Anyone else not going back to the office?

[november90]

So I've just been lucky enough to have an extended maternity leave of 13 months in total, but I went back today and was given all of the coronavirus updates because I actually left just before the first lockdown so I haven't experienced anything firsthand. Anyway I was told that working from home is now going to be semipermanent, and we will all go into the office on reduced hours on a Rota basis. To be honest I'm feeling pretty sad about this. I am a single mum to 2 children, as much as I have dreaded returning to work and I miss my children terribly and would do anything to be able to be in a position to be a stay at home parent, the positive that I saw was that it was going to be an opportunity for me to see other people and socialise a little bit because due to childcare I find this quite difficult.
Has anybody else's employers made this decision? And how do you feel about it? I know there is a lot of positives from working from home, especially for people who live in bigger cities and have to commute etc, but I just feel like our "new normal" is still looking to be quite lonely :(

I'll stay working from home. I spent 10 years as a SAHM, got a job, loved heading into an office again, then 4 months in lockdown happened.

The company has now changed to encourage wfh, and it saves me hundreds a month in childcare costs so that's a benefit.

I'm glad that's worked in your favour! I work in a CallCenter environment so although my mum will be looking after my baby whilst I'm working from home, I won't actually get to see any more of him because I have to be ready to take calls all day so it's going to be quite difficult really 😬

Wfh will save you so much money in travel, coffee, lunches and sundries so why not reinvest that money into ding smtg that you will enjoy with like minded people and pay for a child minder? Singing club, photography, book club?

I am a lone parent and wfh since lo started primary school.

I find I'm more efficient and effective wfh . I don't need wraparound care etc. Never miss school events. Arrange my diary flexibly. Though I appreciate that these maybe perks you don't benefit from on your role or given the age of your children.
For me, wfh really has been a God send role. But I hate work politics etc.

My employer is currently consulting with staff about what it will look like when we go back. I have the sort of job where after work socialising was a big part of it, I’ve gone to uni, trained and grew up in our 20s with a lot of people I work with and so for me it’s hard not to be in at all. As someone who also manages a team, I find it interesting when team members tell me they are more productive at home as my overview of their work tells me otherwise. I do wonder if they are logged in for longer hrs as not commuting but for me that doesn’t equal efficiency. Also find that the work politics still exist wfh or not, perhaps less gossip but that’s a different thing.

Cannot wait to get back. No real benefit working from home as was within walking distance from the office and took my food with me so no time or money saved

Definitely not more productive in fact everything is so much slower. Before this you could have a chat with someone about something you needed across the desk. Now you have to email and wait for a response or wait until they are free to call them

It is absolutely depressing wfh. We are still to find out what is happening with us and although it will likely be a hybrid model our whole team will very unlikely be in the office together again which is really sad

Remote or hybrid working doesn't have to mean that you cannot all get together though.

In my role we have team days, outside of covid. As well as regional gatherings and directorate. An awful lot of wellbeing support provision that wouldn't be logistical in an everyone in the office situation. It should just be a case of having to suggest opportunities and raise a need. For example, for supervision/support and peer group sessions. Not necessarily all driven by targets but focussing on wellbeing of colleagues.

Could you ask to be in the office full time OP? My work place has a rota for different teams in on different days but there are also people who asked to be in the office full time because they found it hard to wfh and they have been allowed to.

My office is going back hybrid but I’ve handed in my notice in favour of a full time WFH role. Hybrid is just presenteeism light.

We're reopening (eventually!) but on a no pressure to be in the office basis initially. I'll probably go a couple of days a week once I've had the vaccine (seems daft to risk it after all this time) or I'm going to go stir crazy at home. I don't have a bad commute and don't spend money on coffee and lunches because of where I work so there's very little attraction in being at home all the time. I find it very isolating and hard to keep up with what's happening in the business. Long term I think it could be very detrimental for personal and business development as so many of our opportunities come about through conversation around the office.

