to get life admin done on a quiet WFH day?

[LoveWFH]

I was working until about 10pm last night and today I’m waiting to hear back from international colleagues before I can continue with a project.

So I’ve been in that annoying limbo where I can’t really move things forward.
I’ve been for a walk, done a supermarket shop, been to the post office, done some batch cooking and got on top of the housework.

I’m still checking emails and available, just not glued to the screen. I don’t feel that bad about it because I know when things are busy I regularly work late.

AIBU to think this is just part of WFH and it balances out?

Yeah I think sometimes working with international teams requires late nights (like you did last night) and sometimes it means a day of not much to do because you’re waiting on stuff.

It's fine. Part of the give and take when you do the sort of job where you sometimes need to be available outside standard hours and the work isn't necessarily conducive to an evenly distributed output across the standard day.

However, its about remote work, so brace yourself to hear from a load of people who understand neither your role nor your organisation, but don't let that stop them from wading in anyway.

I think it’s fine as long as it all balances out in the end - and that your boss is aware and has no issues with it.

I think it's fine if your overall hours are balanced out and you're on top of your work

It depends.

If you worked in office, would you have taken the morning off since you stayed late last night?

In my experience even with in office work, it's generally a good idea to keep track of how much time is spent doing "extra" things and where you spend that time. In my work, if I stay late for an event, for example, I can bank that time which I am owed time and a half for, and use it later. It doesn't need to be very formal, but it should be accountable, to yourself if no one else. It's easy for many people to either end up fudging in one direction or another.

It's fine. As long as the job is getting done, whats the issue. I sometimes have to do late night software releases, and sometimes I have a bit of a skive when "WFH", it all balances out, and my boss knows I don't take the piss, so whats the issue.

I’m a teacher so very fixed out of the house job, but DH works from home with international offices and it is totally flexible - he might be on a call at 7am, another one at 9pm, but pick the kids up from school at 3 and be with them until I get home at 6. It works both ways - they get him when they need him; he gets to go to the school play.

No she wouldn’t have taken the morning off, but therefore probably wouldn’t have been willing to work late the night before. It benefits both sides.

Part of WFH and of being in a salaried job, especially if senior. I have days where I am hyper-focused and days when I go to a yoga class and batch cook. My appraisals are excellent and I'm always contactable.

We record our hours, so this would be absolutely fine for my organisation, as long as you’ve worked your hours.

It doesn’t feel like we record hours to monitor people. It helps to mange workloads - I have a workaholic on my team and I use the timesheet to discuss how many hours are being worked.

I am sure it also keeps the slivers in check a bit. My team know that I may well check their timesheet if I haven’t been able to reach them for a while. It is fine to disappear on Friday afternoon, but it is not fine to record it as work time if you do!

You go to the supermarket in works time?

Sounds more like you’re having TOIL (time off in lieu) than skiving - does your work have a flexible working policy so that you can do this officially?

On the few occasions I've worked in offices, people are constantly doing life admin. Even when I was on a jury for a murder trial the entire jury could see the clerk of courts' computer open on a number of hotel and flight websites as she browsed for holidays while the barristers questioned the witnesses.

You work longer hours on busy days, you claw back some time on quieter days, regardless of whether you WFH or in an office.

Yes I do. If you read my OP I was working until 10pm last night.

Yes. I have flexible hybrid working. There are very busy times where I work way over my hours then much quieter times. It is about getting the job done rather than the exact number of hours.

Absolutely fine as long as your work is done!
I’m a teacher and we get an afternoon out of class a week to get all our planning/admin etc done. We’re allowed to take it from home. I work through my lunch every day so that on my admin afternoon I basically just have an afternoon off to do shopping, get a haircut, relax etc. I’m always up to date with my work so think it’s all good!

Maybe she wanted to go yesterday evening but had to work until 10pm instead?

I was working late last night too but wouldn’t dream of doing this.

One of my project leads dialled into a call from B&Q for that reason. I take the point that he was in another inter-continental meeting in the middle of the night our time but at the time I was a bit bemused!

Yes but it sounds like OP has a flexible policy which allows this. My company explicitly allows this as well - we can flex our days however we like, as long as a) we get everything done, and b) it doesn’t interfere with scheduled meetings.

Given OP’s description of her company, I’m not really sure why she’s asking the question, since it sounds totally fine in her company’s culture and set up.

I think this is fine, but I'd more usually do my tax return, fill in some forms for DS EHCP, and tidy 10 mins at a time, rather than do a full on shop and deep clean!

Yes, it’s fine - I wfh from 1995 until I retired at the end of last year and my managers didn’t care how I allocated my time so long as I was productive, and appreciated it when I worked late (most of them were in California). It was a win-win.

Because you’re so diligent or because your employer wouldn’t allow it?

I thought presenteeism was finally over!!

I’ve never had a job like that, sometimes I work until 10pm depending on how busy it is. I still am in at 8:30am ready to work.

However this sounds like it is possible in your job and it sounds very sensible to do life admin whilst waiting, what else could you do? Keep refreshing your email?

When I was an academic you agreed tasks with your boss and a deadline for the next meeting. How you scheduled those jobs was up to you, which is how adult people work. On my WAH days I often did other things.My boss used to walk her dogs. Work was done mostly evenings and weekends.

In my last office job we held sessions for business games every month, usually in a city center bar. I usually took the following morning off. I never asked because its better to ask forgiveness than permission. No one ever said anything. Work can be very much swings and roundabouts. However I believe it a good thing t keep track of your hours even in a salaried job.