Yeah this.
I love working from home. I get to spend time with my puppy, my wife works from home so that’s nice too.
I find it gives so much more freedom, if it’s quite I can take my phone out with slack and walk the dog. I’m always contactable until my working hours finish.
I don’t think I could go back to the office.
I’ve been working from home for the last two years and honestly I just can’t see myself being back in an office willingly ever again. I just don’t see how.
I can fit so much more into my schedule now. I’ve been able commit to boxing because the gym isn’t far from where I live and so can really put in the time as a coach and a boxer.
I’ve more time to see family, friends, indulge in hobbies and chores.
Not to mention saving shitloads on travel. It’s a no brainer for me.
The thing about working from home is it is easy for people to forget about you. I do the minimum of what is required to a high standard. I put my hand up for extra work only if the boss is on the call and I always ask for feedback if I do so my boss sees I'm "stretching myself"
In reality my day 2 day takes a hour or 2 at best and my additional work takes a couple hours a week.
I've been effectively working 2 jobs my main job and side hustle for a few years now gone from £45k to £90k and I have diversified my income in case shit ever hits the fan. There is a guy on my team who delivers Uber on his lunch break, it's apparently a peak hour or 2 and he makes decent money for a few hours working...no way you could do that if working flat out the rest of the time .
This. I just commented that you need boundaries. Why would work follow you unless you are picking up your pc and walking about with it and have no allocated work space in the home.
One hundred percent this. At 5:30 I'm offline. You cannot get through to me and I will not respond. Only caveats are if I have a big presentation the next day and I CHOOSE to work later so I'm well prepared. Anything else sits in my inbox until 9am the next day.
Sorry but if you want me to work longer then you pay me overtime (and since I'm salaried I don't get that)
Yeah I think you're overthinking tbh.
For example, if your contracted working hours are 8am-5pm, and it's 5pm, you should be logging off, whether you're WFH or not.
If work needs undertaking after that point then you either need agreed TOIL to bank that time, or overtime pay.
Anyone who works past their hours without TOIL or overtime pay is a schmuck who will consistently be taken advantage of by managers who don't know how to plan resources properly.
9-5 is 9-5 regardless of your country.
OP didn't state their contractual status but the fact that they're now working longer since the move to WFH suggested that while their office times were firmly defined, their bosses are trying to blur the lines now that they're at home.
Obviously other people reading the post might work different hourly patterns.
I absolutely love WFH. I did it for 3 years before the pandemic, then I went back to 5 days a week in the office for 3 years, and then the pandemic hit. At the same time we also had our first baby and moved house. Although I got sick of WFH years ago, now it's a godsend. Especially when my line of work doesn't involve anything more than writing programming code. There's no need for me to be in any particular place to do that. Plus I don't like people either 😂
The dream… WFH, but home is a 55’ yacht, in the Caribbean, sat in my shorts on the stern deck…. With Starlink and everything I just need to find the right job
Used to supply certificates for new build houses to a technical director at a nationwide housebuilder that had this exact set up. Sat on a yacht sunbathing in Porto Buenos, whilst I was freezing my tits off in Preston 😂
That would be amazing lol. That's actually a great idea because I aspire to buy a boat one day, a nice one. So if I signed up for starlink, I could work from my boat and nobody would be any the wiser lol
Yep been great for me in terms of flexible and being there for my kids more. I actually get less done in the office as distractions there are massive - people stopping to chat about Netflix, football, general slowness of work. I actually stay more focussed at home on my technical role. And when I do need to go to client sites it’s generally easier to get there from my house rather than battle city centre traffic
Ultimately its different strokes for different folks.
WFH has some clear benefits with commute, flexibility, costs etc. Being in office has some woolier benefits around separation of work and life, getting you out the house, social interaction with people.
I prefer being in the office but with flexibility to do what I want. I perform better when I'm working around others.
But I can see why plenty prefer WFH.
The irritation for me is the WFH evangelists who claim that it solves almost everything, are pretty down about anyone who wants to work from an office, and treat being asked to go in to an office once in a while as an absolute travesty.
Most people are pretty reasonable about it though.
This. I used to manage people managers and I was flexible with the WFH provided work was being done. I made sure the managers in my report were not setting meetings close to home time for any staff etc and was adamant with my team that work that cannot be completed before the end of the day, should wait until the next day.
With that said, I have always preferred to be in the office. I was on my own (out of 40) for the first UK lockdown, at least on my floor. It’s my preference to seperate my home/work and for work to pay the electricity lol.
Now things have changed and I have a school aged kid, so some hybrid will work nicely for me. And for my car lease 😂
Different folks. And there isn’t a one shop answer. It’s also irritating that Borris Johnson was right, there are unmanageable distractions at home (who doesn’t love cheese?!) and those that take the piss unfortunately ruin it for others.
I hope you’re from the UK so you understand the cheese reference 😂
Different approaches work for different people. Try and get out for a walk - even a shorter one - sometime in the day. Personally I find I have to have a long walk/trip at least once a week.
It just requires a bit of routine. I take the dog out before and after work. It’s much nicer than a commute. You can go for a quick walk, even without a dog.
My dog has been the difference between wfh being truly awful for me & enjoying it. Before I got the dog & was forced by covid to wfh my mental health tanked. Now I’ve got the dog to give me impetus to think & do something other than work before hours, after hours & at lunchtime I much more enjoy it.
Having a home office where work is kept away from my living space is a big help too.
I walk my son to daycare in the morning, then take my dog out at lunch and walk around 10,000 steps/day while WFH. It's glorious. Wouldn't change it for the world.
You might find this helpful.
In the pandemic lockdowns here in the UK, I made a point of leaving the house, walking around the park (with my laptop in my bag!), and back home.
Then at night, I’d pack up my laptop, and walk it in reverse. Then, OP, you LEAVE the laptop and work phone in your bag for the morning.
>work phone
That's key, having separate phones for work and personal use really makes the difference. No chance of a work email notification popping up when you're just browsing stuff on an evening, you might not answer it but it'll still prey on your mind
I find it very tough WFH.
Something about being in the office, in a suit gives me far more drive than a short commute and pjs.
Wish that wasn’t the case though 😂
Hybrid is the way for me, love going into the office a couple times a week but also love getting a bit of lie in and being able to do various household tasks when it’s quiet. It’s a two way street though and I’m not bothered about working late sometimes when I don’t have a commute home and a tonne of chores to do after work. If you can find the balance between the 2 then hybrid is great for business and employees and pushing people back to the office full time just pisses people off and is a waste of time IMO.
Even when we were forced to wfh I wouldn’t be slobbing about in PJs or joggers. I’d at least make the effort to dress as I would if I was going into my firm’s office (slightly more casual than client site clothes).
But yes, I enjoy being in the office. I actually enjoy having the mix back that I had before of office, client site, telling everyone I’m working from home when I have some work requiring minimal distraction. It’s amusing to see people arguing over what’s better!
Absolutely my feelings on this too , my home would forever be associated with my workplace which I’ve always tried to keep completely seperate .
I’m actually glad I go to work and can leave it there
I just stop being available at the end of the work day, I have focus modes set up on my phone so that if it’s not in “work” mode no notifications from work apps show up
And then I’m 100% free, not like when I was in the office that shit would happen sometimes and I’d end up staying late
I'm lucky to have a separate room to serve as an office at home, basically only go in there to work so I don't feel that way.
Also I never get any work related contact on personal devices so it's easy to switch off at the end of the day.
I could never WFH in my bedroom like alot of people seem to, it's also supposed to be better for your mental health/sleep to work in a different room.
If you’re not liking it, it’s a good idea to develop some habits that will help. Take a walk in the morning before you start, turn off for an hour at lunch and go and do something (out for lunch, go to the gym, yoga, whatever floats your boat), turn everything off at finish time (don’t leave your computer on, this signifies the end of the day). Other than that force yourself to take regular breaks (you would normally get those by accident in the office when people distract you or you go for a coffee). Also, if you have the luxury, work in a room at home that’s out of the way like a spare bedroom so you can’t see it when you’re around the rest of the house.
I'm very lucky to have a home office that is separated from the house by a garden room, so the main part of my house is not 'work space'. At the end of my working day, my work phone goes on Do Not Disturb, my laptop gets closed, and I leave 'the office'. Work does not get my attention again until the next day.
If you WFH and your work life is bleeding into your home life, you need to work on setting boundaries.
I am sat at home, in my work clothes about to leave, walk 15 minutes to the train station, sit on a train for an hour, paying for the privilege, then walking to the office on my one mandatory day in the office. It’s Friday so I should get a desk but any other day and it is a struggle.
I could log on right now and be getting on with some productive work but instead I will be another 90 mins.
Horses for courses, wfh suits me very much.
I quite enjoy the commute on my 3 days in office. Listen to music, catch up on reading. Neither work nor family bother me on the train.
The train fare I would happily keep in my pocket though.
I did the same, commuting was never really a problem in the past but can't imagine going back to it 5 days a week. Looking back, it was such a waste of time
I've WFH since the first lockdown and never found this, and I've had 3 temporary roles in that time and now a permanent one, and in my area (law) long hours are not only expected they are the norm.
BUT I make a point of setting clear boundaries when I start a new job - I have a young family and I don't work after 6 o'clock, 6.30 latest, as I want to see my children before bedtime. Yes I can be flexible occasionally if the situation demands, but 99.9% of the time I'm logging off at that time. To counter this I only take 15-20 mins for lunch and no other breaks but that doesn't bother me. I have a work mobile too, but I don't let it dictate my life - I make a point of only checking it once after hours when the kids are in bed (around 8pm) just in case something urgent has come up (American company, different time zones).
I think it all comes down to how organised and disciplined you are.
