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[Misc] Does WFH (working from home) reduce productivity?



Mustafa II

Mustafa II

Well-known member
Oct 14, 2022
1,811
Hove
I feel absolutely certain it does. People seem to try to get away with as much as they can, as a result producing inferior work and missing deadlines.

It's a nice idea as it allows people to save time and money, as well as businesses on office spaces - but in reality, people are usually going to prioritise their private lives over work wherever possible, by doing as little as possible when unwatched.

Thoughts?
 
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Sorrel

Sorrel

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
2,937
Back in East Sussex
I like it for a few days. You can concentrate on work that involves fewer meetings and get stuff done. But after around five days in a row at home I start to lose motivation, work less well, and pay less attention to it.

I much prefer a hybrid form of working, with three days a week in the office, meeting others, two days a week at home, getting on with things. Others may have different opinions.
 


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
55,885
Faversham
Mustafa II said:
I feel absolutely certain it does. People seem to try to get away with as much as they can, as a result producing inferior work and missing deadlines.

It's a nice idea as it allows people to save time and money, as well as businesses on office spaces - but in reality, people are usually going to prioritise their private lives over work wherever possible, by doing as little as possible when unwatched.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Not me. I am on top of my shit and when I dodge a 3.5 h commute I get to work 3.5 h extra. With better quality coffee and ambient music. What's not to like?

Of course, there are plenty of skivers. I think that Darwin's notions will help ensure good workers float to the top, in the long run, wherever their desk is located.

Provided management is awake.
 


drew

drew

Drew
NSC Patron
Oct 3, 2006
23,573
Burgess Hill
Seems a lot of people think it's either one or the other rather than a combination. Most people I know that do work from home also have days in the office. As for productivity, isn't that the job of the manager to monitor? I'm sure there will be some who take the mick and there will be others that put the time to good use, no different to the office where you get the slackers nipping off for 5/10 minutes every hour for a fag!!!
 


Z

Zeus

Well-known member
Jan 10, 2022
622
100% it does. Far too tempting for most people to finish early or start a bit late if no meetings in The diary.
 






N

nevergoagain

Well-known member
Jul 28, 2005
1,522
nowhere near Burgess Hill
I think it balances itself out to be honest. I worked my last 4 years from home and found that I was logging on much earlier than I would had I been commuting and coming back to things in the evening if something popped into my mind. The ability to step away and get a coffee, have a chat with the missus, go out in the garden etc. I thought focussed the mind much better when back in my office. Certainly though personal life can intrude if you allow it (World Cups & Major events particularly). I couldn't do it without a proper undisturbed working space.
 


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
55,885
Faversham
drew said:
Seems a lot of people think it's either one or the other rather than a combination. Most people I know that do work from home also have days in the office. As for productivity, isn't that the job of the manager to monitor? I'm sure there will be some who take the mick and there will be others that put the time to good use, no different to the office where you get the slackers nipping off for 5/10 minutes every hour for a fag!!!
Click to expand...
Almost exactly what I said. But succincter. :bowdown:

Not rocket science is it?

(which is best done in the shed)
 






Nobby Cybergoat

Nobby Cybergoat

Well-known member
Jul 19, 2021
8,617
When i'm working from home, I can put 30 or 40 post on here per day, meaning I'm likely not being that productive, at least not from a work point of view.

When i'm in the office, I don't do that
 






Washie

Washie

Well-known member
Jun 20, 2011
6,033
Eastbourne
Nobby Cybergoat said:
When i'm working from home, I can put 30 or 40 post on here per day, meaning I'm likely not being that productive, at least not from a work point of view.

When i'm in the office, I don't do that
Click to expand...
I'm the opposite, I can pretend to be productive in the office, quickly change my screen if a manager walks past. When i'm WFH however, I know my stats are more harshly judged.
 


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
55,885
Faversham
Anyway, this thread is useless without a poll.
 


A1X

A1X

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Sep 1, 2017
20,485
Deepest, darkest Sussex
If your manager can’t manage remotely and make sure that stuff is getting done then they’re a shite manager, doesn’t matter whether they’re in a different office or at home
 




B

BiffyBoy

Active member
Aug 20, 2012
205
Mustafa II said:
I feel absolutely certain it does. People seem to try to get away with as much as they can, as a result producing inferior work and missing deadlines.

It's a nice idea as it allows people to save time and money, as well as businesses on office spaces - but in reality, people are usually going to prioritise their private lives over work wherever possible, by doing as little as possible when unwatched.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I agree with you.

For employers, I think it can potentially work when the entire company is remote. I've seen this with a fast-growing tech company, where they let anyone work anywhere with no questions asked, but you were expected to be responsive pretty much 24/7, so they owned you.

