WFH

[rudy gestede]

Re: WFH

two things really. Firstly a lack of human interaction can cause mental health problems in itself. Secondly, if mental health problems evolve through other means they can be exacerbated by a lack of interaction at work; ie, being sat at home with your thoughts all day on your own, instead of being around people etc.

I genuinely think it is laying foundations for a very serious mental health crisis long term, especially amongst younger people.

Don’t people get most of their human interaction from friends? Is there not more chance that the pandemic and lockdown are more to blame for mental health problems caused by lack of interactions?

Working from home let’s me see the people I want to see more not less.

[TWGL1]

Re: WFH

The business I work for has struggled in telling people who are off sick to NOT WORK from home, but they won't listen. Three people off with Covid at the moment and still answering and writing emails!

They must be really ill then

[Bobby Dandruff]

Re: WFH

My employer has said WFH is here to stay for us but find some members of staff are taking the mick and not pulling their weight leading others to work harder and longer hours.

Can't see this lasting forever

It is here to stay.

Those companies who oppose it will very quickly die off.

[North Cardiff Blue]

Re: WFH

I wish some would accept that certain working conditions suit different people.

Mrs HaB works 3 days a week and does 2 from home. She saves 2 days' rail fare and gains 5 hours a werk that would have been wasted commuting. If she needs to work late it's not a problem, whereas working late in the office creates problems with her being home late. If times are busy she has voluntarily worked extra on a day off to clear a backlog, without pay, something she wouldn't do if she had to pay and commute for the privilige. She doesn't have to be pleasant with workers she wouldn't normally bother with. She doesn't have to do lunch or bother with office parties that she hates. She has some flexibility as well, for example on Wednesday it is my son's sports day. She can go for an hour if she's working from home and make up the time. She'd have to take a morning off otherwise.

Agreed a hybrid model is best for most people.

I've worked both office based and home based jobs for years, if you're home you can work three long days rather than five or you can work straight away at six in the morning in the summer and enjoy an early finish, later start in the winter, pinch a Friday off whatever you want.

As long as the works done to a good standard why should anyone mind?

I think there is a bit of jealousy from those that can’t work from home or find it hard too, don’t worry about what other people do, just worry about yourself and what you can influence and control

[North Cardiff Blue]

Re: WFH

My employer has said WFH is here to stay for us but find some members of staff are taking the mick and not pulling their weight leading others to work harder and longer hours.

Can't see this lasting forever

Your employer will just need to get a good Management and checking structure in place, some won't have the self discipline so may need to be pushed to work or leave, as people have said you'll always good get workers and lazy people.

[Eric Cartman]

Re: WFH

It's not better for the environment. UK energy demand went up for the first time in a decade during covid and WFH. How you commute is of course the issue; cars are worse than trains which are worse than walking or cycling. We have seen a significant decline in public transport infrastuture and a rise in energy use. It's hard to argue it's positive.

In short, 100 people in one large lit and heated room is MUCH better for the environment than 100 people in individually lit and heated houses.

https://grid.iamkate.com/

Big debate over productivity. Either way, loads of issues irrespective of WFH
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk...hours%20worked.

Companies save on office space but pay out in other areas; equiping everyones home, mobile phones, long term lack of creative development etc.

Some interesting bits here: https://www.europeanbusinessreview.eu/page.asp?pid=4793

All of this can be disputed, but i think 100% WFH is very damaging.

The mental health thing is going to affect different people in different ways. I am a single guy living on my own 10 minutes walk from work. It probably puts me firmly in the category of 'lose lots, gains little' when it comes to WFH but I still prefer it.

I can't imagine somebody who was commuting 2 hours through London twice a day, leaving the house at 6.15 and getting in at 7.45 at night, seeing their kids for a few minutes before bed and thoroughly nackered the rest of the time they are home, would see WFH as 'damaging to their mental health'.

[Dorcus]

Re: WFH

I think in the long term this issue will prove to be as divisive as Brexit and Lockdown.

[JamesWales]

Re: WFH

The mental health thing is going to affect different people in different ways. I am a single guy living on my own 10 minutes walk from work. It probably puts me firmly in the category of 'lose lots, gains little' when it comes to WFH but I still prefer it.

I can't imagine somebody who was commuting 2 hours through London twice a day, leaving the house at 6.15 and getting in at 7.45 at night, seeing their kids for a few minutes before bed and thoroughly nackered the rest of the time they are home, would see WFH as 'damaging to their mental health'.

I agree, it does affect different people in different ways, though I think it is the already vulnerable or those in less suitable home surroundings who are more at risk. There is a lot of bad stuff that goes on behind closed doors and for many, work is an escape from that.

I just think people need to be very cautious on all this and whilst 100% office working isn't usually necessary, 100% home working can cause grave issues professionally and personally. I think it's been a total nightmare for both and things are generally much harder - simple tasks take much longer, understanding of issues is far less and generally people don't know what eachother are doing.

Commuting is of course the biggest issue. Personally I enjoy a modest commute and choose to live where I live because of the train and bus links and I enjoy a walk home, with time to think and process the day and seperating home and work is important. I know a lot of people who have just entered a general malaise about it all, some who have embraced it positively and some who really have seen significant mental health declines.

