Work From Home

[Deleted member 18121]

Some of you lot have some vicious trips to work and back. Mine is a leasurely 30 minute drive door to door and I actually like it as it gets my brain in and out of work mode. That said, working from home was never really an option for me as I would need to boost my security for storing confidential client data and documents as well as have fireproof cabinets for storing any historic deeds or other original documents that I am working on. That would need a reasonable sized, dedicated home office, far bigger than the one that my wife uses.

Can understand fully why many on here would work from home even with the cost increase.

i went to my London office yesterday..
Return Daily Train Ticket > £24 (Did not take tube, as I walk else >30)
Coffee on the way to office > £2.90
Lunch (wrap + crisps + drink around fleet street) > £8.20
Plenty of free teas in the office..
Finished late, so Pint after work with colleagues > £11
Late train home, with the aroma of drinkers and McD in the coach >> priceless

So an average day is between £35-50 spend + 2 hours round trip (considering the walk rather than tube) .. Even if I go to office, the house will need some element of heating + lighting when family is back from school/work. So net-net, I am looking at an extra 5-6 hours of heating/lighting every day. I am assuming that is going to be less than £35. WFH makes more economic sense + i don't have to see any commuters

I'm lucky at the moment that I only do 1-2 days a week in the office. My round trip commute is just over 5 hours... If the trains are tubes run properly.

Train ticket £70.70
Tube £5
Lunch £9ish

Plus I get to see my son and I get to go to the range at lunch and sometimes even 9 hole pitch and putt..... Honestly I feel lucky, even with the impending cost increases.

 

[Patster1969]

And my company dont pay me a penny, but never have, i worked from home before it was cool!!

Similar to you Rooter, I was put onto a home contract 2 years before COVID, so was already set up for it, although they do give me a £500 (pre-tax) allowance annually - it won't go far but better than nowt. Defo better than the £46 travel card per day to get into the London office though (plus parking plus lunch)

 

[howbow88]

The above posts shows that we need more grafters in the country.... get back into the office.

This post shows that we need more intelligent people in the country.... do some reading:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanr...ss-of-hybrid-and-remote-work/?sh=68ebed9659b2

 

[Val]

The above posts shows that we need more grafters in the country.... get back into the office.

Last week we had more than our usual occupancy in the office.. all because people wanted some air-conditioning (plus free lunch & coffee). Currently no plans to be subsidise employees to wfh. Some have changed contracts to be permanently wfh. However, there is serious consideration to provide a one-off inflation linked payment. I am pretty sure some bean counter in HQ will say no.

Never worked so many hours in my life since being home based

 

[Orikoru]

I still work 3 days a week from home and will continue to do so as long as they let me. My quality of life, work/life balance and mental health has all been infinitely better. Going back to commuting Monday to Friday is the last thing I'd want to do.

 

[Rooter]

Similar to you Rooter, I was put onto a home contract 2 years before COVID, so was already set up for it, although they do give me a £500 (pre-tax) allowance annually - it won't go far but better than nowt. Defo better than the £46 travel card per day to get into the London office though (plus parking plus lunch)

74 quid for me! But it is the little things, the coffee, the sandwich, the drink after. This office working lark costs a fortune! (or can at least)

 

[Rooter]

I still work 3 days a week from home and will continue to do so as long as they let me. My quality of life, work/life balance and mental health has all been infinitely better. Going back to commuting Monday to Friday is the last thing I'd want to do.

So you Commute on a Tuesday, Wednesday And Thursday... There should be a name for commuters like you who go in T, W ,And T'S. Can't think what it should be....

 

[Orikoru]

So you Commute on a Tuesday, Wednesday And Thursday... There should be a name for commuters like you who go in T, W ,And T'S. Can't think what it should be....

No I don't?

 

[Rooter]

No I don't?

Read your post wrong, and took the couldn't go back to commuting Mon and Fri... Whooosh!

 

[Orikoru]

Read your post wrong, and took the couldn't go back to commuting Mon and Fri... Whooosh!

I go in on Mondays and Thursdays so if it's acronyms you want... MaThs?

 

[Rooter]

I go in on Mondays and Thursdays so if it's acronyms you want... MaThs?

No, that doesn't add up....

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Some of our offices have tried to make everyone go back in full time. And be quiet hard line about it by going back to specific start, finish and lunch times.

