Those working from home

[BlueHammer85]

No. Been in once since March 2020 & that was to collect personal belongings. There is zero pressure from above to go in & from my team of 15 only a couple go in maybe 1 day a week in order to make use of the on-site gym. It is weird this way of working & not what I'd envisaged. I don't think it's particularly healthy & I do wonder about the long-term impact of this on society.

For me i find going in twice a week pretty healthy, ideally once to be honest.

If i was made to go in 3 days or more i'd quit and look elsewhere, it was not healthy how it used to be. Tired, stressed, costly and getting home for dinner and bed.

 

[Centurions]

No. Been in once since March 2020 & that was to collect personal belongings. There is zero pressure from above to go in & from my team of 15 only a couple go in maybe 1 day a week in order to make use of the on-site gym. It is weird this way of working & not what I'd envisaged. I don't think it's particularly healthy & I do wonder about the long-term impact of this on society.

That's once more than I've been there since March 2020 :)

I love it myself and just couldn't see me going back.

 

[somapop]

Costs of getting into the office, time, lunch and coffees - takes a good bite out of your wages.
But I do feel for me it's essential for me to go in every now and again (and I live alone so the company of other people helps).

But agree with the productivity: I find I get less done in the office as everyone tends to talk to each other, conversations flare up but this is crucial for many reasons.
Tech wise.....wifi is better in my flat than the office.

I won't be in this week though. Post Xmas break and I don't particularly feel sociable (or sentient as it happens).
I do love a train/tram journey into the office though. We are social animals and I love a good people watch, interactions then coffee/lunch with colleagues.

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

I don't get a great deal done when at home, too many distractions. Took a more office based job last year but a couple of bad apples within the team really bring down the mood. I went in really positive yesterday but didn't realise how much I disliked it there until yesterday (first time I've had time off since starting there).

I'm going to look at something a bit more hands on over the next month or two, on a hiding to nothing working full-time in a role I have no passion for compared to my hobbies and other areas of life. Quite upsetting but I've got the ability to get myself out of my current situation even if it means taking a pay cut.

I can understand your situation. I’m well paid in what I do but as a contractor (WFH mainly) have noticed my skillset is poor now and I’ve neglected my personal development side. It sort of crept up on me when I stayed 3.5 years at one place, the job market was totally different when I came out, there’s no walking from one contract into another for me anymore, and I put it down to WFH getting me into lazy thinking, put weight on too (which I lost last year). However, being 5-10 yrs from retirement, I’m struggling to motivate training again in my own career. I saw a programme on BBC2 about amateur woodworkers making furniture which interested me. If I could make a living out of something like that I might pursue it.

I do think people need to be careful with WFH as I used to be quite dynamic and loved what I did/do but I would definitely recommend one/two days a week for everyone to be in the office together. If I stay in IT I will be looking for that.

 

[GazM]

For me i find going in twice a week pretty healthy, ideally once to be honest.

If i was made to go in 3 days or more i'd quit and look elsewhere, it was not healthy how it used to be. Tired, stressed, costly and getting home for dinner and bed.

I'd envisaged more of a hybrid way of working if I'm honest. Couple of days in the office (with others) would have been fine, however, not for everyone & I think even I would object to 3+ days per week in the office. There are some pluses - 1.5-2hrs hrs travel time saved per day, cost of car fuel saved etc.

 

[Avenue Blue]

I can understand your situation. I’m well paid in what I do but as a contractor (WFH mainly) have noticed my skillset is poor now and I’ve neglected my personal development side. It sort of crept up on me when I stayed 3.5 years at one place, the job market was totally different when I came out, there’s no walking from one contract into another for me anymore, and I put it down to WFH getting me into lazy thinking, put weight on too (which I lost last year). However, being 5-10 yrs from retirement, I’m struggling to motivate training again in my own career. I saw a programme on BBC2 about amateur woodworkers making furniture which interested me. If I could make a living out of something like that I might pursue it.

I do think people need to be careful with WFH as I used to be quite dynamic and loved what I did/do but I would definitely recommend one/two days a week for everyone to be in the office together. If I stay in IT I will be looking for that.

I'd love a role helping human beings, not just lining the pockets of shareholders or ungrateful customers.

 

[Corky]

There is no cross-fertilization of knowledge due to it, and it is not good for new or less experienced employees learning and progressing, and there will be more skills/knowledge shortages in the future for employers.

That said, personal time and money benefits ensure I will not say this to anyone at work and I am happy to WFH for the next 10 years myself.

 

[chris85mcfc]

I've been going in twice a week since around July 2020, we were originally sent home in March 2020, but a few of us used to go into the office a couple of times a week just for a bit of sanity, although it wasn't company led.

We've now been asked to go in twice a week since what feels like 18 months now, and to be honest I don't mind.

I live 15 minutes drive from work, and the Mrs works in the building next door so it's pretty convenient for us both.

I cba with most of the people in my office, and my job means that I'm not actually directly working with them anyway, as we are all effectively remote workers for clients elsewhere in the country.

I'm with all those that mentioned £ though. Everytime I go in the office, I end up buying a Costa mid morning, and then lunch which results in spending about £8 everytime I go in!

 

[117 M34]

I go into the office once a week for about 5 hours.
Would ideally not go in at all.
Takes me about 35 minutes each way so wasted time and I always spend a fortune on food and drinks when I go in.

Usually go to the gym and go for walks during the day when I'm 'working' from home. Work are very chilled and don't really care what we do as long as we are hitting target so that's good.

 

[crooky]

I feel like a rare exception. I mainly work in an office but do get the opportunity to work from home like during some of the days around the Xmas period.

Even when I could WFH I preferred going into the office as I don't like the lack of separation from home and work life. Also I'm generally more motivated and the day goes quicker if I'm around other people. Sitting on my own at home gets tiresome quickly when you realise you actually have to work rather than relax.

Also it helps that the site I work at has hot meals plus other niceties morning, noon and night so that's always a bonus as well.