MSE Poll: Are you working from home – and would you like to keep doing so?

MovingForwards

I never really answered the question.

Yes, I'm working from home and have been since the start of lockdown. I would like to continue, but only if I had equipment suitable for my needs / appropriate for my disabilities.

At the moment it's guesswork as to when I will be back in the office, no-one knows or if they do they haven't shared with the staff. A survey was sent round by the business, asking for staff input, but so far no information has been released following it.

prowla

I worked home one or two days a week before lockdown, but have been WFH full time for the duration.

It saves me 3-4 hours a day travel on unreliable and expensive rail services (they were on strike for all of December) and I have a better working environment at home than in the office.

femalemonarchfemalecanine

I'm working from home and happy to keep doing so. Bought the equipment I need and have no desire to go back on a bus/train to a baking hot office. However if someone has a house share, a bedsit, or caring responsibilities then they may well feel quite differently; I'm fortunate to have a decent sized home & garden, which is quite peaceful.

Skininthegame

Being able to work just a few days a week at the office and the rest from home would be great.

Mickey666

I started work in the 1980s (electronic/computer systems design) and used to regularly work from home.  Not regularly as in x days per week or month but regularly as in when it was sensible for whatever my project work was at the time.  My employer even installed a second phone line for the fax machine they also gave me as well as for dialling into the company computer system.  By the early/mid 90s as the www began to take off, I had the second line upgraded to ISDN, which was a big leap above my state-of-the-art 14.4kbps modem - but then file sizes were smaller anyway so it was no big deal.  Later of course ADSL arrived.  In the late 1990s I'd say I probably averaged around 20-30% of my time working from home.  Project work is typically deadline-driven so as long as I completed my work on time and to standard, my boss didn't care.  This was before mobile phones as well, so I wasn't being pestered all day at home and could generally work faster than in the office.  I usually did the school run morning and afternoon and not working at all from around 3pm into early evening, knowing I could catch up later in the evening.  The flexibility was an absolute boon and I never missed things like school sportsdays and the like.  It was also financially rewarding as between WFH and visiting client sites (with travel expenses paid) my commuting costs were massively reduced.   By the early 2000s, I had formalised things to the point of my employment contract stating my normal place of work was my home address and by then I was going into the office for only a few days each month.  Again the flexibility was great.  I wasn't alone of course and many of my colleagues had similar arrangements.  I've been retired for over 10 years now but it's nice to see that the business world is finally catching up on more progressive ways of working

mrsmsebastian

I am working from home since March and I was scared with the change at first, 5 months on and I don't want to go back in the office anymore. I feeI am more productive and more efficient than before as I feel more relaxed in my environment. I don't have to listen to any non-sense in the office, don't have to wake-up two hours early to get myself ready including travelling and the list can go on. Although I understand some people may want to go back to their previous setting but I do hope employers will give us a choice to choose.

Barny1979

mrsmsebastian said:

I am working from home since March and I was scared with the change at first, 5 months on and I don't want to go back in the office anymore. I feeI am more productive and more efficient than before as I feel more relaxed in my environment. I don't have to listen to any non-sense in the office, don't have to wake-up two hours early to get myself ready including travelling and the list can go on. Although I understand some people may want to go back to their previous setting but I do hope employers will give us a choice to choose.

This, for me one of the biggest savers is the lack of commute, both time and money and also people not just turning up at your desk and demanding your time without warning.

antonic

I am a single (male) Civil Servant in the age range 50-54 with no kids etc.
I have been working from home for the last 6 months (doing the full role of my duties) and have got used to WFH.
I dont know if I would want to do this permanently, I would be happy going back into the office one or 2 days a week as I am missing my colleagues (even the annoying ones !).

MrsStepford

Missing human interaction might mean missing the possibility of casual sex or a relationship. Also WFH in a bedsit, is not the same as WFH in a spare bedroom in a warm house.

The govt tried to get people back to work, but that was to save jobs not lives and to help commercial landlords. Tenants are examining how much they could save by downsizing to smaller offices and moving to cheaper areas of the country. Employees are looking at working from home near the sea or in the countryside, as long as fast broadband is available. Others are looking at saving net income which used to be spent commuting, on school fees for kids or a home office extension. 

It's a mini revolution. Company which husband works for, has changed policy, to support home working for those who want it. 

fairboy

My only bariant for the present moment is working from home. And I like it