Working from home, good/bad?

Jun 19, 2011
17,840
30,088
MCG
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Perhaps useful tip: I set clear time boundaries at the start and end of the day by going for a walk / ride to demarcate this is where the work day starts and ends. Sort of a pretend commute.
I know someone who gets in the car at days end and drives around the streets as a "drive home" from work.
 

wadistance

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 17, 2011
5,446
5,089
Hamburg, DE
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
BvB, Boston Celtics
Primary School Teacher here.

Working from home has been the hardest I've ever worked. 83 potential pairs of parents that can contact you on MS Teams at any given time. Having to upload all the planning online, and then teach it online (making one step into two steps) - and having lots of kids in front of screens all day. Its not great.

Having said that, our school is going above and beyond - lots of state schools are just sending a bundle of worksheets home each fortnight and calling each kid once a week.
 

Punt Road Feral

Premiership Player
Aug 23, 2007
3,603
4,016
Punt Road's Manure Pit
AFL Club
Richmond
Primary School Teacher here.

Working from home has been the hardest I've ever worked. 83 potential pairs of parents that can contact you on MS Teams at any given time. Having to upload all the planning online, and then teach it online (making one step into two steps) - and having lots of kids in front of screens all day. Its not great.

Having said that, our school is going above and beyond - lots of state schools are just sending a bundle of worksheets home each fortnight and calling each kid once a week.

I've spoken to a few primary school teachers and i was pretty surprised when they said they'd deliver the work to the kids but then wouldn't be accessible to the kids online such as Microsoft teams in case they had any questions or needed to go through something via a share screen.
Sounds like your doing a good job and making a solid effort of helping the kids develop.
 

wadistance

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 17, 2011
5,446
5,089
Hamburg, DE
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
BvB, Boston Celtics
I've spoken to a few primary school teachers and i was pretty surprised when they said they'd deliver the work to the kids but then wouldn't be accessible to the kids online such as Microsoft teams in case they had any questions or needed to go through something via a share screen.
Sounds like your doing a good job and making a solid effort of helping the kids develop.

Yeah, we are literally running to normal timetable - just on video. I have 5 kids in my class during the week in emergency care and the rest are at home.

Also pretty hard as a parent for these kids - most of them have no idea of what they’re doing at school - and then have to balance their care at home with their own jobs. So I understand why parents have 1001 questions every day.

To be honest it probably makes our job easier in the long run as I’ll teach quite a few of these kids next year - and I’d they’re not up to the Level they need to be at then, it’s just more cramming and stress


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

megadeth86

Team Captain
Jul 15, 2020
393
285
AFL Club
Carlton
Total lockdown is still on here in Scotland for the umpteenth week. But has it is minus 2 degrees here so there is little incentive to go out. I miss the restaurants and pubs though and miss real-life interaction with students (my job is lecturer). I don't miss leaving the house at 6.40am to get two trains and a bus across the city to our Hamilton campus. In terms of student feedback, some seem to prefer the current way and some prefer the old way. I don't know the percentage in each category but they might tell us that later on.

if we never return to real-life learning, will we sell our campus and convert it into apartments? If it happens I doubt that teachers will receive a cent.
 
First full week back in the office since March. Has been ok, been good to get out of the house during the week.
My employer has allowed for flexible work hours, so there are quite a few of us who are starting early which has also been good.

With a young family I was hoping to have a split between time in the office and working from home. There are some mornings when I leave around 7am that both my kids are still asleep, so I only see them in the evening before they go to bed. In a perfect world I would like to have Mon-Wed in the office then Thur-Fri at home.
 
Aug 13, 2007
19,496
17,162
Vancouver
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
Oilers
Ideally I'd probably like one day from home a week. I can't complain though. I often go home for lunch and am home just after 4pm anyway. My wife has pretty much been at home since April. I've been back in the office since about June. I actually like the people I work with and find it much easier to deal with problems face to face rather than on Zoom or through email.
 
Mar 2, 2011
11,552
20,169
Melbourne
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
Bushrangers
Something I miss about the office is being able to leave the work computer in the office and then go home and be unable to work even if I wanted to.
Seems working outside normal work hours has been getting more and more normalised the last 12 months with lots of emails being sent after normal hours. Of course some of those people would be doing it as part of flexible work arrangements but I suspect for the majority its in extension to their normal work hours. I do it myself to meet important deadlines. The place I work is fair and have no problem with you making up that time later. But I do miss just being able to leave the computer at work removing any ability to work outside of normal hours.
 

swingdog

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 3, 2007
9,434
12,375
Melbourne
AFL Club
West Coast
Something I miss about the office is being able to leave the work computer in the office and then go home and be unable to work even if I wanted to.
Seems working outside normal work hours has been getting more and more normalised the last 12 months with lots of emails being sent after normal hours. Of course some of those people would be doing it as part of flexible work arrangements but I suspect for the majority its in extension to their normal work hours. I do it myself to meet important deadlines. The place I work is fair and have no problem with you making up that time later. But I do miss just being able to leave the computer at work removing any ability to work outside of normal hours.

