Boss not letting me work from home

JamoLew

As i already said - it works for some individuals and tasks but not for others (for many different reasons)
It should be up to the managers/employers to determine where people are most efficient and utilise that location

bradders1983

I dont think the OP cares now.

AskAsk

Barny1979 said:

AskAsk said:

Iamdebtfree said:

'..from my experience, the sooner everyone can go back to normal and return to the office the better off we will all be'

Ugh god no. Just, no. I don't want to be stuck in a prison cell with cell mates I can't stand, again. I literally am begging the gods and the universe to make offices the thing of the past. 

Too much to say on the subject so I'd better shut up.

  i also enjoy going into the office as i get to chat to my colleagues 

So not productive at times in the office either?

i am sorry to say that unfortunately, if you were actually to scrutinise the time i actually do any work in the office, then i can only claim 50% as the other 50% i am distracted again, but at least it is is better than 0% at home 

i am lucky enough to be able to do the work a lot faster than most people so no one ever notice that i am not actually doing work most of the time 

duk3nuk3m

bradders1983 said:

I dont think the OP cares now.

I do care, I've just taken a bit of a backseat after understanding that WFH is just a guideline that can be followed or not followed.

I do believe that I fall into the category of those people that are more productive WFH as I don't have children and have a lot less distractions in my home office than I do at the company office. Also, those that are openly admitting being 0% productive when WFH, I believe that is their problem to address and should not tar everyone with the same brush.

AskAsk

duk3nuk3m said:

bradders1983 said:

I dont think the OP cares now.

I do care, I've just taken a bit of a backseat after understanding that WFH is just a guideline that can be followed or not followed.

I do believe that I fall into the category of those people that are more productive WFH as I don't have children and have a lot less distractions in my home office than I do at the company office. Also, those that are openly admitting being 0% productive when WFH, I believe that is their problem to address and should not tar everyone with the same brush.

i assume you are referring to me.  i think i am unusual at being 0% productive when i work from home as most people would not be able to get away with that and would be found out very quickly.  however, i do think that a large proportion of people are less productive than when they work in the office.  i would guess a reduction of 30% as a general rule.

this is why the 'office environment' was created in the first place.  a dedicated working space / facility for people to come and do their work without personal distractions at home.  where the working hour is clear and all the infrastructure are in place to allow efficient working and tight security is available for the work done, where security is required.  a place where people can discuss work with their colleagues and their team.  our whole working practice is built around the office and i do not see this being abandoned any time soon irrespective of what the media reports.

Barny1979

duk3nuk3m said:

bradders1983 said:

I dont think the OP cares now.

I do care, I've just taken a bit of a backseat after understanding that WFH is just a guideline that can be followed or not followed.

I do believe that I fall into the category of those people that are more productive WFH as I don't have children and have a lot less distractions in my home office than I do at the company office. Also, those that are openly admitting being 0% productive when WFH, I believe that is their problem to address and should not tar everyone with the same brush.

Have you discussed with your manager as advised?

74jax

AskAsk said:

Barny1979 said:

AskAsk said:

Dizzy_Ditzy said:

We are a team of three and need to have one person covering the office every day. Two of us do two days and the other does the odd one.  Our jobs are 90% doable from home but we need to deal with post and face to face queries. Maybe thats why your employer wants you to be in the office? You really need to speak to your employer to ask them why 
Speaking for myself, I quite enjoy my office days - its a chance to have a "semi" sort of normal, with other people that you can chat do and laugh with and commiserate with! 

i used to work one day a week at home and 4 days in the office at my old place.  i had no distraction at home, except myself as i could never get motivated enough to do anything and would just leave the work and go and do other things instead.  of course i never told my employer this!  but when you are home and there are so many other interesting things that you could do instead of working, who wouldn't just put work aside if you can and go and do something else instead??

Because those working fulltime from home currently would have zero output

they would have some output, but it would be less than what it was when they went into the office full time.  the media articles state that the output is more than when they went into the office full time in general, which i find hard to believe.

When I was WFH my laptop was switched on the minute I got up, and I left it on throughout the evening, I have no idea why - well I do, because I was an idiot!  The moment an email came in, I replied, whatever time of day it was.....  At home was pretty much the same as at work, I had hoped I'd take lunch, but I guess my excuse for not taking lunch at work (didn't have time), still was the reason at home, I think I thought because I was at home the workload would miraculously diminish........
My husband loves WFH, he has meetings with people all over the world and would usually have to go in the office early or stay late to have calls.  Now he can just be in the house and no long commute, he absolutely loves it.  He's in his study at 08.30, and the door is shut throughout the working day till about 5.30/6.  He says he gets far more done at home, but I can't see how as it's the same hours for him, but he says it's the non interruptions and their calls are now more structured so they get more out of them.

AskAsk

74jax said:

AskAsk said:

Barny1979 said:

AskAsk said:

Dizzy_Ditzy said:

We are a team of three and need to have one person covering the office every day. Two of us do two days and the other does the odd one.  Our jobs are 90% doable from home but we need to deal with post and face to face queries. Maybe thats why your employer wants you to be in the office? You really need to speak to your employer to ask them why 
Speaking for myself, I quite enjoy my office days - its a chance to have a "semi" sort of normal, with other people that you can chat do and laugh with and commiserate with! 

i used to work one day a week at home and 4 days in the office at my old place.  i had no distraction at home, except myself as i could never get motivated enough to do anything and would just leave the work and go and do other things instead.  of course i never told my employer this!  but when you are home and there are so many other interesting things that you could do instead of working, who wouldn't just put work aside if you can and go and do something else instead??

