To think working from home is a cushy number?

[MrsSlimShady]

I’ve got a new job that entails loads of e-learning, and webinars. They said I could do it at home and I literally sat there on the sofa and ate crisps and had cups of tea in my loungewear on the computer.

My DH works 3 days a week at home. He has back to back meetings but also manages to go the shops, go the gym, do exercise classes before work and at lunch time and do other chores. He’ll say his first meeting is at 0900, then nothing till 1130, then he can pop out 3-4pm….. it all goes like this.

I have another job and I have a 2-3 hour commute, and I am on my feet all day. I cannot get one chore done for my outside life. It has to wait till I’m off unless it is a text or email.

I know there are people working from home who work really hard too, but come on, AIBU to say that if you WFH you are really lucky and have it a lot easier than most other people?

I found the WFH culture in my last job horrific. Expectations that you are available at all hours, the lack of separation from home life, workload increased massively. I also really struggle with over thinking when I can't see people's reactions in person so I'd end up spiraling into anxiety over everything. It's not for everyone and not every company does it well.

I suppose if you think WFH just involves e-learning and watching webinars then it does sound cushty.

But that's not actually the reality of course 🙄

Usually because the work is allocated on a basis that allows for the efficiency of the average worker.

Someone who has loads of experience, or who has developed time saving strategies or is simply faster, will find themselves with time spare for hobbies/housework/naps.

Conversely, the least efficient will be complaining that they’re still at their desk at 6:30 and can’t afford to take their breaks.

I work 8-6pm four days a week fully remote and it is NOT easy and no we don’t all sit at home watching tv skiving. In my role we time charge clients and we have to log EVERY MINUTE of our day! I work 540mins a day and 80% of that needs to be client related. I even have to log going to the toilet!!
WFH works for me as I have a young family and means I can start early (as soon as they are out the door for nursery) and finish late as my husband picks up and gives them dinner, all so I can have a day off with them during the week.
If I had to work in an office I would work less hours, so salary would be lower and I don’t think I would be as productive as you have the office chit chat. At home I am in my office, focused, get the job done and log off at 6pm for family time straight away.
Your husband is lucky that he can pop out or go to the gym (and be lazy during work time as it sounds) but not all WFH jobs are like this.

I love not having a commute - it’s lovelythat I can do something productive in my lunch hour, whether that’s do a washing or nip to Tesco.

I work every bit as hard if not more than I ever did, as I have a strong work ethic

I work at home, do way more than my hours but work them flexibly so I may walk the dog after dropping the kids, do the washing, I'm here to make the kids a sandwich when the kids are home. It suits my family's stage of life but you do need to be quite motivated. I've managed out a couple of people who weren't producing the goods at home. Once kids are in secondary I'd quite like a couple of days in an office.

It depends on the person's situation and preferences. I work in the centre, it's closer to the gym, post office, shops etc. I can have a nice walk at lunch to pick up things I need. From home I would have to drive and the drive would take longer than a walk from my office. If someone has a busy household with shift workers or unemployed/students etc working at home can be very stressful. For people who live alone working at home can be very lonely. People new to a role will likely find work easier and be more efficient in an office with colleagues.

I have WFH for more than a decade, some of those self employed.

Lots of People in an office setting get away with constant, inane chat and coffee breaks.

You either have a work ethic or your so not. Your work location has little to do with it.

I work my commute. I really enjoy the flexibility hybrid WFH/office allows.

Except in the examples people in RL give me, they are explaining WFH is great because people aren’t ’interrupting them’ talking about work.

If people in the office are interrupting you when you are busy with social chit chat, it’s easy to just say ‘sorry I am busy just now’. It really is that easy. If someone needs to hide at home to deal with that situation, they could do with building their assertiveness to normal levels.

You have done a few webinars. You are hardly an expert in working from home. It's a bit like someone saying they know how to cook when they have just made toast

Said as someone who has either never worked in an office before, or someone everyone hates working with!