I'm a single parent and looking forward to going back to office to have other adults to talk to . We are looking at working half the time in office and half at home which works well for me as get to socialise but also days at home mean i can take my kids to school more often etc.

Plan is similar to your work place, office days to be reduced, can make them coincide but office space has been reduced

It annoys me that they presume everyone is happy WFH and has a decent space to be able to do that. And what about people with less experience who need to learn?

I have been applying for jobs and one Interviewed for is total wfh which i don't want as I don't really have set up
Dh wfh part of the week so we would be in each others way and don't have office space and college age kids who also home
Other role is office based thatI have interviewed for and this appeals to me more
My ideal would be a mix of both
Also the people I know who enjoy wfh are those that have flexibility on hrs , those expected to still be available 9-5 , 8-6 etc online and can't have kids home so still need childcare as many places are expecting workers to have children looked after( unless older )
To be honest as a customer I don't want to be speaking to people with kids in background ( was fine during lockdown) as I want them focussing on job
Last week doing insurance was hard as lady had to keep speaking to her daughter etc and made her job harder as well
I think some love wfh others hate it and one doesn't fit all or all job roles

Thanks for the replies all!
My commute is about 10 mins in the car and I always take a packed lunch and we have free hot drinks at work so that's not really going tk make much difference!
I don't really think the team I'm on would be that interested in team days, whilst we're not all social with each other outside of work, I do enjoy office banter and chat.
It's just sad. I've never wanted to work from home as it makes me feel so claustrophobic! I know it's not going to be 100% of the time but it just hit me like a tonne of bricks really!

I get you. I quit my job when I was told it was WFH permanently and am now back in an office and loving it.

I never wanted to WFH but now I love it. It’s cheaper and greener and better for my teen DC.

My firm hasn’t decided what the policy will be, but it is likely that we can WFH at least 3 days a week. The time in the office is for junior staff to learn and for everyone to bond etc.

However, the fight to keep and recruit good staff is real. And if people are saying they want to work from home permanently I expect they will get it - otherwise they will just be offered it by somewhere else.

I loath working from home and intend to be in the office full time - but I hope plenty of other people go back to offices so there is a lovely vibe like there used to be. Otherwise it can be a bit depressing in an office area.

I work at a university and there seems set to be a divide between student-facing and non-student-facing staff, with the former being expected to be in and the latter losing their offices in favour of 'multiteam hubs'.

I've been wfh full-time but from next week I'm going in one day a week.

We are going to be part office, part home. I am extremely surprised by this I must say. I am happy with it though.

However, the fight to keep and recruit good staff is real. And if people are saying they want to work from home permanently I expect they will get it - otherwise they will just be offered it by somewhere else.

Yup! I was offered it elsewhere and now working out my notice. My current place offered me more money and 4 days WFH but I am not into part time presenteeism. I said I’d be happy to have a WFH contract and go in as and when face to face engagement was needed (which they realistically know is hardly ever) but they didn’t want anyone full time WFH so they’ve lost my very niche skills.

I'd quite happily work from home forever but it would have been a huge blow to have had to do it in my twenties. I had an absolute riot going for afterwork drinks.

Can you look for another job if it’s call centre work?

Hated wfh last year and would have looked for another job if it had become a permanent arrangement. I felt I couldn't separate work from home as there was no spare room I could exclusively make my work area, also having the children at home whilst trying to work was a nightmare , even with another adult in the house you can still here them and everything that's going on (similar type of job too you so tied to the phone all the time and at specific hours so no flexibility arranging workload or schedule)

I absolutely hate working from home and unfortunately the company I currently work for have now closed the office permanently. Similar to some other posters, everything takes longer, there’s no bouncing ideas off other people, nobody knows what’s happening in other areas of the business as we no longer get chance to chat to colleagues from other segments who used to just drop into the office.

I resent having a desk in my living space and having it there as a reminder of work all the time. No spare room until DS leaves home which could be a while!

I also live alone most of the time so the last year has been lonely hell. I’m starting to look around for a job with a combination of wfh and office based.