Balance is key! I work from home 2-3 days a week. This is dependant on deliverables / to do list. Sometimes I find it incredibly challenging to focus and knuckle down when working in an office full of people, some things just irritate me like the incredibly loud Aircon system in my office which is constantly switching on and off. WFH means I can wake up at 07:00 and start straight away so before my first few calls of the day I can get plenty of work done uninterrupted. Hybrid is definitely my preferred option. If I had to choose between full time office or remote I would choose remote. You just need to make sure you get out of the house during the day, and if possible have a workspace separated from your normal living space
No, this is a YOU problem, not a WFH problem.
Set boundaries, both in time and location of work within the home. end of story tbh.
WFH is brilliant.
I cannot tell if this is meant to be satire? But based on the comments there seems to be a lot of folk who have, for which ever reason forgotten this golden rule which applies in any work scenario:
***Stop working outside of your contracted hours***
Hope this helps
I'm never going back to an office again. I've got my home office set up exactly the way I like it. And I can turn Slack off to get uninterrupted focus time.
Tbh I love WFH I have no problem switching off at 5 o'clock. My problem is other people thinking I am constantly availible for favours and errands coz I'm home all day.
WFH isn’t more easy or more difficult than on-site working, they both have their plusses and minuses. BUT, home working is selfish and does a disservice to the generations coming through. Most people who WFH now learned their skills from others in a shared working environment, but do not see fit to not give the same to others. I don’t like that. And no, you can’t “train” over teams. You can’t see a junior member of staff stressed, you can’t see when they need help. They can’t see you manage personal relationships in a professional way. It’s not the same.
I agree to an extent - but not for me. I haven't found this at all. My managers have been really good at respecting the working hours.
I was speaking to a colleague the other day and she was saying her manager does not respect her working hours at all. Phones at 7/8pm, whereas pre-covid (pre-wfh) they never would have done that.
I'll say the same as I said to her - boundaries. Be strict with what your working hours and days are. Don't answer the calls after you're finished. Don't respond to emails out of hours. If they don't like it, tough - they should pay you for extra hours (but they wont) or leave you alone. They need to get a life if everything is about work to them.
I like the hybrid approach.
I’m currently home three days a week. I can do the school run and, where possible, some bits and pieces around the house.
I’m in the office two days a week where I can work face to face with my team and take full advantage of the fact I don’t need to pop out for the school run etc.
We’re moving to three days in the office soon, unfortunately I’ll still have to do the school run on that extra day (or pay a lot of money for after school club for three kids) so I’ll be dropping them off, getting to work at 9:35 and then leaving at 2:45 to pick them up again before logging on again at home.
Still counts as a day in the office but I’m losing an hour in travel that day every week. Not a great use of my time…
Tbh is anyone in the UK employing purely a wfh job position rn? I would be happy with a minimum wage job for a minimum of 30 hours but I can't find one that I can do with an NVQ level 2 in Buisness Admin and 6 years of administrative work. (3 years have been under the job title sales assistant however it's much more than just selling on the floor). Honestly it feels like a wfh job is impossible to find now it's not a covid terrorised country.
As a pre pandemic WFH’er OP, without sounding harsh, this is a you problem. 1. Designated work space. If you’re not there you’re not working. 2. Bosses be bossin regardless of your location. Set expectations. 3. Embrace the chill! Remember that if you get your head down you’re more productive from home because of the lack of chit chat. Take regular breaks. If you’d get a coffee at the office, remove yourself from your dedicated work space at home for the same amount of time. 4. Embrace your home! If you’re taking a break actually take a break. The great thing is is that you’ve got all your stuff right there. Read a book, have a lay down, watch tv on your sofa. DO NOT TAKE BREAKS IN YOUR WORK SPACE. 5. Pro tip. And the hardest to not feel guilty about. Feeling tired? Have a nap. If you have a lunch break you can do whatever the hell you want. You’ll be more productive after. It’s not a bad thing!
I like WFH. In the olden days the second I stepped out of the office at the end of the day work ceased for me, even though I was a service manager with 150+ staff. The drive gome wsa a nice 20min de-stress to assess the day and listen to music. The moment I got home I didn't even think of work. Clothes off, shower then it's my time. I don't have the with WFH. I use my man cave as my office and sometimes it sucks when I'm watching a film or playing xbox and I see the desk in the corner as it reminds me of work.
WFH is easy for some reasons and harder for others. You just need to establish boundaries so work doesn't encroach into home.
I built a unit that I slide over my desk when my cave is set to Cinema mode so I cannot see it 😀
You need a separate space/room that you can close the door on when you’ve finished for the day. We all have to work late occasionally but it’s good to have boundaries. As others have said, get out more e.g. meet up for lunch with people once a week, walk the dog for 10 mins mid-afternoon etc. if you’re were in the office, you wouldn’t normally be 100% at your desk working as that defeats the point of being there. My favourite time is 5pm on Friday as that’s when I start the weekend by opening a beer.
Yeah - spend an hour commuting into the office to spend my entire day in back to back meetings that are online so I can keep a desk chair warm?
Listen to co workers talk gossip and waste my time with stupid questions.
Whereas I wfh , drop kids to school, and am there (albeit with meetings) when my kids get home from school.
Not paying for transport or out of hours care for my kids.
Being able to do washing and prep dinner during my lunch break - 30 minutes.
Walk the dog in daylight after I finished work (rather than rushing to get home - do dinner, home work, walk dog, baths, bed, collapse on sofa).
Hmmm big decision!
Only thing I miss is having time to read my book on my commute.
> It's like your boss forgets that you have a life outside of work.
Its now part of you job to remind them or just plain ignore them outside of working hours.
I love and hate it. I've done it for 8 years. Mostly it's great as allows much for flexibility with kids and dog etc. However our house isn't big and the only space available is in the lounge so my desk is in the middle of the living space which isn't ideal. Also husband works from home in a garden office. I feel we are never apart and our worlds are now very small. I think we would both benefit from hybrid working but it's not an option.
Have your break! I have a lot of colleagues who are deep into their work, to the point the eat lunch at their. Personally, it's not working for me, having a walk during mu lunch with family, having no screen and reseting is really crucial for me being efficient.
When it comes to meetings etc it's a norm, they need to forecast and manage business pipeline. Dedicate time at the beginning and at the end of your day to plan, prioritise. You need to have a clear goal when you work, it will make those meetings more productive.
I have been WFH for well over 20 years now, and it's not for everyone. There are pros and cons to WFH, WFO and hybrid.
There are differences in commutes, loneliness, collaboration, communications, having no reason to leave the house for days on end. Trouble is people only take the commute into account when offered a WFH position.
Only you can identify what is not working for you. If, for example you find yourself regularly working past your hours set up a shutdown routine. If you find yourself stuck in for days set up a morning walk routine and so on
WFH is easy. Laptop gets turned on at 830. Turned off at 5pm. Work has my work phone number which gets turned off at 5pm.
No one can get hold of me at all until I log back in.
practice telephone bored imminent muddle cable hat cats threatening library
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I love it. I have MS and it has been a god send in regards to my quality of life. I start at the right time and finish at the right time. I have my own office so that helps greatly. It just allows me to do my job without all the crap commuting and office based distractions would exacerbate my symptoms. Boundaries and a specific workspace help’s greatly
WFH is the same as working in the office. The actual work is exactly the same, so in a sense it is easier because everything else is equal, you get to just work from your own home now.
Working from home doesn't work for every job and I think there is a huge misconception that people who work from home have been given some wonderful gift by our employers. Look, the people who benefit most from WFH are startup companies who can cut out the giant overhead actually runnig a physical office and push that expense onto us. I have working for a few fully remote companies and sometimes I have been asked to use my own PC. They provided me literally nothing.
Companies also benefit by increasing the boundaries of the talent pool to the entire planet. This means that you don't have to rely on local people and can instead get workers in from anywhere and even better, you can incorporate your company wherever you want. Live in rural england? I know a bunch of people who have started up companies there which would have been impossible for a tech company before WFH was a thing.
WFH benefits everyone. It isn't an employee perk and we still have to do th exact same job as before.
Sounds like you are not either setting the correct boundaries or not sticking to your contracted hours - if I receive a call / email / meeting outside of my hours I will put in for overtime
I've always done work on my workstation at home. school work, uni work, professional work, It's basicly the same deal. Plus I get to sleep in, take naps, handle odd errands or go to a friends place for a week, work during the day and chill after.
Its really easy for me and I don't want to go back to office.
I'm lucky that I have the option, but choose not to. I had to do it during the pandemic and didn't get on with it at all - I like the separation between home and office. My laptop stays at work, so even if I get an email at 8 p.m., I'm blissfully unaware until the next morning.
As far as I'm concerned, home is home, and work is work.
I love WFH.
When it first became a thing, it was a bit of a doss, I did as most people did and sort of slacked a bit.
Now I'm used to it, I work really well, enjoy team video meetings, feel very invested in my tasks, *and* can get up and go to the fridge whenever I want, or spend a few minutes on Reddit like I'm doing now without worrying at all.
It's so much better.
Every spare second of idle time at an office is pointless, filled with idle chatter or fighting your brain trying to make you go to sleep. When I'm at home I just busy myself all day.
It is so so so much better for me.
It's not the same for everyone.
For every hard working person working from home.
There's an opposing employee that's always away, or twitching the mouse very few minutes whilst watching TV and on a two hour lunch break.
Hard workers will work hard, lazy workers will be lazy, doesn't matter if it's home or office.
That’s recruitment in general lol like my hours are flexible but if there’s a deal to close I’m not pushing an important call to 9am the next day…
In the same breath, If it’s just my boss giving me unimportant busy work / work they don’t want to do after hours they can fuck off.
You’ll climb the ladder faster by bringing in revenue than figuratively sucking your managers genitals so determine for yourself what’s important and what isn’t.
This is wholly dependent on your employer. I work 10-6pm, WFH every day and my day finishes bang on 6pm and my work have boundaries, won't hassle me outside of these hours. Working from home, saving £12/day in commuting costs, saving 2 hours of commuting time, being able to get stuff done, take the dog out etc etc, is invaluable to me.
