When working from home turns you into the default problem solver

[NaciGeorgopoulos]

A colleague told me she works from home and somehow everyone assumes she is free all day. Parcels, school calls, neighbours knocking, family asking favours. I laughed because it is exactly the same here.
I am actually working proper hours but because I am at home it feels like people think I am on standby. If something goes wrong I am the obvious one to deal with it. Meanwhile no one would ever ring my partner at his office job to ask him to take a delivery or pop out mid meeting.
I am starting to feel like I need firmer boundaries, but I also do not want to come across as awkward or unhelpful.

You set the boundaries. I don’t answer the door for parcels or anything else if I’m on a call. I don’t take calls unless it’s from school (but then I’d do that when I’m in the office anyway). I say no to my parents popping around. If someone needs to drop something off, then great I’ll leave the door open and they can pop it in the utility. Helps that I’m pretty much on calls back to back all day when I WFH, so it’s a necessity rather than an option. I’ll use my lunch break and extra time from not commuting at the end of the day to stick washing in, or do household jobs, so it makes me efficient but that’s it.

You are right, you do need firmer boundaries.
Do not answer the phone from your starting time till the end of the day. Including lunch.
You can set up notifications from important numbers, like school/ husband.. so you do not miss emergency calls. But keep the phone away for the rest.
Saying no is one of the hardest things to do indeed. I know! But it has to be done!

No, I have strict boundaries.

I accept the odd parcel for good friends, but not for every neighbour.

I won't stop to talk to one neighbour any more because she keeps you there for an hour - I had to get really rude in the end because she couldn't let up her monologue and now I just say hello and keep walking past. I have a dog so I'm out a couple of times a day just walking round the block as the dog won't pee in the garden, so a 4min trot can't turn into an hour a day, I'd struggle to finish work before 7pm if I kept talking to her!

No one calls for a chat in the day because I treat it the same as if I'm in the office - check all is OK and ask to speak to them after work etc.

Phone on silent ,emergency number set for school/ DH .
Don't answer the door unless you are expecting a delivery, I have a secure parcel box so all my parcels go in there.
Tell parents/ friends you are now office based part of the time, random days, they wont bother you then.

You are right, its your boundaries that need firming up

Nobody would ring your partner for anything whether you WFH or not. That’s just how it is. School would ring you whether you were WFH or not.

Parcel deliveries take seconds. It’s rare I can’t spare that. I’m too far for family to pop round and I can’t remember the last time a neighbour knocked for anything. If they were inclined to do that, I’d just tell them I am working.

You have to take the rough with the smooth. WFH means I’ve 3 more hours in the day as I’m not commuting. I get way more done at home than in the office as I’m not distracted by chatter or inane questions. It also means I can stick a wash on and have a power nap at lunchtime if I need it. If people are stopping you work, then tell them not to.

I had this happen to me too, it was particularly bad pre covid when WFH wasn’t really a thing like it is now.

One Christmas I made the mistake of letting on to one of my neighbours that I was around, they then put me down to get all their deliveries and helpfully told loads of our other neighbours (block of flats) who then did the same without even checking that was ok! My retired mother also decided it was convenient for her to pop round for a chat whenever.

I was too polite to start with, then I stopped answering the door during work hours and started using parcel pick up points instead. I don’t answer my personal phone unless I’m waiting for a call (eg doctors), school calls or it’s my daughter texting me.

Just say no!
I partly work from home so I can be available for my children (but their dad is abroad so it's different circumstances) but no way would I do errands for others or constantly take in parcels