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 dont believe for a minute that people who are fully office-based never check their personal emails, kill time reading gossip sites or order a couple of things online while it’s quiet.

Agreed. Also they will spend a lot of cumulative time talking to other people, this can result in a good few hours lost a day. That something WFH people can’t do.

I thought I was odd BTW playing TV shows in the background or on YouTube but I can’t work without background noise!

I work really hard at home. I can't concentrate on two things at once so I've never had success with radio or TV in the background.
I even find music very distracting.
Today I had a shower in my lunchbreak and made a doctor's appointment. I sometimes hang out a load of washing in my tea break, otherwise I am quite a conscientious worker.

No I mean on their lunch hour. You say they should do in their lunch hour at home the same as what they’d do at work, but it’s different settings completely.

Also I sometimes WOULD go shopping in my lunch hour when I worked in an office

Civil service 👍

Please tell me how to get one of these jobs where you can work in bursts and starts. I claim each 30mins and it's intense when I work. I need a new job...

I work, with fixed hours, in sync with my colleagues. I need to be available in case anyone wants help / a scheduled or impromptu call / you name it. The loo is closer to my desk so toilet breaks take less time.

Threads like this piss me off. Slackers / people taking the mickey spoil it for the rest of us, as employers will increasingly insist on employees returning to the office

I work (freelance). Unless things are quiet, in which case I do a range of other things but then I don't bill for that time. Being paid a salary and not working when you should be is simply skiving.

Two days a week I conduct hearings. The other three days I write decisions on the hearings I conducted, I prepare for next week's docket, and do other administrative tasks.

LinkedIn is your friend, depending on your industry you’d probably struggle to find one that isn’t hybrid or WFH

Another important thing to add is that taking commuting out of the equation means I can be more flexible. A few years ago I worked in a London “satellite town”, where office space was much cheaper. There was one fast train into central London an hour. Those of us commuting back into London dreaded the moment when we’d packing up to leave to catch the first one after shutdown time and hear, “Ooh, before you go can I ask you something just quickly?” - usually from a clueless senior manager who drove to a big Home Counties house. Well no - your “quick question” could cost me 30 minutes - an hour of my evening.

Now if my boss rings me at 5.29pm, I don’t give a shit if it makes me five or ten minutes late shutting down - I’m already home.

This, my friends, shows how our taxes are being wasted. Employees shouldn't be getting away with this

In the office, sure people might have the odd chat or order something online but I have never seen a colleague take basically the entire day off as the OP is describing.

I haven’t worked from home, shop work, but when the first lockdown I was keeping up with online training. The shop closed down and I was made redundant.

DH works from home, he does lots of calls, emails and reports. We walk the dog around midday and then have lunch. Our DDs are adults, one is back from Uni and working locally but she doesn’t drive yet so we ferry her to and from work.

The OP isn't talking about their lunch hour. They're talking about effectively skiving most of a day.

If you'd take an hour for lunch from on-site work, then an hour for lunch WFH is equivalent.

I work obviously but it does allow me to multi task much better. It takes seconds to put a load of washing on that I can peg out in my lunch break, or stir the dinner in the slow cooker that I prepped before work.

if I’m on a telephone call that isn’t confidential I take it on my mobile, wear headphones and can be outside planting a plant, hanging washing in summer etc.

I find it a great balance. Plenty of time in the office is wasted! And I don’t have to commute when working from home

That was a joke btw.

I'm actually a DM journalist. I spend 50% of my day tossing it off down the gym or the hairdressers, 30% getting chatgpt to write stuff for me and 20% making up threads on Mumsnet to get stories of varying accuracy.

I think people giving the OP and anyone WFH a hard time want to also remember:

• People who WFH are less likely to take sick leave. I’ve had a few occasions where I’ve definitely not been well enough to venture out and be around others (who I’d no doubt infect? but can still do work in my PJs.
• Things like surgery recovery are easier to do when WFH. I had surgery earlier this year that made me a little bit incontinent for 4 weeks after due to the medication and recovery from my procedure. There’s no way I could ab e worked in an office during that time, not when o kept getting caught short
• It’s often more accessible for disabled people and those with complex health needs to WFH so it’s good for the population workforce.
• The lack of people striking up conversations means work can be done so much more quickly and efficiently.