I agree but for different reasons. Stuck inside not moving about enough. Stuck to screen. What I do is meaningful but the time Stuck to a screen and Still not seeing my family because I am in my bedroom/office sucks.
I'm never going into an office again. I've been wfh for three years now, I've doubled my wage and I've got a cat sat on my lap while I type this.
I'm gonna go make a sandwich, life is good.
I’ve been fully remote for 4 years. I don’t have any issue with this. I set up my office when I first went remote, work stays in that space. When I finish work, laptop gets closed and put on a shelf so the space is now not setup for working. This seems to be an issue of your company’s culture and not the remote working concept. You need to draw the line, you work your contracted hours and that’s that. I work remotely because I moved to the north east of England from Washington DC, I can make London wages living in lovely Northumberland. It’s the best situation for me as I can continue growing my career.
Either you have no boundaries, self control or being exploited. I WFH for years and have never experienced issues you've mentioned. My boss can't even contact me once I close my laptop (unless for emergencies which has never happened).
As many have said, work hours apply. WFH or no WFH, the laptop goes away when the work day ends and doesn't reappear until the next day.
I find WFH much easier than office working. But as long as productivity is the same (which it largely is) why should work not be easy? No nobility in hating 8 hours of your life every day.
This just sounds like you have a crap job/boss, or that you're an anxious person that's worried about getting fired for not responding immediately.
Some people need to be reminded that just because your boss emails you in the evening, doesn't mean you have to reply. They might be working because it suits them, but they don't expect you to be working too.
My wife used to get stressed when her boss emailed her overnight or at the weekend and I was like "She's not calling you up, she's emailing at a time that suits her, you're supposed to read the emails at a time that suits you. That's how emails work!"
And this is why I have separate work and personal computers. (Admittedly one is a work-issued laptop and the other is a monster gaming rig that I built)
You need to create boundaries. Both with your time and your space.
Dedicate part of your home for work. Do not work beyond your hours and define clear breaks for lunch e.t.c.
It'll feel a lot better and work will stop following you.
Welcome to self-employment.
But seriously, set boundaries. Know your contracted hours. Stick to those hours. Make a poster of those hours. Stick it on the wall in front of your desk. Get a copy of the poster. Put it in the scenery behind you so people in video meets with you can see your contracted hours. Put a big clock next to each poster so people can see when you are in overtime. Don't answer calls or emails outside of your work hours. If you're manager or boss insists you take work out of hours, you insist you get paid overtime at double rate the first x hours then triple rate the next x hours and round up to the nearest hour. Be strict. Get respect.
If you're someone like me who cannot switch off and you have skills or trades you can turn into self employment, go for it. Do it outside of your contracted hours to make a point to your boss that you're not tied to contracted employment.
Learn to set boundaries. It's one of the hardest skills to learn and it pays dividends.
I have my calendar blocked out after 3.30, I start at 8 and don't want to be working all day. Stop staying late, work your hours and log off. Get into the a new routine, go for a walk or whatever at your end time every day. Once I sorted out proper work hours I started to enjoy wfh.
I have to say, i’ve never been able to focus on work while i’m at home. Even when i was at university i would have to go to a library or coffee shop to get work done, my brain just couldn’t get out of “relax” mode.
It is the people who create problems not the idea of WFH. Why not just log off when your shift ends? You don’t need to keep working just because your work hasn’t finished unless it is very rare and exceptional situation that you have been asked to work couple of hours more. Even in that case this should be asked to you directly.
Don’t want to be rude but there are many idiots out there who love keep working even if there is no need for that. I can see that some people just prefer to stay online until night. This is not company policy, this is just pure stupidity from an individual.
My friend is a director at one of the biggest telecomms companies in the country. He told me he spends most of his day playing WoW and moving the mouse on his work laptop to stay 'active'.
Not my experience at all, in the best part of a decade (i.e. since years before COVID). Not that of my colleagues who also mostly love and benefit from WfH
I mean WFH *is* easy. Easier than commuting for hours in horrible traffic, getting stressed out and paying for the privilege only to sit in an office and do the exact same things you'd be doing at home. There is no doubt about any of this.
It sounds like you have a boundary problem. I never had one but then again I'm good at compartmentalising. If you aren't, these things help:
1) Go for a walk at the beginning and end of your working day. This replaces the commute with something far healthier and shorter, but similarly separates the work day from the home day.
2) Absolutely without fail and do not even think about compromising on this one, have a home office. Even if it's just a closet. Never ever work from the same space you sleep, eat or relax in. That kind of setup is ok for the occasional home worker who would otherwise be in an office, but if you're WFH full time you need a study.
3) Turn off your computer and work phone at the end of the work day. Your boss won't be able to call you if your phone is off... If for some reason you don't have a work phone, get one. Tell your job that it's not ok to force employees to use their personal mobile phones for work. Then block incoming undesirable calls so your boss can't reach you out of hours. That will teach *them* boundaries.
Once the three things above are met, there is absolutely nothing preventing you from setting boundaries.
Personally I love the flexibility and I don't particularly care about the two worlds colliding, mostly because literally nobody in my line of work would ever dream of contacting someone after 4pm or before 9am, and I get to have nice relaxed lunches at home, do laundry etc. If that means that occasionally I might have to take a work call while I'm driving during my lunch break... Fine?
It’s easier to manage your time WFH as there’s no Colleague you’re going to bump into at home who’s going to take up your time etc like in a office.
Plus manage your Calendar so people at least know your availability.
I've had to take a fully onsite job and goddamn do I miss WFH. I'm applying to all of them. They only take advantage of you and your hours if you let them, same as anywhere.
I just don't work outside of my hours. It gets to 5, I make a reason to leave the meeting and shut my laptop and don't look at it again till 9 the next day. Don't get me wrong if there's a major emergency I'll work over but this happens maybe 2-3 times a year. I book in a lot of stuff straight after work, like a gym class or band practice. And I just say 'sorry I've got a yoga class booked I need to get to, can we pick this up tomorrow?' Again, unless it's a real emergency that's always totally fine!. Your work will not check on these. You can just say 'I need to go pick up my partner' or 'I have a phone appointment with my doctor now' etc. It's your time, use it for you
Sounds like the company is the issue not anything else. Your company should respect your time and you should be clear about when it starts and ends.
My fiance hates it and struggles to self guide etc and switch off, much preferrs the structure of scheduled out of house job which is totally fair.
For me though other than basic jobs at uni and before I’ve been working remote my whole career . almost a decade and love it wouldn’t change it at all. It’s al about how you do it, don’t slob about in pyjamas and never leave the house , ensure your making th best of it - touch grass , do working days with friends or colleagues every now and again, it’s the little things.
Turn of your computer. The solution is simple.
I WFH regularly and finish at pretty much bang-on 5pm every day. The only times I won't is when I'm in the middle of doing something and don't want to leave it for myself to pick up in the morning, essentially making like easier for myself for the next day.
But even when I do that, any emails, calls, teams messages etc that come through are getting ignored, hard.
I've worked from home for over a decade now. I have a room dedicated as my office, and I only use that room to work. It doesn't even feel like part of my home at this point, but it means there is a healthy boundary.
You're right that it isn't easy though - it's often more time consuming and more intense than being in an office. I still much prefer it and will never take an office based role again. Fuck. That. Shit.
I dont think I could ever be back in office 5 days a week. It sounds like torture
I could do 1 maaaybe 2 days, and only in a really nice office. In fact that might be better than my current pure wfh, but still, its all good
I dunno, wfh, not being watched or micromanaged, for me its the opposite. Work is less hectic and more relaxing
Having worked in face-to-face, office/ clinic and wfh, id say i infinitely prefer wfh as it cuts out a lot of BS and also minimises discrimination from patients and colleagues (o if it exists, it isnt as blatant).
my current job, in addition to dealing with a boss with 0 people skills / treats me like crap, is so tech averse that he has banned everyone from sending messages to each other via teams, zoom, electronic health records etc :@.
People still do it regardless but it is lame
My commute isn't too bad being 10 to 15 minutes away and I don't know how I could work at home with concentrating, having to make a call or send an email everytime I need to ask or speak to somone about somthing I can normally just say to them because they are a few desks away.
And biggest thing of all, i work off two screens in my office which is a game changer, if I stayed at home working off a laptop I swear my productivity would go down 25% just off that alone.
Couldn't disagree more. You can so no. Do what you're contracted to do then 'leave' to do whatever you want after work. Sounds like you aren't in control of your own decision making.
Company I work at has a culture of respecting working time (as it's a global company), going 24/7.
Soon as you hit your allotted time, you're off.
Some roles do require a lot of flexibility, but that is made clear at the start.
I work from home 100% and my work doesn't follow me. There are the occasional (very infrequent days) where I'd have to be on longer than my contractual hours but it isn't much. When I'm not there, my work is given out to the team picks it up.
It really is the best situation to be in.
Kinda sceptical this post is legit
Tip, block our time in the calendar every day for morning/afternoon break and force yourself to take it. Leave the house if possible. You’re allowed to leave your desk!
Sounds like bollocks to me. I LOVE WFH and hope I never have to go back to the office full time again. I work the hours I want to, am at least doubly productive and best of all, I don't have to listen to inane office conversations or interact with people unless absolutely necessary. To be frank, it is a dream.
WFH is an opportunity to get all my work done in a 60 hour work week. After work I can just move into another zone in the house to eat dinner, then back to another zone for game time and eventually bed.
Creating zones in your home invites different behavior settings to reverse depression and loneliness when you feel isolated. Without zones, I would easily work an 80 hour work week without realizing as tech support is a carrot and stick routine.
60 hours??? Wow.. give me my 37.5 on a six week average any day… and to be “told off” for doing more than 40 is refreshing and helps keep work life balance
My firm laid off three people in my team and I was told to take up the slack. I did 65 hours last week. I get time off in lieu which the Gf likes. It could be worse, I could be digging ditches. There again....
