Going into the office 5 days a week!

[Honeybunnny]

Hi

Im REALLY struggling with a good job offer which would probably kick start my career as it requires me to be fully office based. The office is a 2 minute drive so will have practically 0 commute but I have worked hybrid for a few years and I just love it. It changed my life so much and I am so much more relaxed at home, and more productive in general. It was a game changer for me.

The thought of returning to an office 5 days a week makes me feel queasy and I just can't shake it off.

It would be a shame to turn down the role purely because I can't bear to be in an office, they do not offer hybrid at all.

Any thoughts or has anyone gone from remote to office work?

Thank you

If I was the employer and I read this thread I would rescind the job offer.

A job with career prospects, only two-minutes journey time and you're having doubts because you just want to be paid to be sat at home?

It shows you're not interested in putting any effort in.

I honestly don't understand what a difference it makes if you don't have any commute. Being in the office or being at your own desk at home is the same surely? Yes, more interruptions in the office, but offset surely by easier access to other people you need in return...
I'm self employed and can't justify hiring office space but would happily work from an office if it was so close to home.

Spot on

Exactly. It's a WFH day for me today and I'm spending that time posting messages on various websites.

... a 2 minute drive... Seriously??? You'd drive that? The world is fucked!

I'd generally say no to 5 days a week in the office but if it's that close it's not really an issue is it? You can pop home at lunchtime if you need to do something and any reputable work(wo)man can collect the keys from your office, you don't need to let them in.

Not spot on at all. I've worked from home for many years and was promoted earlier this year, along with my incredibly talented and productive colleague, who is also mainly home-based.

I am on here because my working day has ended.

Exactly. I’ve also posted my experience, as have other posters.

Some people really struggle to imagine that other people have different lives and experiences to them!

I would have a good research on the culture if you can as 5 days back in in my experience tend to have male leadership teams and run a very dictatorial ship. No one needs to be in 5 days in office these days

An awful lot of companies are 4 days in the office so if you were ever to change jobs you would probably be looking at at least that

I read about this on MN but have seen little evidence of it in real life? It generally seems to be 2/3 days

have you ever heard of breaks? wfh people can still take a lunch break.

I'm struggling to understand the concept of a '2 minute drive', OP. Do you have significant physical disabilities? Or is this a typo for a '20 minute drive'? If you're able-bodied and you are actually talking about a two-MINUTE drive, that might be one of the most shockingly lazy, wasteful things I've ever read on here ...

A lot more information is needed. What are the other advantages and disadvantages of taking this job offer? For example:

Is it a step up in responsibility/job title/pay?

Is it a change of industry or role?

What are the development and progression opportunities like?

What is the workplace culture like?

What did the interviewer say they enjoy about their workplace?

You seem fixated on one aspect, which you see as negative, counterbalanced by a vague idea that it might “kickstart” your career. If I had a WFH job that I enjoyed then I wouldn’t be contemplating a full time office based role unless I was absolutely sure of the ways that it would benefit me long term.

Thanks for all your replies, I didnt expect so many!!

So, yes it is a 2 minute drive however I will just walk there and back!

The role is an assistant HR advisor which i see would help me gain experience in HR and then I could move to a HR advisory/co-ordinator role in time.

Im currently working for my local council taking incoming calls from the General public and currently there are limited, if any, opportunites for progression. This could change in time though.

The increase in salary would be good, im part time in my current role and they arent in a position to increase my hours currently.

For such a short commute it would probably be doable for me though in this day and age I’d question any (office-based) employer who didn’t think it was a good idea to offer employees flexibility

in our industry (consultancy) I think it would be extremely difficult to get anyone to go into the office 5dpw these days. Even very junior admin staff are at home some of the time.

Take it. If there's no clear path for progression or more hours in your current job, it's not worth staying. Plus you'll probably get fewer abusive nutters on the phone 😅

I think just suck it up and go into the office every day. Millions of people have to go into work every day instead of staying at home. That’s life.

I go into the office every day. Pre covid I worked at home twice a week. I had enough of home working after covid and couldn’t wait to get back into the office and seperate out my home and office life. I find it’s better for my mental health and better for my physical health as I am more active. You soon get into the habit of it. We have a handful of people who come in 5 days voluntarily, but we are hybrid and min of 40%.

take it, it’s fantastic to get a job that close to your house, career progression and extra pay, you might be able to negotiate a day a week WFH

My arguments on this thread have been plenty coherent, you just disagree with what I'm saying. Which is fine.

I would want a very big pay rise to do 5 days a week in the office.

I work in HR and at the advisor level its quite common to find roles which are regional/ hybrid based if that's what you want as you progress. Especially if you join a large nulti site organization covering a patch. Bloody hard to get in and on with HR as its quite competitive, so id grab any opportunity with both hands

I agree with both your points, and would be wary of an employer who wouldn’t consider any flexibility.

I work for a medium sized public sector employer and the first question is usually “how many days in the office” when we’re recruiting new staff. We were a bit slow off the mark in finalising our post-COVID hybrid policy, and until we had a clear policy to share with applicants, we really struggled to recruit

public sector no doubt.