Advice for starting a mostly home-based role for the first time

[Cantheowneroftheredcorsapleasemovetheircar]

Hi all,

I was offered a new job at the beginning of September. It's a huge change for me as I currently work just two days a week in an office and I am jumping 4 pay grades, will be full time and for the first time ever, will be WFH. It's hybrid but will be four days at home and 1 in the office.

I've never worked at home before and I of course completely understand everyone's workplace is different, but what do you find it to be like?

Is it generally expected you can do things like answer the door, maybe even a little light housework?

What advice would you give to someone who hasn't done it before? How should I set up my workspace? I'm being given a laptop, monitor, phone and headset but I don't really have an area to put everything yet, I was thinking maybe just my dining table and then pack away each night.

Really just any tips appreciated as it's just dawned on me how much my life is actually going to change, which is both exciting and daunting.

I start 2nd November 😬

For the first few months at least I’d treat your home like you were in the office. Answering the door and making cups of tea are fine, housework fine on your lunch break. I wouldn’t be answering the front door if the doorbell went while you were on a call.

After a few months you will have built up trust and a better feel for the culture to determine what you can and can’t do.

I regularly go for my nails done/hair done/gym/dog walks etc while WFH, so long as I work my contracted hours and deliver my work no one cares about that, but some workplaces will call you out if your mouse cursor doesnt move for ten minutes so it’s impossible to say what’s acceptable

Oh and I wouldn’t be without a specified desk / work area, ideally in a room you can walk out of and close off at the end of the day to maintain a work/home separation, but appreciate not everyone has that luxury.

I would strongly recommend a proper desk and desk chair though for the sake of your spine.

Yes everything @SleeplessRoads has said basically.

Definitely start as though you in an office, so making a cup of tea acceptable, doing the ironing not so.

Walk / house work on your lunch, fine etc.

I definitely wouldn’t want more the one day per week without a designated work space.

I’ve worked fully remotely since 2018 and would say having a dedicated workspace, ideally that you can close the door on at the end of the day, is a must from a mental health/work-life-balance perspective. No issue with answering the door, making a drink, taking the odd personal call, etc during the working day, but bigger jobs like putting the washing out or prepping food for the evening should be done in your own time i.e. lunch break.

Plan your day. Although I do flexitime I aim for starting by 8.30am and finish by 4.30pm . It doesn't always work out that way but it helps structure the day. Tea break around 11am lunch about 12.30 (I take minimum 30 mins, very rarely take longer) afternoon teabreak around 3pm.
I have a designated space upstairs and when I'm not working i keep out of that room as much as possible.

All depends on your company and their culture or rules. I primarily WFH and my boss doesn’t care what I get up to as long as I complete my deliverables on time and attend necessary meetings. Saying that I don’t take the mick and will be at my desk for the majority of the shift and anytime I take away I will try and make up. I have friends who are tracked so can’t get away with anything but work. Set up wise I am in my living room my desk is there permanently. I couldn’t cope with packing up each day.

You need a specific area. Packing up and down everyday is not sustainable at all.

I don't mind answering doors, doing the dishwasher or getting ahead on dinner with some prep but i've WFH for 6 years full time now.

Get up and dressed every day. Don't make the mistake of working in your PJs. and for the first few months try and be a bit rigid with your schedule and stick to core working hours at your desk.

Try and get outside once a day. Staring at the same 4 walls all day at work and then again in the evening is soul destroying.

The novelty of working on my dining table and packing up each night, or leaving it out Mon-Fri and packing it away at weekend didn't last as long as lockdown! I didn't like my living room also being my office (and gym at the time!) so i've decamped to the spare room by juggling the furniture around. It means work isn't encroaching on my living space so it's easy to switch off, looks tidier, and I have a desk that's the right height and a chair that's comfy enough to sit on all day.
i think answering the doorbell is generally acceptable, and whilst I sometimes put a wash on first thing then hang it up during work time I'd never admit to it to anyone!
I think you need to be strict with yourself about leaving the house or it's easy to spend days at home. I try to go for a walk or make sure I take a proper lunch break to do something away from my desk (even if it's a spot of housework).
And expect to spend a lot of time on teams calls!

If I was your manager, I would be really worried you ask such basic questions. My own kids know how to set up their own space for their homework!

Depends on the job, the role
depends on your house
depends on your family situation!

I was thinking maybe just my dining table and then pack away each night.
Nothing wrong with that, it's more about privacy and quiet from other members of the family the problem.

Is it generally expected you can do things like answer the door, maybe even a little light housework?
What a weird question

If you are in the middle of a meeting, no, you don't go and do "light housework"?
Do exactly what you would do in the office?