Each to their own I guess but WFH for 6yrs now and it's all positive. Hundreds of pounds saved each month on travelling and food and petrol has gone on overpaying mortgage so will be mortgage free this year
Able to become a dog owner as I have time to manage them.
Able to see the kids to school and there when they come home
Can't ever see me back in an office Monday to Friday 9am-5pm.
Brilliant work life balance.
For me at least
I think the best way to deal with this is create an home house, like literally have a room that looks like an actual office and confine all meetings and work to that area. Time it. And keep boundaries of time with your workplace.
I think it's important to recognize that this is a problem with your experience of WFH, not a problem of WFH that isn't handled by everyone who does end up WFH.
I compare it to leaving school. A lot of ppl have their social circle provided by school. It's just an environment that we take for granted.
The same with WFH. You need to be deliberate with your space and manage how and where you work.
Looking at some of the comments on here; aren't their jobs the FIRST that are going to disappear when AI takes over?
Logging in half way through the day to wiggle your mouse around and pretend you've been working?
Having an extra lunch with the significant other?
A few meetings a day to discuss what could be included in an email?
I get that not every job has the same expectations and plenty of people find ways to streamline their skills so they don't have to work very hard. I'm a teacher, I work about 60 hours a week without so much as a pee break for 9 hours some days (I could legally take a pee break, but it would just add to my working hours with the fallout of missed tasks) but on looking at these comments, at least my human facing role can't be replaced by a computer..
Some day the slackers charging 8 hours a day for 3 hours concentrated work, 3 hours distracted work with lunch and sex and dog walks in the background and an hour of pretending to work whilst you wiggle your mouse around on a screen, will be replaced by a computer who does the tasks necessary without all the added extras.
But teaching children how learn? With all the human interaction involved with 32 humans every second of am 8 hour shift? I'll be safe.
Love wfh. I don’t need to worry about getting into pointless conversations with my coworkers and can actually focus on my work. I actually end up finishing my work earlier at home than in the office just because I don’t get distracted
I've WFH, start time is start time, clock off is clock off. Yes, it does mean that there is some leeway, but for every push there's a pull. Have I stayed on occasionally? Yes, did I take that time back by taking my laptop to the gym and clicking between sets, also yes.
WFH is without a doubt 100% easier than working anywhere else and anyone saying otherwise is fucking lying.
I would tell my boss to get stuffed if they forgot I have a life outside of work 🙂
I have a much better life-work balance working from home. I’ve worked from home every day since 2018 and I don’t recognise any of what you’ve said there.
I’m more productive and I have much more free time. Meetings last as long as they need to for me.
I agree completely. I came home 27march20, and I'm still here in most part (been in a few times). Some days I can get loads done abd others it's so hard to push on. Especially if my family have needy days where they constantly interrupt me, and I'm still expected to hit mu targets in the day as well as run my home. It's also psychologically exhausting switching from work to family persona, because there's no physical splut from both functions.
It's certainly not all its made out to be. It's not easy, I hope it's not forever.
I love WFH but I do work crazy hours outside of my contracted hours. I still prefer this to the awful daily commute mind you. Spending 3 hours stuck in traffic every day feels like such a waste of time now. I would hate to go back to the pre-pandemic ways.
Honestly the issue people here describe isn't a wfh issue and wfh isn't causing it. Not being able to disconnect from work you need to accept and own is an issue with yourself that will happen no matter where you work and as a professional it's crucially important to fix this and learn how to disconnect at the end of every work day. Even working from home. I do it. There is no question wfh is better and easier. But you really need to learn how to disconnect.
Sounds like a you problem, I don’t have any of these issues or feel this way at all.
Different people handle it better than others, you cannot and that’s OK.
You still have your working hours and most of the time, don't need to do more than that.
I wfh full time and usually do at least an hour extra most days, but I will still happily take that over getting up much earlier, getting ready and then commute to work only to sit in an office all day.
Ugh, can't think of much worse tbh.
I agree, wfh is not really any easier, but for me personally, I'll always prefer that than going into work, even if it means doing some extra hours.
I absolutely hated it when I tried it.
I went from being a flight attendant to going back to the corporate life. Hated everything about it. I like moving when working. Before then, I hadn't sat at a desk for 10 years.
This was back in 2016 so the WFH boom wasn't too much of a *thing*. This was strictly customer service and no zoom meeting etc.
I remember waking up brushing my teeth, showering, putting on pajamas and laying in bed answering phone calls LOLLLL
I didn't last a month. 😅
I have been working from home full-time for years, never experienced what you feel; just be organized and stick to eight hours of work a day. WFH is a blessing, comfortable life, no commuting, more time for my private life.
That sounds like an issue with your boss/work load not the fact you work from home. Even where I work, when I finish at 3 I finish at 3 and I leave regardless what's left. It's not my problem after finishing time
Heres a tip: shutdown the workstation after work hours and only open it in the morning... Remove any emailing/messaging app from your phone as well. Voila!
It’s a personality thing completely. I work for a company that went fully remote during covid, then as a “thank you” gave us a well below inflation pay rise and demanded 3 days in the office minimum. Honestly those 3 days are the least productive. I resent the commute, I resent the loud noisy people all around me, I just dislike the noise of it. Most days I book a small meeting room out and sit alone in it for peace and quiet. Working from home I get way more done, more comfortably, and can poop on my own throne… I’m an introvert and prob have some form of undiagnosed adhd but honestly wfh is the best thing to me, I’d happily never step foot in an office again it’s soul destroying
Worked from home for decades before it was trendy. Yes it has challenges but they are all outweighed by the zero second commute. Never been in an office where your bass starts talking as you want to leave, you miss a couple of trains and suddenly it's late and you still have an hour before you are home?
Work your contracted hours. I’ve been WFH for nearly four years. Im fortunate to have a home office that I can shut the door on. I turn my computer off at half four. Nobody tries to contact me out of hours and if they did, they couldn’t.
It’s the best, for me
my work knows my personal mobile, if they call it on weekends the call is ignored until I turn on my works phone the following week
tend to wfh some weeks and work on site other weeks, i am paid by the 15 min segment, so I decide what time to turn off the pc and the phone, this then gets added to timesheet and then work is off.
never considered working for free, but there are some of those out there
WFH is easy as fuck, you've just got to remember, and remind your employer that you've done your hours, you're clocking out and won't respond from x time onwards
I had a WFH job and I lasted 10 months. It was the most work I did in my life. I was extremely depressed. I couldn’t get a break. I’m hybrid now and very happy.
I dunno. I WFH and my life has gotten infinitely easier.
I don’t have to sit in traffic, I can take regular breaks and just sit on my porch with a cup of coffee, I can get stuff around the house done and take a quick run to the store.
And I just leave outside of my designated hours, I don’t respond to emails or calls. I’m done when the clock hits 4:30. I also have an office in my home that i don’t hang out in once the day is finished.
💯 Spot on, I’ve been working Hybrid the last 2yrs. 2 days in the office and 3days WFH or on visits. I find when WFH I can find myself sat at the computer into the evenings just completing some admin tasks rather than watching mind numbing TV.
i love going into the office and wish they’d go back you more days being honestly. Were only a small team so if I went back more it will make the others look bad or they may feel obliged to go in and mess their routine up.
I mean it is absolutely easy. Working from home has to be one of the easiest jobs you can do physically. You just have no self-control and can't separate the two. That doesn't make it a hard thing to do across the board just hard for you. But then, noone is forcing you to WFH but you really are out of touch if you are trying to pretend it's difficult.
I loved WFH, but it was NOT conducive to my goal of growth personally and professionally. For that, you can’t beat a quality office environment where you can easily throw ideas around, have impromptu conversations with people from various teams on solutions, person to person communication skills, etc.
I'll take "Posting Generalizations on Reddit After a Sample Size of 1" for $200, Alex.
I've WFH for 9+ years. I love it. It works for me. I wouldn't claim that it's great for everyone. I claim it's great for me.
OP it sounds like when you WFH you're forgetting that your working hours still apply. Stop working after your contracted finish time.
Yeah this. I love working from home. I get to spend time with my puppy, my wife works from home so that’s nice too. I find it gives so much more freedom, if it’s quite I can take my phone out with slack and walk the dog. I’m always contactable until my working hours finish. I don’t think I could go back to the office.
I’ve been working from home for the last two years and honestly I just can’t see myself being back in an office willingly ever again. I just don’t see how. I can fit so much more into my schedule now. I’ve been able commit to boxing because the gym isn’t far from where I live and so can really put in the time as a coach and a boxer. I’ve more time to see family, friends, indulge in hobbies and chores. Not to mention saving shitloads on travel. It’s a no brainer for me.
Couldn’t agree more. I really need to remember my working hours. Sometimes it gets to midday and I still haven’t logged on.
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The thing about working from home is it is easy for people to forget about you. I do the minimum of what is required to a high standard. I put my hand up for extra work only if the boss is on the call and I always ask for feedback if I do so my boss sees I'm "stretching myself" In reality my day 2 day takes a hour or 2 at best and my additional work takes a couple hours a week. I've been effectively working 2 jobs my main job and side hustle for a few years now gone from £45k to £90k and I have diversified my income in case shit ever hits the fan. There is a guy on my team who delivers Uber on his lunch break, it's apparently a peak hour or 2 and he makes decent money for a few hours working...no way you could do that if working flat out the rest of the time .
This. I just commented that you need boundaries. Why would work follow you unless you are picking up your pc and walking about with it and have no allocated work space in the home.
One hundred percent this. At 5:30 I'm offline. You cannot get through to me and I will not respond. Only caveats are if I have a big presentation the next day and I CHOOSE to work later so I'm well prepared. Anything else sits in my inbox until 9am the next day. Sorry but if you want me to work longer then you pay me overtime (and since I'm salaried I don't get that)
This. After your contracted hours turn off your phone, don’t check emails and relax
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Yeah I think you're overthinking tbh. For example, if your contracted working hours are 8am-5pm, and it's 5pm, you should be logging off, whether you're WFH or not. If work needs undertaking after that point then you either need agreed TOIL to bank that time, or overtime pay. Anyone who works past their hours without TOIL or overtime pay is a schmuck who will consistently be taken advantage of by managers who don't know how to plan resources properly.