Morale has tanked, I’m sure quality and productivity has too based on the things I’m having to deal with. And now a not insignificant number of the better staff are leaving.

But at least we’ll still have the grafters who happily come and sit at their desk 5 days a week ??‍

 

[Mudball]

To be fair.. most people here are likely to be middle aged men.. kindof middle-senior management.
The real impact of this WFH is on the young ones who are getting into the workforce. They struggle with the whole office culture, learning the ropes while on a fag/coffee breaks, navigating the office politics --> all the intangibles that make work happen..

 

[Lord Tyrion]

To be fair.. most people here are likely to be middle aged men.. kindof middle-senior management.
The real impact of this WFH is on the young ones who are getting into the workforce. They struggle with the whole office culture, learning the ropes while on a fag/coffee breaks, navigating the office politics --> all the intangibles that make work happen..

My son will be starting his first proper job in 3 weeks. New city, new company, he doesn't know anyone down there. He will be in 5 days a week, to learn the job but also to have some form of social interaction. There will be other young starters along with him, he expects them to be in as well. The older members of staff are in a different situation of course for younger ones, interaction is very important.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

To be fair.. most people here are likely to be middle aged men.. kindof middle-senior management.
The real impact of this WFH is on the young ones who are getting into the workforce. They struggle with the whole office culture, learning the ropes while on a fag/coffee breaks, navigating the office politics --> all the intangibles that make work happen..

One of the benefits of remote working is not having to deal with any of that.

 

[Orikoru]

To be fair.. most people here are likely to be middle aged men.. kindof middle-senior management.
The real impact of this WFH is on the young ones who are getting into the workforce. They struggle with the whole office culture, learning the ropes while on a fag/coffee breaks, navigating the office politics --> all the intangibles that make work happen..

Is that a roundabout way of saying younger workers understand the value of having a better work/life balance and a non-toxic work environment?

 

[Bazzatron]

Some of our offices have tried to make everyone go back in full time. And be quiet hard line about it by going back to specific start, finish and lunch times.

Morale has tanked, I’m sure quality and productivity has too based on the things I’m having to deal with. And now a not insignificant number of the better staff are leaving.

But at least we’ll still have the grafters who happily come and sit at their desk 5 days a week ??‍

Notice would be going straight in if that was us. Start and end times being specified is a good one, they'd get less work out of me and a number of my colleagues if they told us what time to finish.

 

[Mudball]

Is that a roundabout way of saying younger workers understand the value of having a better work/life balance and a non-toxic work environment?

i agree.... having grown up thru this route and being old schools, i think youngsters trying to into work-life balance in their 20s rather than focussing and grafting in their jobs need a bit of a kicking. If every junior doctor decides to work only 9-5 and 5 days a week is not going to the experience s/he is looking for. Same with a brickie, techie etc. In my 20s, we worked hard and partied hard. I can recollect plenty of 60 hr weeks tapping away .. bad for life, but as 20 something, with little money and no relationship (that sums up a techie), it was the best time of my life.. plenty of memories

 

[Orikoru]

i agree.... having grown up thru this route and being old schools, i think youngsters trying to into work-life balance in their 20s rather than focussing and grafting in their jobs need a bit of a kicking. If every junior doctor decides to work only 9-5 and 5 days a week is not going to the experience s/he is looking for. Same with a brickie, techie etc. In my 20s, we worked hard and partied hard. I can recollect plenty of 60 hr weeks tapping away .. bad for life, but as 20 something, with little money and no relationship (that sums up a techie), it was the best time of my life.. plenty of memories

Not really sure what you're getting at. Just because somebody wants to work from home a few days to improve their situation does not mean they're not 'grafting' or working hard. I don't get any more work done in the office than I do at home, in fact if I was busy I would be more inclined to work late on a WFH day since I don't have a train to catch. Obviously it depends what line of work you're in. I wouldn't have thought doctors can really work from home very well so not really relevant to this discussion. Likewise a 'brickie' cannot build someone's house from their own house so also irrelevant to the discussion.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

As someone who goes from house to house working, I wouldn’t be upset if those working from home went into work.
There is only one 10:30 in a day, and I cannot be at up to 12 properties all at the same time just because they “ have team meetings before and after” and can’t be interrupted.
So those who do work from home, please consider those who you might ask to do work in your property.