Personally I'm just a firm believer in the democratic nature of offices and of humans interacting and mixing more as opposed to less and thats the big issue for me; I think it is creating conditions where many negative things can flourish that previously were less likely to occur.

[Elwood Blues]

Re: WFH

Absolutely. Some people doing very little. Some people working all hours, sending emails on sunday afternoons and past 10pm at night. This never happened to that extent in offices; it was much easier to accurately allocate work.

It's reason number 8 to oppose mass WFH.

I haven't worked for many years but when I did work in the 90's when laptops were becoming more and more popular I I know there were quite a few in my office who used to work all hours sending Emails at alltimes of day

Given how much more widespread the use of laptops has become in the first 20 years of this century I'm sure such practices became far more widespread even before peoples habits changed because of Covid.

[Rjk]

Re: WFH

I agree, it does affect different people in different ways, though I think it is the already vulnerable or those in less suitable home surroundings who are more at risk. There is a lot of bad stuff that goes on behind closed doors and for many, work is an escape from that.

I just think people need to be very cautious on all this and whilst 100% office working isn't usually necessary, 100% home working can cause grave issues professionally and personally. I think it's been a total nightmare for both and things are generally much harder - simple tasks take much longer, understanding of issues is far less and generally people don't know what eachother are doing.

Commuting is of course the biggest issue. Personally I enjoy a modest commute and choose to live where I live because of the train and bus links and I enjoy a walk home, with time to think and process the day and seperating home and work is important. I know a lot of people who have just entered a general malaise about it all, some who have embraced it positively and some who really have seen significant mental health declines.

Personally I'm just a firm believer in the democratic nature of offices and of humans interacting and mixing more as opposed to less and thats the big issue for me; I think it is creating conditions where many negative things can flourish that previously were less likely to occur.

very few places are mandatory 100% home working.
almost everyone I know is back in the office at least some of the time and most can go back ,100% if they want.

[19bluebirds27]

Re: WFH

Agreed a hybrid model is best for most people.

I've worked both office based and home based jobs for years, if you're home you can work three long days rather than five or you can work straight away at six in the morning in the summer and enjoy an early finish, later start in the winter, pinch a Friday off whatever you want.

As long as the works done to a good standard why should anyone mind?

I think there is a bit of jealousy from those that can’t work from home or find it hard too, don’t worry about what other people do, just worry about yourself and what you can influence and control

Hybrid works well for me.
2 days home on monday and friday with 3 at the office in between is perfect for me really.

WFH and Hybrid casts the net a lot further when it comes to recruitment and getting talent in from other areas where a 5 days at the office commute wouldn’t be possible.

[FormerlyJohnnyBreadhead]

Re: WFH

I think it's been a total nightmare for both and things are generally much harder - simple tasks take much longer, understanding of issues is far less and generally people don't know what eachother are doing.

That's not a WFH issue. My team is spread out across three continents and multiple time zones, and we serve internal stakeholders all over the globe. With the right tools, defined workflow processes, and proactive management, none of those things should be a problem. Although, of course, I do understand that various industries operate differently.

At the end of the day, we all have different priorities and needs. What doesn't work for you is a godsend for some, and vice versa.

For what it's worth, I get to pick my son up from school every day. The hour I would have otherwise spent in traffic now allows me to go for a walk every night instead. I can work from home, from cafes, from my parents house back in the UK... my life is so much more flexible than it was before. I don't see how any of those things are detrimental to my mental health.

[Dave Blue]

Re: WFH

If you aren’t pulling your wait at home, surely it will catch up with you clearly enough when the boss does their job and monitors what’s going on?

[lardy]

Re: WFH

If you aren’t pulling your wait at home, surely it will catch up with you clearly enough when the boss does their job and monitors what’s going on?

Yeah, I don't know who these people are that are just lounging around all day.

If anything, WFH means it's harder to find the end point of your working day or get a proper lunch.

[the other bob wilson]

Re: WFH

I wish some would accept that certain working conditions suit different people.

Mrs HaB works 3 days a week and does 2 from home. She saves 2 days' rail fare and gains 5 hours a werk that would have been wasted commuting. If she needs to work late it's not a problem, whereas working late in the office creates problems with her being home late. If times are busy she has voluntarily worked extra on a day off to clear a backlog, without pay, something she wouldn't do if she had to pay and commute for the privilige. She doesn't have to be pleasant with workers she wouldn't normally bother with. She doesn't have to do lunch or bother with office parties that she hates. She has some flexibility as well, for example on Wednesday it is my son's sports day. She can go for an hour if she's working from home and make up the time. She'd have to take a morning off otherwise.

Just to say that the bit about voluntarily working without pay on what should have been a day off struck a chord with me, I'm not saying it happened very often with me, but there was the occasional Saturday or Sunday morning, or booked day's leave where I would work for an hour or two early in the morning without pay if the office was busy - if there are two of us who did that, then you have to think that there are plenty of others around the country who'd do the same from time to time. It's human nature to concentrate on the bad apples that take advantage of something, but I've always thought that there are more who would not abuse something like home working.