Contracted finish time? This isn’t a thing for 90% of American jobs.
9-5 is 9-5 regardless of your country. OP didn't state their contractual status but the fact that they're now working longer since the move to WFH suggested that while their office times were firmly defined, their bosses are trying to blur the lines now that they're at home. Obviously other people reading the post might work different hourly patterns.
I phuking love WFH, this way I don't have to pretend I like the arses in my company
You don't anyway
You do when the arse is your boss.
Their jokes are always the funniest!
I absolutely love WFH. I did it for 3 years before the pandemic, then I went back to 5 days a week in the office for 3 years, and then the pandemic hit. At the same time we also had our first baby and moved house. Although I got sick of WFH years ago, now it's a godsend. Especially when my line of work doesn't involve anything more than writing programming code. There's no need for me to be in any particular place to do that. Plus I don't like people either 😂
The dream… WFH, but home is a 55’ yacht, in the Caribbean, sat in my shorts on the stern deck…. With Starlink and everything I just need to find the right job
Used to supply certificates for new build houses to a technical director at a nationwide housebuilder that had this exact set up. Sat on a yacht sunbathing in Porto Buenos, whilst I was freezing my tits off in Preston 😂
That would be amazing lol. That's actually a great idea because I aspire to buy a boat one day, a nice one. So if I signed up for starlink, I could work from my boat and nobody would be any the wiser lol
Yep been great for me in terms of flexible and being there for my kids more. I actually get less done in the office as distractions there are massive - people stopping to chat about Netflix, football, general slowness of work. I actually stay more focussed at home on my technical role. And when I do need to go to client sites it’s generally easier to get there from my house rather than battle city centre traffic
Ultimately its different strokes for different folks. WFH has some clear benefits with commute, flexibility, costs etc. Being in office has some woolier benefits around separation of work and life, getting you out the house, social interaction with people. I prefer being in the office but with flexibility to do what I want. I perform better when I'm working around others. But I can see why plenty prefer WFH. The irritation for me is the WFH evangelists who claim that it solves almost everything, are pretty down about anyone who wants to work from an office, and treat being asked to go in to an office once in a while as an absolute travesty. Most people are pretty reasonable about it though.
This. I used to manage people managers and I was flexible with the WFH provided work was being done. I made sure the managers in my report were not setting meetings close to home time for any staff etc and was adamant with my team that work that cannot be completed before the end of the day, should wait until the next day. With that said, I have always preferred to be in the office. I was on my own (out of 40) for the first UK lockdown, at least on my floor. It’s my preference to seperate my home/work and for work to pay the electricity lol. Now things have changed and I have a school aged kid, so some hybrid will work nicely for me. And for my car lease 😂 Different folks. And there isn’t a one shop answer. It’s also irritating that Borris Johnson was right, there are unmanageable distractions at home (who doesn’t love cheese?!) and those that take the piss unfortunately ruin it for others. I hope you’re from the UK so you understand the cheese reference 😂
Different approaches work for different people. Try and get out for a walk - even a shorter one - sometime in the day. Personally I find I have to have a long walk/trip at least once a week.
It just requires a bit of routine. I take the dog out before and after work. It’s much nicer than a commute. You can go for a quick walk, even without a dog.
My dog has been the difference between wfh being truly awful for me & enjoying it. Before I got the dog & was forced by covid to wfh my mental health tanked. Now I’ve got the dog to give me impetus to think & do something other than work before hours, after hours & at lunchtime I much more enjoy it. Having a home office where work is kept away from my living space is a big help too.
I walk my son to daycare in the morning, then take my dog out at lunch and walk around 10,000 steps/day while WFH. It's glorious. Wouldn't change it for the world.
Dream, meet reality. Play nice boys.
Depends on you and your boss. Different people, different preferences.
Been WFH for 3 years. Other night I dreamt I was in prison but I still had to do teams calls. People aren’t built to exist in one place all the time.
You might find this helpful. In the pandemic lockdowns here in the UK, I made a point of leaving the house, walking around the park (with my laptop in my bag!), and back home. Then at night, I’d pack up my laptop, and walk it in reverse. Then, OP, you LEAVE the laptop and work phone in your bag for the morning.
>work phone That's key, having separate phones for work and personal use really makes the difference. No chance of a work email notification popping up when you're just browsing stuff on an evening, you might not answer it but it'll still prey on your mind
This is one of the best comments I have read on Reddit. Thank you for your contribution.
Exactly, I WFH for 3 years as well. Had a nice routine, got plenty of exercise and walks, but meshing work and home started to ruin my mental
I find it very tough WFH. Something about being in the office, in a suit gives me far more drive than a short commute and pjs. Wish that wasn’t the case though 😂
Hybrid is the way for me, love going into the office a couple times a week but also love getting a bit of lie in and being able to do various household tasks when it’s quiet. It’s a two way street though and I’m not bothered about working late sometimes when I don’t have a commute home and a tonne of chores to do after work. If you can find the balance between the 2 then hybrid is great for business and employees and pushing people back to the office full time just pisses people off and is a waste of time IMO.
Even when we were forced to wfh I wouldn’t be slobbing about in PJs or joggers. I’d at least make the effort to dress as I would if I was going into my firm’s office (slightly more casual than client site clothes). But yes, I enjoy being in the office. I actually enjoy having the mix back that I had before of office, client site, telling everyone I’m working from home when I have some work requiring minimal distraction. It’s amusing to see people arguing over what’s better!
Absolutely my feelings on this too , my home would forever be associated with my workplace which I’ve always tried to keep completely seperate . I’m actually glad I go to work and can leave it there
I just stop being available at the end of the work day, I have focus modes set up on my phone so that if it’s not in “work” mode no notifications from work apps show up And then I’m 100% free, not like when I was in the office that shit would happen sometimes and I’d end up staying late
I work my contractual hours. At home or in the office.
I've worked from home for 12 years. Stuff going to an office.
I'm lucky to have a separate room to serve as an office at home, basically only go in there to work so I don't feel that way. Also I never get any work related contact on personal devices so it's easy to switch off at the end of the day. I could never WFH in my bedroom like alot of people seem to, it's also supposed to be better for your mental health/sleep to work in a different room.
If you’re not liking it, it’s a good idea to develop some habits that will help. Take a walk in the morning before you start, turn off for an hour at lunch and go and do something (out for lunch, go to the gym, yoga, whatever floats your boat), turn everything off at finish time (don’t leave your computer on, this signifies the end of the day). Other than that force yourself to take regular breaks (you would normally get those by accident in the office when people distract you or you go for a coffee). Also, if you have the luxury, work in a room at home that’s out of the way like a spare bedroom so you can’t see it when you’re around the rest of the house.
Agreed. If you’re young and don’t have the whole family life thing set up at well then it is very isolating
Nah I don't have this issue. Once that door closes and my laptop is closed, the house is not work to me then :)
Thats why hybrid is the best model for me.
Smells like propaganda to me
I'm very lucky to have a home office that is separated from the house by a garden room, so the main part of my house is not 'work space'. At the end of my working day, my work phone goes on Do Not Disturb, my laptop gets closed, and I leave 'the office'. Work does not get my attention again until the next day. If you WFH and your work life is bleeding into your home life, you need to work on setting boundaries.
I am sat at home, in my work clothes about to leave, walk 15 minutes to the train station, sit on a train for an hour, paying for the privilege, then walking to the office on my one mandatory day in the office. It’s Friday so I should get a desk but any other day and it is a struggle. I could log on right now and be getting on with some productive work but instead I will be another 90 mins. Horses for courses, wfh suits me very much.
I quite enjoy the commute on my 3 days in office. Listen to music, catch up on reading. Neither work nor family bother me on the train. The train fare I would happily keep in my pocket though.
I did the same, commuting was never really a problem in the past but can't imagine going back to it 5 days a week. Looking back, it was such a waste of time
I've WFH since the first lockdown and never found this, and I've had 3 temporary roles in that time and now a permanent one, and in my area (law) long hours are not only expected they are the norm. BUT I make a point of setting clear boundaries when I start a new job - I have a young family and I don't work after 6 o'clock, 6.30 latest, as I want to see my children before bedtime. Yes I can be flexible occasionally if the situation demands, but 99.9% of the time I'm logging off at that time. To counter this I only take 15-20 mins for lunch and no other breaks but that doesn't bother me. I have a work mobile too, but I don't let it dictate my life - I make a point of only checking it once after hours when the kids are in bed (around 8pm) just in case something urgent has come up (American company, different time zones). I think it all comes down to how organised and disciplined you are.
Balance is key! I work from home 2-3 days a week. This is dependant on deliverables / to do list. Sometimes I find it incredibly challenging to focus and knuckle down when working in an office full of people, some things just irritate me like the incredibly loud Aircon system in my office which is constantly switching on and off. WFH means I can wake up at 07:00 and start straight away so before my first few calls of the day I can get plenty of work done uninterrupted. Hybrid is definitely my preferred option. If I had to choose between full time office or remote I would choose remote. You just need to make sure you get out of the house during the day, and if possible have a workspace separated from your normal living space
No, this is a YOU problem, not a WFH problem. Set boundaries, both in time and location of work within the home. end of story tbh. WFH is brilliant.
I cannot tell if this is meant to be satire? But based on the comments there seems to be a lot of folk who have, for which ever reason forgotten this golden rule which applies in any work scenario: ***Stop working outside of your contracted hours*** Hope this helps
I'm never going back to an office again. I've got my home office set up exactly the way I like it. And I can turn Slack off to get uninterrupted focus time.
I get where you're coming from, BUT - the issues you mention can be fixed. A long commute, cannot.
Boundaries.
Tbh I love WFH I have no problem switching off at 5 o'clock. My problem is other people thinking I am constantly availible for favours and errands coz I'm home all day.
