Anyone surprised at how long they will be wfh?

[reallythislong]

DH's company finally ordered some office equipment for the staff, delivery date in 8 wks time! He & I never expected to wfh this long & lots of our friends have been told they won't be going back till the NY.

Anyone else in the same boat?

Luxembourg
QUOTE
And Banque Internationale à Luxembourg (BIL) - where 85% of employees have been working from home during the lockdown – seems to have picked up on a similar lesson.

"We will definitely continue as much teleworking as possible," said Karin Scholtes, head of people, culture and communications at the bank. "We are actively working on our exit strategy and one point is how we can maintain more teleworking in the future.

"This crisis has been a great opportunity for us to rethink the way we work. The worst thing we could do is go back to how things were before."
END QUOTE

This is the article in full and well worth a read for anyone WFH and thinking what the future will look like.

luxtimes.lu/luxembourg/40787-pandemic-shows-once-wary-employers-appeal-of-distance-working

Our main client is global. Looking to open some offices for those who are struggling wfh. The rest will continue to wfh. If they want me on site I'll be driving rather than flying, which will be time consuming but I prefer that risk model.

We're very used to wfh, except when the big programmes are going through an intense stage, so are well set up for it. I do miss the teams, but definitely don't miss the long commutes!

We were told today that although we continue working from home the company has no plans to make this the default. They are putting plans in place to allow the office to reopen once the guidance is no longer work from home if you can. That has put my mind at rest a bit

*Welcome to adult life, where you get to sit in a room study, work and socialise via Zoom.

Grim*

Grim indeed.

I get that WFH is great for some, but I find the idea of people sitting at home "interacting" with each other via Zoom to be quite sad. I really don't want it to part of the dreaded 'new normal'.

Neither do I IcedPurple. I think if it came to that I would look for a job in retail or similar, something where I had contact with other people.

@PinkSparklyPussyCat I’ve had similar thoughts. I really enjoy my job but zero real contact with other humans and no separation between work and home is not what I want. It would be awful for my mental health.

I think if you've got a long commute and a young family and/or active social life, then WFH might be great. But if you live alone and like the structure of the working day, the contact with colleagues (let's not pretend that Zoom is the same thing) and the separation between work and home, then it all sounds depressing. Plus, with so many shops shutting it would hollow out town centres even more - not only the offfices themselves, but the cafes, groceries etc which service them. It's not a very appealing prospect to me.

I agree with @PinkSparklyPussyCat, @AgentCooper and @IcedPurple

I would break the intrusion of WFH by going to the library or a cafe to work for a bit but obviously that’s not currently on the cards.

Kind of relieved to read the posts above. I was starting to think I was the only person who didn't think WFH was the best thing since sliced bread!

Yes, I can see why companies are extending the time frame for wfh being 'normalised' but it won't work for the majority of people long-term, especially younger people for who work is a vital part of their social life esp if they've just moved to a new city and who need to be around people to learn and develop skills.

The organisation that a friend works for is prioritising those who are struggling to wfh to return, rather than based on job role, which I think is a great idea and hope one that other companies will implement.

My younger siblings are much more into the wfh thing & one works completely remotely. I like a combo as I like my colleagues.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-52720007

I do think promotions are harder if wfh as you're not visible.

I’m really glad I work with the military as they seem to want us all back in the office! I might do one day a week WFH like I used to.

I have friends who work in more “secure” areas where they are not allowed to take work home. No taking home Top Secret files. Full stop. I need to go in the office sometimes to use secure IT systems.

And I like wearing nice Hobbs dresses and heels, going to the coffee bar, talking to colleagues etc.

IcedPurple mumsnet has a lot of extremely introverted posters who won't answer the door, won't answer the telephone unless they have had a written request several weeks beforehand, and in some cases, posters who seem to have an extreme hatred of interacting with other people in any form whatsoever.

I wish we had a home office. It’s been a nightmare trying to stop my disabled child from entering the living room as her Dad is busy on a conference call at the dining room table.
They don’t have the understanding why they can’t wonder around their home.
Husband’s been told WFH will probably go on to the new year, (they have supplied laptops, monitors, office chair etc)

He has been having to go into the office every couple of weeks due to the nature of his job and can’t wait to go back in full time.

