Pulled up on my teams light

[outlanderish]

I work from home full time with occasional travel. My employer allows either a half hour or one hour lunch break, based on personal choice. I typically don’t take a formal break instead, I take brief pauses throughout the day (e.g. five minutes here and there to make a coffee, play with my dog, or put a load of laundry on), while otherwise remaining at my desk and working.

Recently, my manager called me to ask why I appear “orange” (away) a lot during the day. I explained that I take small, informal breaks rather than a long formal one. She told me this was unacceptable, even though my approach has not negatively impacted my productivity. In fact, I’m often more efficient this way. I also need to get up regularly as it hurts my back sitting for a long period of time

Other colleagues especially smokers also step away from their desks regularly, but it seems to be accepted for them.

Exactly it doesn't mean though he not doing his job nor getting results nor Me or you.

It seems to me to be a VERY inefficient way that you work? Surely you must have plans in place so that you can fill your time productively when staff happen to be on the toilet at the time you need them, of if they;ve had to go home sick? Seems crazy that you time can be rendered useless by unavoidable scenarios.

But, what if someone was in a meeting or toilet or a call? Why do you expect to be able to get hold of people immediately?

This is exactly why companies want people back into the office. As an ex Manager who has time for all this nonsense.

I am glad my company don't. They don't have the space 😂

I'm probably less productive at office tbh, because I sit and chat with people and wander around the building.

Honestly don’t do it, they have specific software that detects it, there is a LOT of secret monitoring going on while you work from home.

If you're in the office and someone comes up to your desk and needs something from you or wants to chat, or you're walking back from the kitchen and you bump into someone, it can be a good 'mini break' from having your head down, and it can prompt you to remember things that you needed to ask someone, or things that you needed to do, etc. You just don't get that if you're working at home. I think that makes it even more important to step away from your desk frequently and regularly for a few minutes.
A member of my household had to work from home over the pandemic, and it was really bad for their well-being. These moments of spontaneous interaction, and a few minutes away from your desk, are really important.

I think it says it all that people are putting themselves on DND or suggesting Mouse Jigglers. God forbid they are experienced in trying to pretend they are working when they arent

I don't do this but to be fair, in an office you generally wouldn't be sitting staring at a screen for 8 hours a day.

You have conversations with people. Get up and make a coffee, have a chat etc.

I don't mess around but sometimes you need to get up and walk away for your sanity and eyeballs.

your right it's nonsense. thank god there are managers unlike you out there now who don't micro manage who trust their staff to do their job with out having the physically see them - seeing productivity instead.
where I work is in a huge industrial estate two companies across road from us have tried to bring people back to office and have now had to reverse it as a people have left and b they are struggling for staff. anything that had been advertised as set amount or 5 days in office was advertised for ages or once they found staff they instead offered more remote options. Good staff is very hard to come by

Yes, this is possible. I'm friends with the IT guy at our company and I asked him how much we were monitored by management, eg which websites we visited, time active on our laptops etc, and he said they don't bother to check unless the employee is going through a disciplinary process or about to be dismissed.

People in the office get up to pee, get up cup of tee, or just to stretch their legs. These don’t count towards break time in most sane environments. Not taking those tiny pauses decreases productivity.

A police officer was sacked recently for online shopping whilst feeling unwell with .morning sickness.
I'd think twice about putting a film on!

Physios & opticians will tell us we absolutely should be taking regular breaks from sitting and screens.

Mouse jiggers (if detected) are an immediate sacking where I work.

I manage a team of people. I couldn't tell you how much green/amber lights most of the team operate because there's never an issue.

However, there's 1, I'm currently watching because every single time during the week that I or two of my other colleagues try to reach her, she's offline. It's extremely common and her work isn't what it used to be previously. If it wasn't for these reasons, I would care or have a clue about her green/amber light.

Are you aware of any other issues your manage may have?

Is the manager generally ok or are they a micro manager?

There is taking regular screen breaks (during which time you can still make a call or get organised) or taking time to wander off , do chores, school runs or play with pets. The company has to facilitate a statutory 20 minute minimum break if you work over six hours which should not taken as shorter periods throughout the day.

There was obviously more than one isolated shopping incident going on there...

Going to the loo, making a cuppa, fine.
Walking around every hour, resting eyes recommended.

Doing the school runs, walking the dog, however, surely depends on your employer. I would ask permission for that.

I know I said mouse jiggler, but I don't actually have one, it would be no use in my role. I only know one person who has one and she works for a different company in a very different role to me.

I do hold by turning my Teams status to offline though. I have gone through various phases, of having it either permanently yellow or offline. I have a couple of colleagues in particular who would always ring me the moment I went green, without even an IM to ask if it was convenient or checking my diary. Most people are too lazy to just look in my calendar, which is open to all. Now, by always appearing to be offline, they IM and ask if they can call.

It's interesting that the majority of responses have been how to trick managers into thinking the OP is working rather than anything else.

I'd have thought that people who want to continue working at home would be the first to tell people not to play the system as that is what will stop offices from allowing wfh.

I am offline all the time and my manager has no issues with it.

WFH is a privilege that not everyone is able to take advantage of and I'm tired of people taking the piss - it absolutely is the reason companies want their employees back in the office.

I hear you. However, I would like to add (from experience) there are folks who are physically present in the work place but are unproductive. They still take home their monthly wage and hide in plain view.

No one is saying you have to be glued to your desk or screen when wfh, but this thread is referring to teams status which doesn't change for five minutes which is enough time to make a coffee, stretch or open a window etc. I doubt most managers would really pick up on an extra couple of minutes but breaking off regularly to play with the dog, do washing etc suggests something longer than the odd five mins here and there which the manager has become aware of.

Wfh is a privilege and perception is everything, especially if working in the public sector. Reading the number of posters using jigglers etc just supports the narrative that many homeworkers are skiving half the day.

To my mind, it is more a case that managers shouldn't micro manage by watching what colour someone is on Teams. That is not a measure of productivity. I have never noticed what any of my line reports' statuses are. I have an above average for company and industry engagement score. I am doing something right, and trusting my team to do their job without me breathing down their necks all the time is part of that. We are all home based and across multiple different timezones.