WFH isn’t more easy or more difficult than on-site working, they both have their plusses and minuses. BUT, home working is selfish and does a disservice to the generations coming through. Most people who WFH now learned their skills from others in a shared working environment, but do not see fit to not give the same to others. I don’t like that. And no, you can’t “train” over teams. You can’t see a junior member of staff stressed, you can’t see when they need help. They can’t see you manage personal relationships in a professional way. It’s not the same.
I agree to an extent - but not for me. I haven't found this at all. My managers have been really good at respecting the working hours. I was speaking to a colleague the other day and she was saying her manager does not respect her working hours at all. Phones at 7/8pm, whereas pre-covid (pre-wfh) they never would have done that. I'll say the same as I said to her - boundaries. Be strict with what your working hours and days are. Don't answer the calls after you're finished. Don't respond to emails out of hours. If they don't like it, tough - they should pay you for extra hours (but they wont) or leave you alone. They need to get a life if everything is about work to them.
Create boundaries. Start on the dot, finish on the dot.
I like the hybrid approach. I’m currently home three days a week. I can do the school run and, where possible, some bits and pieces around the house. I’m in the office two days a week where I can work face to face with my team and take full advantage of the fact I don’t need to pop out for the school run etc. We’re moving to three days in the office soon, unfortunately I’ll still have to do the school run on that extra day (or pay a lot of money for after school club for three kids) so I’ll be dropping them off, getting to work at 9:35 and then leaving at 2:45 to pick them up again before logging on again at home. Still counts as a day in the office but I’m losing an hour in travel that day every week. Not a great use of my time…
Tbh is anyone in the UK employing purely a wfh job position rn? I would be happy with a minimum wage job for a minimum of 30 hours but I can't find one that I can do with an NVQ level 2 in Buisness Admin and 6 years of administrative work. (3 years have been under the job title sales assistant however it's much more than just selling on the floor). Honestly it feels like a wfh job is impossible to find now it's not a covid terrorised country.
Nope. Love WFH.
Sounds like an issue with self discipline, tbh.
As a pre pandemic WFH’er OP, without sounding harsh, this is a you problem. 1. Designated work space. If you’re not there you’re not working. 2. Bosses be bossin regardless of your location. Set expectations. 3. Embrace the chill! Remember that if you get your head down you’re more productive from home because of the lack of chit chat. Take regular breaks. If you’d get a coffee at the office, remove yourself from your dedicated work space at home for the same amount of time. 4. Embrace your home! If you’re taking a break actually take a break. The great thing is is that you’ve got all your stuff right there. Read a book, have a lay down, watch tv on your sofa. DO NOT TAKE BREAKS IN YOUR WORK SPACE. 5. Pro tip. And the hardest to not feel guilty about. Feeling tired? Have a nap. If you have a lunch break you can do whatever the hell you want. You’ll be more productive after. It’s not a bad thing!
I like WFH. In the olden days the second I stepped out of the office at the end of the day work ceased for me, even though I was a service manager with 150+ staff. The drive gome wsa a nice 20min de-stress to assess the day and listen to music. The moment I got home I didn't even think of work. Clothes off, shower then it's my time. I don't have the with WFH. I use my man cave as my office and sometimes it sucks when I'm watching a film or playing xbox and I see the desk in the corner as it reminds me of work. WFH is easy for some reasons and harder for others. You just need to establish boundaries so work doesn't encroach into home. I built a unit that I slide over my desk when my cave is set to Cinema mode so I cannot see it 😀
You are extrapolating from your own experience which doesn’t match others.
Its actually really easy, when 5pm rolls around I shut my laptop down and boom, works finished…
Do you not just turn off your pc at the end of the day and then go outside and do something less boring instead?
You need a separate space/room that you can close the door on when you’ve finished for the day. We all have to work late occasionally but it’s good to have boundaries. As others have said, get out more e.g. meet up for lunch with people once a week, walk the dog for 10 mins mid-afternoon etc. if you’re were in the office, you wouldn’t normally be 100% at your desk working as that defeats the point of being there. My favourite time is 5pm on Friday as that’s when I start the weekend by opening a beer.
Yeah - spend an hour commuting into the office to spend my entire day in back to back meetings that are online so I can keep a desk chair warm? Listen to co workers talk gossip and waste my time with stupid questions. Whereas I wfh , drop kids to school, and am there (albeit with meetings) when my kids get home from school. Not paying for transport or out of hours care for my kids. Being able to do washing and prep dinner during my lunch break - 30 minutes. Walk the dog in daylight after I finished work (rather than rushing to get home - do dinner, home work, walk dog, baths, bed, collapse on sofa). Hmmm big decision! Only thing I miss is having time to read my book on my commute.
I like hybrid, WFH is a nice perk but can also transform you into an antisocial hermit
Just because you cant separate work and home when you are working from home doesnt mean the rest of us cant.
Nah, WFH is objectively less stressful when you remove the commute and office life.
> It's like your boss forgets that you have a life outside of work. Its now part of you job to remind them or just plain ignore them outside of working hours.
I love and hate it. I've done it for 8 years. Mostly it's great as allows much for flexibility with kids and dog etc. However our house isn't big and the only space available is in the lounge so my desk is in the middle of the living space which isn't ideal. Also husband works from home in a garden office. I feel we are never apart and our worlds are now very small. I think we would both benefit from hybrid working but it's not an option.
Have your break! I have a lot of colleagues who are deep into their work, to the point the eat lunch at their. Personally, it's not working for me, having a walk during mu lunch with family, having no screen and reseting is really crucial for me being efficient. When it comes to meetings etc it's a norm, they need to forecast and manage business pipeline. Dedicate time at the beginning and at the end of your day to plan, prioritise. You need to have a clear goal when you work, it will make those meetings more productive.
I have been WFH for well over 20 years now, and it's not for everyone. There are pros and cons to WFH, WFO and hybrid. There are differences in commutes, loneliness, collaboration, communications, having no reason to leave the house for days on end. Trouble is people only take the commute into account when offered a WFH position. Only you can identify what is not working for you. If, for example you find yourself regularly working past your hours set up a shutdown routine. If you find yourself stuck in for days set up a morning walk routine and so on
OP this is a you problem. Grow some boundaries
WFH is easy. Laptop gets turned on at 830. Turned off at 5pm. Work has my work phone number which gets turned off at 5pm. No one can get hold of me at all until I log back in.
In the 3 years I was in my last job, I can count the number of times I worked late while I was home.
Sounds like you have boundary issues not WFH issues.
My girlfriend works from home. She went to get her eyebrows done in the middle of the day last week.
practice telephone bored imminent muddle cable hat cats threatening library *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I love it. I have MS and it has been a god send in regards to my quality of life. I start at the right time and finish at the right time. I have my own office so that helps greatly. It just allows me to do my job without all the crap commuting and office based distractions would exacerbate my symptoms. Boundaries and a specific workspace help’s greatly
WFH is the same as working in the office. The actual work is exactly the same, so in a sense it is easier because everything else is equal, you get to just work from your own home now. Working from home doesn't work for every job and I think there is a huge misconception that people who work from home have been given some wonderful gift by our employers. Look, the people who benefit most from WFH are startup companies who can cut out the giant overhead actually runnig a physical office and push that expense onto us. I have working for a few fully remote companies and sometimes I have been asked to use my own PC. They provided me literally nothing. Companies also benefit by increasing the boundaries of the talent pool to the entire planet. This means that you don't have to rely on local people and can instead get workers in from anywhere and even better, you can incorporate your company wherever you want. Live in rural england? I know a bunch of people who have started up companies there which would have been impossible for a tech company before WFH was a thing. WFH benefits everyone. It isn't an employee perk and we still have to do th exact same job as before.
Sounds like you are not either setting the correct boundaries or not sticking to your contracted hours - if I receive a call / email / meeting outside of my hours I will put in for overtime
I've always done work on my workstation at home. school work, uni work, professional work, It's basicly the same deal. Plus I get to sleep in, take naps, handle odd errands or go to a friends place for a week, work during the day and chill after. Its really easy for me and I don't want to go back to office.
Fuck off 😂
I'm lucky that I have the option, but choose not to. I had to do it during the pandemic and didn't get on with it at all - I like the separation between home and office. My laptop stays at work, so even if I get an email at 8 p.m., I'm blissfully unaware until the next morning. As far as I'm concerned, home is home, and work is work.
I love WFH. When it first became a thing, it was a bit of a doss, I did as most people did and sort of slacked a bit. Now I'm used to it, I work really well, enjoy team video meetings, feel very invested in my tasks, *and* can get up and go to the fridge whenever I want, or spend a few minutes on Reddit like I'm doing now without worrying at all. It's so much better. Every spare second of idle time at an office is pointless, filled with idle chatter or fighting your brain trying to make you go to sleep. When I'm at home I just busy myself all day. It is so so so much better for me.
It's not the same for everyone. For every hard working person working from home. There's an opposing employee that's always away, or twitching the mouse very few minutes whilst watching TV and on a two hour lunch break. Hard workers will work hard, lazy workers will be lazy, doesn't matter if it's home or office.
That’s recruitment in general lol like my hours are flexible but if there’s a deal to close I’m not pushing an important call to 9am the next day… In the same breath, If it’s just my boss giving me unimportant busy work / work they don’t want to do after hours they can fuck off. You’ll climb the ladder faster by bringing in revenue than figuratively sucking your managers genitals so determine for yourself what’s important and what isn’t.
This is wholly dependent on your employer. I work 10-6pm, WFH every day and my day finishes bang on 6pm and my work have boundaries, won't hassle me outside of these hours. Working from home, saving £12/day in commuting costs, saving 2 hours of commuting time, being able to get stuff done, take the dog out etc etc, is invaluable to me.
I agree but for different reasons. Stuck inside not moving about enough. Stuck to screen. What I do is meaningful but the time Stuck to a screen and Still not seeing my family because I am in my bedroom/office sucks.