Because those working fulltime from home currently would have zero output

they would have some output, but it would be less than what it was when they went into the office full time.  the media articles state that the output is more than when they went into the office full time in general, which i find hard to believe.

When I was WFH my laptop was switched on the minute I got up, and I left it on throughout the evening, I have no idea why - well I do, because I was an idiot!  The moment an email came in, I replied, whatever time of day it was.....  At home was pretty much the same as at work, I had hoped I'd take lunch, but I guess my excuse for not taking lunch at work (didn't have time), still was the reason at home, I think I thought because I was at home the workload would miraculously diminish........
My husband loves WFH, he has meetings with people all over the world and would usually have to go in the office early or stay late to have calls.  Now he can just be in the house and no long commute, he absolutely loves it.  He's in his study at 08.30, and the door is shut throughout the working day till about 5.30/6.  He says he gets far more done at home, but I can't see how as it's the same hours for him, but he says it's the non interruptions and their calls are now more structured so they get more out of them.

i am not working at the moment, but if i were, i would really struggle as i can't work from home. when i did work from home one day a week, i found it was difficult to do effectively as my work has to be done on the office site so it has to be linked into the company's network. that was slow through the link, making work laborious. i could not get access to all the paper files that i need to refer to for my work. i would have to open all the digital documents, but that is slower than flicking through paper files. my husband has been working from home since the pandemic, but he was already working from home a lot before the pandemic. he would work at all hours, but it would be odd hours as during the working day, like me, he is often doing his own personal things. so unless he has a meeting with other people, he isn't doing the work until he has finished with his own personal activities. unlike me, he does do the work, all be it at odd times. however, like me, he doesn't work the number of hours he claims to do to his employer.

74jax

AskAsk said:

74jax said:

AskAsk said:

Barny1979 said:

AskAsk said:

Dizzy_Ditzy said:

We are a team of three and need to have one person covering the office every day. Two of us do two days and the other does the odd one.  Our jobs are 90% doable from home but we need to deal with post and face to face queries. Maybe thats why your employer wants you to be in the office? You really need to speak to your employer to ask them why 
Speaking for myself, I quite enjoy my office days - its a chance to have a "semi" sort of normal, with other people that you can chat do and laugh with and commiserate with! 

i used to work one day a week at home and 4 days in the office at my old place.  i had no distraction at home, except myself as i could never get motivated enough to do anything and would just leave the work and go and do other things instead.  of course i never told my employer this!  but when you are home and there are so many other interesting things that you could do instead of working, who wouldn't just put work aside if you can and go and do something else instead??

Because those working fulltime from home currently would have zero output

they would have some output, but it would be less than what it was when they went into the office full time.  the media articles state that the output is more than when they went into the office full time in general, which i find hard to believe.

When I was WFH my laptop was switched on the minute I got up, and I left it on throughout the evening, I have no idea why - well I do, because I was an idiot!  The moment an email came in, I replied, whatever time of day it was.....  At home was pretty much the same as at work, I had hoped I'd take lunch, but I guess my excuse for not taking lunch at work (didn't have time), still was the reason at home, I think I thought because I was at home the workload would miraculously diminish........
My husband loves WFH, he has meetings with people all over the world and would usually have to go in the office early or stay late to have calls.  Now he can just be in the house and no long commute, he absolutely loves it.  He's in his study at 08.30, and the door is shut throughout the working day till about 5.30/6.  He says he gets far more done at home, but I can't see how as it's the same hours for him, but he says it's the non interruptions and their calls are now more structured so they get more out of them.

i am not working at the moment, but if i were, i would really struggle as i can't work from home. when i did work from home one day a week, i found it was difficult to do effectively as my work has to be done on the office site so it has to be linked into the company's network. that was slow through the link, making work laborious. i could not get access to all the paper files that i need to refer to for my work. i would have to open all the digital documents, but that is slower than flicking through paper files. my husband has been working from home since the pandemic, but he was already working from home a lot before the pandemic. he would work at all hours, but it would be odd hours as during the working day, like me, he is often doing his own personal things. so unless he has a meeting with other people, he isn't doing the work until he has finished with his own personal activities. unlike me, he does do the work, all be it at odd times. however, like me, he doesn't work the number o hours he claims to do to his employer.

I think it totally matters what job role you do and company.  My husband at work has video calls throughout the day with teams all over the world, so being at home is no different really.  Even at home he has different screens for different people, so it's just like being in the office and doing a video call in the meeting room with a video screen around the table (if that makes sense).  
Why be in the office on a video call, when you can be at home.  
I had total work life/balance/stress issues, but I handed my notice in and now have no issues at all................. The other end of the spectrum............... 

duk3nuk3m

AskAsk said:
i would guess a reduction of 30% as a general rule.

I could also "guess" that 81.67541% of people working from home are more productive than those working in an office. I'd love to hear where you get the "reduction of 30% as a general rule" from. I'm guessing thin air.