Feeling the strain? WFH Experiences

[agentzero]

Feeling the strain: stress and anxiety weigh on world’s workers | Financial Times

It's free to read and distribute this article, you don't have to be a paying subscriber.

This could be better in the 'Business/Contracts' section, to avoid being destroyed, but I will leave the mods to decide on that one rather than assume.

The comments in this article and the article itself indicate that the UK has staff reporting the worst experience of any country for remote working during this time.

What's your experience? It seems that childcare is a factor in making life harder now, but the comment section reveals that people appear to be subservient to their employers, due to the constant threat of being easily replaceable.

Why are so many people saying YES to more work when they can't even complete their existing work in normal working hours? People need to push back on this stupid culture and work better, flexibly and not work more hours. Why are these people not learning to say a resounding "no!" to more work? In professional jobs they are not as replaceable as they like to believe. I didn't expect the UK to fare so badly in this league table. Are people really this stupid? Professionals living close to the edge of their finances all the time?

Me: I enjoy working from home and, despite missing some office interaction, regularly say "no" to more work. If it's not in the SoW, I'm not interested, but then I haven't been a permie for over 20 years.

[vwdan]

It's tough. I've always had issues with WFH, but I'm now on my third year and would say I'm pretty much adjusted to it now.

I think the pandemic is a really bad time to assess it though - right now, I'm literally stuck in my home office, I can't spend a day in a cafe or have a few days in London to grab a beer with the team.

[vetran]

Again most of us are well paid and fairly rare workers judged on delivery. Finding work is not a real challenge.

Many people are perfectly valid workers but are considered easily replaceable. They put up with all kind of tulip to keep getting paid, despite all the bollocks companies spout about being caring. Just look at the poor sods driving delivery trucks on piecework.

I can split my go lives and sprints with non work activities if I want and WFH makes that easier. I have been doing it on and off for a decade though.

[ladymuck]

I think vwdan has it right - the past year is not a normal time to be assessing WFH pros and cons.

I like WFH and have done it a lot but that's also because I could get out, work elsewhere for a change of scenery or actually go to the client office on the odd occasion. None of that is available at present and even the most hard core WFH advocates will say they miss some of those things. It's a very rare WFH'er who doesn't like to change things up a bit.

[courtg9000]

For some people its all gone terribly wrong.
I think a big part of it is the lack of social interaction.
I think some companies have handled this very badly too.
Some very senior manager will only have themselves to blame.
The results in this report might partly explain the spike in enquiries I got in Q3 and Q4 from manager grade and above people looking to get out of the corporate world.

[mattster]

I think the pandemic is a really bad time to assess it though - right now, I'm literally stuck in my home office, I can't spend a day in a cafe or have a few days in London to grab a beer with the team.

Exactly. I've WFH for nearly 10 years now, but this last year has been the toughest by far. Not just the not getting out part, but having 2x under 10 boys in the house 24/7 and a wife who is slowly going crazy with home schooling has really taken the gloss off it. I have a garden office, thank God, but even then I am not completely inured to it.

[DaveB]

I've loved it to be honest.

No kids at home, so no home schooling.
I don't like people and am anti-social at the best of times so I don't miss the office.
Saving a fortune of travel expenses.
Saving more on not eating client co. canteen food and drinking their overpriced coffee.
Saving at least a day a week in traveling time.
Getting more sleep as I don't have to get up at stupid o'clock to drive to client co offices.
More flexibility on when I work on what means I can run multiple clients easily.
Able to get out and ride the bike when I want if the weather is good. Just block the time out in calendars and go.

From a purely personal and selfish perspective, I've had a good pandemic.

[edison]

I think vwdan has it right - the past year is not a normal time to be assessing WFH pros and cons.

I like WFH and have done it a lot but that's also because I could get out, work elsewhere for a change of scenery or actually go to the client office on the odd occasion. None of that is available at present and even the most hard core WFH advocates will say they miss some of those things. It's a very rare WFH'er who doesn't like to change things up a bit.

I think it will be another year or two till we understand the full ramifications from mass WFH and, post vaccine, companies start implementing more formal policies for hybrid working.

Last year I was incredibly busy and didn't have a day off till August but although I've done 1-2 days a week WFH for the last 15 years, the novelty of 5 days a week at home since March has long worn off. I'm lucky that my kids are secondary school age and fairly self sufficient with home schooling but the drudgery of being in the house most of the time, especially during winter, has been too much for me.

I can't wait to be back in the office 2-3 days a week.

[northernladuk]

I think it will be another year or two till we understand the full ramifications from mass WFH and, post vaccine, companies start implementing more formal policies for hybrid working.

Last year I was incredibly busy and didn't have a day off till August but although I've done 1-2 days a week WFH for the last 15 years, the novelty of 5 days a week at home since March has long worn off. I'm lucky that my kids are secondary school age and fairly self sufficient with home schooling but the drudgery of being in the house most of the time, especially during winter, has been too much for me.

I can't wait to be back in the office 2-3 days a week.

Exactly this for me.

This period is WFH during covid which, for me, is a world apart from WFH as BAU. The two are not the same. As said before the ability to work in a cafe, hubs and just be out makes a world of difference how WFH has affected me. As Dave B says, it's been good for me as in it's been a much better experience than some people that have clearly struggled. Has it been good as in I want it to carry on? **** no.

Bring back WFH with flexibility to not be stuck in the hose and flexible office visits a few days a week and I'll be over the moon.

All that said we've still had our ups and downs. I never forget the fact we've been extremely fortunate. I feel for people that don't have the space, the kids, abusive relationships etc. It must have been a horrible year.

[silent bob]

I've WFH quite a lot over the last 5 years or so, and I really don't mind it. It saves me a fortune on travel and and means I spend more time at home and less time in hotels.
However, 5 days a week, month after month, at home, is quite hard. I really do miss that interaction in the office.
I did one contract last year without ever meeting anyone in person or stepping foot in the office. That does make it hard to build up working relationships.
I think my ideal would be 1-2 days week in the office if it was a local contract, or maybe 1 week a month if it's a stay away jobby