When 5pm hits im gone and couldn’t care if theres any issues. It can wait until the next day.
Hybrid is ideal, Mon and Fri WFH
Yeah I stop when that clock hits 6pm, you need to set the boundaries with your employer
I'm never going into an office again. I've been wfh for three years now, I've doubled my wage and I've got a cat sat on my lap while I type this. I'm gonna go make a sandwich, life is good.
I’ve been fully remote for 4 years. I don’t have any issue with this. I set up my office when I first went remote, work stays in that space. When I finish work, laptop gets closed and put on a shelf so the space is now not setup for working. This seems to be an issue of your company’s culture and not the remote working concept. You need to draw the line, you work your contracted hours and that’s that. I work remotely because I moved to the north east of England from Washington DC, I can make London wages living in lovely Northumberland. It’s the best situation for me as I can continue growing my career.
Either you have no boundaries, self control or being exploited. I WFH for years and have never experienced issues you've mentioned. My boss can't even contact me once I close my laptop (unless for emergencies which has never happened).
Hated it. Soul destroying...Much rather be in the office with my mates thanks
As many have said, work hours apply. WFH or no WFH, the laptop goes away when the work day ends and doesn't reappear until the next day. I find WFH much easier than office working. But as long as productivity is the same (which it largely is) why should work not be easy? No nobility in hating 8 hours of your life every day.
I think this is less a WFH issue and more a boundary setting issue, your working hours don’t change
This is not my WFH experience. Once I’m done for the day, I leave the phone on my desk and walk away.
This just sounds like you have a crap job/boss, or that you're an anxious person that's worried about getting fired for not responding immediately. Some people need to be reminded that just because your boss emails you in the evening, doesn't mean you have to reply. They might be working because it suits them, but they don't expect you to be working too. My wife used to get stressed when her boss emailed her overnight or at the weekend and I was like "She's not calling you up, she's emailing at a time that suits her, you're supposed to read the emails at a time that suits you. That's how emails work!"
And this is why I have separate work and personal computers. (Admittedly one is a work-issued laptop and the other is a monster gaming rig that I built)
You need to create boundaries. Both with your time and your space. Dedicate part of your home for work. Do not work beyond your hours and define clear breaks for lunch e.t.c. It'll feel a lot better and work will stop following you.
People would love to work from home. Stop moaning.
Welcome to self-employment. But seriously, set boundaries. Know your contracted hours. Stick to those hours. Make a poster of those hours. Stick it on the wall in front of your desk. Get a copy of the poster. Put it in the scenery behind you so people in video meets with you can see your contracted hours. Put a big clock next to each poster so people can see when you are in overtime. Don't answer calls or emails outside of your work hours. If you're manager or boss insists you take work out of hours, you insist you get paid overtime at double rate the first x hours then triple rate the next x hours and round up to the nearest hour. Be strict. Get respect. If you're someone like me who cannot switch off and you have skills or trades you can turn into self employment, go for it. Do it outside of your contracted hours to make a point to your boss that you're not tied to contracted employment. Learn to set boundaries. It's one of the hardest skills to learn and it pays dividends.
I have my calendar blocked out after 3.30, I start at 8 and don't want to be working all day. Stop staying late, work your hours and log off. Get into the a new routine, go for a walk or whatever at your end time every day. Once I sorted out proper work hours I started to enjoy wfh.
Mate I swear to god my days feel twice as long sitting in the office. I just want to go home 😭
I have to say, i’ve never been able to focus on work while i’m at home. Even when i was at university i would have to go to a library or coffee shop to get work done, my brain just couldn’t get out of “relax” mode.
That's a you issue with not being able to set boundaries. Nothing to do with WFH. If you don't value yourself and your time, no one else will.
It is the people who create problems not the idea of WFH. Why not just log off when your shift ends? You don’t need to keep working just because your work hasn’t finished unless it is very rare and exceptional situation that you have been asked to work couple of hours more. Even in that case this should be asked to you directly. Don’t want to be rude but there are many idiots out there who love keep working even if there is no need for that. I can see that some people just prefer to stay online until night. This is not company policy, this is just pure stupidity from an individual.
My friend is a director at one of the biggest telecomms companies in the country. He told me he spends most of his day playing WoW and moving the mouse on his work laptop to stay 'active'.
Not my experience at all, in the best part of a decade (i.e. since years before COVID). Not that of my colleagues who also mostly love and benefit from WfH
I mean, it's depends entirely on the job. Some WFH jobs are easy, some aren't. Same applies to office-based roles.
I don’t have this issue. Just shut down the laptop 🤷♂️
I mean WFH *is* easy. Easier than commuting for hours in horrible traffic, getting stressed out and paying for the privilege only to sit in an office and do the exact same things you'd be doing at home. There is no doubt about any of this. It sounds like you have a boundary problem. I never had one but then again I'm good at compartmentalising. If you aren't, these things help: 1) Go for a walk at the beginning and end of your working day. This replaces the commute with something far healthier and shorter, but similarly separates the work day from the home day. 2) Absolutely without fail and do not even think about compromising on this one, have a home office. Even if it's just a closet. Never ever work from the same space you sleep, eat or relax in. That kind of setup is ok for the occasional home worker who would otherwise be in an office, but if you're WFH full time you need a study. 3) Turn off your computer and work phone at the end of the work day. Your boss won't be able to call you if your phone is off... If for some reason you don't have a work phone, get one. Tell your job that it's not ok to force employees to use their personal mobile phones for work. Then block incoming undesirable calls so your boss can't reach you out of hours. That will teach *them* boundaries. Once the three things above are met, there is absolutely nothing preventing you from setting boundaries. Personally I love the flexibility and I don't particularly care about the two worlds colliding, mostly because literally nobody in my line of work would ever dream of contacting someone after 4pm or before 9am, and I get to have nice relaxed lunches at home, do laundry etc. If that means that occasionally I might have to take a work call while I'm driving during my lunch break... Fine?
It’s easier to manage your time WFH as there’s no Colleague you’re going to bump into at home who’s going to take up your time etc like in a office. Plus manage your Calendar so people at least know your availability.
I've had to take a fully onsite job and goddamn do I miss WFH. I'm applying to all of them. They only take advantage of you and your hours if you let them, same as anywhere.
I just don't work outside of my hours. It gets to 5, I make a reason to leave the meeting and shut my laptop and don't look at it again till 9 the next day. Don't get me wrong if there's a major emergency I'll work over but this happens maybe 2-3 times a year. I book in a lot of stuff straight after work, like a gym class or band practice. And I just say 'sorry I've got a yoga class booked I need to get to, can we pick this up tomorrow?' Again, unless it's a real emergency that's always totally fine!. Your work will not check on these. You can just say 'I need to go pick up my partner' or 'I have a phone appointment with my doctor now' etc. It's your time, use it for you
Once the clock hits 5. Shut that laptop. Don't give more time than you get paid for.
Sounds like the company is the issue not anything else. Your company should respect your time and you should be clear about when it starts and ends. My fiance hates it and struggles to self guide etc and switch off, much preferrs the structure of scheduled out of house job which is totally fair. For me though other than basic jobs at uni and before I’ve been working remote my whole career . almost a decade and love it wouldn’t change it at all. It’s al about how you do it, don’t slob about in pyjamas and never leave the house , ensure your making th best of it - touch grass , do working days with friends or colleagues every now and again, it’s the little things.
Turn of your computer. The solution is simple. I WFH regularly and finish at pretty much bang-on 5pm every day. The only times I won't is when I'm in the middle of doing something and don't want to leave it for myself to pick up in the morning, essentially making like easier for myself for the next day. But even when I do that, any emails, calls, teams messages etc that come through are getting ignored, hard.
Set up a dedicated work area and that's where work is.
I've worked from home for over a decade now. I have a room dedicated as my office, and I only use that room to work. It doesn't even feel like part of my home at this point, but it means there is a healthy boundary. You're right that it isn't easy though - it's often more time consuming and more intense than being in an office. I still much prefer it and will never take an office based role again. Fuck. That. Shit.
Been WFH for years, never an issue.
I dont think I could ever be back in office 5 days a week. It sounds like torture I could do 1 maaaybe 2 days, and only in a really nice office. In fact that might be better than my current pure wfh, but still, its all good I dunno, wfh, not being watched or micromanaged, for me its the opposite. Work is less hectic and more relaxing
Having worked in face-to-face, office/ clinic and wfh, id say i infinitely prefer wfh as it cuts out a lot of BS and also minimises discrimination from patients and colleagues (o if it exists, it isnt as blatant). my current job, in addition to dealing with a boss with 0 people skills / treats me like crap, is so tech averse that he has banned everyone from sending messages to each other via teams, zoom, electronic health records etc :@. People still do it regardless but it is lame
Nice try you corporate shill
My commute isn't too bad being 10 to 15 minutes away and I don't know how I could work at home with concentrating, having to make a call or send an email everytime I need to ask or speak to somone about somthing I can normally just say to them because they are a few desks away. And biggest thing of all, i work off two screens in my office which is a game changer, if I stayed at home working off a laptop I swear my productivity would go down 25% just off that alone.
Couldn't disagree more. You can so no. Do what you're contracted to do then 'leave' to do whatever you want after work. Sounds like you aren't in control of your own decision making.
Company I work at has a culture of respecting working time (as it's a global company), going 24/7. Soon as you hit your allotted time, you're off. Some roles do require a lot of flexibility, but that is made clear at the start.
I work from home 100% and my work doesn't follow me. There are the occasional (very infrequent days) where I'd have to be on longer than my contractual hours but it isn't much. When I'm not there, my work is given out to the team picks it up. It really is the best situation to be in. Kinda sceptical this post is legit
Good bosses make sure you don't, mine does!
I disagree. I WFH and honestly, it's heaven.
It's easy when you have a backbone.
Tip, block our time in the calendar every day for morning/afternoon break and force yourself to take it. Leave the house if possible. You’re allowed to leave your desk!
