. I might take a long lunch to have a run and nip to the shops, but then I'll catch up in the evening or do some work on a Saturday. It's lovely to be trusted and treated like an adult.

Agreed.

And that includes making sure that employees are working and in particular have arrangements for childcare during working hours.

If someone is going into an office there's no need to ask about who is looking after the children, because obviously the person in the office isn't doing it.

But some people do abuse the ability to work from home and think it means no childcare, you see it all the time on here. AIBU to think I can work full time from home whilst looking after me toddler.

But managers need to management and tackle poor performance if individuals aren't delivering, irrespective of where they work

I could probably ghost half my job for at least a year, maybe two - and do a half arsed version of the other half for 6 months before it caught up with me. I might get caught - but it’d be pretty safe to try.

Now I’d be killing my career and unlikely to come back from that. Like literally years later that low productivity would be visible and questioned. But at the time - I could hide it.

There’s a lot of jobs where team work also obscures slacking or poor performance. Different management strategies are needed for these sorts of roles. We’d need to have a lot more managers around if we wanted to have close oversight on outputs. For our industry it mostly works to trust people - problem is that it takes a long time to deal with problems cause we aren’t so proactive in monitoring.

100% agree.

I WFH, manage a global team who mainly WFH and managed from NA by someone who WFH.

It's viewed as a part of the package, people need to understand that this gives them work life balance which we promote, but in return you don't take the piss.

And yes, you can totally clock it if someone is taking the piss.

Well no one is going to admit to being a 'mouse jiggler ' are they?

I would love a job though in which my work was done, alas I don't. One job out, two more in is more my experience.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjll01220yeo

I WFH full time. It is without doubt the best thing that has ever happened for me. I work a lot longer hours than necessary, give it my all and go above and beyond for my employer. I am so, so grateful and would never take advantage or take this privilege for granted. I love my employer for it and they have my total loyalty.

I am never going back to the office and all the petty politics around lights on or off, windows open or shut, heating on or off and all the other ridiculous issues people get upset about.
I learnt something a long time ago just be concerned with your own situation at work and not what other people think or do.

As long as you are happy with your work situation don't worry about how other people are managed or if they take the p*. The best thing about working from home is you don't have to see any of that and personally I am much happier for it.

You could do those things. You could turn up to meetings and reply to colleagues but still be doing not very much the rest of the time. I’m thinking of roles like relationship management where meeting notes could take one or three hours. If they took you an hour that’s two hours freed for doing nothing if you were so inclined.

The 2 days a week I go in the office I get so much less work done. Everyone talking to me, just inane chatter and the distractions in a busy office. I get hardly anything done. I now book nearly all my meetings on those 2 days and pile up the work for the 3 days at home where I can concentrate.

Yes it's a management issue, it's what managers are paid to do: manage their staff.

We have performance targets so if you're working at home or the office then you've got to get your targets. Things like time management are up to managers to police as well and use disciplinary procedures. Some managers might be more lenient as long as the work is getting done properly.

I tend to do more at home because I work longer due to no commute time.

In my role there's huge value in office days. Spontaneous conversations, getting up and out the house, face to face contact. Hybrid works best for us.

I find 5 days at home isolating and a bit claustrophobic and 5 days in the office tiring. A mix is good.

I totally agree.

The fault lies with the workers AND the management. I'm sure we have all noticed the huge decline in many areas that we have to deal with, such as contacting public services, insurance, tax, etc etc, and surely a significant part is because of 'W'FH. We've all heard people saying how great it is to WFH as they can take the kids to school, take the dog for a walk, do their household chores, redecorate, go on holiday etc all while 'working'. There are always those who'll take the piss, and yes management should be on top of this, but that's another issue - managers who are crap at their jobs.

I agree, I hear stories about people working from home and massively slacking and my immediate thought is why aren't their bosses noticing this and addressing it?

@AuntieJoyce true - but if the work has been done in one hour rather than three does it matter, as long as it’s done? Some people are faster than others.

@RubyOrca your work sounds interesting - is it maybe a bit niche or unusual? It must be hard to manage people in your industry if it takes that long to notice they’re not doing much.

Workers have their own responsibility but managers are well paid to motivate and manage their staff and adhere to disciplinary procedures and performance reviews.. If they aren't doing that then they shouldn't be in a job. Some staff will always push buttons to do the minimum they can get away with.