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.

@Hardbackwriter

Less congested public transport, so nicer for those who have to travel.

I think there are lots of advantages to more people working from home, including for the environment, but my big fear is that all of this has been a death blow to public transport that it won't recover from. Trains and buses won't continue to run near empty forever, but slashed timetables will make using public transport a less viable option for many people, and push them further towards cars.

And not only that but what about all the resources you use wfh? All the electricity and heating that you will use rather than being in an office. There is more than one wfh issue. As well as pubic transport, what about the shops that rely on lunch custom and people nipping out and impulse purchase on lunch hour etc.

I work in health care and have always had a job where I went to different places and was on my own. So being home has not decreased office interaction because I never had any. My clients have done just as well with telephone work as with face to face, and I have loved being at home. I feel much healthier with more time to exercise, being able to walk more etc, and it is so nice to get things done during the week so I dont spend the weekend doing chores and shopping. I am really hoping I can keep doing some wfh.

I can't wait to be back in, thankfully the plan is a minimum of 3 days, but can go in everyday if you like. The thing is that unless you work as an individual, someone working from home impacts others beyond the work. If you're a new starter and you want to be in the office to learn, what's the point if no one else is there?

There is also the social element.

Youngsters after a posh office might also be happy with a 5 minute walk to a co-working hub if there's one near them.

Who’s going to pay for that?

I could have written your post op ( minus the husband and children.)

Wfh has been utterly and absolutely life changing for me as an introvert. I am excelling at work and my physical and mental health has never been better.

I have time to cook from scratch every day, which I enjoy. I've lost over two stone through healthy eating and exercise. I go to bed very early and am up before dawn, having slept like a baby. My heart health has gone from average to good to excellent.

I've said this elsewhere, but it's made me realise how much low level stress I was suffering - for decades. How poor my work life balance was. And how much this has probably hampered me reaching my true potential.

I absolutely dread going back. I suspect we will have some sort of mixed solution ( public sector) and I am praying I won't be expected to be there unless there is good reason.

I find online meetings much less daunting too. No need for game face- it's there anyway as I feel so calm and confident.

Please, please let it not end!

WFH full time permanent will cut off a potentially lifesaving source of support and escape for domestic abuse survivors. Often the workplace is their way out. WFH will be perfect for controlling husbands and partners.

You can WFH and still do face to face meetings, you just go into your own office or the client's office when you need to see someone face to face.

I doubt my clients would be happy for me to rely on their offices like this.

HR here. Those of you that are based in the uk have a legal right to put in a formal flexible working application as long as you’ve been with an employer 26 weeks. It can only be declined for a small number of reasons and assuming you’ve successfully worked remotely for the last year, this should stand you in good stead for being able to demonstrate that there has been no detriment being home based.

An employer cannot simply say everyone has to be in the office 5 days a week because they feel it’s best for the business. Formal flexible working requests need to be considered on an individual basis regardless of the organisational approach.

Those of you that have disabilities have even more protection under law and and your employer should be able to demonstrate that they have fully considered your request and made any reasonable adjustments to allow you to continue working.

Please take a look at the ACAS website and don’t just accept an employer that insists everyone needs to be in work all the time.

I can't wait to go back.

WFH is isolating and means I'm working at least 3hours more per day.

I find virtual meetings etc etc much less productive and won't be commissioning projects from those who insist on that format.

That's not to mention the issues around confidentiality/ recording etc when everyone is in a seperste unoffical location such as their own home.

Just look at KPMG boss etc to see the hazards

@poppycat10

I am also going to make my usual point that WFH does not mean working from your bedroom. Youngsters after a posh office might also be happy with a 5 minute walk to a co-working hub if there's one near them.

You see, I don't understand why this is perceived as a solution. If you're going to go to an office, why wouldn't you choose to go to your actual office to be surrounded by your actual colleagues who can support you, collaborate with you and actually understand your job ... rather than sit with a bunch of strangers? And how do co-working hubs work when a chunk of your job that used to involve sitting in a meeting room has now swapped to a teleconference, some of which is confidential and all of which is not something that anyone else wants to sit and listen to all day while they are trying to do their own work?

Co-working hubs sounds like the worst of all worlds. Other than being able to make small talk f2f I guess.

It can only be declined for a small number of reasons and assuming you’ve successfully worked remotely for the last year, this should stand you in good stead for being able to demonstrate that there has been no detriment being home based.

Who gets to decide if you've 'succesfully' worked?

WFH is wonderful for people in spacious comfy homes, who are settled in life, living with their family and near to friends.

It's not so great for those stuck in childhood bedrooms or a shitty HMO or a tiny cramped flat.

It's crap for young people starting out in the world of work, for career changers (of all ages), and for those living alone.

It's also been a bit rubbish for clients. Customer service from many companies has gone downhill. I've experienced too many frustrating attempts to deal with various companies this last year. Can't get hold of the right person, phones going unanswered, people not calling you back

I understand and support the need for temporary arrangements but I really hope it's not forever.

