Is working from home going to be forever?

[Inthevirtualwaitingroom]

i believe it may be,
it doesnt apply to me but i am concerned about the welfare of those who it does affect.
their social skills
their physical health
it is also a consideration when moving home

I bloody hope not

I work for a tech company. The thinking is that we'll only go back in the office for 2 or 3 days a week. That was a popular decision. People have found they like working from home, and we're no less productive.

I hope so! I love it! No commute, more family time, more flexible time to fit in things I enjoy like getting outdoors for a walk or run. I work with people based all over the UK so location doesn't matter. I spend all day talking to people online. Don't feel I'm missing out on anything at all, but I realise not everyone feels the same way.

It may be. Most people are not less productive in working at home , rather then in office, and companies save money on renting premises.

I think people will go to a blend of 2/3 days in the office.
People need out the house for MH reasons. From a company POV Its very difficult to build company ethos and train young people while they are sat at home.

Our company keep talking about a blended approach . I work 4 days and plan on doing 2 days in . Really missing the office at the moment .

Some people’s welfare is better wfh. More sleep (if avoiding a long commute), more time to exercise.
We eat better when wfh because we’ve more time in the evening to cook properly. We also get most of the housework done in what would be commuting time, or in lunch breaks, meaning our weekends are nicer.

I’m not saying that therefore everyone should wfh forever, but there are plenty of people with better work life balances when wfh.

My company is thinking people will go back for a couple of days a week and wfh the rest of the time.

Boils down to what the employer wants.

If it saves them a shedload in office leasing and associated costs, and if a majority want to ditch a two hour commute + costs each way, well you can see how this goes.

Covid was the catalyst to prove that presenteeism does not equal productivity.

Once a quarter get together in an hotel sounds good to keep people focused. Otherwise it is just something to get used to, just like exiting your house on a freezing morning at stupid o'clock to say HI, and retreat to your cubicle!

My company will go for a hybrid approach, 2/3 days in office. I have a 4 hour round commute and I cannot wait to get back in, but my job entails a lot of client entertaining which I have missed so much

I used to be out on the road at client premises 4 days a week (travelling for up to 4 hours a day, plus remaining on site for at least 6 hours), and had a day at home writing up reports.

Now the 4 hours travelling has gone, I WFH 5 days a week, have much shorter virtual meetings with clients remotely and seem to get more done, can write reports as I go, and instead of being a very lonely and insular life, I now talk to distant colleagues and people from random depts at HQ (that I never knew existed) multiple times a day.

For me personally, working life has become much more "connected" and social than it ever was before, and I much prefer it. There is some talk of putting us back on the road for maybe 2 days a week when restrictions are lifted, but I wouldn't be that bothered (and keep telling my boss I don't want to).

But I think this is very much specific to the kind of job I do - if I think back to roles I've had which were 100% office based, I can absolutely see how it wouldn't be comfortable to do that from home full time. I do consider myself very lucky that the impact has been positive, because for every one of me there must be 4 people hating it. Plus, I have no young children to home school, which must be a huge drain and I have no idea how people are coping with it.

what will happen to public transport though?

From my point of view, organising meetings is so much easier, no rooms to book, no travel time to factor in, it is in your calender

Public transport will end up getting cut back if it's not needed. Some areas that are operating beyond capacity will run at capacity.

Meetings will end up with a mix of virtual and real which is what my company was pushing for in the first place.

Public transport is a worry because it may become unviable. We need it.

From a personal point of view though, I won't be missing that daily commute by bus. After nearly a year working from home I'm thinking, what was the point of all that hassle. Long waits in the cold and rain with the rising anxiety that the bus won't turn up. Missing the bus by seconds because a co-worker insisted on talking to you just as you were leaving. The bloody bus card failing to scan on a daily basis. All that crap... for what?

It’s here forever. Cant put the genie back in the bottle.

Commercial real estate is so expensive. Running an office is so expensive. The opportunity for businesses to get rid of offices =££££. Of course they will take it.

Another colleague lives in a dip, and her internet is sketchy. now that is an issue.

Depends on the role I think. I'll only go back one day a week for sure.

Each company will be different. It may become more common that pre-pandemic.
I would like to think most companies will ask their staff though. If ours closed the office I would look for another job. I hate WFH full time.

Most people will say they want a ‘blend’.But in practice those who have a choice won’t go in.

They will for the first couple of weeks. Then the cost/commute/bad weather will put them off. And attendance will wane.

I hope it’s an option forever. Suits me perfectly. Being forced to work in a loud, over crowded, too hot office was horrid for me.

But I wouldn’t want it forced on everyone. I imagine I would have hated it in my 20s (met my husband at work and most of my social life was based around work)

I doubt my company will go back full time of at all, I will look for a role which is office based at least part time elsewhere if that's the case

Yes my company accelerated the move to fully flexible working due to covid - we've been told we ll never be expected full time in the office again - 1-2 days per week maximum depending on meetings etc

I think a lot of companies will stay remote working. I work in finance and we've been told no plans to go back to the office, maybe eventually people could go back in 2 or 3 days if they really wanted to.
I guess remote working works in the favour of a lot of businesses as well. Not having to pay for office space and having a far bigger pool of applicants to choose from.

In terms of welfare and physical health though this is far better for me at home. I eat better, exercise more, get more sleep, have more time to fit in mundane stuff like housework and shopping so less stress. More time to spend with my family. I feel much better in myself and look back and wonder how the fuck I managed it all before. I do miss the face to face interaction with colleagues though. 1 or 2 days in the office would be ideal for me.

I think a lot of companies will mix it up. DD works for a large organisation and they are suggesting people will continue to wfh a few days a week and go in for meetings when required (obviously anyone who actually wants to go in the office daily still can)

Yes, it seems like that. With social distancing and the need to make offices Covid secure staying in place for the foreseeable future it will consolidate the changes made over the past year. Companies are already not renewing leases and reducing their office space- why would they keep their pre-covid office space if people are only going to be in 2/3 days per week?

I can't quite get my head around the implications of all of this long term though- it is having a massive effect on our city centres, transport, housing etc..Will be interesting to see how things look in 5 years.

Personally, I feel quite sad about moving to WFH most of the time as I live alone. Also missing the really shallow things like getting dressed nicely + putting makeup and jewellery on! I feel sorry for younger people just starting out in the careers and missing the chance to develop and socialise.