Unfortunately, even with the best intentions, humans will take the p***. I'm personally a lot more productive in an office environment, and the best work contacts I've made have come from being in an office with co-workers.

Some type of remote / flexibility has been a big help for parents, though. I think hybrid is probably the best solution.
 


dazzer6666

dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 27, 2013
55,395
Burgess Hill
Harry Wilson's tackle said:
Not me. I am on top of my shit and when I dodge a 3.5 h commute I get to work 3.5 h extra. With better quality coffee and ambient music. What's not to like?

Of course, there are plenty of skivers. I think that Darwin's notions will help ensure good workers float to the top, in the long run, wherever their desk is located.

Provided management is awake.
Click to expand...
100% this for me when I was working. Commuting time was spent mostly working, not reading the newspaper or pissing about on my ipad on the train. I still got up before 6am, and was usually working by 6.15. Apart from the ‘in office’ day being much shorter, it was punctuated with hours wasted having those ‘have you got 5 minutes ?’ chats that people passing by your office want (which are never, ever 5 minutes), having coffee, talking about anything and everything BUT work etc etc etc which don’t happen when you’re out of sight. I was massively more productive working from home and as all my direct reports were spread from Vancouver/Mexico City to Hong Kong it made no difference where I was most of the time.
 


schmunk

schmunk

Why oh why oh why?
Jan 19, 2018
10,326
Mid mid mid Sussex
Sorrel said:
I like it for a few days. You can concentrate on work that involves fewer meetings and get stuff done. But after around five days in a row at home I start to lose motivation, work less well, and pay less attention to it.

I much prefer a hybrid form of working, with three days a week in the office, meeting others, two days a week at home, getting on with things. Others may have different opinions.
Click to expand...
I've come to this conclusion too. Plus, if I go into the office on Friday, I get to go to the pub at lunchtime...
 


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
55,885
Faversham
dazzer6666 said:
100% this for me when I was working. Commuting time was spent mostly working, not reading the newspaper or pissing about on my ipad on the train. I still got up before 6am, and was usually working by 6.15. Apart from the ‘in office’ day being much shorter, it was punctuated with hours wasted having those ‘have you got 5 minutes ?’ chats that people passing by your office want (which are never, ever 5 minutes), having coffee, talking about anything and everything BUT work etc etc etc which don’t happen when you’re out of sight. I was massively more productive working from home and as all my direct reports were spread from Vancouver/Mexico City to Hong Kong it made no difference where I was most of the time.
Click to expand...
Ah yes. Not having to interact with (and talk to, and worse, have to listen to) the other bastards. Avoiding the Cruciatus curse of working al fresco (not in doors).
 




Badger

Badger

NOT the Honey Badger
NSC Patron
May 8, 2007
13,090
Toronto
I have been working from home full-time since the start of the pandemic. I'm not sure I agree my productivity is that much less in terms of my overall output. The difference for me is when I do the work.

When I was going to the office every day I worked roughly 9-5 (or a bit either side) then I'd go home and not think about work until the next day, with the occassional exception when we were releasing software. I usually had a list of work to get on with and it was easy to arrange meetings or just go and chat with people in the office.

Now I work from home, I often have breaks during the day where I might have an errand to run or there's not much for me to do until I get a reply from someone. So, I don't work the same 9-5 day, I am often doing work in the evening. The flexibility is nice but I find it much harder to switch off from work.

There are a couple of caveats to this though. I am now a team leader, rather than just a developer, so my job involves a lot more communication and chasing people for things. My team are very good at getting work done and I sometimes have to remind them to take a break when they're submitting code at 11pm! The company also got bought, which has meant working with people in different timezones which adds to the difficulties of working normal hours.

I do miss the office though. WFH every day does get quite draining.
 


AmexRuislip

AmexRuislip

Retired Spy 🕵️‍♂️
Feb 2, 2014
34,686
Ruislip
After
Harry Wilson's tackle said:
Not me. I am on top of my shit and when I dodge a 3.5 h commute I get to work 3.5 h extra. With better quality coffee and ambient music. What's not to like?

Of course, there are plenty of skivers. I think that Darwin's notions will help ensure good workers float to the top, in the long run, wherever their desk is located.

Provided management is awake.
Click to expand...
After I got my PC diagnosis, had me op & sick time off.
It was agreed with my boss I could WFH for 6 months.
I my work and some, I normally would've done on shift.
I got the feeling I was doing more than the ***** who were at work.
An example would be myself being emailed to do a certain task on the MOD laptop I had through the MOD intranet.
I did ths work requested & logged it.

As I was getting a full wage through my sickness cover, certain new colleagues started to question my boss, why I was at home working and earning the same wage.
Cut a long story short, my spineless boss started to push me into going back to work on shift, I subsequently pushed back with great advice and support from Macmillan.
Didn't hear another thing off him!
 


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