I know it's hard but you've just got to be hard line about shutting down the computer at the end of the day and leaving it shut (perhaps try putting it away out of sight in a cupboard?) That's if you want to only work standard hours. Personally, I like working in the morning, taking some time off in the afternoon and then doing more in the evening. So, people will get emails from me at odd hours but I don't expect them to reply.
 

Punt Road Feral

Premiership Player
Aug 23, 2007
3,603
4,016
Punt Road's Manure Pit
AFL Club
Richmond
Just going to elaborate on my particular situation and the pro's & cons of each.

WFH

-Have no kids so have minimal distractions at home
-Have separated work zone to the partners and it's far enough so we barely hear one another or get on each others nerves
-Got a reasonable desk set up in an 'office' type environment ie. not on the dining table, proper workstation. Have x2 screens and space for documents if need be.
-When working from home I'm getting into a routine for when i start my day & finish it.
eg. 45 min walk early am to grab a coffee, make a few calls on the way back and start on a positive note.
At the end of the day switch the PC off and got for a 30 min walk with the partner again as a way to say the working day is done.
-Big pro's to WFH is feeling far more 'active' as there's far less of a chance of me walking when I get home at 6:30 in comparison
-I'm far less distracted at home and can knuckle down and focus without everyone coming up to me in the office asking questions or needing help
-In all honesty my productivity would be through the roof at home but I guarantee my current employer wouldn't even acknowledge this due to old school mentality.

Office

-We've been asked to go into the office basically the minute any restrictions have lifted due to above mentality.
-I'm in a negative mindset heading to work as i'm sitting in 50 min traffic and commute which isn't flowing so it's very agitating and unproductive
-Straight away I'm getting bombarded with distractions in the office which isn't particularly relevant to what i need to do. Don't get me wrong they aren't bad people and I'm happy to give them time but when i'm that busy I can barely cope it starts stressing me out on the inside with these unnecessary distractions.
-My productivity has dropped considerably. It's laughable but I swear my first or second day back I did about 10 emails for the day. When I'm at home i'd do x5/x6 as much while still taking a huge amount of calls
-There hasn't been one of these so called 'face to face' value meetings that has been trounced around the media. We had a face to face weekly team meeting in person that was the usual fluff piece but it was no different to what was done on teams over the past 9 months
-I've come home after work buggered every time and feel drained, flat and with minimal exercise a bit blah as well.

From what i'm reading and speaking to those in my network, it appears that most people who dislike WFH or are over it are: parents which is fair enough considering home schooling and holidays atm, those that don't have a proper office set up or have minimal space which again in understandable, those that have a small commute so it doesn't make a huge difference if they are at home or not.
 

burge13

Brownlow Medallist
Jan 25, 2019
11,527
21,901
AFL Club
Adelaide
The commute is the big thing. 50 mins on a bus each way for me as opposed to starting at 730am (830 in office), go for a run at lunch and knock off at 415ish as opposed to getting home at 530ish from the office. How or why anyone would prefer to commute is beyond me. Its such a waste of time

Work is reasonable though, soccer training starts at 630, those days i WFH to make it way less of a rush. Im no more/less productive at work v office. The only positive to the office is social interaction in my opinion. No kids and living alone makes it easy at home but lonely when i worked 6 straight months there. Stuffed if id wfh with kids though, whenever i ring co-workers i can hear the kids screaming and wonder "why would you want to be there rn" haha
 

Golden_6

Brownlow Medallist
Aug 15, 2014
10,163
20,867
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Other Teams
Chicago Bulls
Just going to elaborate on my particular situation and the pro's & cons of each.

WFH

-Have no kids so have minimal distractions at home
-Have separated work zone to the partners and it's far enough so we barely hear one another or get on each others nerves
-Got a reasonable desk set up in an 'office' type environment ie. not on the dining table, proper workstation. Have x2 screens and space for documents if need be.
-When working from home I'm getting into a routine for when i start my day & finish it.
eg. 45 min walk early am to grab a coffee, make a few calls on the way back and start on a positive note.
At the end of the day switch the PC off and got for a 30 min walk with the partner again as a way to say the working day is done.
-Big pro's to WFH is feeling far more 'active' as there's far less of a chance of me walking when I get home at 6:30 in comparison
-I'm far less distracted at home and can knuckle down and focus without everyone coming up to me in the office asking questions or needing help
-In all honesty my productivity would be through the roof at home but I guarantee my current employer wouldn't even acknowledge this due to old school mentality.