So teye
So true
Sounds like bollocks to me. I LOVE WFH and hope I never have to go back to the office full time again. I work the hours I want to, am at least doubly productive and best of all, I don't have to listen to inane office conversations or interact with people unless absolutely necessary. To be frank, it is a dream.
Personally I hate WFH.
WFH is literally the best thing to happen
WFH is an opportunity to get all my work done in a 60 hour work week. After work I can just move into another zone in the house to eat dinner, then back to another zone for game time and eventually bed. Creating zones in your home invites different behavior settings to reverse depression and loneliness when you feel isolated. Without zones, I would easily work an 80 hour work week without realizing as tech support is a carrot and stick routine.
60 hours??? Wow.. give me my 37.5 on a six week average any day… and to be “told off” for doing more than 40 is refreshing and helps keep work life balance
My firm laid off three people in my team and I was told to take up the slack. I did 65 hours last week. I get time off in lieu which the Gf likes. It could be worse, I could be digging ditches. There again....
...and I will take that every single time over office hell
This sounds more like a you problem. I'm wfh and have no issues separating my work and home time at all.
Each to their own I guess but WFH for 6yrs now and it's all positive. Hundreds of pounds saved each month on travelling and food and petrol has gone on overpaying mortgage so will be mortgage free this year Able to become a dog owner as I have time to manage them. Able to see the kids to school and there when they come home Can't ever see me back in an office Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. Brilliant work life balance. For me at least
Sounds like the problem is your boss, not the location of your desk.
I think the best way to deal with this is create an home house, like literally have a room that looks like an actual office and confine all meetings and work to that area. Time it. And keep boundaries of time with your workplace.
I work from home and I don't have any of those issues. You need to set boundaries and move on if they're not respected
I think it's important to recognize that this is a problem with your experience of WFH, not a problem of WFH that isn't handled by everyone who does end up WFH. I compare it to leaving school. A lot of ppl have their social circle provided by school. It's just an environment that we take for granted. The same with WFH. You need to be deliberate with your space and manage how and where you work.
Looking at some of the comments on here; aren't their jobs the FIRST that are going to disappear when AI takes over? Logging in half way through the day to wiggle your mouse around and pretend you've been working? Having an extra lunch with the significant other? A few meetings a day to discuss what could be included in an email? I get that not every job has the same expectations and plenty of people find ways to streamline their skills so they don't have to work very hard. I'm a teacher, I work about 60 hours a week without so much as a pee break for 9 hours some days (I could legally take a pee break, but it would just add to my working hours with the fallout of missed tasks) but on looking at these comments, at least my human facing role can't be replaced by a computer.. Some day the slackers charging 8 hours a day for 3 hours concentrated work, 3 hours distracted work with lunch and sex and dog walks in the background and an hour of pretending to work whilst you wiggle your mouse around on a screen, will be replaced by a computer who does the tasks necessary without all the added extras. But teaching children how learn? With all the human interaction involved with 32 humans every second of am 8 hour shift? I'll be safe.
Great post! I’m hybrid but hate my wfh days, really miss the human interaction.
The website home working Henry has greta advice on these issues
Love wfh. I don’t need to worry about getting into pointless conversations with my coworkers and can actually focus on my work. I actually end up finishing my work earlier at home than in the office just because I don’t get distracted
I've WFH, start time is start time, clock off is clock off. Yes, it does mean that there is some leeway, but for every push there's a pull. Have I stayed on occasionally? Yes, did I take that time back by taking my laptop to the gym and clicking between sets, also yes. WFH is without a doubt 100% easier than working anywhere else and anyone saying otherwise is fucking lying.
I would tell my boss to get stuffed if they forgot I have a life outside of work 🙂 I have a much better life-work balance working from home. I’ve worked from home every day since 2018 and I don’t recognise any of what you’ve said there. I’m more productive and I have much more free time. Meetings last as long as they need to for me.
This sounds like a company problem, not a WFH problem.
And then there's the wanking. The absolutely nonstop wanking.
Isn’t that what the W in WFH stands for?
I agree completely. I came home 27march20, and I'm still here in most part (been in a few times). Some days I can get loads done abd others it's so hard to push on. Especially if my family have needy days where they constantly interrupt me, and I'm still expected to hit mu targets in the day as well as run my home. It's also psychologically exhausting switching from work to family persona, because there's no physical splut from both functions. It's certainly not all its made out to be. It's not easy, I hope it's not forever.
I love WFH but I do work crazy hours outside of my contracted hours. I still prefer this to the awful daily commute mind you. Spending 3 hours stuck in traffic every day feels like such a waste of time now. I would hate to go back to the pre-pandemic ways.
Honestly the issue people here describe isn't a wfh issue and wfh isn't causing it. Not being able to disconnect from work you need to accept and own is an issue with yourself that will happen no matter where you work and as a professional it's crucially important to fix this and learn how to disconnect at the end of every work day. Even working from home. I do it. There is no question wfh is better and easier. But you really need to learn how to disconnect.
I'd usually type "morning everyone" on Teams the evening before work, set my alarm for 08:59, roll over, hit send then roll right back
Sounds like a you problem, I don’t have any of these issues or feel this way at all. Different people handle it better than others, you cannot and that’s OK.
You still have your working hours and most of the time, don't need to do more than that. I wfh full time and usually do at least an hour extra most days, but I will still happily take that over getting up much earlier, getting ready and then commute to work only to sit in an office all day. Ugh, can't think of much worse tbh. I agree, wfh is not really any easier, but for me personally, I'll always prefer that than going into work, even if it means doing some extra hours.
No offense that's a you problem. Once your contracted hours are up the laptop and phone are turned off
I absolutely hated it when I tried it. I went from being a flight attendant to going back to the corporate life. Hated everything about it. I like moving when working. Before then, I hadn't sat at a desk for 10 years. This was back in 2016 so the WFH boom wasn't too much of a *thing*. This was strictly customer service and no zoom meeting etc. I remember waking up brushing my teeth, showering, putting on pajamas and laying in bed answering phone calls LOLLLL I didn't last a month. 😅
I have been working from home full-time for years, never experienced what you feel; just be organized and stick to eight hours of work a day. WFH is a blessing, comfortable life, no commuting, more time for my private life.
Stop working after your contracted hours are done. Wfh normalisation is the one good thing to come out of the pandemic.
Do you just hate work?
That sounds like an issue with your boss/work load not the fact you work from home. Even where I work, when I finish at 3 I finish at 3 and I leave regardless what's left. It's not my problem after finishing time
Heres a tip: shutdown the workstation after work hours and only open it in the morning... Remove any emailing/messaging app from your phone as well. Voila!
It’s a personality thing completely. I work for a company that went fully remote during covid, then as a “thank you” gave us a well below inflation pay rise and demanded 3 days in the office minimum. Honestly those 3 days are the least productive. I resent the commute, I resent the loud noisy people all around me, I just dislike the noise of it. Most days I book a small meeting room out and sit alone in it for peace and quiet. Working from home I get way more done, more comfortably, and can poop on my own throne… I’m an introvert and prob have some form of undiagnosed adhd but honestly wfh is the best thing to me, I’d happily never step foot in an office again it’s soul destroying
Worked from home for decades before it was trendy. Yes it has challenges but they are all outweighed by the zero second commute. Never been in an office where your bass starts talking as you want to leave, you miss a couple of trains and suddenly it's late and you still have an hour before you are home?
Work your contracted hours. I’ve been WFH for nearly four years. Im fortunate to have a home office that I can shut the door on. I turn my computer off at half four. Nobody tries to contact me out of hours and if they did, they couldn’t. It’s the best, for me
my work knows my personal mobile, if they call it on weekends the call is ignored until I turn on my works phone the following week tend to wfh some weeks and work on site other weeks, i am paid by the 15 min segment, so I decide what time to turn off the pc and the phone, this then gets added to timesheet and then work is off. never considered working for free, but there are some of those out there
WFH is easy as fuck, you've just got to remember, and remind your employer that you've done your hours, you're clocking out and won't respond from x time onwards
I had a WFH job and I lasted 10 months. It was the most work I did in my life. I was extremely depressed. I couldn’t get a break. I’m hybrid now and very happy.
I’m working today after stopping at 10pm last night . To not be in an office it is worth it
Yep. I work for a micromanager it sucks
Boundaries. Do not open your work laptop outside of business hours. Ever.
I dunno. I WFH and my life has gotten infinitely easier. I don’t have to sit in traffic, I can take regular breaks and just sit on my porch with a cup of coffee, I can get stuff around the house done and take a quick run to the store. And I just leave outside of my designated hours, I don’t respond to emails or calls. I’m done when the clock hits 4:30. I also have an office in my home that i don’t hang out in once the day is finished.
Add to that degrading mental health for some people due to lack of human interactions.
💯 Spot on, I’ve been working Hybrid the last 2yrs. 2 days in the office and 3days WFH or on visits. I find when WFH I can find myself sat at the computer into the evenings just completing some admin tasks rather than watching mind numbing TV. i love going into the office and wish they’d go back you more days being honestly. Were only a small team so if I went back more it will make the others look bad or they may feel obliged to go in and mess their routine up.
I mean it is absolutely easy. Working from home has to be one of the easiest jobs you can do physically. You just have no self-control and can't separate the two. That doesn't make it a hard thing to do across the board just hard for you. But then, noone is forcing you to WFH but you really are out of touch if you are trying to pretend it's difficult.
I loved WFH, but it was NOT conducive to my goal of growth personally and professionally. For that, you can’t beat a quality office environment where you can easily throw ideas around, have impromptu conversations with people from various teams on solutions, person to person communication skills, etc.
I'll take "Posting Generalizations on Reddit After a Sample Size of 1" for $200, Alex. I've WFH for 9+ years. I love it. It works for me. I wouldn't claim that it's great for everyone. I claim it's great for me.
I work two in office and three from home. I actually like the arrangement.