Are you enjoying WFH or are you getting fed up?

[C1239]

Next week is week 9 of working from home for me... how’s everyone else finding it? Do you prefer it or are you missing the company of the office? Any suggestions of how to keep the days go quickly?! I have been enjoying it and work has been busy which has been a distraction but I think it may start to quieten off a little and facing another week of it I feel a bit urgh!!

Loving it. I have loads more time for exercise and cooking, no commuting, extra time with DP. I know we are very lucky though, as we have a spacious house, a garden and no kids

I am absolutely loving it and am looking forward to this way of working for at least the rest of the year according to my Senior Manager.

Miss my colleagues and my comfy work chair and desk of the correct height and the printer.

Don’t miss the commute, lunchtime queues at the sandwich shop, my bank balance being depleted by lunch costs and snacks on the go costs, or dashing up the road into work when it’s lashing rain.

Love it.

As PP said I have more time for exercise, no commute and am eating much better as I have time to prepare healthy meals.

Novelty has rather worn off for me!

I like the lack of commute and saving money at lunchtime.

But I miss my colleagues. My job's much better when we can bounce off one another, and Teams meetings isn't quite an adequate substitute.

In an ideal world, I'd do two days working from home, three days in the office - or even vice versa.

I thought it would be bliss but I'm so fed up of the constant video calls! I feel like I speak to my colleagues more than I ever did before - constantly talking about what I'm going to do rather than just getting on and doing it. However, I am 24 weeks pregnant so the extra time in bed has been a god send and I've loved not having to worry about a full outfit while my waist expands!

I miss my dining room tbh. Otherwise there are pros and cons I guess.

I'm only fed up as looking after the kids too. Otherwise it would be fine.

Getting fed up. Miss my colleagues and being able to quickly ask something instead of having to have a whole long call about everything.

Loving it.

I'm happy WFH per se, I miss the office atmosphere some days but mainly I crave an empty house to work in, fed up sharing an open plan 'office' with DH. All day. Every day.

I've been really fed up lately, not so much with work but it manifests as difficulty concentrating on work - so I'm definitely less productive lately which in turn is getting me down

Feels like a bit of a vicious cycle.

I love it, I ve lost 20 hours a week commuting time and I m saving over £100 a week on fuel!! So I m better off and way more productive too. I would really really like to continue!

I'm back to some sort of reality tomorrow and I'm gutted. Have loved pottering around, spending time with DP, eating well (tbf my waistline hasn't enjoyed that), coming up with fun things to do at weekends. Reality will be a cold hard slap in the face.

Anybody enjoying working from home is clearly not having to simultaneously home school.

I’m not enjoying it really... the work I do is more laborious on a single screen and I spend the whole day trying to get DD8 to do some work. I get no time alone. I’m also apparently in charge of shopping, cleaning and cooking. So no... can’t say it’s much fun.

I'm saving £20 quid a week on bus commute, husband is saving £100, no sneaky coffees, lunches at the greasy spoon cafe because I couldn't be bothered to bring a sandwich so I'm saving money AND losing weight. I do miss my colleagues and find it harder to concentrate on the duller parts of my job.
My back and shoulders do ache from not having a proper office chair and desk set at the right level, but I'm getting an office chair soon which should help.
WFH right now works because everyone is WFH, I don't know how it'll be if some of the office goes back and some don't.

I worked from home for about six months of the year anyway, so used to it anyway. I like it and it is pretty much permanent now.

For DH working from home has been a revelation. He likes it and finds himself more productive than in the office with all of the office politics and interruptions that go with it going on around him. He says that when they do re-open the office he wants to negotiate to work at least part of the week from home. He isn't alone. A lot of his colleagues have been saying the same.

Our fuel bills have dropped dramatically too because neither of us is driving more than a couple of times a week, whilst our income has, fortunately, so far held up. Before lockdown we would each be having to drive 5 or 6 days a week, him to get to work and me to taxi our remaining teenage DD around. Said DD can now drive too though, has a job in Tesco and her own car. That was a revelation to me.

So yes, it suits us.

Novelty has worn off.

My job involves giving contractual and legal opinions on complex cases. At least a few times a week it’ll end up in debates between 3-4 people on the merits of the case. It really helps you sound out your arguments for or against. Homeworking makes it difficult to debate serious issues.

It’s also an issue that everyone in the Organisation is on homeworking and our country have an 8pm curfew. So everyone knows you’re at home all night and expect phones to be answered at any time.

I’m absolutely loving it ... so happy with the pace of life that it is now giving me

We love it! We're both saving two hours on a commute each day, and getting much more exercise. I work from home a couple of days a weeks anyway, but DH is a convert. We're lucky we have plenty of space at home, proper desk set up and work let us bring our office chairs, extra monitors etc home when our offices shut (both work for same large employer). We've been told whilst our office may reopen in the summer, the reality is that as we're both back office functions we can expect to be working from home until next year. The challenge currently is having 2 under 5's at home. When they're back at nursery and school WFH will be a breeze and we'll work our normal 9-5 type hours, whereas currently we're splitting our day so one is working and the other looking after the children and then making up hours once they're in bed.

Fed up! Missing the lack of interaction with others and it’s so tough trying to home school at the same time.
On the plus side I’m saving in bus fares. Also, I’m 31 weeks pregnant and I’m grateful for no early mornings or commutes.
I wouldn’t want to just work from home routinely.

Anybody enjoying working from home is clearly not having to simultaneously home school.

👏 👏 👏

I cannot WAIT to get back to some kind of school/office normality.

I will add though, my normal commute is under 15 mins door to door, and I totally understand why people aren’t missing long commutes.

What @Lottapianos said - that’s me too!

It’s good now....not so sure how it’ll be If some go back. Also have a large old house...winter heating will be expensive and a challenge all day.

A bit fed up really. Starting week 9 I think. I can control my work pc from my laptop but the screen is small and a bit fuzzy and I have to email myself to be able to print.
I really miss my colleagues and the free yummy lunch as well as all of the files. I’ve decided to go in tomorrow and can’t wait. Hardly anyone else will be in.