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?

Not having a commute makes my day more diffuse, and "working hours" more nebulous. I usually start over 90 mins before my official start time, take bits of time out for errands etc, but probably log off around 2 hours after my official end time. I like the flexibility of that.

I notice whilst my post has had response, not one of these diligent workers that are so much more productive at home have responded on the point that if it everyone was so much more productive surely less staff would be needed and there would be stacks of redundancies when this new far more effective way of working was discovered. Or perhaps it’s only the people who post on Mums net that are more productive.

Come on guys just be honest about this, no one on here can make you go back in the office but don’t treat us like idiots.

not one of these diligent workers that are so much more productive at home have responded on the point that if it everyone was so much more productive surely less staff would be needed and there would be stacks of redundancies

Sorry I just thought it was really stupid comment. My job involves administration around deceased clients. My work never goes down.

I'm not sorry for thanking it was stupid I'm just sorry I didn't say so earlier...

I'm in publishing. Our journals are doing very well. We are actively recruiting more staff. Among other factors this reflects that our predominantly remote staff are very productive.

Come on guys just be honest about this, no one on here can make you go back in the office but don’t treat us like idiots.

I was hired as a remote worker. The main office is Hong Kong. There is none of this 'back to the office' talk.

I think you need to broaden your mind.

The assumption with this is that people work 100% of the time in the office. People skive a lot at work as well just in a different way, it’s just obvious when people wfh

No but if you were more effective at home you will be able to do your job in a shorter amount of time and perhaps cover other tasks.

it’s actually a very sensible point say you have ten people in accounts and they are all fully occupied if in the office did they are all say 20% more effective at home two of them should be made redundant does that make sense ?

There are exceptions and specific roles but that’s it what most people are is it ?

I'm afraid I don't understand what you're saying.
I wouldn't say publishing was a particularly exceptional or niche profession.
Research is never 'done'.

I responded to that, albeit didn't mention anything about my own productivity as I've always been remote in this role so there's nothing to compare to. And I'll further expand.

It's a really crap argument, because the workforce is shrinking and you've not accounted at all for that. You haven't defined the period you're talking about either, nor checked whether the amount of work that needs doing now is the same, more or less than it was during your comparison period.

No but if you were more effective at home you will be able to do your job in a shorter amount of time and perhaps cover other tasks.

i am very effective at home, more so than at the office

you are generalising like many on this thread. I absolutely agree that some people do not work hard at home i would be stupid to say anything else…I appreciate for some posters that because they would struggle to work hard at home that they think its the case for everyone

There is none of this 'back to the office' talk

yeah same here, we don’t all fit in the office anymore 😀

I appreciate for some posters that because they would struggle to work hard at home that they think its the case for everyone

I suspect you have identified a correlation.....

Cover what other tasks though? What if there aren't any? I have basically a PT role in FT hours, my boss doesn't want me to reduce my hours and I have completed all other tasks that can possibly be done.

I do agree that based upon your example of efficiency that 2 of the staff should be made redundant if the work can be completed in full by 8.

I work from home completely and don't take the piss in fact i usually work more hours than I should. I work 3 days as part of a jobshare which really means I cram 5 days worth of work into 3!

Depends on how flexible your job is. I WFH and I’m about to go to the gym for an hour. But that’s because I logged in on Sunday evening and got a start on some work.
I might work for a while this evening so I can get the groceries in tomorrow morning.
WFH has been life changing for me and I have turned down a better paying job because they wanted me in the office.
You can’t buy time.

I agree with some of the users here, I tend to work harder at home than in the classroom, the lecture theatre and in tuition centres. I concentrate on my work alone for the hours I am active with teaching, in the delivery of lectures to students or when attending online meetings.

The reduction in cost for commuting, the ability to decide your own hours, set your own lunch period and spend more time with family while utilising your time for research, develop your own topics for lessons and be responsible for the duration of each session diminishes stress and makes teaching easier and more enjoyable overall and in both the long and short terms.

I find I work harder wfh, no distractions, no people mooching about & trying to talk about what they had for tea or watched on TV
I'm also conscious of the fact my boss can see how much work I've actually done.
I put washing in, load dishwasher while the kettle boils or on lunch but I don't abuse the privilege of being allowed to wfh

I work from home most of the week. I was supposed to be in the office yesterday and today but I’ve got a stinking cold so I worked from home instead. The double benefit being

1. I worked instead of taking a sick day
2. I didnt risk taking the rest of my team down with me by forcing myself in.

I might have been a little slower than usual because of it but I still managed to get some stuff done.

Have you ever wondered whether you are contributing to the low productivity rates in the UK? It seems to me that WFH relies on the integrity of the person WFH and the trust of the employer.

Is low productivity rates anything anyone actually cares about?

Well perhaps we should all care about productivity given the dire state of the economy. I noticed you didn't comment on the integrity/trust part of my post. Perhaps nobody cares about those anymore either?

I guess it depends on what people mean by productivity

my husband has a job where he needs to bring fee paying clients in….his productivity could be measured in the work he puts in or the money he brings in

i have a admin job my managers check how long it takes to do emails and enquiries and correspondence…my productivity is measured by how long it takes me to do those things

And my managers and my husbands firm absolutely care about productivity rates!