Post COVID, pressure on primary breadwinners

skunkwerx

Absolutely not for me. We are monitored constantly from 9am to 5. A minute off the phones and or a minute late logging on and the manager is calling my mobile asking where I am. Its a joke, cant wait to leave. 

But at least I can wfh apart from 2 days a month and not see the old hags miserable face and sit in traffic 2 hours a day for the privilege. 

thecolourbox

skunkwerx said:

Absolutely not for me. We are monitored constantly from 9am to 5. A minute off the phones and or a minute late logging on and the manager is calling my mobile asking where I am. Its a joke, cant wait to leave. 

But at least I can wfh apart from 2 days a month and not see the old hags miserable face and sit in traffic 2 hours a day for the privilege. 

In fairness it's like that in the office isn't it?

*Arrive 2 mins after 9am* 
Everybody: "Afternoon Matt, got up late did we?"

skunkwerx

thecolourbox said:

skunkwerx said:

Absolutely not for me. We are monitored constantly from 9am to 5. A minute off the phones and or a minute late logging on and the manager is calling my mobile asking where I am. Its a joke, cant wait to leave. 

But at least I can wfh apart from 2 days a month and not see the old hags miserable face and sit in traffic 2 hours a day for the privilege. 

In fairness it's like that in the office isn't it?

*Arrive 2 mins after 9am* 
Everybody: "Afternoon Matt, got up late did we?"

Haha true. 

fretmeister

Sporky said:

I have a boiling water tap to resolve that conundrum. 

I like that idea but I am concerned about the energy use.

Does it not use a silly amount of power to stay hot all the time? Or is it not one of the "hot tank under the sink" types anymore?

Sporky

fretmeister said:

Sporky said:

I have a boiling water tap to resolve that conundrum. 

I like that idea but I am concerned about the energy use.

Does it not use a silly amount of power to stay hot all the time? Or is it not one of the "hot tank under the sink" types anymore?

The water is in a well-insulated tank, so it's only on when you've used it, to heat up some more for the tank. 

Occasionally it'll do a reheat cycle.

If you're careful and only put as much water into the kettle as you need each time, that's probably more efficient. And a kettle is a lot cheaper. And doesn't need a new filter cartridge every 6 months.

I like mine and missed it when it failed about a year out of warranty. The replacement was much cheaper once I'd demonstrated that we'd kept it in fresh OEM filters. 

Sporky

thecolourbox said:

*Arrive 2 mins after 9am* 
Everybody: "Afternoon Matt, got up late did we?"

I must work somewhere nicer - I arrived 40 minutes late yesterday (a rare not-at-home day through astoundingly heavy traffic), and when I walked in I was asked if I was OK. No sarcasm, and then we all got on with it. 

stickyfiddle

My current place has a chunky push in my dept to have people in the office at least 3 days a week, but no major clock-watching, thankfully. That goes both ways of course - the last couple of weeks I've worked pretty late to get some Big Important Stuff done properly, but I'm also free to step out for a doctors appt or a late start when I need to. I honestly couldn't stomach a job where I had to have absolutely rigid hours unless they absolutely couldn't contact me outside those hours

Iamnobody

Sporky said:

thecolourbox said:

*Arrive 2 mins after 9am* 
Everybody: "Afternoon Matt, got up late did we?"

I must work somewhere nicer - I arrived 40 minutes late yesterday (a rare not-at-home day through astoundingly heavy traffic), and when I walked in I was asked if I was OK. No sarcasm, and then we all got on with it. 

Sounds like an incredibly boring office. I thought the rules below were standard! 

Early arrival - what’s up shit the bed?

Late even by a second  - aye up afternoon shift’s here!

sev112

So everyone who was mainly office based preCOVID, how much of your gross salary would you give back to be able to continue to work from home rather than go back?  

TTony

sev112 said:

So everyone who was mainly office based preCOVID, how much of your gross salary would you give back to be able to continue to work from home rather than go back?  

I did give that some thought at the time.

Save the cost of commuting & office lunches, less the cost of heat & power in the house all day, I reckon that was a net £100-£150 per day saving.
Value of the time saved from not commuting, less the extra hours I did when WFH, less the value of what I did when commuting (reading, sleeping, listening to podcasts, etc), I reckon that was worth about the same. 
Quality of life benefit - ie the value of not having to get up at 0430, particularly through cold, dark, wet winter months, not have to sit next to coughing/noisy/annoying people on trains or in offices, I'd say was worth more.

