[Misc] Working from Home - Have we seen a sea change ?

[WATFORD zero]

Our office is now open and you can go in if you want, assuming there aren’t too many people.

Before there were ~25 people in and the policy was no WfH (you could if you had a good reason though). Since it opened on a voluntary basis I think an average of 2 people are in a day; the office manager and someone who can’t WfH well.

I went in yesterday all day for the first time, mainly as I wanted to run through some things in person with a more junior colleague.

IMO I would like to have at least one day in the office per week, but only if my immediate colleagues are in, as I miss being able to easily discuss issues/problem/things in person, MS teams just isn’t as good.

Also how are junior/new starters supposed to learn? For me I learn so much by seeing how other people do things, that won’t happen with WfH.

Don’t know what I would choose if I could only have one.

I was chatting to one of my kids about the whole new employees thing. Apparently they have had a new boss and have two new members of staff working for them during lockdown, none of which they have ever physically met and they say it is working fine. They have a good relationship with them all, built up over digital links

I guess it depends on the people and job

 

[schmunk]

The mobile sandwich vans must be hit hard.

As my wife noted only last night, they should now be driving around suburbia offering sandwiches to WFH'ers...

 

[WATFORD zero]

The vast majority of people I’ve spoken, cannot wait to get back to the office, like others have said it was a nice novelty at first, but now that’s worn off people are starting to miss the social interaction that goes along with working in an office.
I suspect the norm will become a split of 2/3 in the office and the rest WFH.
I tried to work from home, but my wife didn’t like me fixing cars in the kitchen !

One of the problems with being an entrepreneur, other people finding problems at every opportunity

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

If WFH isn’t sustainable, but commuting is a drag, coworking spaces are a good alternative and half-way house, either solo or as a group. My last client is scaling down their office complex with some workers moving to a coworking space near to their homes.

I work remotely, but have been using such a place for years now and love it. It’s a lovely space, ten minutes on the bike (or 6 stops on the tram) from my apartment. I get most of the benefits of working from home and working in an office.

 

[Chicken Run]

If WFH isn’t sustainable, but commuting is a drag, coworking spaces are a good alternative and half-way house, either solo or as a group. My last client is scaling down their office complex with some workers moving to a coworking space near to their homes.

I work on my own but have been using such a place for years now and love it. It’s a lovely space, ten minutes on the bike (or 6 stops on the tram) from my apartment.

Yep this, my wife is starting to think about this option!

 

[happypig]

I started WFH in 1999, one or two days a week on an ISDN connection (64k). When I moved back to Sussex I was doing shifts; all nights were at home and 2/3 of day shifts at home too.
It enabled my wife and I to bring up our son without needing childcare and saved on travel costs/time.
I always had a dedicated office and the family knew that if I was working I wasn't available for a casual chat or to help with the chores.
in 2016 I had a health problem and was off for 5 weeks, in that time there was a restructuring and my rota buddies and I were the only three people still headquartered in Brighton with a guvnor in London. First thing he said to me was "I aint bothered if you go in or not, we're all grown ups and know what' required of us".
So I worked at home permanently until June last year when a new director decided he wanted to be able to see his empire and wanted everyone to do every shift in the office. In Suffolk. I took the release package and early retirement.
In 18 years of doing it, I can testify that it suits many people but a few don't get on with it (one bloke used to go in the office for every shift, even doing nights there on his own).

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I think it depends where you are in your career. I am middle aged and am experienced, so am able to work independently. If you are fresh to a career then it will be a huge struggle because it would be harder to feed off more experienced staff. I can imagine working your way up through a business would be harder too, if say you WFH but another colleague was in and around the office having face-to-face interaction with bosses.

Obviously there are certain social and mental health issues that can make working from home difficult for a lot of people.

Good point regarding being new in a profession.

 

[Napper]

The vast majority of people I’ve spoken, cannot wait to get back to the office, like others have said it was a nice novelty at first, but now that’s worn off people are starting to miss the social interaction that goes along with working in an office.

seems to be the norm to say you miss the office depending who you talk too.

Are you in a senior position ?

 

[albion534]

Good to see Mp’s saying go to work in the office from the comfort of their own home. Classic

I believe we’ve seen a shift and companies will see people work from home more if they’re more than capable

I know from a friend who works in London that will see them downsize from 2 floors to just 1. Saving god knows how much.

A personal friend in London is hoping to move to Brighton and work from here and commute when absolutely needed.

Billionaire London landlords will have to reduce rent to a acceptable standards sooner.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[pb21]

I was chatting to one of my kids about the whole new employees thing. Apparently they have had a new boss and have two new members of staff working for them during lockdown, none of which they have ever physically met and they say it is working fine. They have a good relationship with them all, built up over digital links

I guess it depends on the people and job

I'm not saying that it cant work, just that it is better if you are surrounded by more experienced people who know what they are doing (at least in theory), particularly if you are very new.