I have had peripatetic jobs prior to lockdown.
I WFH when I am not needed on site, I still have deadlines to meet, if I don’t deliver my boss would pull me up.
Whether I put a load of washing on during the day is immaterial - I still have a job to do.
WFH just reduced the stress I’d have commuting and trying to hit deadlines.
I don't abuse it, I never have, and my boss is fantastic.

How do.people wfh manage not to be dressed for work and work ready. I have teams calls every single day and whilst I might wear leggings, the top half of me has to be work ready and presentable.

Personally I prefer going into the office. A lot is picked up by nuance and a quick conversation and I like the divide between home and work. I have never accepted a job in 40 years that has meant a commute of more than 45 minutes.

I wear make-up in days where I have zoom meetings. Also try to wear a nice top.
Sometimes I have meetings where we don't have cameras on, for example, because of need to screen share. I'll hastily slap on a minimum of make-up in case of being caught unawares.

Edited as I completely misread. 🫣

W what most days and yes, it is cushy, but I get all my work done. As I don't have anyone to talk to, if I finish I think of other things to do. Yes, I take the fog gor a walk between meetings but I'm not commuting, going to the canteen, charting to anyone or being distracted all the time by colleagues. People who moan about wfh should be moaning at managers. If they are not setting targets and checking in on their staff to make sure they achieve them, then they're not managing correctly. They are the same ones who will allow people to sit around doing nothing all day then start working at 4.30pm so it looks like they work really hard

It depends on the job, I’m an actuary and I’m also now training newly qualified staff, so at the moment the first two hours of everyday is taken up training new staff to use our package, this involves a demo, remoting in when someone has gone wrong, verbally testing knowledge etc. The rest of the time I’m completely my normal everyday work. I get an hour for lunch, however I’m allowed to work through this and finish early, I also do this on my office days. No hoovering, laundry, walks, cooking etc during my working hours.

Yeah, definitely. Those saying they work very hard are missing the point, I think - I work very hard from home too, but I also worked very hard from the office, except now I have the benefit of no commute, no office noise, my own environment, can stick the dishwasher on while I'm making a brew, etc.

I think pretending WFH isn't great is stupid and makes people who can't hate it even more. WFH is great (for some people: doesn't suit everyone) and we should be encouraging more employers to offer it as a benefit, so that working conditions improve for everyone who wants it. Not pretending it's a real drag so employers can continue trying to haul everyone back into the office unnecessarily.

Yes I agree with you OP. I do 2 days wfh a week and I get a lot of my personal admin and housework done on those days. My manager is very happy with my productivity and performance. I can even do overtime on the weekends sitting in bed with my pajamas on.

But this only happened because of COVID. Before then we were always told we would never be able to wfh due to security (I work in banking). So I always kicked myself for not choosing a different career when I saw my friends in IT able to wfh. However now I’m one of them and I love it.

The only downside is that I’m put off from applying for any other jobs because I don’t want to risk the flexibility I’ve got. There are opportunities I would have gone for if I was still in the office 5 days a week.

If I’m not on a call with a client then no one cares what I look like. 50% calls are video off and the rest as long as they are staff only there is no dress code, so most people wear hoodies or T-shirts with no make up and hair a state.

Of course it is! That’s why people like it and it’s continued after Covid. So much better for work-life balance. DH sees SO much more of his children. The house is so much cleaner as DH does jobs while he’s on calls. I don’t WFH so I don’t. Basic!

Our policy is camera on at all times. Also, I want at all times to be taken seriously as a professional and that doesn't stack with wearing a hoody, no make-up or being a state.

Do you think men are unprofessional for not wearing make-up?

But your DH does not have back to back meetings and seemingly zero work to do in between meetings. You really think that is normal?

I can be taken as a professional wearing no make up with a hoody because my workplace cares about the work and people not how they look on teams calls.