Don’t want WFH to end

[GuessWho57]

Vaccine roll out has just ramped-up here so I expect we’ll be back in the office at least partially from June. I am dreading it. I am really happy working from home. I don’t want to go back to the office.

My role is pretty senior so I’ll can’t swerve it.

I walk the kids to school, in jeans, chat to my husband in between calls, see the kids when they get in, don’t have to bother with work clothes or make up or putting your bloody game face on. I much much prefer presenting online HATE doing it f2f.

As an introvert, I am more than fine Witt the current set up.

My heart goes out to those struggling with wfh, but really I feel gutted it might end soon.

Half and half is what I did before the pandemic and it’s what I will be doing again after. Our office is only just starting for tentatively let SOME people in but it’s all hush hush.
I’m far less productive wfh full time. I feel depressed. I procrastinate. I walk in and look at my desk and to-do list and grunt and walk back out again to find something else to do. I cannot wait to get back in to the office to feel more professional and have a change of scenery.

I’m an introvert too, by the way.

I get far more done at home but I can’t WFH permanently. I am in for a day or two a week at the moment and the constant interruptions mean that any plans I have for the day are basically written off. My office mates say the same, although we have very different roles. I’m hoping I’ll be able to WFH at least one day a week going forward, but I really do need to be there a lot now (IT management). I haven’t enjoyed Zoom meetings though, so I won’t miss those.

I think what may be difficult is that some people are making quite big decisions like moving house or getting a dog based on how things are now without any real certainty above how things will be in the future.

@SilverGlitterBaubles

I think what may be difficult is that some people are making quite big decisions like moving house or getting a dog based on how things are now without any real certainty above how things will be in the future.

There was a whole thread on it a few months back. "DH has ben told he's going to be WFH permanently so we're selling up the house in London and moving to the Welsh countryside" style of thing.

Seems very premature to me. What if 'DH' loses his job? What if the company goes bust? What if they decide they want staff back in the office after all? Give it a year at least before making life changing decisions.

Yes agreed. Dh firm originally indicated would be possibly allowing 2 to 3 d per week. Now that some are coming back in to office and firm can see the real time productivity benefits, company are saying want people in office minimum 90% and that there won't be any HR policy changes re wfh (large multinational company)

My org has been saying 2 days in office Max for months. Is now saying 4 days. Reckons they can see the positive impact on productivity as staff slowly return to the office. Anyone that made big decisions on a possibility will be looking for a new job or selling the dog.

Forward looking companies will offer WFH flexibility. Otherwise they will lose staff to those that do. The competitors will be able to recruit from anywhere if their staff can work from anywhere so will get the best talent.

All the people wanting to be 100% remote and going to request even if workplace asks you to go back ... are you not afraid that your remote job could be outsourced to somewhere cheaper and further like Asia etc

It’s proven jobs can be done remotely, why will companies pay UK rates when they could get labour far cheaper elsewhere?

If this was a good option companies would already be doing it. But it’s complicated with taxes, cultural differences, ethics and so on. Companies now trade on telling people they are U.K. staffed. The outsourced call centre is a loathed thing by the customer, for example. It doesn’t work and does huge reputational damage.

From a personal POV I’m confident in my skills, usefulness and that I can work efficiently from home.

@AuntMarilla

All the people wanting to be 100% remote and going to request even if workplace asks you to go back ... are you not afraid that your remote job could be outsourced to somewhere cheaper and further like Asia etc

It’s proven jobs can be done remotely, why will companies pay UK rates when they could get labour far cheaper elsewhere?

If this was a good option companies would already be doing it. But it’s complicated with taxes, cultural differences, ethics and so on. Companies now trade on telling people they are U.K. staffed. The outsourced call centre is a loathed thing by the customer, for example. It doesn’t work and does huge reputational damage.

From a personal POV I’m confident in my skills, usefulness and that I can work efficiently from home.