IcedPurple mumsnet has a lot of extremely introverted posters who won't answer the door

I also consider myself an introvert... but I like interacting with my colleagues. I also like coming home and shutting the door behind it all too! And that's the thing about WFH - as mentioned in the very good BBC article posted above, you're the 'same person' all the time. Same clothes, same environment, same social environment, or lack thereof. I can see how the convenience and time - and money - savings are great for some, but I would hate it.

Our company is rolling out remote working for the rest of the year if people choose too but are also looking at reopening the office for those struggling or who don't have to use public transport this would be around mid July. The point is people can now choose to work from home until they feel comfortable coming back to the office which I think is great and let's people make their own choice rather than being forced. It's a mix bag for us half want to wfh the other half want to be back at work so probably works out well for for planning.

Not so easy to WFH if you live in a bedsit or house-share either.

Yes, I can see why companies are extending the time frame for wfh being 'normalised' but it won't work for the majority of people long-term, especially younger people for who work is a vital part of their social life esp if they've just moved to a new city and who need to be around people to learn and develop skills

Yes. Also, those WFH in the current circumstances will presumably have already got to know their colleagues in person and built up some sort of camaraderie and sense of being part of a team. So transitioning to WFH may not be such a big deal. However, "getting to know" your colleagues via Zoom, and doing training and induction via the same route, would be very different. Especially if, as you say, it's your first job and you've moved to a new town. Having a ready-made group of peers at work would be very valuable in that situation, and Zoom meetings just aren't a substitute.

@Chocachocaholic I agree that if it’s a choice on the table then that’s brilliant. It could make life easier for many people. The idea of it being enforced does not sit well with me at all.

When I returned to work after mat leave, just doing 3 days, my boss asked if I wanted one of those days to be from home and it was the most emphatic no from me. I think when you have young children your freedom is curtailed anyway so the idea of yet another day spent mainly at home sounded awful.

I go to work not just for the money but for adult conversation, the chance to read books on the bus, go to the gym at lunchtime, have enough separation between work and home so my home feels like a sanctuary and not a prison. It sounds OTT but I’ve actually spoken to my psychologist and she says she’d be willing to write me a note supporting my case for not wfh long term.

It sticks in my craw as well that lots of companies seem to be using a global health emergency to start saving money on rent and heating.

my home feels like a sanctuary and not a prison

Very well put!

It sounds OTT but I’ve actually spoken to my psychologist and she says she’d be willing to write me a note supporting my case for not wfh long term

I was just wondering: Can your employers oblige you to work from home if you had previously been in the office? I know it's unlikely that your contract would specify where you work but if you've accepted a job on the assumption you'd be in the office, being told you had to WFH - or the reverse - would make a very big difference to your willingness to do the job.

I know it's unlikely that your contract would specify where you work but if you've accepted a job on the assumption you'd be in the office, being told you had to WFH - or the reverse - would make a very big difference to your willingness to do the job

@IcedPurple I’m not sure. That’s a question I’d imagine many of us will be mulling over. It’s difficult, isn’t it? My employer (a university) are saying reduced campus presence in semester 1 (so that’s until January) especially for people who can wfh (who don’t have teaching or maintenance responsibilities) but it’s not clear if that means we’re all expected to wfh or if there’ll be rotation or whatever. If all goes according to Nicola Sturgeon’s roadmap then Scotland should have full public transport and businesses returning by August. There’s a lot being made of public transport not being a safe option but if that’s the case why return to full service? Doesn’t someone have to use it? Shitloads of empty buses going past my house at all hours of the day right now.

I disagree that this will be difficult for young people. The vast majority of young people I know spend the majority of their time indoors online anyway. they are more inclined to adapt.

The vast majority of under 40 women (sadly not so much men!) were WFH or working part time most of the week anyway.

For human interaction, you have your family, you can still go for essential food shopping and talk to the staff, you can talk to delivery drivers if you get a takeaway, you can talk via Zoom as its still humans, its not like you go to an office and hug your colleagues. I don't see much difference to be honest.

I get it can be difficult to WFH if you are perhaps a single parent or a parent of a child with SEN

but most are probably older workers who are techno phobes. Get with the times people.

My workplace actually damaged my mental health and being at home has been wonderful. The only thing that causes me anxiety is the thought of going back. My relationship with my daughter and husband have improved as we are seeing each other more and talking to each other more. My dog is getting more walks and I'm getting more fresh air. I really hope that my work allow this long term.

correction, that should read under 40s women that I know, before I get flamed.