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 wfh on a Wednesday and honestly get more done as no distractions. I take regular 5 min breaks away from my laptop though as my dining chair isn’t the most comfortable. I do all my laundry, I do a workout at lunch time, and normally hoover in my breaks. Other than that I am working for the 8 hrs I’m paid for

I work (hard). Only stop for the loo, make a coffee and lunchtime.

Not working is theft.

I’m sure they wouldn’t be encouraging you if they knew you took a day off each week for ‘life admin’ :D

I WFH pretty much perm and love the odd lunchtime bath or run. It’s my unpaid lunch hour so why the outrage?
I also ebb and flow, and I’m very productive and efficient so might pop the TV on for an hour in the afternoon and be ‘on call’. I also have asked my manager for additional duties and was given them… I still have spare time. There’s only so much that be fit into my role and believe me, I try (also one of the anxious guilty ones!).
I justify the downtime as a) I AM productive b) my outputs are great and I always receive a positive review and c) I am honest and not deceitful.

No but more than enough time to take a bath as I regularly do it.

Don't actually WFH, I go to my hot desk office around the corner, get a lot more done than if I'd spent an hour travelling to the office & then home again in the evening.
Might occasionally take a break & chat to friends that also work in the office - more friendly there than in work office, and additionally because I'm a member of the senior management team, I don't have to keep an eye on what I say, or do some online shopping - but often work late, so not really shirking.

Nicer coffee machine at hot desk office.

I find it amazing that any workplace is happy to have excess employees to the extent people run out of work and that’s fine. I think there are very few places like this where productivity is not maximised.

As PP have said, it’s about availabilty and support. If i need a report to be sent, I would expect my team to be able to respond quickly if asked to do so. If i want to discuss something, barring meetings I expect my colleagues to be available to me 9-5 (and I to them). There are enough real unavoidable meetings taht break up the work day without taking 90 mins at hairdressers, walking dog, popping to gym, health club.

Much the same as in the office, but in more casual clothes.

That said, once every few weeks I treat myself to my lay-in where, rather than getting up at 7am to get ready fully and travel to the office for 9am, I get up at about 8.45am, clean teeth, shower and still land in front of my laptop at 9am(ish).

It's lovely, though in fairness I do spend most of that extra time in bed with my eyes closed and teeth grinding waiting for my lovely OH to shout something along the lines of "if you're not going into the office could you get up and help [DC] with ........" 😭😭😭

I work solid from home, same as I do in the office. I’m super busy, I don’t have time for a lunch break most of the time let alone a bath etc

I work but always do something in the way to/from my toilet breaks. So on my way back from toilet I will pop washing on, then next toilet break I will hang it out. Next toilet break I will unstack dishwasher on way back. It’s still far less than it would be having the ‘obligatory chat’ to people when in the office and constant interruption's there. Get a lot more work done at home. That’s also what I see with the people I manage, low output when at office, high output when wfh.

I work a lot harder at home than in the office. I tend to start earlier and I am much more productive due to less distractions from colleagues.
Same as others, I might pop in the washing machine while making a cup of tea but it doesn't impact my work.

Work, but pick up kids, put dinner and washing on in breaks. Then work later to make up anytime i have missed. But i put in the full 8 hours in a day, some days its back to back and non stop. I also have two work from home jobs so my actual day is more like 9 or 10 hours.

9 out of 10 days I’m back to back. But occasionally I have a quiet day so I make make something for tea ahead, I’ll put my laptop in the kitchen so if an email pops up or I get a call I can respond. Occasionally I’ll carry my laptop around the house while tidying a bit.

But the above takes 30 mins tops and I rarely take a lunch break so figure my company is always better off.

The other thing I do is when I have a boring data job that I have to do each month I listen to a audiobook. That’s a nice treat while working.

I work in one hour bursts with 5/10 minute breaks to do chores/tidy. I am always high performing, also our team is fully remote and highest performing in company.

We all do a variety of things in our day and also pull in extra when unexpected things happen and we gotta get it sorted.

On our team we do, during work hours:

• walk dogs

-yoga -laundry -grab a coffee -school run -quick errands -ironing -take family members to appointments -put movies on while working -work from the sofa -work from bed if feeling unwell -prepare dinner

The list goes on. Obviously you couldn't do that in an office but the amount of dead time in a work day is crazy but you only notice it when home because you actually get your work done quickly and smoothly. I find anyway!

I need one of these jobs! Any tips??

The ‘chatter’ and ‘tea’ in the office is often used as an excuse for doing chores/ non work stuff when working at home. The difference is you still did some work when in the office - it’s highly unlikely that you didn’t do any work all day - compared to doing a day of ‘life admin’ aka no work as outlined in your original post.
what folk also forget it that chatter in the office has benefits to the business - you get to know your colleagues/ learn about their work and provide each other with advice. For less experienced colleagues it also allows them to learn important skills and how to behave professionally in the workplace.
If you work in the public sector or the charity sector OP I think you should consider whether doing life admin at home when you should be working is a good use of taxpayers money or charitable donations.

I and my team can do absolutely all of that at any time. It's called technology. No one needs to be locked in chains to a desk for 8 hours a day.

We also give a heads up if we're off for an appointment. And no one is getting their hair done 5 days a week, what's the big deal?

I'm sorry your company and its work/life balance is poor. I'm in senior management, my workload can be hectic and it can also be calm. I ensure that my team aren't rushed off their feet and that their workload isn't slowly killing them; as do my directors for me and other senior management.

Don't know though, we seem to have done pretty damn well considering how well known our publishing company is. 😁 Maybe your company needs to take a leaf out of our book. You'd be surprised by how much more productive employees are when they're happy, fresh, and have nice hair and nails!

I work hard

i start at 8.30. Have a coffee and wee break at 21.30ish (less than 5 minutes) an hour lunch 1 til 2 and then i work straight through til 5

i get more done at home usually

Work. Start earlier, more efficient. Lunchtime put on washing, whisk out dog, but I'm paid to work so that is what I do.
Why on earth wouldn't you? Its disrespectful to yourself and others not to.

what kind of jobs do use all do when WFH? why does company’s not encourage back to working in the office now that Covid is over?

I’m forever begging my boss for more work but there isn’t any. I’m in finance which works on 4 weekly schedules. Invoices are sent on a Monday and paid by a Friday. I then have 3 weeks a month with basically no work.

There is no skiving if there is no work. I’m either in the office doing nothing or at home doing nothing. I know what my boss prefers.

Not enough room for everyone…

My thoughts exactly. DM or the DT...

My organisation closed most of its office space.

It suits me, I have a severe disability now and if I couldn't work from home I would be on benefits. Instead I am a higher rate tax payer.

We have targets for billable hours/charging clients so everyone can see how productive we are anyway. If I don't work hard I don't hit my targets.

We don't have an office to go to. Got rid of it in 2021, used to cost the business thousands a month in rent, rates, repairs and utilities. The business now pays £26pm to each employee for wfh benefits. All work is completed to the same standard.