If you would go for a coffee break ,then you can use that time to hang a load of washing, but it's the same?

Good luck, sounds a great opportunity. Working from home is very flexible in most companies but for your first few weeks I'd tread very carefully until you get the lay of the land and understand the particular expectations in your organisation and your team. For me that would mean making sure I stayed 'green' I.e. available on teams or slack whatever programme you use, don't step away for more than a few mins at a time unless on a proper official break and answer calls and messages promptly etc. when you get a better understanding of the culture you'll see, but for most people it's fine to put a load of washing on or other small household chore in the daytime so long as you aren't entirely unavailable for long periods or don't get your work done. Expectations vary as to whether it's ok to interrupt a call/meeting to answer your front door, in my company it's kind of a no-no unless it's a very informal catch-up, which is awkward for me as my desk is right by my front door/window, the postie can often see me sat apparently just starting at my laptop while he hammers on the door but we generally consider it rude to disappear in the middle of a meeting unless an emergency. In a big meeting you could get away with going camera off and mute for 30 secs to run to the door though so I guess it varies. I will warn you that very often people do take the piss fully when working from home, looking after their kids, disappearing for hours, doing no work. I'd really advise against letting yourself slip too much towards this even if colleagues apparently do - it's not so much even the being unavailable, although that is annoying, it's the lack of productivity that gets noticed and subtly marked down against you. Generally so long as you get your work done well and to a good standard that's fine!

Where to set up your workstation, dining table is ok if you don't have anywhere better but make sure everything is adjusted to the right height so you don't have to hunch or tilt upwards or knock your knees into the table, and make sure you have a comfortable chair, I think you'll find sitting on a hard dining chair all day isn't very nice. And having to pack everything away and bring it out the next day is annoying. If you can find a corner of a room for a more permanent set up even if a compact desk and chair that would be preferable - corner of dining or living room, or in a spare bedroom if you have one?

I wfh and yes you can answer the door. I’ve even jumped out of a meeting as have others to quickly answer the door.

Housework? not really though I might hang out my washing when I go to make a coffee and consider it a break. I’d not be ironing or running the hoover around as I am at work and treat it as such.

Set up a desk as setting up and taking down each night gets very old. I did it for a few months during lockdown, once we realised it was going to be long term I got a desk and chair in the spare room. I like that it’s a separate space and can close the door to distractions.

i get up and shower and dress each day (i dress in comfortable wfh clothes).i don’t put on make up but I’m presentable if I get a teams call.

This is going to sound silly but I do have a corner in my living room that is practically begging to be used as a desk space.... But it's where the Christmas tree goes and it means I get to have a big tree every year and I won't be able to have a nice big one of I give up that space 😄
There's also going to be difficulty using the living room when DH brings the kids home after school as they will want to use the living room for watching TV or whatever.
So realistically it's going to need to be my bedroom, but it would mean giving up my dressing table, something I've always wanted and haven't long had.

I suppose sacrifices are going to have to be made somewhere, because realistically you're all absolutely right, packing away each night is going to get old fast

I manage a team that mostly works remotely. A lot of the things mentioned are so dependent on the individual culture of your workplace, the best thing is not to assume but to get a feel for what other people do and ask if need be.

Where I work it is usually absolutely fine to answer the door during a meeting as long as you tell people or write a quick ‘BRB - doorbell’ in the chat, but you can see from pp answers that this very much varies between workplaces.

Doing light housework would be taking the piss where I work and getting your nails or hair done would be a disciplinary issue if you are claiming it as work time. No problem however with people taking flexi time and making the hours up.

My pet hate is when people do not clearly keep their calendar and Slack status up to date. If you are out of office it should be easy to see that this is the case.

All that said, it sounds like you don’t have a suitable private space to work and should perhaps just go to the office.

I work 4 days home and 1 office. My workplace require a desk set up with supportive chair, keyboard & mouse as well as monitor. Ideally height adjustable desk (for standing too) and they will order and deliver to you if you don't already have an approved set up.

Dining table would only cut it if the table height works and you have a decent seat.

Answering door is fine. Light housework - eg hanging laundry out would be ok as long as it is few minutes here and there while making a cuppa or in a lunchbreak.

But there has to be trust and flex both sides to put in the hours/get the work done/be contactable in work hours via teams/slack/phone/email.

do you really need to pack away every night?

at least during the week, can't the family have their meals in the kitchen? (might be possible, might not be , only you will know)

It's not the loss of your dressing table your worst problem, is potentially losing a space where you go to relax.
Some people are ok with tv and disruptions in their bedroom, but others like a calm place, especially with kids in the house.

