Be honest… what do you really do if working from home?

[Wffhh]

Just that really.

I often have a bath at lunchtime. Go to shops. Clean. Last Friday watched a Christmas film in the background in bed while doing some online training. Made a pie.

Sometimes I have to work very late. Sometimes on a weekend. So I think it balances out. Anyone else be honest? Do you ever have almost a day off doing life admin?

People do not need to be in the office. People need to be productive, end of.

If lack of productivity is an issue, then the line manager should deal with that. People can also be unproductive in the office.

I love wfh because I’m super productive. Can’t say I bunk off but sometimes I sit down at half 9 rather than 9 but I also rarely finish at 5 or take a lunch break.

I’d rather make the most of my home time so my two office days are more people focused & relaxed.

I work much more intensely at home than in the office. Far more interruptions in the office. I work solidly. Feel a bit guilty if I nip to make a coffee /go to the loo even though I wouldn't on the office

There's a trust between the employer and yourself when you're allowed to wfh, you're abusing that.

Recent studies have shown WFH is more efficient and productive due to people taking less time off due to sickness or lack of childcare. It’s also proven to be beneficial to your mental and physical health so you’ll be able to work for longer and retire later.

I do things like load/unload the dishwasher while I'm making a tea or coffee and I also do errands or housework on my lunchbreak.

I'm generally too busy with work to get anything else done and a fair amount of my work is reative/urgent so I can't really be away from my laptop (unless at lunch). I do sometimes listen to the radio while I'm doing admin but often it's too distracting so I sit in silence 🙄

Work is so busy at the moment I spend most of my day stuck on the settee thinking "I'll take a quick break and make a cuppa" then realise an hour later I never boiled the kettle. Then when I realised I get up to boil the kettle, go back to work while I'm waiting and forget I put the kettle on to boil.

Very rarely results in a cup of tea.

I don't mess around. It's a huge privilege to be able to wfh (albeit one or two days a week).

I log on at 9, log off at 5 and take an hour for lunch.

I get more housework done because I can do some household chores between 8 and 9 - load up the washing machine, empty the dishwasher, wipe down the kitchen counters, empty the litter trays etc. On the days I work, I would normally be making my way to work at this time. I'm not a morning person so I do quick, easy, five minute household chores in the morning. I wouldn't have the energy for hoovering at that hour.

I usually prepare dinner during my lunch hour. This saves me time after work. So I'll spend 20 minutes making and eating a toastie for lunch. That leaves me 20 minutes to peel potatoes and veg. (assuming I'm having a meat and two veg. type of dinner) and another 20 minutes to hang up the laundry I put on before I started work. If I'm just having a quick pasta type dinner, then I might use the 'prepping dinner' time to hoover a room at lunchtime. If I'm cooking a joint of meat, I might bung it in the oven around 3.30 or so and leave it to cook whilst I'm working.

I don't have small kids, so I don't leave the house to drop them to school or collect them, or drop them to clubs or whatever.

I don't do online meetings but I get the odd phone call/query from a colleague or my bosses. And I have to respond to e-mails throughout the day. If I was MIA, they would notice and challenge me on it.

If I need to do something or go somewhere when I'm due to work from home, I apply for Annual Leave.

I'm much more efficient at home because there are far fewer interruptions (nobody asking me if I watched 'I'm a Celebrity' or asking me why the printer isn't working htf would I know). So I can focus 100% on the work I need to do. And there's no background noise - well, except for my cats miaowing because they think I should give them some random Dreamies.

I tend to work longer hours Mon - Thurs as I don't have a commute. This means I can get ahead and have a quieter Friday. I sometimes take 2.5 hours for lunch with friends on Fridays, but I can because I have done the required work ahead of time. My boss is fine with this.

I love your honesty!

I record my hours (for my own reasons, it's not required) so I always get my work done wherever I am. I'm more efficient at home because there's fewer distractions.

Work, hang some washing out, work, sort out childcare bills, work with a Hallmark Christmas movie on in the background, cuddle the cat.

I'm mostly in the office though.

Often no time to get lunch. If OH is home he will put something in front of me to eat whilst working. No time to unload dishwasher or fold washing. No phone calls to friends.
Probably end up doing more than in office as can leave later to pick up child from after school club.
just relentless. Very tired and fed up. Envious of people who have time to do stuff.

I work my contracted hours.

When I worked for myself I used to get a lot more cleaning done, but less work (higher hourly rate though!)

I'm totally more efficient when wfh but I work for myself now so I can do what I like. The pros are that I can get a few hours of work in before the school run, work during the school hours but also do things like cleaning, cooking, life admin, sometimes gardening etc. I have very occasionally taken a nap but it's usually if I have worked into the night. I get much more done when I'm not commuting to an office and when I can choose when I do what.

Granted, I would probably be able to do less non-work if I had zoom calls but I haven't got those so I'm flexible anyway.

I had so much dead time when I was in the office it was ridiculous. People (including management) were big on chatting and catching up and pointless meetings. My manager was rubbish at delegating and often me and my colleagues were trying to find stuff to do while waiting for our manager to let go of some of his work and give it to us.

I listen better if I have something else going on at the same time.

The OP has pissed me off tbh. I do not WFH these days, but I have in the past as no WAY would I abuse it like she is saying she does.

You are the reason it gets a bad rap! And from the tone of your title you think all of us do as you do - lie.

This sums up the complete unfairness and opportunities for taking the P* when WFH
I thank u 4 your honesty. Going to hairdressers etc is done on my time off work, as it is with so many others.
I know someone who has no childcare and looks after her 10 month old baby whilst WFH, says it all. My experience of caring for a baby is that you rarely get the opportunity to have a hot cup of tea

Nope. I have consultations & meetings all day. Working from home should be no different than working outside of the home. What you’re describing is a bit of a pisstake imo!

I don't bath at lunchtime but pretty much this - I use my lunchtime if I have one but might tidy up the kitchen while the kettle boils - but that is similar time away from desk if getting a tea at work and might do something while listening to a company wide call.

But a lot of my work is meetings or drafting written pieces and working with stakeholders so I am working all day, I have breaks like I would in the office. I am more likely to.work later.as no commute so today finished at 7.

THANK YOU

Frequently. Or walking the dog. Or going shopping. Or… pretty much anything other than working. But I’m self employed so I always have to pay the boss back at some point.

This thread is why people are being asked to go back to the office.

When I WFH, I do exactly that - work on everything i normally do but at home instead of at work or sensitive information.
WFH isn't to get out of working.
I do put the washing in/out, tumble dryer on when I make a coffee but otherwise yes it's work as I'm working from home.