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??

Blimey, some of these posts are taking he mick. How can people think this is ok?

I think it's fine to make a drink, stretch your legs, take 5 mins here and there to check on child etc. Obviously in an office we usually chat to colleagues, make drinks, take natural breaks etc so do that.I think much longer periods other than lunch are generally unreasonable.

We have tracking software that organises the work. It’s the same as in the office, so no difference at all. We have to account for every minute of the working day. You couldn’t go for a walk in work time, and nor could you do that in the office. Yes, I spend all day in front of a screen. I can take a few minutes to make tea or go to the loo, but you need to account for it.

I like how on these threads people always seem to think that because someone is in the office, then they must have been doing more work.

I knew people who are at their desks til 6-7pm showing how dedicated they are, in actual fact they spent most of the day walking about, having a chat, having a cig going to the toilet and generally wasting time.

Then they focused on work at about 3pm and stay late. Because they think, that makes them look more dedicated.

People who are taking the piss at home, took the piss in the office.

I think it depends on the work you do and the culture of the organisation.

Like @Ladylokidoki said people to take the piss at home are the ones who do it in the office too.

It is absolutely bonkers that you expect to spend time with your child and go for a walk on work's clock. If you were in an office you wouldn't just pop out for an hour whenever you wanted to go to the park or go to the shops. You'd wait until your lunch break and do it then.

I can see why bosses are wanting people back in the office!

@Mintyt no, customer service

I’ve struggled with DH not taking breaks. In work it would be normal for him to be on his feet a lot and at home he’s in front of a computer 8.30-6, apart from lunch and making a drink. I’ve ordered him to walk around the block twice a day as he will find going back in hard otherwise.

Two points from me I think.

We are encouraged to take regular screen breaks just as you would if you were in the office eg go and make a cup of tea, spend 10 minutes outdoors not staring at a screen. But I wouldn't be happy with someone spending the first half hour of their working day with their children and not making that time up. Why should I have to do two peoples work for an extra half hour per day yet you are still getting paid for 7 and a half hours? This is different obviously if you are making the time up. I am highly flexible with my team and if they wanted to take that first half hour to spend time with their children then that's fine - but you take a shorter lunch break or work an extra half hour at the end of the day.

However there is no way I would ask my team to clock in and out! My DH had to do this whilst WFH and email his manager at start and finish times and also at the start and end of his lunch. It breeds a sense of mistrust and depletes team morale. Most of the team he worked with have now left because of the attitude from management.

[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]
No love that’s called work in the real world .
Seriously of course your not tied to your desk but you can’t go for walks or spend time with your child during work unless on a break . Would you do that in the office no so it’s the same . I can see why some employers want people back in the office .

We don’t have to clock in/out, but we do have a time sheet that needs to be filled in with the specific clients we were working on that day and that needs to fill 7.5 hours. Which is annoying because some days, despite me raising it with my manager and asking for more work, plus asking colleagues if there is anything they need help with, I simply don’t have 7.5 hours worth of work to do.
But I can do the 7.5 hours whenever I like, I can take a 3 hour lunch break as long as the extra 2 hours are made up somewhere else.
This would also be the case if I was working in the office, I could go in at 5am, have a mid morning break for an hour, and finish at 13:30 if I wanted.

You are actually entitled to 5-10 minutes away from the screen in every hour- or similar, not sure about the exact timings.

Hopefully someone more knowledge comes along!

@Sjdmcfeet

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

You are a massive piss taker . Luckily our managers would be on to someone like you pretty much straight away. No-one needs an employee who has to be micromanaged.

I feel lucky that where I work everyone pulls their weight, but there is also give and take. We aren't customer facing so we aren't chained to our desks, and even our HOD will start some banter on Teams. She rightly pointed out that if we were in the office this would happen anyway.

We are encouraged to take proper lunch breaks, and there is some flexibility in the working day. For example one employee has to collect her children from school so she makes up her time elsewhere. I will need time out to take my car for a service, so I will also make my time up.

We are all boring mature and sensible adults, and can be trusted to do the right thing. We have a great boss, and we know that she doesn't suffer fools gladly or put up with anyone who doesn't pull their weight.

@Alonelonelylonersbadidea I'm salaried. But my job is to answer the phone and if I'm not at my desk, I can't do that. Job is based on call statistics hence the tracking!

My DD works in an agency type setting and has to log all her time so they can bill the clients. She is at her desk pretty much 8-5 with an hour for lunch. That's the job she is paid to do. You are taking the piss if you are doing domestic or personal stuff in your work time.

Yes, but it's basically to record our flexi.

You could clock in and out to go for a walk in the middle of the day or do a school run and no-one would bat an eye.

