to find some expectations around constant productivity while WFH unrealistic?

[juststoop]

I work in an industry where the workflow naturally has peaks and troughs. Sometimes it is absolutely manic and I barely stop all day. Other times it is fairly quiet and there simply isn’t a constant stream of work coming in every minute.

Occasionally, during the quieter periods, I might post on Mumsnet more while WFH. Yet whenever I mention I’m working from home, there are inevitably comments saying I should not be posting online, that I should be working every second, that I’m giving WFH a bad name, and that people like me are the reason everyone will be forced back into the office.

I honestly find this attitude bizarre. Do people really think office workers are productive every single minute they are physically in a workplace? Because in every office I have ever worked in, there has always been chatting, tea breaks, people wandering over to someone’s desk for a gossip, scrolling phones, long lunches, staring into space, and generally filling quieter periods.

The difference with WFH is that some people seem to expect absolute nonstop visible productivity at all times, as though you must sit frozen at your laptop waiting for the next email to arrive.

Also, my workplace is not “marching everyone back in”. They have literally sold off large amounts of office space, so there physically is not room for everyone anyway. Hybrid and remote working are clearly here to stay in many industries.
As long as the work is completed properly, deadlines are met, and people are available when needed, I do not understand why someone posting on a forum for five minutes during a quiet spell suddenly becomes something to get judgy about.

I am not saying everyone does this btw.

I agree. I am far more productive when wfh even when I put the washing out/ answer the door/get the evening meal
prepped etc because there’s none of the gossip/looking for printer paper/walking miles to the toilet to find their being cleaned/ walking to the canteen for a coffee/ standing outside a
meeting room waiting for people to leave etc etc that happens in work.

Yep, at work we always comment how much less we get done on office days now as it’s constant chat, distractions and people going to make cups of tea, go for walks to get out the office etc.

"chatting, tea breaks, people wandering over to someone’s desk for a gossip" - yes

"long lunches" sometimes

"scrolling phones, staring into space, and generally filling quieter periods" ??

I don’t have anything to do today until 11am. That’s just the way it goes 🤷‍♀️

You're not wrong about having to pretend to work in the office. I spent a lot of years typing loudly on various websites pretending it was work related but actually house hunting or reading Wikipedia. I am very efficient and not good at pretending to work to play the office politics game. So glad I'm out of the office, now. Toxic environment. Like white collar factory work.

When I worked in an office there was a lot of pressure to be visibly productive.

can’t speak for all offices

A lot of people on mumsnet like to lick the boot, or are long retired and have no experience of the working world when everyone isn't in the office 5 day a week. I would just ignore them tbh- how you work is between you and your manager.

My workload related to volume of projects. There are periods where I work ~10 hours/day or weekends, but I compensate when I have quieter periods and finish work quickly and rad a book or go for a walk (but check inbox/team in case there is some emergency). My team has the same flexibility.

I think people don’t understand different jobs. Mine is very intense but I work best in bursts. This is quite normal in my specialism. I get all the work done to a good standard but scrolling on mn is also “processing time”. I have to think through issues and find solutions and my brain does that in a multitude of ways. Sometimes I need full focus, other times, doing something like taking the dog for a walk can be the best way to think through the problem.

I can understand that if you’re a teacher or work in a role where you are consistently on, you might not understand the pattern of someone else’s day. People who don’t wfh seem to really hate it.

Why on earth would you assume everyone has a manager?

Agree with @sweetpickle2. This place can be a bit like the twilight zone at times.

I think some people also really struggle to imagine workplaces outside of their own.

I’ve noticed that there’s also jealousy in flexibility. If you work in a job that typically can’t be done from home (plumber, decorator, school teacher, nurse, Doctor, bus driver etc) there can be a bit of envy that others are able to WFH and pop out to do the school run, put a wash load on etc and still be seen as performing well in their roles.

The problem is that there are plenty of people who post on MN who WFH and are blatantly taking the piss.

I’ve read about people having a daily 2 hour nap. Going out for long lunches. Meeting friends. Watching films on Netflix. Not doing any work after school pick up at 3.15, despite being contracted till 5pm. And someone recently was planning to go on holiday (without taking annual leave) and do a bit of work from her hotel room, in between day trips!! So it’s not just hanging the washing out and receiving the amazon parcels.

These are the people who give WFH a bad name.

And yes, of course, we all know it’s possible to be a slacker in an office too, but not on the same scale. Office workers might be able to spend a bit too long in the toilet, or read MN when the boss isn’t looking at their computer. But they can’t disappear for 2 hours, or leave at 3pm and not come back, without getting into trouble.

Using manager as short hand for whoever you report to. Or, if you're self-employed (like I am), my clients. I think its pretty clear what I meant.

I personally don't see an issue with any of the things you've listed so long as the person gets their work done.

I also know the thread you're referring to- again so long as she gets her work done who cares if she's home or abroad doing it, and if she goes to a museum on her lunch hour?

I'd like to think plenty of posters are the boss so don't report to anyone. 😁

In that case the argument is irrelevant really as you can do what you like without having to square it with anyone.

YANBU- I wfh full time and I am sometimes completely choker, others I am looking for things to do. It is just the nature of my job. In the office, we would sit round chatting

Even though I’m more productive at home - if “productive” means churning out tangible, measurable output, I don’t undervalue the benefits of being in the office and the “networking” and relationship forming opportunities it offers.
chatting by the coffee machine with someone you haven’t seen for a while isn’t wasted time.

And that is why people think there is a lot of B's going on. This is not ebb and flow.

In most cases people are being contracted to work a certain set of hours. If they are regularly finding they don't need them, what should be happening is their workload needs adjusting. Or, maybe they don't need someone ft in that role.

As for going off on vacation, yeah, that is not on in most positions. What if they wanted you to come in during that time? And no one is going to be doing their hours in that scenario, they are slacking off.

The trouble is, you are commenting on this from a very narrow view of jobs and workplaces.

There are many many jobs that never require you to come in, so you not being near the office is irrelevant. There are many many jobs that have 'work from anywhere' policies- that actively encourage you to go and work from another country so you can maximise holiday time. "no one is going to be doing their hours in that scenario, they are slacking off." how do you know this? Do you slack off?

The 8 hour working day is outdated, it was invented in 1914 by Henry Ford and was primarily for men (as that's who was working) while wives were at home doing all the home and childcare. That was a long long long time ago and we have had many changes to work since then.

Luckily a lot of companies measure output in work delivered not hours spent- I understand that's not your experience, but don't tar all companies with the same brush. There are thankfully a lot of different ways of working now.

It's not jealousy I don't think. Some people have always had jobs that are flexible or give very high productivity periods with long hours and more flexible at other times.

But the childish entitlement from people who think the people who have contracted them to do a particular job in a particular place is just nuts.

I am assuming you are going onto Mumsnet when your employer expects you to be working.

There is a world of difference between being on a less busy period at work but still finding work related things to do and deciding it is okay to go onto Mumsnet.
Which is not work at all.
I
Yes people take tea breaks. And lunch breaks. I expect you do to.
Use some initiative. There is always work to be done.

Her partner did, didn't he
But that's another issue.

In my experience WFH falls into two extremes.
One who I had low output. Never picked up on first calling. Ever. When in the office spent too much of it chatting. Low task focused. Work seemed like more of a social club.
Another worked hard. Kept me up to date. High output of work. Always picked up first time. When in the office chatted too but very task focused.
Some people can do WFH. Some cannot. Depends on attitude.

Some people are small minded and weird.