How long do you think the WFH message will last?

[Bananagurl]

Just curious... I massively prefer it and feel just as productive as home, if not more...

I hope things improve sufficiently for the guidance to change soon. I'm self employed and I've been instructed by the contractor I work for not to see clients face to face while plan B is in place.

What I do on a private basis is of course my choice.

Permanent here, as office space has been sold. Most of us are happy wfh. Those who aren’t happy have either left or are looking for other jobs.

Covid aside, it’s far more productive for lots of people/companies.
No reason why it can’t carry on ad infinitum for those it works for.

My work shit the offices whenever the guidance is ‘wfh if you can’, but otherwise it’s up to the individual how often they go to the office. You’re encouraged to aim for 2-3 days per week, but there’s genuinely no pressure.

However, when we do work from home we often have teams video calls open on one screen with the whole team (6 of us) so you’re pretty much always chatting away just like you do around a desk. We have a scheduled call every day at 10 and we just keep the meeting open. If you need to concentrate for a bit or have another call, you just jump off and then dial back in later.

WFH has allowed us to hire 2 entry level members of staff who are physically disabled and unable to get to an office regularly. They’re brilliant and our industry wouldn’t have been an option for them previously. As it stands, they have fabulous careers ahead of them.

I personally have constant heavy bleeding after the birth of my son 9 months ago (under investigation). If Wfh wasn’t a thing I wouldn’t be able to work (I flood, so all of a sudden I’ll bleed through everything no matter what I’m wearing and ruin chairs. I do this about 3 times a day when it’s bad and there’s no way to know it’s going to happen).

WFH needs to be normalised and presenteeism needs to die. That doesn’t mean everyone should be forced to WFH, but it should remain an option and not treated as skiving/ slacking.

If you know you’re not someone who can work from home productively, find a job where you don’t have to.

However, when we do work from home we often have teams video calls open on one screen with the whole team (6 of us) so you’re pretty much always chatting away just like you do around a desk.

Eek, this sounds a bit much to me.

@immersivereader

Here to stay. Make sense for business, they save hugely in costs. Also improves the productivity and mental health of workers.

Not for my mental health, it’s landed me on Sertraline.

@ppeony

*However, when we do work from home we often have teams video calls open on one screen with the whole team (6 of us) so you’re pretty much always chatting away just like you do around a desk.*

Eek, this sounds a bit much to me.

Nah, it’s just a culture thing I think. My team especially is quite young, they’re all learning and it just makes it easier to throw a question out there that someone can answer. If they don’t want to be on the chat for any reason they just drop off. Same thing as walking away from your desk.

More and more people I know are back in the office. I will be on Wednesday, I work locally and part time so it doesn't put me out too much but we've been told we will be expected back. At least I can use their electricity and heating and the setup is easier. Wfh is convenient if I want to nip to the shops or get my hair done, meet a friend for coffee. Can't do that with set office hours. I don't think most people would mind going in so much if there was more flexibility.

Forever for me I hope. I love it.

End of Jan at the very latest, omicron Is already peaking, he will keep plan b going for another couple of weeks, very latest to the end of Jan then remove it and it will be up to companies. There’s no way plan b will be in place any longer than that based on data to date.

I think folks are responding based on what they’d like, rather than logically whag is likely to occur. Plan B won’t be in place for much longer, just till they are sure hospital admissions aren’t going to be an issue and cases stabilise. Right now it’s really about how many folks are off in the nhs, which is keeping it in place.

@ppeony

*However, when we do work from home we often have teams video calls open on one screen with the whole team (6 of us) so you’re pretty much always chatting away just like you do around a desk.*

Eek, this sounds a bit much to me.

It sounds awful!!

How do you think it’s any different to sitting around a desk together?

If I’ve understood correctly, you’re on camera while you’re getting on with your work on another screen? To me that sounds intrusive and just another kind of presenteeism.

@Lividlavidacoco

How do you think it’s any different to sitting around a desk together?

I'm not having to look at my own mug when sitting around a desk.

I’m not staring at my face either

Teams open on one screen, usually laptop and then I have 2 other screens to work on. Why on earth would you be sitting staring at your face?