Here are some decent folding desks around - can you have one in the corner of your living room and then put it away for a few weeks when you get your tree?

I have been working at home for years and would really recommend carving out a separate working space and not using your dining table and packing up each night. You can pick up a small to medium size desk from Ikea some are foldable so can pop away at weekends. Do you have any space in a spare room for example or under stairs for a smallish desk? It makes a big difference if your work space is separate to your personal / downtime space. Ideally somewhere you can close the door on and leave your laptop when you finish work.

try and get into the habit of getting out at lunchtime whether for coffee with a friend or just a nice walk, swim or class. When I have low motivation I’ll save jobs for my lunch hour, like needing to go to post office or sending a vinted or picking up a needed item for dinner.

Light housework fine on your breaks. I only answer the door for parcels as have found I get plenty of sales / church people / new business ventures knocking so made the mistake of answering all the time now I don’t bother.

Most things have been said. I worked at our dining table for ages, but I prefer a quieter area because DH also WFH's and leaves the TV on!
It depends on your work, how flexible it is. If you work for NHS 111/call centre etc then you can't be doing housework too. If you are rarely on the phone/in meetings then it might be easier. I do try to get outside and walk during my lunch or do some household things, prep dinner etc.

I agree with a separate work area. Invest in a good chair and a desk. You can get fold away desks, even if you just pack it up on weekends. Longer term, do you have a garage you could convert or get a garden room?

I was going to suggest the tax relief of WFH, but seems it was abolished earlier this year! 😩
www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home

I got a Drop Top Desk where you can store all your laptop etc inside and even get fixed screens in and fold away. They are expensive straight up, but in 3 months it had paid for itself in train fare saved.
I would also recommend going out first thing (either take kids to school before work starts or going for a walk) as this helps create a separation to the start of your working day rather than rolling out of bed in PJ's
My husband also puts on full work attire like he is going to work when WFH (lanyard included). It is a mental state to get him in work mode.

If you have relatives that might decide that because you now WFH you are available all the time, I'd set in place boundaries from the get go. My dad knows he can call around 1pm when I'm on lunch.

As others have said, you ideally need somewhere to work that doesn't function as anything else, so a spare room to use as an office is perfect or the corner of your bedroom if that's not possible. I personally find it better to have somewhere that you can close the door on both figuratively and literally at the end of the working day and not think about again until the morning, so the dining room table wouldn't work for me although I appreciate not everyone has that luxury.

Good luck with your new job. Working from home doesn't suit everybody but hopefully you'll find what works best for you as you go along and will really embrace the hybrid role.

I am 90 percent wfh. agree with what everyone has said dedicated work space I have a separate room that can be closed off in eve. routine is important I try to stick to same hours every day with one late eve ( due to time zone differences with some of team ) I get my time back as till which I use for appointments etc. I go for a quick walk in morning ( my commute) then another at Lunch with dogs I do throw on dinner or a quick wash but that's about it don't have time. big one for me is get dressed do not get into habit of wearing pyjamas or dressing gowns your not giving your brain the sign to be productive. pyjamas are cold too and not great to see if you have to go onto a quick unexpected call wear clothes and shoes that are presentable and warm.

Also, I've gone shopping, been out for runs and done all sorting errands during the working day but as I'm in sales, my employers never know where I am or where I'm supposed to be anyway so I suppose I'm lucky in that regard and they don't really scrutinise what I'm up to. If the job entailed me being tied to my desk all day, then that may be trickier. I generally logged on between 7.00 and 7.30am and didn't log off until at least 6.00pm - often later, so I didn't feel bad about nipping to Tesco or out for a 5k run.

We don't have any type of seating in the kitchen

Tbh, I only use my bedroom to sleep and get dressed. I don't relax there. I relax in my living room.

I've just always wanted a dressing table, and I finally got one fairly recently so it's bothering me that I have to give it up, but realistically I think it's the only way. Unless I can create some sort of dressing table cum work desk situation.

I have wfhed since 2012 and with this setup, 2019. I leave my stuff out Mon - Thurs and pack it away at weekends. I answer the door for parcels etc, esp as DH wfh but he is in calls with patients.
My boss is very flexible so I get to do things in the daytime if needed. The work gets done. That’s what matters.

I’m self employed so I run my own time but I’d definitely agree with having your own space. And not one that feels as if you’re in everyone’s way after school.

We converted a playroom into my office and after years of working at the dining table it’s such a joy to have a dedicated space.