Change in Working from Home procedure

[HappyKite2067]

I have a fairly flexible job, I’m expected to be on site for certain meetings and activities but for the past 2 years, outside of this I could work from home. We are now being encouraged to be onsite more and although we don’t have a WFH policy, the procedure has changed. We now can only WFH limited days and we have to seek permission to do so. It feels like my job, which was previously very flexible and suited me, has turned into quite a micro managed job. Am I being unreasonable to think this is something to be bothered about, and raise with HR? Or are most work places now starting to push staff back into the office?

I take it you haven’t actually read this thread with the many posts from people with health issues that mean WFH enables them to actually work and support themselves? Quite ironic that you references ‘big school’ when your post is so puerile.

They never have.

To read some of these threads, you wouldn't think we had a skills and labour shortage in the UK, plus millions of people forced out of work due to ill health and/or caring responsibilities. Those people are going to need more flexibility, not less, in order to get back into the workplace. It's a good job the copium huffing, you're all going to be back in soon just wait and see lot are pissing in the wind. If they were right, we'd be in an even bigger mess.

Agree! Covid made people wfh as an exception in many cases, so post covid going back to the norm is to be expected? Office workers and this theme is out of my understanding. As a teacher we did online lessons then went back with masks and face shields and taught as normal. No choice, get back in there with thousands of teenagers coughing and hope you don't get it! Offices had much less risk and enforced testing anyway, mask on, anti bac gel windows able to be opened etc.

I am already fully remote, thanks. But the point is that not everyone works from home to take the ‘peepee’ (are you 12?!).

Agree, some really do take the p**s and are annoyed they get a phone call while doing something personally more important like changing a nappy. Yes, real life observation of being there, many occasions and work is second place to looking after DC and a hindrance lol 😆 Of course I'm sure this a minority but just my experience 😉

We don’t have to go backwards! Covid showed us a new way of working which benefited the majority of people (not just 0.01% of very wealthy business owners). Just because we’ve always done it one way, doesn’t mean it’s the right way. Shall we start sending children up chimneys again? Or if you are so happy to go backwards, how about you just have a half day off and spend it at church? Let’s take away your pension and free NHS care because that wasn’t always around!

The vast majority of people have to work for a living and they deserve a good work life balance. We are not here to kill ourselves to make profit, for some reason you are fighting for the employers, and clearly for presenteeism, for the few rather than the many it seems.

Long hours at a place of work, is Victorian in nature, it’s rooted in neoliberalism and capitalism, and nobody who isn’t very very very wealthy should be fighting for it.

They really don’t. Most work longer hours. I’m more productive at home than in the office. My office isn’t even in the same building as my line manager and I’m on my own in it, what’s the purpose of it?

I think a lot of the tik tok type of videos make a mockery of wfh and so many of us see these. If I did a wfh job I would definitely put in a wash, wear comfortable clothes and feel able to take the dog out during my lunch break. Thing is we who go out to a place of work can't, and have to pay for breakfast clubs, dog walkers, after school club, commuting, make appointments at weekends or days off. X

Hhh

It's not to be expected, no. 2019 was half a decade ago, and there were millions of people working at least partially from home even then. Covid accelerated a trend that already existed.

And then of course, social change often follows pandemics. As a teacher, you'll know all about the different attitudes to school attendance after the collective experience of closures. Economic change too. I know I wouldn't be able to pay the same for my groceries or a second hand car as I could've done in the 2010s, for example.

If you think everyone in an office is always working except on a lunch break, I've got a bridge to sell you.

I don't do any of that when I'm working, we are monitored whether in the office or at home
We get breaks, a paid lunch and unpaid am/pm ones
I take phone calls so I can't just walk away from my desk and my screen is recorded as are my calls
If I'm in the office I don't speak to my colleagues anyway as well, I'm on the phone working!

I find this sort of thread interesting and am learning a lot. As someone who couldn't possibly do my job from an office, I just feel a bit confused.

Please can someone honestly tell me what the problem is going in to the office to work? I completely understand wfh has many more benefits but I really don't get how it's so difficult?

It's an office, you're not dealing with the public face on, you can go for a wee when you want, make a coffee, have a chat? Sorry but to me this sounds like luxury!

Being able to do this job competently from home is even better of course. It's a shame SM has made it out to be 'taking a nap, school runs, rolling out of bed for first meeting, housework with meeting on audio, having a device which taps to pretend you're online' etc

Genuine question, what is wrong with going into the office a couple of days a week? Xxx

Lol no. There are so many ways to skive in offices and not be work ready while you're doing it. People can be on the millionth cig break of the day, in the toilets on their phones, off filing something whilst on their phones (used to be a favourite of mine when doing the filing in the cellar back in the day!) using the work phone for a personal call and pretending to be with a client, taking longer lunch breaks than they're supposed to, printing their own stuff out, having pretend meetings whilst actually skiving... it is a lengthy list.

And these are just the deliberate skives, we haven't even got on to people who might actually think they're working but are a net negative on the time and productivity of others yarning on in meetings, constantly expecting whoever's in proximity to solve their problems and do half their job for them.

If you haven't encountered any of this, you're either not very observant or you're unusual.

If you think everyone in an office is always working except on a lunch break, I've got a bridge to sell you.

@OrdsallChord loving this!

Please can someone honestly tell me what the problem is going in to the office to work?

^

Expensive commute, to do a job you can do on the same laptop, at home. More distractions at the office, I am less productive.

We have all this awesome software in place that enables us to do our jobs, so what is the point of going into the office??

My commute is 3 hours per day. That's 15 hours per week. To do the same thing I do at home.

There's no added value.

Long hours at a place of work, is Victorian in nature, it’s rooted in neoliberalism and capitalism, and nobody who isn’t very very very wealthy should be fighting for it

^

Utterly agree

It's so much better for children too - if I'm commuting for 3 hours... The kids are at after school club. So not back home till 6 pm, at school at 7am. Not ideal.

You are being incredibly insulting towards remote workers on this thread.

Even if this were true, and it's not, do you think all managers in office environments can see everyone all the time? Because plenty of places aren't open plan! And do you think those managers then want to and are capable of addressing any skiving? Because again we're in bridge purchaser territory here...

Flippancy aside, this attitude does speak to a particular view of piss taking and performance in general. If I were told at work that I wasn't doing the job properly and I responded by telling them I'd been at my desk for the whole day, they'd think I was out of my mind. I think some of the MN discussions on the issue are down to people not getting that what constitutes piss taking in some jobs is very different to others.