We've been specifically told not to clock out for things that would be normal in the office such as having a coffee or other short break.

I can't understand how so many people think they are entitled to do other stuff in work time. Getting up to make a drink or grab a snack - totally reasonable. Going to the bathroom - also reasonable. But going for walks or stopping to watch a film? Don't get me wrong, I'll have music, a podcast or the TV on as background noise - especially if I'm doing something a bit dull that doesn't require a lot of thought - in the same way that I might chat to my team while working. But I'll still be working.

I imagine that people who do stuff like this are the type who, in an office, will spend as much of their time in the kitchen as possible, or find lots of excuses to wander the office and go and sit at other peoples desks for a chat, or go for extended toilet/ phone browsing breaks.

Me neither. Would you be doing the school/nursery run, taking breaks for walks, walking the dog etc if you were office based? Just "popping out" even if school/nursery is 5 minutes away is a 20 minute trip, plus time to leave or regroup. Unless the hours are flexible, or you use lunch breaks it does seem a liberty.

I do think in some jobs people need to communicate a bit more about what they are doing and when if they are wfh. In an office you can easily see if someone is around or not, can see when they are on the phone, etc. You can even ask someone if they’ve seen so and so or know when they might be back. And I would never disturb someone eating lunch at their desk (hate it when people do that to me!).

When people aren’t visible you often have no idea whether they’ve popped to hang the washing out for 10 minutes or gone to the gym for an hour. We’re very flexible as a team but it can be really infuriating when you can’t get hold of someone for ages and have no idea when they’re going to be back.

I make sure I put things like the school run or trips to the gym in my calendar which my team (and boss) has access to.

Earlier in the pandemic many people felt like they couldn’t leave their desk all day, like people always expected them to be available because where else would they be? It’s not like they could be in a meeting somewhere else or have gone to see a client. Thankfully we’ve moved on a lot from that.

I really think it's your environment. People popping out at school run time to drop their kids off with childcare or at home, was entirely normal in out office.

So doing it home wouldn't be unusual either.

My sons school gate is about 20 ft from the house, he is now at an age that he is allowed to walk himself so I just watch him go.

But before if I was in, and he was at a school further away, I would sometime pick him up and drop him with my parents.

@MedusasBadHairDay it really depends on the type of job. My work can be very unpredictable and requires extremely long hours at times and sometimes weekends too. So we allow our teams to take some downtime when they’re not so busy. It’s project based so can be very up and down. We also encourage them to within reason find a working pattern that works for them. So for some that means going to the gym in the day and working a bit longer in the evening. It works for us as long as people communicate well and don’t take the piss (and they’ll soon get found out if they do!)

@MedusasBadHairDay

I can't understand how so many people think they are entitled to do other stuff in work time. Getting up to make a drink or grab a snack - totally reasonable. Going to the bathroom - also reasonable. But going for walks or stopping to watch a film? Don't get me wrong, I'll have music, a podcast or the TV on as background noise - especially if I'm doing something a bit dull that doesn't require a lot of thought - in the same way that I might chat to my team while working. But I'll still be working.

I imagine that people who do stuff like this are the type who, in an office, will spend as much of their time in the kitchen as possible, or find lots of excuses to wander the office and go and sit at other peoples desks for a chat, or go for extended toilet/ phone browsing breaks.

Far from it. We use homeworking to reduce travelling to the office. Have done for years. We don’t check up on people generally, they are professionals with a caseload to manage.
I can go out during the traditional working day because I’m paid to make decisions and assimilate and analyse information. Sometimes it’s better to step away and think through the best course of action away from a computer. My staff need to deliver their work. They do well over their contracted time usually, so I’m not about to decor them when those hours are worked. Sometimes they do a fourteen or fifteen hour day, not often but sufficient for us to need their goodwill and flexibility. We only go to the office if it’s unavoidable.

I’m wfh today. I’ve just thrown another load of washing in the machine and will take a break once it’s finished to put it outside and make a coffee.

Then Back to work until lunchtime when I’ll probably go for a walk or might get the food shop done. I can usually do this in half hour so will have time to get something to eat and put stuff away.

Then work until finish at 5/530 depending on how busy things are.

Dh however has been wfh and has been taking naps. And watching films. Then moans about how busy he is.

Yes I’m amazed at how often I find “very busy” OH having a nap!

Wow amazed at how many take breaks and do other things. If I did this in my working day it would need to be about 12-15 hours long or I wouldn't get all my work done. Since wfh I'm regularly doing about 5-7 hours more a week as they say we don't have travel time to get to the office. I work through most lunches too otherwise I just wouldn't get the amount of work done I need to.
I only stop for loo breaks and to get a drink which are always cold so don't even have the couple min wait for the kettle to boil!