Walk the dog at 8am, start at 8:30am, get up every now and again to get a drink or to put some laundry on. Work through to about 12:30am. Walk the dog again, back at my desk after lunch and walk at 1:30pm. Work through until 6pm with the odd break to get some steps in, browse the internet, get a drink, deal with laundry etc. I work as hard at home as I do at the office.

Here you go OP;

The efficiency of people working from home varies widely and depends on several factors, including the nature of their job, their personal work ethic, and the systems in place to support remote work. Here's an overview of key points:
Benefits to Efficiency in Remote Work:

1. Fewer Distractions (in some cases): Employees avoid office distractions like unnecessary meetings, office chatter, or noisy environments, which can improve focus.
2. Increased Flexibility: Workers can often structure their day to suit their productivity peaks (e.g., early morning or late evening workers), leading to better output.
3. Time Saved on Commuting: Employees save hours that can be redirected into work or rest, potentially increasing overall productivity.
4. Technology Support: Tools like project management software, communication apps, and shared workspaces make collaboration and task tracking easier.
5. Work-Life Balance: Some workers feel more energized and less burned out when they can manage work-life demands more flexibly.

Challenges to Efficiency:

1. Home Distractions: Childcare responsibilities, household chores, or noisy roommates can interfere with focus.
2. Lack of Oversight: Without direct supervision, some may procrastinate or struggle with accountability.
3. Reduced Collaboration: Spontaneous idea-sharing and quick problem-solving can be harder online compared to in-person environments.
4. Motivation: Remote workers might struggle to stay engaged if they feel isolated or disconnected from team goals.

Do People Skive Off?

• Some Do: Without proper motivation, clear goals, or adequate support, some may find it easy to slack off or do personal activities during work hours.
• Most Don't: Studies suggest that many remote workers put in longer hours or take fewer breaks to prove their productivity. The pressure to demonstrate value while working remotely can sometimes lead to overwork rather than skiving.

Evidence from Studies:

• A 2020 study by Stanford University found a 13% increase in productivity among remote workers compared to office workers.
• A Microsoft report in 2022 highlighted that hybrid work is the most productive model, with employees valuing flexibility while maintaining high levels of output.

In conclusion, remote work can be highly efficient when there’s a good match between the worker’s environment, tools, and job requirements. Building trust and implementing clear goals and accountability measures can help mitigate concerns about skiving off.

OK well you can understand my confusion as I asked:
What would you say was an acceptable for break activity WFH?

And you answered:
I'd say what's acceptable WFH should be what's acceptable in the office. I don't think "almost a day off", as the OP put it, should be acceptable in either setting.

So I am a bit confused when you say you weren’t talking about a break/lunch hour

I don’t have an on site office but my contract says 1 hour. What should I be doing in that time? If I wanted to take a bath and make a pie is that acceptable in your view or is it not because I couldn’t do that in an office?

fanny about on mumsnet

My dh has worked from home for around 14 years. He’s incredibly productive. He also is able to use time to mow or help out with kids or whatever. Some days I don’t see him from 7am until 7pm and he works weekends too. Other times he’s free to go out for lunch or shopping. When dc were tiny he used to look after them every Friday morning as we didn’t have childcare then.

Some jobs might mean having to sit at a desk for 8 hours but a lot don’t. My dog often does his best work while on the ride on mower.. thinking.

As long as I get my work done (which I always do) then as long as I am checking emails and replying where need be then the days are mine. I walk the dog, shop, cook dinner, relax. I can be there for the DC after school, attend any plays, assemblies. The same as all of the other people on my team. Bloody love working from home.

Skiving in the office doesn't excuse skiving when working form home.

When I used to work from home, the only things I'd do during the hours I was expected to work that weren't work related was occasionally put the washing on during my 11 o'clock break and then unload it and hang it up during lunch.

I think most managers are well aware of peoples work rate both in the office and when at home (wasn't there a case last year where a home worker was successfully dismissed because her work monitored how infrequently she was contactable and actually typing ?). They'll know that it's the ones that spend half the day chatting round the coffee machine when in the office are the same ones that are skiving when working from home, and have very poor productivity and missed deadlines as a result .