Office

-We've been asked to go into the office basically the minute any restrictions have lifted due to above mentality.
-I'm in a negative mindset heading to work as i'm sitting in 50 min traffic and commute which isn't flowing so it's very agitating and unproductive
-Straight away I'm getting bombarded with distractions in the office which isn't particularly relevant to what i need to do. Don't get me wrong they aren't bad people and I'm happy to give them time but when i'm that busy I can barely cope it starts stressing me out on the inside with these unnecessary distractions.
-My productivity has dropped considerably. It's laughable but I swear my first or second day back I did about 10 emails for the day. When I'm at home i'd do x5/x6 as much while still taking a huge amount of calls
-There hasn't been one of these so called 'face to face' value meetings that has been trounced around the media. We had a face to face weekly team meeting in person that was the usual fluff piece but it was no different to what was done on teams over the past 9 months
-I've come home after work buggered every time and feel drained, flat and with minimal exercise a bit blah as well.

From what i'm reading and speaking to those in my network, it appears that most people who dislike WFH or are over it are: parents which is fair enough considering home schooling and holidays atm, those that don't have a proper office set up or have minimal space which again in understandable, those that have a small commute so it doesn't make a huge difference if they are at home or not.
I agree with all of the above. As a 25 year old in an intermediate position, my productivity has increased during lockdown. It won't really suffer going back into the office, but there is no reason for me to actually be in the office given I'm not yet dealing with a large amount of clients. I've managed to snag one day a week at home but will push to increase that to two at some point during the year. I have a full setup at home (provided by my boss) so there is no issue there.

I don't think my boss has a problem with me as an individual WFH, it's more a collective office wide issue with a lot of team probably suffering in productivity levels due to kids etc. I get the feeling he thinks that if he lets me work from home more often that it will open the floodgates so to speak about requests from other employees that haven't earned that ability. We're only a small firm of 20 or so, so everyone knows each others business.
 
I have always been of the opinion of that if there's a legit reason you need to WFH than I don't care if you work from home or the office. As long as the work gets done than I don't really care.

but I do think though that team spirit and comradery has suffered whilst working from home, whilst its good yes that you sometime save some time on public transport I think there's an element of in person contact and communication that is very important to maintain. I have definitely noticed over the last 6 months that people in my teams communication skills have fallen by the way side (mine included), everyone is very short with one another which I think is leading to bad habits. Everyone used to be quite sociable with each other which I think was fostered by social networking events etc.

Starting next week everyone has been advised they need to be back in the office full time unless they have legit WFH requirements. I think this is good for the wider economy also.
 
Last edited:

burge13

Brownlow Medallist
Jan 25, 2019
11,527
21,901
AFL Club
Adelaide
I have always been of the opinion of that if there's a legit reason you need to WFH than I don't care if you work from home or the office. As long as the work gets done than I don't really care.

but I do think though that team spirit and comradery has suffered whilst working from home, whilst its good yes that you sometime save some time on public transport I think there's an element of in person contact and communication that is very important to maintain. I have definitely noticed over the last 6 months that people in my teams communication skills have fallen by the way side (mine included), everyone is very short with one another which I think is leading to bad habits. Everyone used to be quite sociable with each other which I think was fostered by social networking events etc.

Starting next week everyone has been advised they need to be back in the office full time unless they have legit WFH requirements. I think this is good for the wider economy also.
Your unplanned absences will rise and productivity will go down, especially in winter

This thinking is archaic that you need to be in an office to do office work. Speak to your staff about their communication first and foremost, I'd hate to think our WFH privileges will be taken because of the old-fashioned thinking of management.

Not disputing the wider economy, I'm sure the local coffee shops will benefit but mandating full time in central offices for old school thinking isn't the way forward IMO
 
Your unplanned absences will rise and productivity will go down, especially in winter

This thinking is archaic that you need to be in an office to do office work. Speak to your staff about their communication first and foremost, I'd hate to think our WFH privileges will be taken because of the old-fashioned thinking of management.

Not disputing the wider economy, I'm sure the local coffee shops will benefit but mandating full time in central offices for old school thinking isn't the way forward IMO

I disagree, respectfully of course.

It is very presumptive to just say unplanned absences will rise and productivity will go down. Employees are accountable for both. I have not noticed any increase/decrease in productivity or unplanned absences since WFH started so why would it go down in reversing it?

Maybe in your situation you have noticed it? But I have not, so maybe you need to not cast as wide of a net.

And the economic benefits is more than coffee vendors mate, if I have to tell you the benefits to the economy of people working in CBD's than we are on different wave lengths to start with.....
 

burge13

Brownlow Medallist
Jan 25, 2019
11,527
21,901
AFL Club
Adelaide
I disagree, respectfully of course.

