Working from Home

Just a quick question….
If ‘working’ from home is deemed to be just as productive as going into the office, why have we all been driven half mad over the past two years, stuck on the phone to businesses for hours waiting for some lazy devil to pick up the phone from their sofa?

Well I haven't experienced that even when changing my bank account I've had prompt service. I imagine there has been a lot of sickness absence and many firms are struggling to recruit.

I have had better service from people working from home.
Much more personalised.

I worked from home for about 2 months after the lockdown started. I had lunch with a friend this week who is working from home and had to rush off to get back to work in her front room. SisIL works from home and is on holiday this week, but took her laptop with her. DH has worked from home for about 20 years.

It is very insulting and ill-informed to say that people working from home are lazy. I think Littlejohn is just whipping up division.

I've got to say I've had worse service from some home workers. Half the time, they haven't got full access to their files, and need to sort it out when they go to the office. On one call I was having to shout over a dog and a very young child.

Getting probate, after my dad died, was a nightmare, with phones not being answered etc.

And, of course, things like passports and diving licences are much delayed.

It might work with some jobs, but with some it just doesn't.

JenniferEccles

Just a quick question….
If ‘working’ from home is deemed to be just as productive as going into the office, why have we all been driven half mad over the past two years, stuck on the phone to businesses for hours waiting for some lazy devil to pick up the phone from their sofa?

Because the infrastructure to reroute and fully respond to calls was not as good as it could be in some companies, particularly the IT side. So, calls take longer than they should, which delays other calls coming in being dealt with. Most companies have now overcome those difficulties and the delays have reduced a lot in the last few months compared with two years ago.

DS worked from home during lockdown and said he got two hours work in from 6 am whereas it often took him well over an hour to commute with all the traffic.
Conference calls instead of a two hour trip to HO seems more sensible too.
He is not a civil servant.

It did take a complaint to the DVLA before I got my driving licence though. They blamed working from home!

Hybrid working needs to be assessed according to the work being done/the service being provided. There will be some areas when it just isn't practical/won't work. There will be some areas where it makes no difference either way. Companies/services need to assess what works best for them in providing an effective service to customers/service users. There is no standard good/bad across across all areas!

Is this a Daily Mail article we’re expected to believe: I never know ( sarcastic emoji) ? because we’re told over and over it’s a lying rag and only fit for one purpose.

Horses for courses from what friend and family tell me.
3 daughters work from home and are quite happy with the arrangement.
A friend works in housing and claims that she would get a lot more problems solved if the whole team were in the office together.

There are pros and cons with WFH and I'm sure there are people who take advantage of not being scrutinised. The saving in transport time and money may be wonderful, but finding quiet privacy and a comfortable place to work may be difficult. I remember them checking our desks and computers were the right height in the office, but no-one checks whether you're doing your back in at home!

As for customer service, it was dreadful during the pandemic! I kept being told the person I needed was WFH and only in the office two days a week and you couldn't ring them at home (several companies). Also, phone calls queues took forever ('we are experiencing a high volume of calls' anyone?). Someone waiting for a divorce is still waiting now.

I also think many people need face to face companionship, training and support from their colleagues, and they need to be at work for that.

I think that a lot of jobs can be done at home as well as, if not better than in an office where there are distractions of all kinds.

Employers who don’t trust staff can monitor keystrokes/call times if they really want to, but in the end will probably find that staff will leave to work for people who let them work in the best way for them. Maybe over time pay will become more results-driven, or annual reviews will address productivity.

I always worked from home at least part of the week, and had no supervision. I would sometimes pop out during the day if I needed to, but would then mark papers, or do research into the night. It made absolutely no difference to my productivity, and students always knew when I would be available if they needed me.

If people are allowed to make their own decisions about how to blend work and home they will do both better, I think. Anyone who takes the mickey will end up getting the sack. I do think that employers should ensure that staff have a decent setup, though, and that there should usually be an option to go into the office if people want to - being at home all the time isn’t everyone’s preferred option.

Both AC are wfh a couple of days a week and commuting to the office on the other days, and both say it works well for them this way.
Both appreciate the time freed up by not driving 20 miles or a 40 minutes train journey each way and both feel they get more done at home. DD works with people across the world and so is able to schedule her working time to meet virtually with people in different time zones.
They are able to have face-to-face meeting etc on the days they are 'in the office' and so feel it's a good balance.

If I were still working full-time, that’s the balance I would prefer, lixy.

I think it would be a shame to take that flexibility away from people simply because not everyone has the imagination to see that it works, or the trust in others to know that not everyone would take advantage.

I think he wants everyone back at the office because he and his cronies are worried about their investments in office buildings / shops and London house prices will fall. People who can work from home move out to the countryside and unrented offices do not bring in the rent.
I do know of people who have manage to renegotiate their rent down.

I'm sure its simple for mps to go to work, when you see pics of them sleeping on the job.
Nice work of you can get it!

My company has been way more productive wfh

The key is to be given the right tools and adapting to the new structure.

I think the wfh was a triumph, really, considering how quickly it was implemented, with no preparation.
I think it threatens the idea of how things have been for years, and how people are "expected" to let work take priority over other (more important) things.

MissAdventure

I'm sure its simple for mps to go to work, when you see pics of them sleeping on the job.
Nice work of you can get it!

Touché!!

Ooh! Look at you with your fancy accent.

Autocorrect didn't like it but I insisted.

Working from home is all well and good if your home has the space for a desk and a suitable chair, preferably in a separate room/home office.

It must be hell on earth to work from the bed/sofa whilst your other half wrangles your children in a small flat.

Grannygravy13

You would be surprised how fast you adapt to the new circumstances
It is easier to accept condition that would be hellish before quarantine and you make them work after

It also helps if your work environment is supportive of the new family elements that might be incorporated

One pro is to see how strong coworkers are and how we all are on the same situation

I do not think anyone should be forced to work from home.

A GG13 says, some folk do not have a suitable home. I think it is also true that many younger workers , even if they have a suitable workspace at home, feel the need for face to face contact with colleagues.

There are obviously many jobs which just cannot be done from home - eg train driver, heart surgeon, traffic warden, supermarket checkout person.

However it seems to me that the pandemic has shown us the beneficial possibilities of working from home for many office workers.

Saving time, money and energy by not doing a ridiculous daily commute from your suburban home to some city office makes total sense.

It is not good news for the owners of commercial property in city centres and some small businesses running cafes or sandwich bars may suffer, but it makes far more sense for us all and for the planet if office workers only go into the city when absolutely necessary.

Companies could get rid of offices, shrink their office space or share space. Redundant office space could be transformed into much needed housing. People living in city centres could bring them back to life after 6pm.

Win win except for the owners or investors of commercial property, like Mogg.

I guess it comes down to how wealthy you are as to whether you can afford a suitable room and desk or are stuck in the same room as other family members and with no workstation. It would be very unfair to expect anyone to work from home when they are not comfortable. So WFH favours the well off over those who are poorer and that's not fair.