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?

I'm a community mental health nurse, so when I'm home and not seeing patients, typically I'm frantically writing up notes, ringing social workers, and doing safety assessments. On a day I don't have tons of work (which is a rarity) I will hoover or etc.

I defo however sit in PJs, work on my bed, etc. and tbh, my work starts at 9 technically. I roll out of bed at 9, say hello on my phone on teams, then shower on work hours.

I manage my own diary though and I'm always on top of my caseload, so I don't think it matters as long as it gets done.

I do less in the office as I do nothing but talk 🤣

Put on a load of washing, clean the house, go for a walk/run, take a shower, go to the shops, go out for lunch, complete life admin, talk to friends/family, go to appointments, have sex (only a couple of times), the list goes on...

I try my best. I don’t really like wfh but there’s not much point in going in to sit in an half empty room of people who don’t do the same sort of work that I do and are just sitting there with their headphones on anyway. I find it hard to stay on task but feel too anxious about skiving/falling behind to go and do something else. It’s all very unsatisfactory but in my profession it’s all pretty much this now.

Same here. All the people I know who WFH actually work.

I spend more time chatting and making tea at work than I do ‘skiving’ at home.
if I’m doing training where it’s all listening to the trainer , they actually tell you to turn off your camera and mute your Mike as they don’t want to be looking at 100 faces ….and training can be all day…..so I use the time wisely…..clean out the rabbit..do my ironing,…….blitz the kitchen ……wrap pressies…,that way by 5pm, I’ve done a days training and my house is spotless….all jobs done.

This could explain the quality of response I got from my insurance company 😂

I work mostly from home (admin) these days and love the flexibility. I don't generally take proper breaks but if I pop to the loo or get a drink/lunch I love being able to turn the washing or dishwasher around quickly.

Occasionally I'm able to do little bits of life admin if it's quiet but in the main it's very busy and the time flies. I get more done at home than in the workshop as it's noisier, dustier, freeeeeezzzing cold in winter and I get endlessly interrupted (restoration business without a separately enclosed office space, the guys are doing a physical job with lots of tools/noise).

My other work is piano teaching which, although largely from home (except 1.5 days a week at a primary school), is obvs very focused as it's one on one and no breaks except the enforced (unpaid) lunch break while the kids have their lunch.

I would genuinely say I am very productive WFH. However, I will confess I have done my ironing whilst doing Teams calls and in some tedious but unavoidable meetings I have done my Tesco's order.

I wish I had days like OP. I work from home 3 days a week (I only work 3 days a week because of childcare) and I have little time for anything but my work. I'll put a load of washing on and move it across to the tumble dryer, but my days are packed with work. I have Spotify on in the background, but I make sure I'm in my home office. I can't sit in the lounge with a TV show on with my laptop on my lap, I need my two screens to be efficient. Plus, my boss and colleagues will just randomly call me on slack, so I need to be available at short notice

Start as soon as DC leaves the house, stick a washing on when I go to make a cup of tea but am fully at my home desk until lunchtime. Then I have a nap at lunchtime, and try to get all my work done by 3.30 for DC coming home, tho keep laptop on till 4.00. i'll then do my last hour at 7.30 once DC has gone to bed.

This thread is exactly why employers want to stop working from home!! Can employees now see where we are coming from?!!

Bad ones sadly spoil it for everyone

Exactly!! I'm so grateful for my 100% remote job that I refuse to take the piss and I work hard to show I'm productive. If I lost this job, I'd be screwed!

I WFH full time. I work for a global company in a corporate position and it's pretty flexible. Some days I don't do any work, because there are no deadlines to meet or deliverables due. I dont have any daily tasks. When it's busy or when there are things due I'll work til midnight, or log on on the weekend to get things done. Last week I spent all of Sunday getting a report done, logged off at close to 11pm.

No one really cares as long as deadlines are met. I think everyone in the corporate part of my company is the same.

I have a stable morning routine that sees me in my home office and at my desk for 8am.

I normally take a short break mid morning and come downstairs to make a coffee. If anyone else is home, I may stop and chat for 10 mins.

I break at lunch to walk the dog, make a sandwich when I get back and take that back to my desk.

