To be so glad WFH became a thing (and to absolutely hate anyone who tries to curtail its availability)

[Designless]

It's just life changingly good

Has anyone mentioned how WFH can be invaluable if you're working internationally? In the past, monitoring or working with Asia or America entailed being in the office at truly unholy hours. Now, I can be at my desk and ready to hop on a call within 10 minutes of waking up. Or I can do my own thing, have dinner etc, then hop on a call with LA in the evening. It opens up so many more possibilities for international working.

(And rest assured that no one is taking the piss by making me work 10-hour days - the other benefit is that if my working day is centred around an American time zone, I'm probably not logging on at all until the UK afternoon. And if I've woken up in the small hours to talk to Japan, my working day ends at lunchtime.)

call centre delays are rarely because of people wfh but rather cuts to staff. Call centre wfh jobs for the vast majority use strict tracking software, there is no nipping to put the washing on, you have to log out when you go to the loo and even that is timed

I think it’s wonderful and remember saying this is making better financial sense for employers too back in 2016, while I was sitting next to my colleague who spent all her working hours on FaceTime and web browsing.

I stopped working before covid because I had dc and never went WFH though. I get judged by family who think it’s so easy nowadays with remote work you don’t need to stop working because of school runs and whatnot… However, whenever I looked it seems to be something available to existing employees only, not new…

I work hybrid but really would like to work from home all the time. I enjoy the office but I struggle with the idea of commuting. It's so wasteful in time and resources.

What a nasty response. I wfh and love it but I don’t get the opportunity to do anything other than work. My workloads are too high. I get less done in the office because people chat there. The people who aren’t working wouldn’t be working if they were in an office either. There will always be people like that. They need managing as individuals not everyone punishing because of a few bad apples.
The issues with the public sector are largely to do with staffing levels due to cost cutting.

One thing Im dreading when WFH during the school holidays on a dry day. As there are two families of kids that ride their bikes and microscooters up and down the residential car park outside my home, screaming all day.

A colleague on my team asked the children opposite her to keep the noise down. Their mother yelled at her saying that her DC have every right to scream. I think the mothers of the kids near me look like they have the same attitude problem.

You can’t police other peoples noise during the day though!

Currently on the train. Some unfortunate has been sick and I am hypervigilent because of a shouting man. The boy beside me stinks. Carrying a heavy laptop bag and a cold packed lunch. I have period cramp. It’s 45 minutes door to door and on my home days I’d be having a peaceful cup of coffee in my clean kitchen about now. My screeching colleague is also in today so I’ll be wearing Loops. Our boss likes the office freezing so also I’m in a big scarf. None of the above is beneficial to my working day, in fact the opposite tbqh. So thankful it’s only twice a week.

In this situation you either suck it up and close the windows, or you go to an office. A co-working space if your employer doesn’t provide somewhere. It’s completely unfair to expect families to curtail their children’s play outside their own homes because you’re choosing to work from yours.

Screaming is antisocial though, no matter what time of the day and regardless of wfh, night shift workers etc, unless you’re in danger. Don’t think most people want to curtail kids, but constant screaming isn’t a must.

In which case, the situation has nothing at all to do with wfh so isn’t relevant here.

You sound like you have a problem with the public sector. I wonder what hard work you do to contribute to society to your own high standards...

This sums up the horror nicely. And people think this is a productive use of life minutes... Or pretend to because they have a boomerish absence of imagination.

100 per cent - well said @pinkpony88

WFH has its place, but when you're owed 80k by the NHS and the accounts team is still working from home and don't have the ability to pick up VMs from home, can't find X, Y or Z on Teams as they are not replying, can't call them directly because WFH and they dont have a number and tehy can't call you back, they can't access payment systems from home, etc, etc, something is wrong very wrong.

This is one of hundreds of daily issues we face from staff who are WFH. We only deal with public services, so I can't say if this runs as deep with private services, but I can always speak to our company's accountant.

If it wasn't a GDPR breach, I could show some very, very comical exchanges where WFH is a major problem.

Back in 2020 when people had no choice, and places were just shut, people were genuinely doing their best, it was fair game as we were all in the soup together, but anything 12 months on and you can't access or fully do your job 100% while WFH you need to be in the office.

I’m not able to WFH (doesn’t bother me as I do like getting out and going to work) but my DH does and it’s just the best thing! He loves it and it makes life so much easier, especially juggling two DC in different settings.
And I completely agree with all the other factors too!

Me too

I have the reverse. Our new office is near the playground/sports area of a prep school. The kids are very screamy, the up himself sports teacher is the worst though. A real nasty piece of work, humiliating small children.

So I'm glad about my days at home. No headphones needed to be able to analyse stats and not too much outdoor noise

I think it is. People should have a reasonable expectation to be able to enjoy their home in the day, regardless of if they are working or sleeping or anything else, but it should be taken into account that a lot of people are working. Screaming all day isn't reasonable. Our next door neighbour will regularly spend all day on the phone, shouting and playing loud rap music. He doesn't work but I'm sure he'd find it annoying if I made that much noise all day. It's inconsiderate and irritating. I bought this house, I should be able to work here.

It would probably be better if the NHS brought whatever it is you're charging them for in-house and then we'd all be happier...

100% same. WFH has improved my quality of life so much and I didn't even have a long commute to begin with.

Yes, life-changingly good. I'd never go back.

I would totally pay the school a visit about this teacher. Tell them what you’ve heard.

Perhaps they are trying to get through the backlog but they can't because people keep calling them thinking they are the priority. That happens in offices too.

Work from home makes it much easier for disabled people and single parents/carers to work. More people in work and being productive members of society instead of leeching benefits from hard working tax payers, isn’t that what Farage wants??