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

My husband wfh during the pandemic, we had a spare bedroom thankfully eventually but he started out on the dining room and we'd a 2 yr old who we now know is ASD and ADHD ANFI couldn't wfh so we worked round each other and obviously couldn't leave the house for a long time. After the pandemic he also wfh while I was on mat leave with a newborn and then 3 yr old. And it was brilliant, he didn't have to leave so early to commute so we had breakfast together, I'd walk baby and toddler to nursery and drop off some days and other days I'd both kid, we'd go out a couple of hours and leave him to it, he'd take the baby's moses basket into his office while baby napped and I'd nap u til she woke. They formed a really strong bond because he w as always in the house. It took a bit of navigating but ultimately it's shared space and everyone has to learn it's more home than work space

One of the senior partners screamed at me once in front of the whole office because I'd accidentally left a sheet of paper in the photocopier after scanning it in. And his wife had a massive go at me because I didn't relay the message she'd given me to pass on to him correctly. I wasn't his PA and I wasn't paid to pass on personal messages between him and his spouse but apparently she thought it was my job.

And ofc it is for workers to dictate conditions provided they remember the concept of solidarity

I don’t think I could ever work in an office again, the commuting and the sitting all day,5 days a week in that environment would be too much for me now. I found it hard pre-covid but I really couldn’t bear it now. If it became mandatory I would have to leave. I’d rather work a non-office job locally, office environments can be really hard for some people and I’m one of them. The thought makes me feel really ill, I have to do it sometimes and it’s difficult for me to concentrate.

It was another era! Like hearing about the belt when we were at school.

Why exactly do you disagree?

Use ‘comfortably work from home’ if you like. I often feel like I’ve jumped into a different universe when I come on here. Not all of us can afford a home with space for a desk and having the heating more than a couple of hours a day. If you can then that’s great but don’t assume everyone else can.

The employer can dictate whatever conditions they like within the bounds of employment law but workers can decide not to work for them, and voters can continue to vote for candidates supporting stronger employment rights.

Employers have already shown that if they are left to determine the terms they will force 7 yos to work in highly dangerous conditions with no PPE for 12 hrs a day 6 days a week, pay them 3 scoops of gruel a day, then fire them if they lose a hand or foot, so I'm not too worried about their opinions on a good ethos.

It was your heaven; it was my hell. We’re all different. I’ve had flashbacks this week due to the half term holiday. Endless Teams calls … hearing one sided conversations all day ‘yeah … yeah … I’ve asked Trevor if he can take a look but … yeah I know, Colin said something similar … well OK, I’ll get James to sort it out…’ argghhh. Toddler whingeing for daddy, trying to get to daddy, wrangle toddler away, toddler has tantrum, DH appears for a toilet break just when I’ve calmed toddler down. Repeat x 100. It was, I repeat, HELL!

The idea that the average person can just pick whatever job suits them is further proof that you belong firmly in the “have” group. Nothing wrong with that in itself - I’m in the same group. But it is worth (at least occasionally) recognising that you are in a privileged group.

Do all conversations go this way with you? "No I haven't seen the new netflix series CHECK YOUR PRIVILEGE"

"No I haven't tried the cafe on the corner SOME OF US HAVE TO MAKE DO WITH SUPER NOODLES"

And is this the kind of hot water cooler chat I'm missing?

For you maybe. How are new young staff supposed to train via shadowing etc? They don’t just arrive on the job knowing exactly what to do you know.

How do new staff feel
part of a team if they’ve never actually met their colleagues? Even day to day chit chat of holidays, family, new shows on Netflix etc all adds to them feeling comfortable.

So...? Should I go and work in a bean tinning factory because some people do that? But then what about the bean harvesters out in the fields exposed to the elements???

I can honestly see some pros for WFH, but I absolutely feel that in the majority of cases, it’s not a healthy way to live mentally.

A new recruitment aptitude has to be self management and the ability to learn remotely. I know I'm good at it (I was promoted into a brand new area as a manager during COVID and I've loved every second) so I know it's possible to be good at it so I'm not sure why the world should be set up for those with old fashioned skills. We don't still hire staff based on who has the smallest hands to pick the fallen bobbins out of the loom do we.

Self management? Oh you won’t be needed as a manager then 🙄

I can't work from home but my husband does and has some flexibility. Life saver with two kids.

Come back to us when you get diagnosed with long term illness , get a disability, have caring responsibilities etc - many reasons laid out in this page all ready
no one knows what's around the corner in their own lives - it's wonderful the majority of companies have moved with the times and allowed what was a previous unemployable catchment of people, to have employment
technology has moved on, there is a good bit of employment out there using this to allow people work anywhere across the world

I am in a job that cannot be done at home and I fully support the right to work from home wherever that is possible. I think it offers so much more flexibility. One of my DC can only attend school online rather than in person so I like to think that there will still be jobs available that she can do from home when she is older. There are plenty of jobs still out there for those who don't want to work from home.

If you don't understand about personal responsibility I can see why WFH isn't for you!

I became disabled after having a child. I’m disabled in a way that without wfh, I likely would not be able to work. I was wfh before Covid. Because of wfh I am gainfully employed instead of trying to raise a family on a pittance provided by the government aka other taxpayers. It is nothing short of a miracle.

The world has changed but it does make you realise that some people really are so stuck in their ways that they cannot imagine anything different. It's the same with the 8 hour day - such an arbitrary number but people are adamant that 8 hours is the exact time everyone needs to do their work 😅

How insular and depressing. I always thought humans were generally social beings. I can see some fell from a different tree.

I agree with this - my husband loves the office and it's a big part of his social life so he goes in every day despite only being expected to two days a week. And there are loads of kinds of job out there. Personally if I commuted all the time I'd be glad of fewer folk on my bus/train/tube.

Humans are social. The office has only existed for about 100 years, though, it's hardly evolved behaviour.