To dislike WFH….

[Renovationat16fun]

I have worked from home since June 2021, for the first year it was hybrid, then 90% from home. Now I work from home full time (Monday- Friday 9-5) every day except once every 2 months. My office is not easy commuting distance.

I thought I would enjoy WFH as I thought I would love the flexibility but I am beginning to absolutely hate it. I work in an extremely demanding job and find I just sit in one place on my sofa all day and barely look up. I feel really, really isolated.
It’s making me want to leave my job, but I am worried about moving jobs again so soon as I have only been in this role for 4 months. It has made me realise that I miss my weekly / twice weekly office visits from my last job and I know now that I hugely underestimated the change.

AIBU? Does anyone else feel the same and does it feel a legitimate reason to leave a job?
I have 1 secondary school aged child and my partner doesn’t WFH so I am largely alone in the house from 8-4. We do regular TEAMS calls but it’s nothing like grabbing a coffee and a chat in the office. I think hybrid - 2 days per week at home - would be perfect for me.

Well, I went a bit mental doing WFH full time. I live alone, and after about 18 months of it (and actually seeing no-one in person, during the lockdowns), my mental health was in the toilet.
I've since changed job - like others, I work in a University - and go in 2-3 days per week, depending on commitments. We have a team day on a Wednesday, where we all have to be in, which has been good in building the team, especially since I'm newer in the role.
I have saved a fortune in petrol, however; and enjoy the extra hour in bed in the morning!

I have WFH since 2019 and I hate it. I feel incredibly isolated in my job. I actually liked my colleagues and enjoyed being in the office with them. They have all moved on and I have only had one real life meeting with new bosses and colleagues since 2021.
My work used to be an enjoyable, extra part of my life. I enjoyed spending time with people who are not necessarily like me or my friends and family. I liked leaving the village and the random experiences and encounters you have when you're out in the world.

WFH isn’t for everyone. I do extra bits I don’t have time for at home, but otherwise I’m in5 days a week. I could swap departments to be wfh full time if I wanted - same role. I did it during covid for a bit, absolutely not doing it again!

I WFH full time. I only go into the office once a month. I used to love office life before the pandemic. We were a team of around 60 on one floor, there was always a great buzz, regular breakfast/lunch/drinks gatherings, and it was fun.

We all worked from home during the pandemic, and our company sold our office building and moved us to a much smaller building on a different site. Although our team has expanded, we now only have 18 desks for around 80 staff and have to hot desk. If there isn't a desk for you in the morning you have to work in a different hot desking area in another building where you may or may not see someone you know. There are no lockers and we have a clear desk policy, so you have to bring everything you need for the day with you to and from work.

The atmosphere just isn't the same now. The pre-pandemic buzz has completely gone, people practically speak in whispers and some people get irritated when others have an MS Teams meeting with a headset on (yet never had a problem with phone calls pre-pandemic).

I prefer working from home now to the hotdesking situation we have, but would prefer to work in the office if it could go back to what it was pre-pandemic.

I love wfh but I have such a busy life outside of work (school run daily, walk at lunch, coffee with friends 3 x week, after school running around for 4 children, birthday parties and football matches all weekend) that I never feel isolated. Your family set up is different but maybe a hobby a couple of nights a week and the odd lunch-hour meet up with a friend who WFH / hybrid / part time / is on mat leave would help?

I think this is key.
I started wfh about 15 years ago. long before it was commonplace, and I absolutely love it for so many reasons but there was rarely a day goes by when I wasn't meeting other people for one reason or another.
Some parts of my work involved me leaving home and doing site visits. Occasionally I'd also deliver training and occasionally we had F2F Team meetings, but I think the most important part (for me) is that I have always been involved in all sorts of things outside of work.

What does concern me more, is those people who don't speak to anyone else all week. There are too many people who don't make the effort, and then we get a pandemic of loneliness, and all the threads about not having any friends or not having anyone to help in an emergency even.

Going back into the office wasn’t what it was. Maybe check the company culture and see before moving.

I work in organisational development and I feel we talk a lot about trying to regain what has been lost through working from home (collaboration, wellbeing etc) as opposed to discussing how this can be achieved in a new environment where people want to work from home.

Agree that you shouldn’t be working from the sofa as well!

Same here

That’s life though!

Doesn't have to be. Since I stopped going to the office I spend zero minutes with arseholes.

I completely agree @Loub1987 I'm not in OD but in staff comms and work closely with HR colleagues on comms/culture things and we're having the same conversations.

There really is a feeling that something got lost during the pandemic, that we're struggling to get back. Survey stats show that the pandemic/WFH has really impacted on colleagues' sense of community and belonging.

Also agree about the sofa!

I have been wfh excusively for 2 years and before that, mainly wfh for about 2 years starting with covid. I honestly think it has destroyed my mental health in the long run, not saying it would be the same for everyone but for me i need the people contact and the structure and stimulation. I have lost my confidence and motivation, have gained weight and struggle with energy levels, my productivity is worse than it has ever been and if you have any issues with adhd-type procrastination it is a killer. My stress levels are constantly high and i never 'switch off' at home. My family have to tiptoe around me in the home at times as i get unexpected meetings put in. I think WFH has caused a lot of knock-on issues in my life and it will take me a while to readjust, i am also about to leave my job for this reason even though i am good at it. I may be an extreme case though..

Thank you all so much! You all made me feel that I wasn’t going crazy.

I live in a really small flat, with a kitchen and shared living room space and no room for a proper table, but I have since ordered a small desk. Thank you for your messages though, it has pushed me to look at other jobs with f2f contact. Sadly, the office for my role is a 5 hour round trip so not commutable!

No, people are necessary. Stop fiddling with isolation and sort out some contact.