In an office people openly discuss work for advice or sharing interesting/unusual bits they are working on. You don't have to be personally involved in that conversation, just listening, to take on and think about it. At home you don't get that.

 

[Postman Pat]

Good point regarding being new in a profession.

I've been fortunate to start a new job during lockdown, 3 months on boarding. Its been challenging at times, and missed the chance to ask questions to fill gaps in my knowledge, but my colleagues have been patient and helpful and all has gone OK.

We have limited number of people back in the office with the rest not planned to be back till Jan 2021.

I suspect some organisations will be reviewing the need for bricks and mortar presence.

Government have to take some blame here, they scared everyone about the dangers of Covid, they can't unturn that tap and expect people to be happy/confident about commuting or going back to the office just so Pret can sell a few sandwiches.

Trying to tell people they will be more likely to be sacked if working from home is a shocking message to put out there.

 

[Brian Potter]

Something I do which some people might find odd is before I start work I do a quick five min Walk round the block And do the same at the end of the day. I pretend it is my commute and the bit in between is work time.

Nope, I am with you on that. Instead of getting in the car I go for a 15-20 min walk before and after. Bookends the working day so there is a clear division between work and home life. Have enjoyed wfh but am looking forward to a couple of days a week in the office which is what my employer seems to be looking to do with most of the staff. Those who really want to be in all the time will be able to and those who are happy to be at home all the time will continue likewise.

 

[LamieRobertson]

My wife has WFH since lock down and cannot wait to get back to the office!

Is that because she is seeing so much of you

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I've been fortunate to start a new job during lockdown, 3 months on boarding. Its been challenging at times, and missed the chance to ask questions to fill gaps in my knowledge, but my colleagues have been patient and helpful and all has gone OK.

.

I started with a new client in early April, right at the peak of Covid. The work was taken on the basis I work remotely, and I am experienced, but even so it was a challenge at times. I can imagine if you are starting out in your professional life it could be a bit weird and bewildering. That said, I’m viewing this through the prism of my life, age and experiences....and my old ways and old thinking. Given that youngsters do most things online or with an app, maybe they’re a lot more at home with this than I give them credit.

 

[Stuart Munday]

Expect the tories to ramp up the pressure to get people back to work as a lot of wealthy land owners will be panicking about their profits. Too late now as things will change for good, why would you commute for 2 hours just to save a few sandwich shops which have only sprung up in the last few years anyway. People have more money to spend but do so locally rather in the big cities, it’s time for businesses to adapt, money can still be made but in different ways.

 

[LamieRobertson]

I work from other peoples homes...But quite fancy this wfh business ...next door neighbour does it and seems to do sod all

 

[Chicken Run]

Is that because she is seeing so much of you

I haven’t stopped working throughout Covid lock down, but well done for getting me to bite [emoji106]

Edit: that’s working away from home during the day.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

WFH is saving me at least £40 a week in petrol plus £18 a week bridge/tunnel tolls , so even if I need to increase my heating bills it will still probably save me money. I also am barely going shopping anywhere except for a fortnightly trip to Aldi or Asda, so am spending much less. On the downside I have to make special trips out to buy anything (or order things online), instead of being able to pick things up on my way home.

Communicating exclusively by email, MS teams, and phone isn't the same. Hunched over a laptop isn't doing my back or shoulders any good either.

The complete absence of seeing colleagues (or anyone else) however doesn't help as it can feel very isolated - although there are some colleagues I don't miss at all. On my road there is literally nobody around during the day, and very few to be seen at weekends (no idea what they are all doing or where they are). Also Mrs Cat is not well, which is also difficult. Having to wear masks and socially distance makes going out feel much more of an effort and destroys the pleasure, so tend not to bother - especially as the weather is closing in.

Also not had a day off since February since nowhere to go or do.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

At my place, we’ve announced that when CV-19 is over, staff will have the choice of working from the office (and roughly 10% say they want to do so 5 days/wk) or split between the office and wfh - with a maximum of 3 days/wk wfh. Everyone in the office on a Monday, the other day being up to the employee - being a fixed day/wk for the next 3 months. They can change the second day for the following quarter on the quarter days.

We’ve also said that we’re bound to get it wrong to start with as it’s a new situation, but we’d expect to get it right in 6 months from commencement.

This is the problem. Those of us with a 50+ mile commute will have to navigate their train tickets very carefully until the train franchises do what they mentioned doing long ago (but have done bugger all about as far as I know), which is give season ticket style discounts to people who routinely travel only a couple of days a week, rather than soak them as if they are American tourists on day trips.