Presenteeism - not at all. People come and go as the please in the chat. Some people like the social aspect and will chat away while they work, while others will jump on to ask a question or get an update and then jump off again. I’d say we have 4/6 who are mostly in the chat, the other 2 come and go but they do chat to me separately a lot. Sometimes no one is on the chat and you’ll see a message pop up that someone started the meeting so you’ll jump in to check they’re ok and the jump off again. It’s exactly the same vibe as sitting around a desk together and it works brilliantly, particularly for new starters who get to know everyone and the team gels really nicely.

As I say, they’re a young team in a relatively young industry. It’s how they like to work.

Here to stay. Make sense for business, they save hugely in costs. Also improves the productivity and mental health of workers.

I'm sure your last sentence is dependent on individuals. It's not one size fits all.
Some will be more productive at home, some won't.
Some will find its a better work-life balance, some won't
Some will feel their MH is better, others won't.

@Exhausteddog

Here to stay. Make sense for business, they save hugely in costs. Also improves the productivity and mental health of workers.

I'm sure your last sentence is dependent on individuals. It's not one size fits all.
Some will be more productive at home, some won't.
Some will find its a better work-life balance, some won't
Some will feel their MH is better, others won't.

The whole thing you’ve quoted is just one side of it

I’m not sure why people ignore the other

*I’m not staring at my face either confused

Teams open on one screen, usually laptop and then I have 2 other screens to work on. Why on earth would you be sitting staring at your face? confused*

What's with all the emojis?

I would find it distracting to have my mug constantly on a screen while I'm working. Even if I had another computer, and a desk big enough to put both of them, which I don't. Nor do I think I could ever 'get to know' someone via Teams meetings.

If it works for you, great, but for me that way of working is a bit weird and certainly is not 'exactly the same vibe as sitting around a desk together'.

It's a bloody nightmare for me. My job needs interraction both from colleagues and people we deal with.
We can't see how people are without actually being with them and in March 202 we ended up with a lot of very unwell people who couldn't manage as we were strictly forbidden from visiting. Not good at all

Before covid lots of people worried about children and young people spending too much time on screens and not learning how to talk, socialise and interact with people in real life.
Now it seems everyone wants to be like this!! I actually like working with people, asking their advice on the best way to do something, having a chat, workplace banter.
I have to admit when I wfh (although I don't have a computer or desk based job) I can be more productive - without answering the phone, answering the door buzzer, having to go out yo get lunch and without people constantly giving me "extra" tasks or interrupting with something they think is more urgent. But it wouldn't work on a permanent basis. I can do a certain type of work at home but a lot of work is more collaberative meaning we need to be in a physical workplace.

I hope so too it's really helped financially with childcare and they have been more flexible with my hours

@immersivereader

Here to stay. Make sense for business, they save hugely in costs. Also improves the productivity and mental health of workers.

I disagree on the mental health front completely, it’s socially isolating working from home and not seeing other humans for potentially days on end! Also, not everyone has space to work from home. Businesses might be saving money but I’d have to move house at great expense and/or sacrifice on area to create a long term home office space. Increasing my mortgage 3 fold was never my plan!

I think for most people as well, if their productivity has suffered, it's not been out of laziness or trying to get away with doing less at home- for me my productivity has suffered due to my mental health collapsing , mainly due to the effects of social isolation and poor training to be able to actually do my job properly.

Because nothing actually adequately substitutes having someone show you how to do something in person, and be with you to help you settle in, and answer questions properly. Not over a zoom call or email.

It's made me feel like I've never actually settled in properly, not with regards to the work. My knowledge is far poorer than it would have been had I started there pre-pandemic. Tbh it's shattered my confidence and mental health and ruined what should have been a fantastic opportunity for me.

Maybe it's fine if you were established in your job pre-pandemic but for new starters it has been awful, in my experience anyway.

@NaughtyNata

Things are never going to go back to the way they were, which is a good thing in many ways. But full time working from home is absolutely awful. It's destroyed my mental health tbh. Started at my current organisation 18 months ago and have been in the office 5 times. Trying to learn a new job from home and get to know colleagues like this is fucking horrible. Have recently got a promotion and trying to learn again from home is finishing me off tbh, I hate it.

At some point surely employers will realise this isn't working well.

I am sorry to hear that. I have started a new job from home and have found it better tbh than starting in an office. I worked from home in some jobs before the pandemic. All the research shows those who choose to work from home are the most satisfied employees. Those forced to work from home when they don't want to are the least satisfied. You need to find another job.

I think for people socially isolated outside of work, working from home is not good.