Whole industries (i.e. manufacturing) was moved abroad over the past few decades and the tax/cultural/ethics issues have clearly been resolved. If they can move entire manufacturing plants, then they can find ways to employ people to do remote work (in fact many firms already do that).

@Feelinghothothottoday

My org has been saying 2 days in office Max for months. Is now saying 4 days. Reckons they can see the positive impact on productivity as staff slowly return to the office. Anyone that made big decisions on a possibility will be looking for a new job or selling the dog.

Agreed it is just too soon to tell what employers will decide as we hopefully emerge from this. It also very much depends on the industry and job role. Some businesses I deal with have coped seamlessly and with others the cracks are very much beginning to show with poor service being excused by Covid and employees WFH. That's simply not good enough or sustainable and some companies may be changing their minds.

British customers prefer British accents on the phone so even Amazon employ WFH British customer service personnel for U.K. customers.

Most people could WFH most of the time but may be required to go into a physical office occasionally for team meetings, company meetings, training, or any number of reasons that mean someone in the same country within easy distance is better than outsourcing their job to the Philippines.

There are also legal and tax issues around having staff in other countries. My boss can't WFH in a European holiday home because it might be considered as opening an EU subsidiary.

I would LOVE to work from home permanently, as it would mean I could structure my day to pick up my DC from school and get more done around the house in my lunch breaks. I’d also love not to do the dreaded commute.

However, I’m not going to lie - I’m far less productive working at home than I am in the office. When others are working around you it’s a really big motivator I find - and obviously you don’t have that at home.

I work longer hours when I work at home.

But since they are really hacking me off at the moment (and it looks like we will all be told to return full time then) I will switch off my laptop and leave at home time - and if they ‘need’ anything done out of hours, they can just wait.

They have been seriously taking the Mickey lately...

My brother's apparently been told to get back to the office next week. They have about 3 vaccinated people at his workplace, and he's not one of them.

The school his older kids go to has a couple of dozen cases this week.

I'm getting deja vu.

Here we go again!

I wish my company would do that!

I'm going into the office occasionally but the sooner we can go back properly the better.

My company are saying we have to go back to the office for minimum 3 days a week in September.
I'm absolutely dreading it.
I'm far more productive WFH as the interruptions are via TEAMS/emails and can be responded to in my own time.
I've been sick far far less as no longer sitting next to the martyr that would never take a sick day and would come to work no matter how sick she was.

My company have said they will rethink but we all need to start back at the office later this summer, I’m dreading it, love being at home to see DC off to school and be here when they come home, I get more done at home, they get more unpaid overtime whilst I’m WFH. People will leave if they don’t rethink, word is that’s what the company want to avoid paying severance.

@CarrieAntoinette

My brother's apparently been told to get back to the office next week. They have about 3 vaccinated people at his workplace, and he's not one of them.

The school his older kids go to has a couple of dozen cases this week.

I'm getting deja vu.

Here we go again!

Here we go again what?

My company have already said that because business isn’t affected by us working from home we are more than welcome to keep it that way once restrictions are eased, they did say that it would be preferable for us to show our faces once or twice a week however are open to being flexible and the balls in our court.

Super happy with that; that’s at least 10 people not burning fuel driving to work everyday for a start. I feel so much more confident and relaxed WFH.

@PinkSparklyPussyCat

I wish my company would do that!

I'm going into the office occasionally but the sooner we can go back properly the better.

What's your company done to make your workplace covid safe then, if you don't mind me asking?

At my brother's office building thousands of people all stream in through the entrances at about the same time and stream into the lifts and stairwells to get to their floors, then they spend all day working in a room with a lot of other people.

Multiply that by a country, and that's obviously going to help kick off the third wave, isn't it?

@Roboticcarrot

Here we go again mixing large groups of people with other large groups of people and kicking off another wave.

As others have said if WFH can be done permanently it can be done from anywhere with a good internet connection. There are armies of young native English-speaking digital nomads working in places like Thailand which will only grow if the property market particularly in the South East remains so unaffordable for younger generations.