I fear that the knock-on effect will have a wider impact. DH and I have worked back to back in an A&E which has been hard to say the least. With the reduction in passengers and cancellation of services, I've been forced to change transport to work. Its more than 20% of my wage. With the luxury of WFH becoming a more likely option it makes me worry that we won't get a return to a previous normal and the cost of public transport will inevitably rise for the poor sods who have had no choice but work throughout at their workplace and obviously we have to! I just feel like we will end up being punished when the inevitable tax rises come on top of quickly increasing travel costs on top. I do see though how it does help masses of people and that's amazing for them.

If you're going to go to an office, why wouldn't you choose to go to your actual office to be surrounded by your actual colleagues who can support you, collaborate with you and actually understand your job ... rather than sit with a bunch of strangers?

Exactly

And why would you or your company want to pay for this?

That's definitely another worry @eeyore228

@Torvean

I'm sorry but I want things as back to normal as possible. I want to see a Gp or other hp. I want to see people's faces. I want to travel.

I'd passed my final straw last year. In Scotland we've just had 4 months locked down. I'm fully vaccinated. I want my life back. This isn't life, this is just existing.

I agree. My DS has had a horrid first year at Uni as all his lecturers are WFH and he's stuck in his tiny flat 24/7 with no F2F teaching at all. My OH has had his chemotherapy messed around with for months because his oncologist and half the dept seem to be WFH and everything takes months, as they're barely communicating. WFH seems fine for the staff, but the "customer/consumer" is suffering crap service. That's just about acceptable short term, but in the longer term, service standards and efficiency will have to get back to normal. Of course, some people can still WFH where the customer service can be as good as pre-covid, but where customer service is suffering, then staff need to get back to their usual workplaces, hopefully in July/August so as to avoid prolonging the agony of crap service any longer.

I don't really get the whole 'co-working hub' thing. Firstly, most people don't have one nearby. Secondly, they cost money. Thirdly, what's the advantage? Why would you want to be disturbed by other people's phone calls? Why would you want to talk about work matters - which could be confidential - in front of random strangers? Might as well just go to the office.

@eeyore228

I fear that the knock-on effect will have a wider impact. DH and I have worked back to back in an A&E which has been hard to say the least. With the reduction in passengers and cancellation of services, I've been forced to change transport to work. Its more than 20% of my wage. With the luxury of WFH becoming a more likely option it makes me worry that we won't get a return to a previous normal and the cost of public transport will inevitably rise for the poor sods who have had no choice but work throughout at their workplace and obviously we have to! I just feel like we will end up being punished when the inevitable tax rises come on top of quickly increasing travel costs on top. I do see though how it does help masses of people and that's amazing for them.

I agree. Not just increased public transport costs to make up for fewer travellers, but also it's inevitable that there'll be fewer trains/buses which will make the commute longer.

@Tealightsandd It's also been a bit rubbish for clients. Customer service from many companies has gone downhill. I've experienced too many frustrating attempts to deal with various companies this last year. Can't get hold of the right person, phones going unanswered, people not calling you back

Yep, fully agree. It's been a nightmare trying to deal with telecoms and utilities firms, HMRC, Companies House, DVLA, etc., not to mention the NHS generally, with people not phoning back after you leave messages and not doing what you've asked them to do. When it's your oncologist who's gone AWOL and won't answer messages, won't call for pre-arranged appointments, etc., you know that WFH doesn't really work from the end customer/end user point of view.

[quote bathsh3ba]@PrincessNutNuts some people don't have a lot of choice as to whether they take a job that allows wfh or not. You take the jobs you're qualified for that are available in your area and that people will give you. In times of higher unemployment, employers naturally prefer people with more qualifications/experience and those still trying to climb the ladder get kicked off.

This is one of the divides that worries me a lot. By and large, with exceptions, it's the higher earners that are able to work from home and the lower earners that are not. It's not necessarily 'unfair', it is what it is. But it reeks of privilege to suggest everyone can choose their job.[/quote]
I hear you @bathsh3ba but where we are in the job market, what skills we have, and what jobs we apply for involve a lot of choices.

@IcedPurple I would say that if you’ve managed to continue to complete work to a high standard and work hasn’t suffered as a result of being at home then that would be evidence of success.

I’d expect a manager to have shared feedback with an individual during this time if there were concerns around productivity or delivery. If there haven’t been conversations of this nature, you’d assume things have worked well.

[quote Axlcat]@IcedPurple I would say that if you’ve managed to continue to complete work to a high standard and work hasn’t suffered as a result of being at home then that would be evidence of success.

I’d expect a manager to have shared feedback with an individual during this time if there were concerns around productivity or delivery. If there haven’t been conversations of this nature, you’d assume things have worked well.[/quote]
But 'high standards' is subjective. And given that so many people are WFH now, and allowances are made for that, the fact that no concerns have been raised doesn't neccessarily mean that WFH full-time is the best option. Also, clients who might have been happy accepting Zoom meeting and lower standards during the pandemic might not be prepared to do so indefinitely.

Me too. I love wfh. Even though I don't see anyone all day I like the peace and quiet and feel that my work is better for it.

Dreading going back. I hate my office. It's like a cell and it stinks.

I feel for you OP. I have been gone working for 1 year and would really struggle to be office based again. Some practical reasons but also because I just doing want to.

I hope that you can compromise some flexibility with your employer