It is very presumptive to just say unplanned absences will rise and productivity will go down. Employees are accountable for both. I have not noticed any increase/decrease in productivity or unplanned absences since WFH started so why would it just in reversing it?

Maybe in your situation you have noticed it? But I have not, so maybe you need to not cast as wide of a net.

And the economy is more than coffee vendors mate, if I have to tell you the benefits to the economy of people working in CBD's than we are on different wave lengths to start with.....
I can categorically say health, SAs largest employer had less unplanned absences. Sick leave will be down, quite obviously if you can stay home.

Coffee shops was an example but not a reason to force people needlessly back to long commutes. Not my business, youre welcome to piss off your staff as you see fit. Offering different perspective isnt welcome in 2021. Good luck recruiting replacements and backfilling extra sick leave 👍🏻
 
I can categorically say health, SAs largest employer had less unplanned absences. Sick leave will be down, quite obviously if you can stay home.

Coffee shops was an example but not a reason to force people needlessly back to long commutes. Not my business, youre welcome to piss off your staff as you see fit. Offering different perspective isnt welcome in 2021. Good luck recruiting replacements and backfilling extra sick leave 👍🏻

lol You aren't offering a different perspective........You are trying to ram your opinion based on your individual circumstances down the throat of others, and if they don't agree than your opinion is they will suffer?

You come off as seemingly like in your own workplace your manager is making you go back into the office and your taking it out on me?

but anyways..........I am sure I will be fine my team has been working together for 6 years - if you think telling people its time to return to the Office there will be some mass industrial revolt then I don't think you are in a very functional work environment.

Good luck to you.
 

burge13

Brownlow Medallist
Jan 25, 2019
11,527
21,901
AFL Club
Adelaide
I asked my team today whether they wanted to go back to the office. No's all round. We work well as team remotely so why bother?
People on my floor (not me yet thankfully) lost their remote access. Just forced back because management said so. Theyre rightly pissed off yet everyone wonders why staff turnover is so high in our building 🤔. I wonder why flexibility is valued in this day and age of stagnated wage growth and advanced tech...
 
People on my floor (not me yet thankfully) lost their remote access. Just forced back because management said so. Theyre rightly pissed off yet everyone wonders why staff turnover is so high in our building 🤔. I wonder why flexibility is valued in this day and age of stagnated wage growth and advanced tech...

We were all forced back into the office after Xmas even after management asked all employees if they would like to still work from home. What's made it even worse is that we have actually hired several new staff members and we are now packed in like sardines. A number of people have had to move desks, and we even have our GM set up in the boardroom. All because our CEO is old school and he wants people in the office.

I've already started looking for a new job where I can be at least closer to home, rather than spending close to 2 hours in traffic each day.
 
We were all forced back into the office after Xmas even after management asked all employees if they would like to still work from home. What's made it even worse is that we have actually hired several new staff members and we are now packed in like sardines. A number of people have had to move desks, and we even have our GM set up in the boardroom. All because our CEO is old school and he wants people in the office.

I've already started looking for a new job where I can be at least closer to home, rather than spending close to 2 hours in traffic each day.

I think there will be a lot of this.

People wanting to remain working from home who will clash with management who want them back in the office. I guess at the end of the day If Staff are willing to leave the company to get it, and management are willing to let staff members go than it is what it is. If companies are noticing they are losing good people than they will likely want to change their stance but obviously depends on each individual situation.
 
I think there will be a lot of this.

People wanting to remain working from home who will clash with management who want them back in the office. I guess at the end of the day If Staff are willing to leave the company to get it, and management are willing to let staff members go than it is what it is. If companies are noticing they are losing good people than they will likely want to change their stance but obviously depends on each individual situation.

We had an interesting situation arise this morning.
Because we are in a relatively small office, we have had to move quite a few people around, including our CEO and GM.
Our GM is currently working in the boardroom. He arrived late this morning and there was a meeting in the boardroom.
He was locked out of his "office" for about 40 minutes until the meeting finished.
It's just laughable that our CEO has put staff returning to the office before any other considerations it would appear.
 
We had an interesting situation arise this morning.
Because we are in a relatively small office, we have had to move quite a few people around, including our CEO and GM.
Our GM is currently working in the boardroom. He arrived late this morning and there was a meeting in the boardroom.
He was locked out of his "office" for about 40 minutes until the meeting finished.
It's just laughable that our CEO has put staff returning to the office before any other considerations it would appear.

I admit its stupid putting someone in a room used by others.

But t the end of the day its the CEO's responsibility to run the company how he sees it, if he loses good staff,profit etc etc then its his issue.
 
Back