Before Covid I was buying weird ticket combos that depended on whether I could manage to travel after 10, after 9 or before 9 (three tiers of ticket already). Then, if I was travelling on 3 days in a week, one early start meant it was cheaper to buy a second class weekly season ticket. If I had 2 or 3 days to go in, all leaving after 9 or after 10 I could buy three second class day singles plus three 'super off peak' first class returns (using only the return bit) with my senior rail card discount. I don't get any discount with my senior rail card if I buy a weekly, monthly or annual ticket. Who invented that rubric? A committee, I'll wager.

As an aside, I have found that to get a seat on the way home requires I get a first class ticket and time my journey carefull (I can't stand up all the way home as I have scoliosis). And of course the guards let the Bromley South contingent to take all the first class seats without checking their tickets. Every day. So it is a mad free for all even with a first class ticket.

On top of that, none of the discounted tickets can be bought online. The online options usually lead to 'computer says no'. So I am reliant on the person in the station office. One woman there is a genius. It was she that discovered that it is cheaper to buy weird combinations of tickets than the obvious ones. The other staff are clueless. It took me half an hour to get the right tickets off one of the blokes once. He initially refused to accept that the ticket combo I was requesting was possible, then he questioned the purpose, and then kept ****ing it up when he tried to do it, repeatedly asking me what I wanted again in increasingly exasperated tones. When he'd done it he still didn't get it. I really don't need all that.

This is all complete and utter madness and for someone with my personality and mental make up, it is really stressful.

Sometimes I use the 'high speed' (it is only high speed for the last bit of the journey) to King's Cross. If I buy a specific high speed ticket I can't travel first class on the train from Victoria (which is the best train home for me). However if I buy a first class ticket it lets me travel first class to Victoria and travel on the high speed. Guess which ticket costs £10 more a day? Yep, the one that doesn't let me travle first class to Victoria. Who knew? Nobody in the ticket office apart from my clever pal who sused it out. We reported it as a balls up in ticketing to the company 3 years ago. Do they care? Answers on a poscard please.

So not going to London suits me well.

That said I am still struggling with all this. I had been toying with retirement for a couple of years due to health issues that, weirdly, are now all resolved. My mind hasn't been focused on work though, and I have a supervision hiatus soon with my only PhD student almost complete, then I'll have no commitments. I could cut and run, but I have a final massive project on a new drug that would benefit from my being a university employee. So all sounds pretty easy - stay at home and stay employed. But I can't sleep poperly and am showing signs of stress (so I'm told - can't see it myself ).

The university is now of course trying to set things up se we can return. However we have had to set up remore teaching to cover the period till Jan 2021 as I have mentioned in previous posts. Spending 6-12 hours making and uploading a 1h lectures is daunting. I have managed to complete two. They are crap, with sound drifting in and out for reasons I don't understand. Most colleagues have yet to set up their course web pages to receive uploaded lectures yet so I am at least not lagging behind others.

Overall....I can't see myself commuting to London at all till Jan 2021. If the college is fully open I will navigate my way around the ticketing jungle with a heavy heart, as usual, so I can give my lectures and run my practicals (my heavy teaching l load in Jan to March, which always leaves me defenestrated and in a zomboid state at the end of it). Not looking forward to it, but my guess is we will be balls deep in a new wave of Covid by then, in which case I will not be going in at all. The shit may well then hit the fan. Happy days

Can any good come of this? Research requires real people in labs doing things, so research will suffer all the while normal is new 'normal'. However with a decent set of online lectures the college could start selling online degrees to foreigners. All theory and no practicals, of course. Staff could work entirely from home as teachers, uploading didactic lectures, setting quizzes and having regular teams meetings. Could be fun. Could work. I wouldn't take on any of the graduates of such for a postgraduate research training, though. Would you take on a new trainee guitarist in your band if he/she had passed an exam on the relative styles of Vinni Reily and Bert Weedon but had never strummed an actual chord themselves? I had a slightly more colourful analogy to offer, involving study of the Kinsey Reports and the Karma Sutra, but decided it was a bit too early in the day for that .

WFH: travel costs £0, travel time 0 h
3 days a week at work: £70- £170, 9-11 h
4+ days a week at work: £140-£170, 15-18 h

 

[Lethargic]

I have been partial working from home for years as I'm in the IT industry but because of this I have built my own office in the garden separate from the house which makes a huge difference.

I was made redundant at the beginning of lockdown so have been job hunting for months now but in almost all the interviews I have had they have stated that they will not be returning to a office based work pattern and many have stated that they have seen increased productivity. Yesterday I was approached about a job on the east coast of the US to which I replied sorry no interest in moving the come back was oh no it is remote so you will be wfh, the world is changing but like most things in life it is no black and white so I suspect most companies will settle on a happy medium but working life for many will change for ever.

As others have said if you get it right then wfh is a great improvement for your life style but there are somethings you need to put in place to achieve it - an organised working environment separate from you living space, increase you social interaction to compensate for lack of work interaction and exercise get up and go for a work, just going to the local shop ticks off 2 and 3 and helps the local community, I have not missed commuting into London for 1 second.