To find being in the office stressful?

[spale]

I work in an highly technical role. My company has a four day a week office policy but in reality most people do three. I go in around four but often for only say 9-4 but will be working 9-9. Office is a 10 minute walk from house.

I find being in the office to be really stressful. I enjoy chatting to colleagues but find the feeling of being “watched” all day to be draining. I get more done at home without random middle manager deciding they see me and want to palm something off to me instead of doing it themselves.

AIBU?

Agree but you getting more done is only part of the picture. Being visible to middle management and your wider team is part of your job too, especially less experienced employees who need to see what more establish careers look like.

I certainly needed to build up my immunity being in the office and being always switched on. It is just a case of building up to it I think.

Agree. I get so much more done at home.

I hate working in an office and find it stressful, especially the commute. My company went from being really flexible to insisting on three days in the office, so I left.

I work fully at home. I find I get so much more done - partially because I am neurodivergent and so I can concentrate much better when I need to focus and also that 'being watched' feeling is absent, along with the noise and the fluorescent lighting. So to me it is stressful. My job is stressful anyway, but being in the office makes that worse.

Mind you, my office is over an hour and half away by car. I probably would go in a bit more if it was ten minutes walk, but not much!

If you can get away with 3 days, I'd do that. I hate being in the office and now work almost exclusively from home.

Yes, being in the office is stressful.

• freezing air conditioning or far too warm
• have to go to the toilet in a cubicle, faux/no privacy
• can't talk to myself out loud when doing complex project work (love a good natter with myself, lots of 'but will it work if we do it that way, hmmm what about if we try that')
• someone nearby has a fancy manicure and is using the acrylic to type on their keyboard, if I'm really stressed this can drive me to tears
• someone else doesn't believe in blowing their nose and does a big disgusting throat sniff regularly
• 15 people nearby are on 10 different Teams calls
• hungry but don't want to be seen nipping out for something to eat when I want lunch (11, my stomach is a toddler)
• feel the need to be On all day
• get far more done at home

Some people love being in the office and I there hate it

I always got more done at home but I had a very understanding and competent boss who could manage without needing constant reassurance that he mattered

being seen does help career though if that matters

I agree, but you are very lucky to have a 10m commute!

I used to hate being in the office when I was an academic. I WFH 3 days and two in the office. I used to escape to the library whenever possible (no phones allowed) and just return when it was time to leave. Sometimes I would tell my colleagues I was spending the afternoon in the library to do some reading and then bugger off home at lunch time. So long as the work got done. The atmosphere and the sound of phones ringing set me on edge.

I find it stressful because I get about half the work done in the the office that I do at home. Due to extremely loud colleagues who like the sound of their own voice repeatedly shouting about their lives and interrupting everyone, ranting about work or causing drama, as well as the constant chit chat and endless tea/coffee rounds. I usually have to log in again once I'm home to complete my work for the day.

I get that socialising with colleagues is important but I'm someone that needs a bit of quiet to concentrate, and it just doesn't happen when everyone's in.

I'm quite old and the vast majority of my working life was based on having to be physically present at work. Of course there were stresses, colleagues who were irritating etc. It was ever thus.

However, when I was a manager, I found that being all together in the same environment was beneficial (to the overall work that needed to be done, rather than to an individual). We could easily share ideas and opinions (without a mile long string of messages); overhear a conversation and be able to add valuable information; we could sense when someone was overwhelmed or struggling, and find ways to help out.

I retired a couple of years ago but found the working from home culture was the most awful and stressful thing I ever had to manage. I had staff who were 'busy and productive' but on the wrong things. Different projects and priorities arrived (as is common in many work environments). Previously I could have quickly got 2 or 3 people together for a short discussion and we coud have re-assigned workloads. With everyone working from home I found that people didn't answer their phone, or respond to emails (particularlyif they didn't like the content), because they were working 'undisturbed'.

If there was a new piece of work or a change to something already assigned it could take me 2 days to get in touch with people, get them to respond, arrange a teams meeting with all relevant participants. Previously some of that could be achieved in an hour. It was the most frustrating and unproductive period of my working life. And importantly, it was slow and unproductive for the organisation. I know we sometimes missed out on deadlines and contracts because of it. Sometimes it is about the whole system functions, not simply about individuals.

It you worked from home full time the middle managers would find a different way to palm work off to you.

Didn't you have a job before COVID? You're describing a manager problem not an office problem per se

I can't wfh in my job but have worked in offices and agree-so much of my time was wasted with people chatting. Not to mention the travelling in and back, and the fact people who wfh have flexibility to pick up kids/pop a wash/stew on/not need to pay a pet sitter etc.
Meetings online seem far more focused, so for training new staff, that would have been much better. The only "lack" would be for those people who meet their partners/friends at work (there were 2 marriages from a place I once worked, many years after!), but some people frown upon that anyway.