Do you prefer to work from home?

Where is your workplace of choice?

  • Working from home

    Votes: 118 57.8%

  • Working from an office

    Votes: 12 5.9%

  • Hybrid (working from home and the office)

    Votes: 69 33.8%

  • Other

    Votes: 5 2.5%
  • Total voters
    204
midnightcaller said:
Since the start of lockdown, I have worked from home. Prior, I was used to arriving at office by 7.45 and leaving by 16:30. Walking to/from car. Walking between buildings on campus. Meetings spaced out and managed.

Since lockdown, I have worked from 7am to 7pm, every weekday. I have worked a few weekends as well. Meetings are back to back. There is no time for lunch.
There has been zero respect for boundaries from peers and uppers. Even after the CTO and CHRO made requests to manage meetings.
I have not even taken annual leave.

So I would like to go back to the office ASAP.
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If "campus" refers to the organization that I think it does, then I know you are talking about.
I am in a permanent work from home position and the meetings and timezone boundaries all went out the window when lockdown started.
I spend my days in back to back meetings just trying to find time to get actual work done.

I think to some extent, all tech companies were nervous of job and salary cuts, so people went into overdrive trying to show their worth.
 
Rocket-Boy said:
If "campus" refers to the organization that I think it does, then I know you are talking about.
I am in a permanent work from home position and the meetings and timezone boundaries all went out the window when lockdown started.
I spend my days in back to back meetings just trying to find time to get actual work done.

I think to some extent, all tech companies were nervous of job and salary cuts, so people went into overdrive trying to show their worth.
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Have to agree. Never had so many meetings since lockdown. Maybe people just felt lonely or it's easier to book meetings working from home.
 
Dan C said:
Have to agree. Never had so many meetings since lockdown. Maybe people just felt lonely or it's easier to book meetings working from home.
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Yeah man its been nuts. The extroverts suffered a bit without contact Im sure.
Focus assistant and Cortana had a hard time keeping up and keep suggesting to have less meetings... good luck with that!
 
Been working from home since 1976. Sold the business in 2012
Work involved installing electronic security systems, so left every day to visit sites. Every day was different. I stopped driving about 1990 and let the techie drive. He had to be on his best behaviour since his boss in the car. No taxi-driving stunts and I didn't critisise him if he made mistakes

Was at Safmarine from 1967 to 1975. Lovely well-paid job but so boring, and office politics and innumerable meetings were a pain
 
My productivity has increased since WFH. My mad manager loves that but at the same time keeps loading more stuff on my plate and I'm already full as it is. Can't eat another bite!
 
The only people I can imagine wanting to work from the offices are those that hate their families or extreme extroverts that need
WhiteRaven said:
Been working from home for a few years and wouldn't change it for anything! Some of the most important things I learnt have been:
  • Create a defined work space, no kids stuff, bike spares or anything the family can use as an excuse to come into your "work time"
  • If my "office" when the door is open, you are welcome to come in, if not please don't bother me
  • Have strict working hours, in the beginning I would set an alarm to remind me it's time to walk away from my desk
  • Define the maximum overtime you will work and how many days a week. I will push an extra two to three hours, two days a week or add in an extra few hours on a Saturday ONLY if needed
  • I do not answer "business calls after 5pm or before 8am
  • If I receive a message from clients over whatsapp after 5pm, I respond with "will attend to it first thing tomorrow when I'm back at my desk". I have never had anyone respond negatively.
  • I decline meetings if there is pressing work to be done and provide an alternative date and time.
Get your family to keep you in check, it's so easy to get drawn back into working long hours and weekends, I suffered two burn outs from working 18 hours a day and taking only Sunday's off... Once I put boundaries in place, I actually get a lot more work done and get to spend quality time with my family everyday.

WFH isn't for everyone, you have to have a dedicated mind set with a defined home and work space.
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I get the logic behind working set hours, without it people end up working too much, and it helps when you have a family or other people you need to schedule with.
Personally I prefer flexibility, I work when there's work to be done, if it's the middle of the day and there's nothing to be done then I do what I want, chores, errands, game, etc. In IT where large amount of work falls outside business hours this benefits the company also as there's no longer overtime from me.
I use a time logging system and log the standard 40 hours a week, its up to my manager or project office to fill it up as they require, its my job to complete the work based on the deadlines they set and feedback when the deadlines and workload will result in me exceeding the 40 hours, they then either reallocate some work or agree up front to provide leave in lieu.
I've been working like this for over a decade at 6 different companies with minimal issues
 
I've been working remotely since 2017. No office.
Pre Covid I did however enjoy working from cafe's and coworking spaces from time to time just to change routine.
 
it can be annoying being so "close to work" all the time of you work from home, but the freedom that comes with it is appealing.

a problem that i have with working from home all the time, is that people tend to fall behind with current developments. events or information that arises at the office does not always filter through correctly or timeously to remote locations. out of the loop if you could call it that.

bad habits creep in, not everyone has the discipline to function in the same manner as if they were at an office.

its not the case of everyone though, but it does happen. offices and home working has their advantages/disadvantages.
 
Been working from home for the last 14 years! I would really struggle if I were required to go into the office daily...
 
I love work from home. It saves me on travel time, getting fully dressed. I have a more comfortable setup at home and have a proper kitchen more meal preparation.

I think that a hybrid setup sucks though, having to switch back and forth between my work desk and home desk is not something I look forward to doing.
 
midnightcaller said:
Since the start of lockdown, I have worked from home. Prior, I was used to arriving at office by 7.45 and leaving by 16:30. Walking to/from car. Walking between buildings on campus. Meetings spaced out and managed.

Since lockdown, I have worked from 7am to 7pm, every weekday. I have worked a few weekends as well. Meetings are back to back. There is no time for lunch.
There has been zero respect for boundaries from peers and uppers. Even after the CTO and CHRO made requests to manage meetings.
I have not even taken annual leave.

So I would like to go back to the office ASAP.
Click to expand...
That is the biggest downside for me. People who are consulting me seem to think that at whatever time they think of some new trivial item I will be delighted to talk to them. I have now made it a rule for myself that I never take my phone to the toilet with me!
 
ronald911 said:
I've been working remotely since 2017. No office.
Pre Covid I did however enjoy working from cafe's and coworking spaces from time to time just to change routine.
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Working meetings in cafes were a great break from routine, but at one time it had become almost an hybrid setup and that wasn't greet - eventuality you just want a cup of coffee the way YOU make it!
 
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