Anyone else have to clock in & out when working from home?

[brokenkettle]

Just started a job, currently working from home, that requires me to clock in and out. I know this is probably really silly but it's causing me a lot of stress because I feel like I need to be constantly in front of the computer during those hours, even though if I were in the office I'd be talking to other people etc and not constantly sitting down staring at the screen. I rarely have urgent work, so it's not like I need to be constantly available.

My previous WFH job did not require this and I felt much less pressure to be constantly at the computer - I would spend a bit of time with my child before & after school without guilt or rushing. Now it just feels very stressful to do so, like I'm being monitored or lying about my working hours! It's having a negative impact on my family as I end up grumpy and stressed, feeling like my child is imposing on work (when really it's probably the other way around...).

Am I being irrational? Does anyone else feel this way? Should I just stop overthinking this and spend the time with my child, go for a walk/exercise etc??

If you are contracted 9-5 with an hour for lunch (for example) then taking time out to do personal things other than to make a drink or use the loo is unreasonable unless you plan to make up that time. Just because you are aren't in an office doesn't mean you get to work less hours. Wfh can be more flexible but only works if people do the number of hours contracted

I suppose my point is, what constitutes "being at work"? If you're in an office/physical working environment, you're paid for the time you spend there, not for the work you produce, in general.

But at home... Am I being paid for spending 7.5hrs at a computer instead of 7.5hrs in an office, not necessarily at a computer?

Hah. No, definitely not. We have tolerance to all sorts of things. It’s good to be away from your screens, it’s good to go for a walk. It helps balance work and life if you can swap the washing around, stop for a chat with a neighbour or do a quick school run.
Nobody really counts time but we have expectations around delivery and professionalism.

Should I just stop overthinking this and spend the time with my child, go for a walk/exercise etc??

You shouldn't be going for a walk in your working hours. Of course you shouldn't. It's weird that you think you should be able to.

I'm starting to see why bosses want people back in the office.

@LemonRoses

Hah. No, definitely not. We have tolerance to all sorts of things. It’s good to be away from your screens, it’s good to go for a walk. It helps balance work and life if you can swap the washing around, stop for a chat with a neighbour or do a quick school run. Nobody really counts time but we have expectations around delivery and professionalism.

That depends on the type of job you have though. If you're in a job where you just work until the task is done, be it 5pm or midnight, fair enough. But OP hasn't described her job that way. She's given specific working hours and can stop at the end of that set time. So she should be working it, not walking it.

It depends on what hours you work. If 7.5 hour days it it unreasonable to expect to take your child to school, then collect at teatime and go for a walk!

I think you have hit the nail on the head
In an office your paid for the hours you spend there but you feel less guilty because your at work
Don't feel bad I watched two films yesterday working at home and did 2 hours work, I do the bare minimum required as to be honest iv lost interest in the job and just like the money , I never work the full time I meant to and lunch breaks are like two hours
But I do the tasks I am asked to do

My job is like your set a task and you complete it , they don't care when you do it, I could log on at six am and have my full say work done for nine , its that sort of gig , I couldn't stand customer service or anything like that I don't like people at all

Depends on the job. Mine is that I have to be sat at my desk from start to finish time, and not move unless I'm on a break or lunch (everything is timed, you get used to timing a 15 min break to the second!)
Other jobs are more flexible

No we have nothing like that. As long as we get the work done all is fine. We are encouraged to take regular breaks away from our screen and to go for walks etc. throughout the day.

No. That's massively intrusive and I believe that such monitoring is being challenged in the courts as a breach of the right to privacy in one's home (if the company has requested you work from your home). Regardless, no decent employer monitors staff for presenteeism in this way. A good employer cares about how well you do your role and that is all. If I were you I'd look for a new job.

@PawsQueen that sounds horrific what do you do ??

So what you're saying is that you are paid for 7.5 hours but when wfh you only need to work 5 of them.
In an office you do chat but most if our chatting is about work not peppa pig!

@Sjdmcfeet customer service. I've worked for 14 years on the phone so it's normal to me
Just makes me laugh when people say everyone WFH is skiving - I couldn't if I wanted to!

@Dancingsmile
In the office I did less , come in at 9am.wat breakfast staet work at 10 , 11 coffee, 12:30 lunch , 2pm coffee and home normally at 4pm
Everybody was same in our office , I'm not doing 8 hours work a day thats slave labour

@PawsQueen I know not all people who work from home are doing sod all but I know some who are.

I've colleagues who wfh, get paid the same as me but do half the hours and get all the perks of doing the washing cooking the meals. It really pisses me off that they can do that but I end up doing way more.

I do 8.5hrs usually. So 7.5 work with 2 x 15 min breaks and a 30 min lunch. I can go to the toilet or make a brew of course!

@WeWantAMackerelNotASprat god I don't even answer the door to the postman. We have a routine now where he passes post via the window so I don't have to log off and move from my desk same with Amazon, they launch them in the window and I mouth thanks

What do you mean by clocking in and out? Do you have to log each minute you work, like a lawyer, or do you have to send a "hello, I am here" email to your boss at the start of the day then "I'm off now" at 5pm?

@OrangeIsNeutral for me I have to log into to the phone system so it shows me as available. Shows when I'm on a call/lunch/break or if I'm available to take a call. At my finish time I log out. So if I wasn't logged in and available at my start time my manager would ring me

That sort of work regime would pobably incite me to browse the web a lot

My job is outcome based.....do the things you need to do whenever you chose. I do have certain time commitments with meetings etc. but essentially can do my work at 5am or 10pm. Who cares?

[quote PawsQueen]@Sjdmcfeet customer service. I've worked for 14 years on the phone so it's normal to me
Just makes me laugh when people say everyone WFH is skiving - I couldn't if I wanted to! [/quote]
I've WFH for years too, way before Covid, and never been subjected to any monitoring.

Wow,lots of extremes on here, wish I could get away with working 2-3 hours out of a 7.5 hour day!
At my work.you can see when someone is online, a green dot by their name although im not sure how accurate it is because sometimes is shows as a white dot ( absent) but they message back really quickly?!
Anyway we were told initially that they recommend you take 5-10 mins an hour break from your screen, in reality sometimes i take 15-20 min break then work continuosly for a few hours.
But yes i get the guilt,if you are in the office you are at work but at home even if i phone and chat socially to a colleague i start to feel guilty, especially if we chat for ages, i think though in reality I am more productive at home as less distractions.
I wouldn't have time to go for a walk or play with my child ( unless its a lunchtime) but some jobs are more flexible than others.

[quote Sjdmcfeet]@Dancingsmile
In the office I did less , come in at 9am.wat breakfast staet work at 10 , 11 coffee, 12:30 lunch , 2pm coffee and home normally at 4pm
Everybody was same in our office , I'm not doing 8 hours work a day thats slave labour[/quote]
Hahahaa really?! Slave labour. Christ.

This is the flip side of the coin. People who consider 8 hours of work per day to be "slave labour" probably need monitoring.

Professional people who get their job done regardless of whether it takes 6 or 12 hours, not so much.

I wouldn’t like that. We’re allowed & encouraged to take regular breaks, go out for walks etc. You can’t expect people to just sit & stare at a screen for 7 hours. We’re trusted to get our work done.