Mid afternoon tea break to make tea and sometimes grab a biscuit.

End the day around 5.30pm when I 'shut down' the office and try to switch off from work.

I do enjoy having a bit of Classic FM on in the afternoons if I am working on something. I also take hourly breaks from the screen to stare into the garden for a few mins, or fuss the dog. But mostly that's triggered by eye strain.

I appreciate being able to attend private apts (eg the Dr) but that's done transparently, with me dropping a teams message to my manager and direct reports to let them know where I am and how long I'll be.

I may well occasionally start the washing machine or send the robot hoover/mop round at some point during the day, but nothing more intrusive or time-demanding than that.

The only exception are those days between Xmas and NY. If I am working it's because there needs to be a manager availbale online, rather than actual work to do. I tend to do those days on the sofa in front of the telly, eating Lindt

Exactly! I'd rather have a healthy, happy team who have balanced lives than a group of miserable people who just kick their feet trying to look busy, OR who feel they need to work themselves into the ground. I have one member of staff who's 5 months postpartum - she wanted to come back and WFH because she knows she'll be looked after.

I regularly do the school pick ups. Do my nails, hair, gardening. My manager tells me off if I tell her I'm desperate for a nail infill and I've not found the time. 😂

It's a shame to see so many people blaming WFH ending on a balanced work/home life by well looked after employees. They're looking in the wrong place. It's the management in some industries who are the problem.

I have kids so I’m usually trying to cram as much as I can into the day. Typically I will drop off and turn laptop on / get online by 8.45, I’ll make a tea and hang washing out just before 9, then work from 9. Lunchtime - I will take around an hour to 2 hours depending on meetings or if I have errands. Work til just after 5 then get washing in / pick kids up. If I’ve had a long lunch I’ll more than make it up on my office days so I don’t feel guilty. I very rarely do other life admin while being paid to work but I may chuck a bit of dinner in sometimes if I have the time. Working from home is amazing though just for clawing back those couple of hours travel time and being able to keep on top of the washing 😂

I hate WFH. I think it's a skill, and I find it really hard to put my brain in work mode if my body is not in the office.

I only WFH if we are having some kind of childcare emergency and I only manage urgent work with a deadline. I just don't have the discipline to work like I do in the office. Which is why I go to work every day, I know myself too well.

This post is exactly why so many responses are not being honest about how much actual they do wfh.

The reality is no one wants to rock the boat or jeopardise the flexibility of being able to work from home. So whilst some are either as productive or in some cases more productive the truth is the vast majority are not.

As for meeting targets and doing the tasks the reality for many targets or goals is that they are increased each year so called "stretch targets ". So if you make a 1000 widgets one year and meet your target then next year the target will be 1200 and so on.

The reduction in productivity from WFH means that targets have been adjusted downwards. Narrowly failing to meet targets can be explained away by insufficient staff, resources etc and no one is ever going to admit that some of it maybe down to certain employees doing insufficient work whilst WFH.

I work too. I would do.washing hoover shower etc on my lunch and breaks, only. id often blow dry my hair or hang washing when waiting for something to load.but ovwr all i work same as in the office as id be afraid it could be taken away.

I sometimes fold laundry on a teams call if it’s cameras off, and I’ve got the luxury of putting the dishwasher on mid day if it needs or chucking the washer in the dryer on my break and stuff. But generally I’m working, quite hard. So definitely not time for shopping or baths or whatnot. Sounds like you’re skiving from home

I have daily targets so work really hard to hit them as quickly as possible and then I stop. I take no breaks while I'm working so think it averages out. I have worked in the office doing a similar job and achieved less in more time because of interruptions so have no guilt.

Very few people get an hours lunch break

But why was you spending so much time chatting and making tea at work, it's work not a social event

I think it’s born from middle aged men still running most major businesses and this outdated view of office culture and control,

Also, our office is open all week and the only people who work from the office mon-fri are men with young children. Eye roll.

I think if you said this at a team meeting, someone would care 😂

Stop kidding yourself, unless you're a contractor, no employer wants to pay you to at home doing nothing!!

And if you disagree, I challenge you tomorrow to tell your boss and bossses boss what you're doing!! And come back and tell us what they say 😭