5 days in the office - rant!!!

[DonnyDoris]

My company mandated 5 days in the office a couple of months ago, which in principle I have no issues with. However, my commute is just over an hour on motorways that have long term roadworks, so massively tedious and today I have no meetings so absolutely no reason to be here other than presenteeism. Could have got so much more done and also all my housework if I could've worked from home 😖Just needed to get that off my chest!!!!

Find another job if you’re not happy

Are you posting from your car or your desk?

Oh yeah - why didn't I think of that 🙄

Are ur hours flexible? I used to have to commute up the M1 so I used to work 8 - 4 in order to miss the worst of the traffic both ways. Subscribe to Audible and listen to a book while you are in the car.

That's what I did.

My company lost an experienced and underpaid worker, and I got a new completely remote job (kind of doing exactly the same) and also a 33% payrise!!

As a WFHer I have to say that I agree about looking elsewhere. There are plenty of WFH or hybrid roles out there. That’s a long commute, even without the delays, and it’s so frustrating being in the office for no reason.

We were allowed to successfully WFH for over 2yrs with a phased return to the office (1-day/week, then 2-days etc).
Some days I would go in and find I was completely on my own (not even my manager was in) and it made me re-evaluate my career. I left (not an easy decision) but 2yrs later I see it was definitely the correct thing to do.

"And all my housework"
Might just explain why they want you in the office

Look for another role, companies are losing experienced employees up and down the country to wfh roles. The situation has changed since Covid. People want more flexibility and time with their families. Commuting up to an hour is a joke unless your job absolutely necessitates it. Most office based roles do not need you there.

Five days was standard before Covid. Choose a job closer to home if it’s a problem.

Do you never multi-task?

If you can do your housework while you're working you're not giving your job 100% of your attention while your employer is paying you to do so. This is why employers are moving away from remote working

My company mandated back to 5 days in the office earlier this year and we are finding it impossible to recruit.
We have 4 roles we’ve been trying to fill for over 3 months now and as soon as the 5 days is mentioned, the candidates always pull out.

Yet our HO (which isn’t in the UK) won’t budge on it despite losing staff and being unable to recruit replacements.

5 days in the office is absolutely ridiculous in 2025. I do 1, and I don't know anyone with an office job who does more than 3. Where do you work?!

Mental that you don’t know anyone who works no more than 3 days in an office job??

She has a 2 hour commute, you can get a lot of housework done in 2 hours every day. Also while the kettle boils you can shove a load of laundry into the washing machine. Shove it in the tumble dryer on the next break or at lunch. This isn't rocket science.

Agree. My company is the only one among my friends and relatives with a 5 day mandate. In our industry 3/2 is the norm and it’s what most people expect.

so employees can sit in the office being on MN all day.. great. But as long as they are in the office 😂

I'd rather do my housework in the time I would be wasting commuting anyway, and I would still have more time to actually work.

Yeah, we all need to call bullshit on being in the office all the time. I went in yesterday, an hour's commute each way. All my work is at a computer writing things. All interaction is done on teams as our offices are in different places. At home, I quietly get on with it in a pleasant environment I created for myself. On the way back I got stuck in a traffic jam and ended up back at 7pm. I normally log off at 5pm. I'd be looking for a new job.

No OP - I can work from home and except for maybe a little bit at lunch time I don't do housework. It should be the same as if you are in the office. This isn't multi-tasking, this is doing housework during working time. There is a difference.

I used to work from home and of course you can do housework and be committed. If you have an hour’s lunch break you can put a washing machine load at 7am and take it out lunchtime. You can prep for dinner at lunchtime or do any quick job. I haven’t worked for a decade so maybe times have changed but I was putting in more hours than the people who would pop outside for a cigarette break.

op I’d be inclined to ask if you can have a couple of days at home while the roadworks are on and then think about job hunting or moving.

And no one on the office sits at their desk all day long working. Everyone takes breaks, has a chat, goes off to take a phone call etc.

I find far more distractions the days I’m n the office than when I’m at home

I don't have access to Mumsnet at work, some of us have jobs that require concentration or people get hurt. I don't think people should be on Mumsnet at work any more than they should be doing housework, so that's not a comparison I find relevant.

I think the housework comment explains why they want you back in.

I'd hate this. I do.prefer being in the office because i find it more stimulating than home but I grt so frustrated wasting time on the commute.

Op a few ideas short of changing your job:

1. Could you leave much earlier both in the morning and in the afternoon to avoid the worst of traffic? So e.g. instead of working 9-5 could you work 7-3?

1. Could you use public transport and grt some work done on the commute? (And spend correspondingly less time in the office?)

1. Listen to podcasts or audio books. I do this and it helps so much with feeling that I am not completely wasting my time. I actually quite enjoy the commute when ivd got something interesting to listen to