Working From Home

[Culprit]

I love the debate about people WFH and whether should they be forced back into the Office or get paid less. The week before Covid I received an agreement to work one day a week from home. A week later it was full-time due to Covid. Since then we've been back in and out of the office and at the moment it is totally up to me if I wish to go to the office. I see no need unless I physically need to be there or in another State.


WFH is here to stay for some of us.

[think positive]

Done it since 2016. I hate it! But semi retired now so yeah, sometimes I’ll work at 11pm like I did last night so I have the day free! I need people!

[Skids]

I'm finding it a bit difficult to unblock drains and change out HWS's from home

[Skids]

Doubla

[stui magpie]

I agree Culprit, It's here to stay but in different forms. Some employers will try to remove it or penalise people, they will lose staff who will go to somewhere that offers more flexibility.

Working in HR you could clearly see that organisations that provided flexible work practices had a competitive advantage over similar organisations that didn't.

In my last role, I negotiated up front on the annual salary I wanted, that it would be paid on a 4 day week and that 2 days at home and 2 in the office. As I was only 15 mintes from work, I could be flexible. If I needed to physically attend a meeting in the office on a day I was working from home, I'd just drive in for the meeting then go home again.

Some smart organisations were onto this before Covid, redesigning offices so only half the workforce could fit, with hotdesks and lots of collaboration spaces. They save a fortune in accommodation and other expenses and people got a better work life balance.

Yeah, it doesn't work for Tradies like Skids but for knowledge workers there's nothing you can't do from home that you could do in the office.

[Culprit]

With today's concerns about the environment and traffic, it makes sense to have fewer people traveling to and from work. Yes, there are some jobs that simply can't be done from home.

Recently offered a nice bit of cash to move companies I have approached my Company for a Day off a Fortnight and 5 Weeks of Annual leave. I showed them my letter of offer and what I am asking for compared to the extra remuneration is quite reasonable.

[stui magpie]

^

Good stuff. People rarely move jobs just for more money, there's a lot of other factors that encourage people to stay or move.

While the lockdowns drove many people (literally in many cases) mad, it also gave those working from home a new appreciation for work life balance. Being able to do your job but getting back those 2 hours (or more) that were spent commuting to and from work plus the money saved from not paying to get to work and not buying takeaway food and coffees.

Any company that tries to mandate it's workers 5 days a week in the office will be pushing shit uphill.

[eddiesmith]

My previous 2 jobs I had to be full time in the office as it couldn't be done from home and none of the other team had the knowledge to do my job if I wasn't there. I'm very interested in trying to get a chance to head back one day and see how they're coping without me, was going to go today as the boss was on an extra long weekend but couldn't afford the trip 2 weekends in a row.

Still working for the same organisation but a completely different role, the organisations policy has been 3 days in the office expected for a while now, so most of my new team do 3 days in the office, 2 at home, although it feels rare to see most of them 3 times a week...

But because I am supposed to be supporting them all my boss expects me in 4 days a week as no one comes in Friday! So it can be frustrating when everyone else is allowed 2 days at home and I only get 1, 1 other person chooses to come in 4 days most weeks but that is entirely her choice.

I do enjoy the flexibility of working from home, made it so much easier when I moved here to get trades people in to get jobs done as we had a couple of periods where the office was out of action due to renovations then they tried to install a waterfall in the middle of the office one day that took it out of action for a few more weeks...

[pietillidie]

Yeah, I can't see most people not wanting at least hybrid. Some do like to get away from the house and I can understand young people fancying the office more, but that's often because they haven't adapted to working from home yet and haven't adjusted their social life accordingly.

Also, if you know you're working from home you're more likely to choose a house and location accordingly, which is something that can take time.

Bum companies and managers moan about it because remote work requires better communication, better documentation and system access, more advance organisation, better training, an environment of trust, etc. But even they're being forced to adapt because no one wants to work for them as it is, let alone if they don't at least have a hybrid option.

[Culprit]

WFH has given many a micro manager a nervous breakdown. Yes the younger workers like going into the office but older workers and parents prefer it. When I go into the office I actually do less work. Coffee’s and chats followed by long lunches means less work. Home means I am up early and get more work done with no distractions.

[Dark Beanie]

I currently WFH as it fits in with the type of work I am doing.

Work casual in accounts and sometimes I might only have 3-4 hours work which doesn't male it worth going into the office (even though it is a 20 minute walk or one train stop away).

The only issue I have is that I have to let my boss know when I start each day and if I just get on with things and forget, she gets a bit annoyed and I get berated like a 5 year old.

The hybrid model is the one I think works best but it si not for everyone and every situation.

[Culprit]

^^I reply to people's emails like 0400 and that rattles a few. We have an App we use called "Power Automate". I have three buttons (workflow) to push. WFH, Working from Clients Site and Working in the Office. We have no designated time just push the button before 0100. This is more about acknowledging we are still breathing.

[stui magpie]

^

Several places I worked over the last few years had soft guidleines in place around sending emails after hours, particularly for managers. The concept was, if you're sending an email after hours you're putting pressure on that person to respond after hours which basically isn't cool.

Some I saw would use a signature that ackowledged they had sent the email after hours but specifically stated they did not want any responses till office hours, others would just write the email at some ridiculous hour but schedule it to be sent at 8am.

It's funny how work can consume people. A Manager I worked with 20 years ago could not go to bed until he'd checked his email. He just wouldn't sleep. Go out for dinner with the wife, get home late after a few wines but he just had to check them.

Another bloke was so conditioned to reading documents while eating lunch, he struggled going out to eat with family because he didn't have something to read while eating and was instead expected to communicate with the people around him.

Work fcks with people.

[eddiesmith]

[eddiesmith]