I had a conv with someone a few weeks back re a possible role - which would have been reasonably interesting and well paid.  However, when they said; "we're back in the office 3 days / wk now, but if you want to do 4, that's fine, and 5 is even better", it was an easy decision.  I'd rather earn £0 than get back on that treadmill.

thecolourbox

sev112 said:

So everyone who was mainly office based preCOVID, how much of your gross salary would you give back to be able to continue to work from home rather than go back?  

I don't think it works like that does it? I expect if im doing the job to the correct standard that I'd be paid the going rate, how I choose to use that money, be it on train passes and reheated chain shop lunches or on my own heating and homemade lunches, should be up to me.

I'd put it the other way - how much more salary would they need to pay me to make it worth my while going into the office? Then they'd probably give up and carry on as we were

Zoolooter

Yes, all the hovering and hoovering is very difficult to deal with. 

mrkb

sev112 said:

So everyone who was mainly office based preCOVID, how much of your gross salary would you give back to be able to continue to work from home rather than go back?  

I costs me 2 hours in time and about £12 fuel to go into the office each day (car is on a very good lease deal at £12 per day - so no difference if i use it or not), so thats a fair whack per year.

People who work from home without a fulltime dedicated work area arent really working from home are they? theyre just squatting/hot desking in an inefficient way (from both a productivity and personal health point of view)

mo6020

I've been a remote worker for the past 10 years, and for the last 5 (across 2 different companies) the only member of my team in the UK. I pretty much get to choose what hours I work and as long as I am delivering my work, attending the meetings I need to (whether they be in office in the UK or abroad), and am responsive no-one is getting on my back. 

It's been fairly entertaining watching more traditional companies wrestle with the WFH situation since COVID... 

Sporky

sev112 said:

So everyone who was mainly office based preCOVID, how much of your gross salary would you give back to be able to continue to work from home rather than go back?  

None. My productivity is measured, and has increased.

drofluf

I’ve worked from home for the past 20 years. The only difference that I’ve noticed post-COVID is that people are more accepting if I have to answer the door in the middle of a call. 

It also helps that my boss trusts me and will often tell me not to come in to the office as he recognises that I’m more productive at home

Philly_Q

menamestom said:

I've gone the other way, in the office pretty much every day.  Perhaps 1 day WFH every 2 weeks.

The office is 30 mins walk away, 10 minutes by car or bike so commuting is not really an issue, so I tent to just make my way in as the distractions are less.  I miss some things from WFH, keeping on top of washing etc, not missing post but I generally prefer the cleaner work/lile boundary.  When I log off, I'm done, no going back to look at emails later on and when I'm at work, I don't get involved in things I shouldn't when I'm working.  

Likewise, although it's a 50-60 minute commute into London for me.  I got very used to working from home and didn't think I'd adapt to being back in the office, but I go in 5 days a week now (we're supposed to be in at least 2 days a week, which is what most people do).

It's got to the point that I actively dislike WFH now, I'd rather go to the office and see people.  And I like to read a book on the commute.

WezV

I'm wfh 3 days a week, doing 2 mornings in the office.   Also I'm not the primary breadwinner.  

I have a managerial job on fairly average wage.  My wife is director level on a fair bit more.   I have kids, who are with us half the time.

Wfh allows me a lot of flexibility for school runs/childcare.  I do all the washing in less time than the average office worker had for fag breaks. I do a lot of the light cleaning during my work day, with us both pitching in for deeper cleans at the weekend. I do most of the cooking, prepping stuff during the day if needed. I do the weekly shop on the way back from one of my office days. Then I make sure I get my lunch hour on wfh days to do a few guitar bits.

I still get pretty strong performance at work, for both me and my team.  

I get to support my wife in her career development, which has really started to pay off well for both of us

This works well for me. 

Iamnobody

sev112 said:

So everyone who was mainly office based preCOVID, how much of your gross salary would you give back to be able to continue to work from home rather than go back?  

I wouldn’t give any back. I was never paid for travelling to and from the office in my own time and my productivity has increased. I’m available to attend any meeting site visit etc. They don’t have to supply a work space and energy for me now - so they also have the potential to save money. 

thecolourbox

Ultimately its always subject to compromises wherever you work so it's just about finding which set of compromises suit you best I think, and being aware enough to notice the good and the bad for you personally. 

Being in the offices the compromises for me are things like the noise, temperature that's too hot for some too cold for others so it stays in the middle where nobody is happy, and it's an environment that always seems to favour the more extrovert people who can't typically understand why those of us who don't like people and don't like having to comply with the corporate social bullshit of talking about living the dream or moaning about the bastard copier again.

I'm sure others (and the OP) have their list of compromises for working at home too, but if one or the other works for you then it's up to you to make the changes and choices to enable it. Never been a better time to work flexibly