Working from home

[Hallelujah2020]

I’m a people person but a job has come up that I’m skilled at but it’s working from home

Do you find it isolating?

I am new to it and am keeping an eye on myself. Im struggling with focus and as I'm new i have no work friends. We'll get together on Teams for training but no real chit chat. It is weird to think that colleagues will never actually know me, and of course they all know each other as they used to be office based. Im a people person but bad managers and horrible colleagues were getting me down. I was also tired of commuting everyday and doing hair, makeup and spending on office clothes. It was hard walking in and straight to washing machine and dinner on etc. I suppose i need to make it work for me. I did just sit and cry at my desk the other day, not really sure if thst was other things. The kids like me being around. I'll see where I am at the 12 month mark.

No. I absolutely love it. It’s been fantastic for my MH.

I love working from home because it helps me manage my health condition.

I do still have external meetings so I get to interact with people out of the house but I don't have to deal with a long commute or toxic work environments and colleagues

I would never go back to working in offices on site.

I got into a routine of going for a 30 minute run to break up the work day so I get some fresh air as well.

Love it. I negotiated one day a fortnight in office with my job but typically go in once a week as the team I manage loves to see me in person and I can’t meet with them all individually once a fortnight. I’ll occasionally go in an extra day if there’s a meeting which I feel will benefit me being there in person, but apart from that wfh all the way. I don’t take the piss though, no school runs or the like for me, I have my head down working. It does let me sleep in though if I have a meeting with an international expert during night/early morning hours or if I work collaboratively through the night due to different time zones. The young ones just suck it up and get on with things in the morning but at my age the sleep in becomes appreciated😁.

If my job went WFH (it won't thankfully) I'd probably take early retirement as most in my field are WFH/hybrid now. I do the odd day when I have to wait on for a tradesperson or similar which is enough to convince me it's not for me, especially after having had to fully do it for a few weeks in lockdown and hating everything about it.

It works for me, but there are things to be considered, depending on your role and your needs as a human.

For example, I’m not bothered about office social life. I enjoy catch ups with my team mates and have stayed friends with one or two people who have left, and I quite like the work socials but I don’t need more than that.

A lot depends on the actual job.

I experienced that too, terrible agoraphobia, disclaimer I am prone to it but working from home flared it up terribly when I hadn't suffered from it in years.

I agree it's a great thing if it helps you manage a health condition better.

If I could give you any advice, set walks into your day for fresh air (if possible) or whatever movement you can. Try not to blur the lines of work and home too much as in working on later all the time just because you can. Keep really social if you are fully remote. Just my opinions after a few years of it.

Thanks, I definitely need tips! Dh tries to make me go out for walks but I can't summon the energy, I guess cos I'm just sitting all day and become tired.

I've started to arrange to meet friends (one other WFH'er and a SAHM) occasionally for a walk at lunch & that's great. A bit of fresh air & a chat.

I also set up an hour every other week with a couple of colleagues who do a similar role under the guise of 'sharjng ideas and challenges' which we do, but there's also always chat about kids/home/work.

I also volunteer at squirrel scouts once a week and that more than tops up my social battery!

I hope it gets better for you. It can definitely be lonely, particularly going into a new team. I'm glad I can commute in when I want to (and then I'm reminded why I like WFH 😉)

I’ve wfh for 12 years now, the biggest things for me is, getting up and moving, I got a walking pad for under my desk I can get out at various points in the day and it’s been so good for me and having a decent morning routine, it’s tempting to rolll out of bed 5mins before the start of the day but don’t.

I have WFH for more than 10 years.
I am an extrovert.
It came when I was where I wanted to be in my career, kids were still of needing childcare age, but not teeny tiny, I had local friends, existing hobbies (mainly sport) and a garden office.

I've had my current role for 8 years and most of the staff are remote, so none of us feel we are on the periphery of an office.

I am very disciplined - get up properly and "go to work", take regular very small breaks (long enough to put a wash on, pop to village shop), maybe two or three times a week do I have a longer break to go for a walk, swim or run, and I can choose the time.

I am a lone parent and while the years when DS2 still needed childcare were very hard. I think working in an office might have helped me feel less isolated (can't beat a good old rant in the coffee room!) but logistically would have been harder.

I really struggled with that, I think you can get fatigued with prolonged sitting, I don't have much advice as I struggled to summon the energy too. To be honest that was one of the main reasons I left my wfh role, maybe some are more disciplined than me but you definitely need to get out in the fresh air and move to combat the tired feeling in my experience.

My colleagues in your position seem to really thrive with it and I think it works well when you've built up good relationships and in a good place you want to be in your career. It's definitely a good thing for a lot of people.

Almost fully remote and love it.

However, I do have a dog which gets me out of the house for at least an hour at lunch. And he's good company during the working day.

I was full time in an office until COVID, then in a hybrid role for a few years.

It's worth remembering that the pre-covid world of socialising with your colleagues seems to have died a death anyway. Most people are hybrid so there's a good chance the colleagues you work with/get on with won't be in the office on the same days as you anyway!

Key to remote work is a solid routine, to get out of the house daily during the working day and a good dedicated space.

It's boring boring boring. Humans are social creatures.

We are, but I do most of my work independently. I am part of a team and we talk via email all the time and have regular virtual meetings. I am very productive.

I make sure I either do something sporty or see someone during the day, and most evenings my son is at home or I'm out.

I'd say the days where I'm feeling rather isolated and could do with some company are fewer than the days when I wanted to punch someone in the shared office for breathing/chewing/talking too loudly/tapping their foot/eating eggs.

I am not bored.

I did fully remote for 3 years and by the end it made me borderline depressed and certainly anxious. I’m not even a massive people person but I learnt that I do need some social interaction from my work. I now work in a hybrid role and am a million times happier.

I think the plan will be to enjoy the winter not having dark, cold, stressful journeys into work and then look to leave. I guess I would always regret giving up a cushy number, but I'm just working and doing housework in between. Im also new to this area, so probably do need work friends.