Working from home, good/bad?

[nahnah]

I really don't get why others want to drag people to office with them, if you want to go just go.

 

[HirdyLannister]

Corporations have exploited workers for years and they would **** over workers in a blink of an eye.

After making record profit during COVID these companies have the nerve and say they can't give a proper pay rise inline with inflation.

The balance has swayed way too far towards employers/big business

**** them.

Employees time to fight

 

[Kwality]

Corporations have exploited workers for years and they would * over workers in a blink of an eye.

After making record profit during COVID these companies have the nerve and say they can't give a proper pay rise inline with inflation.

The balance has swayed way too far towards employers/big business

* them.

Employees time to fight

If you dont like your employer, working for yourself is always there.

 

[kickazz]

I really don't get why others want to drag people to office with them, if you want to go just go.

Well there's the obvious, like seeing if you do any work or spend all day on BigFooty.

Also collaboration in person is often more effective. I started a new job two years before COVID, I needed to establish relationships and that would have been so much harder from home.

 

[Seeds]

interesting read following CBA's change to move to 50% WFH.

https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/banking/commonwealth-bank-staff-unleash-bloodbath-after-boss-tells-them-to-get-back-to-the-office/news-story/013372235ccf71cfe2ea54f28479d071

I dont get peoples argument about more daycare costs? Unless they joined during the WFH era, why is it CBA's problem? if you WFH does CBA then reduce your salary? Can't be a one-way street?

Cos they are competing with industries that offer it. If two jobs offer similar pay im taking the one woth more flexible working hours so i can pick up my kids from school. In fact i will work for noticably less to maintain the flexible hours.

 

[Seeds]

Well there's the obvious, like seeing if you do any work or spend all day on BigFooty.

Also collaboration in person is often more effective. I started a new job two years before COVID, I needed to establish relationships and that would have been so much harder from home.

Is it really that hard or do you just not know how to use teams and reach out to people? I find no difference except if you are busy and dont want to be bothered by slacker workers who jist want to chit chat its much easier to avoid them working from home.

 

[kickazz]

Is it really that hard or do you just not know how to use teams and reach out to people? I find no difference except if you are busy and dont want to be bothered by slacker workers who jist want to chit chat its much easier to avoid them working from home.

Yeah I just find it's not as good, you miss out on body language, people are more easily distracted, that sort of stuff

 

[Alesana]

Is it really that hard or do you just not know how to use teams and reach out to people? I find no difference except if you are busy and dont want to be bothered by slacker workers who jist want to chit chat its much easier to avoid them working from home.

You can't have the tea room chats that help build rapport when you're WFH. The only time I interact with some people is online through organised meetings, which makes the relationship feel very manufactured and somewhat shallow to me.

 

[burge13]

You can't have the tea room chats that help build rapport when you're WFH. The only time I interact with some people is online through organised meetings, which makes the relationship feel very manufactured and somewhat shallow to me.

Agreed with this but wfh is still great. Should be a staple offering in every computer based job you can do 2-3 days a week home imo. As someone posted above, flexibility wins if you arent getting a payrise

I sat on Teams meetings for 5 hours today. My current employer doesnt allow wfh but we are a statewide service so need to meet via Teams anyway. Why the **** could that not have been done at home? Stubbornness from management and nothing more

Most importantly, keeping staff happy has better results than not. Why not allow flexibility rather than them hate working and look elsewhere leaving you having to train someone new, repeat

 

[nahnah]

Agreed with this but wfh is still great. Should be a staple offering in every computer based job you can do 2-3 days a week home imo. As someone posted above, flexibility wins if you arent getting a payrise

I sat on Teams meetings for 5 hours today. My current employer doesnt allow wfh but we are a statewide service so need to meet via Teams anyway. Why the * could that not have been done at home? Stubbornness from management and nothing more

Most importantly, keeping staff happy has better results than not. Why not allow flexibility rather than them hate working and look elsewhere leaving you having to train someone new, repeat

Oh man nothing worse than a cameras on teams meeting in the office, hard to get the best lighting and angle

 

[Kwality]

Agreed with this but wfh is still great. Should be a staple offering in every computer based job you can do 2-3 days a week home imo. As someone posted above, flexibility wins if you arent getting a payrise

I sat on Teams meetings for 5 hours today. My current employer doesnt allow wfh but we are a statewide service so need to meet via Teams anyway. Why the * could that not have been done at home? Stubbornness from management and nothing more

Most importantly, keeping staff happy has better results than not. Why not allow flexibility rather than them hate working and look elsewhere leaving you having to train someone new, repeat

How is productivity defined & measured for you.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

Cos they are competing with industries that offer it. If two jobs offer similar pay im taking the one woth more flexible working hours so i can pick up my kids from school. In fact i will work for noticably less to maintain the flexible hours.

seems most banks are asking staff to go back into offices.

i dont think there will be any noticeable reduction of talent from making people go back to offices. I think what CBA are offeering is more than fair whish is 50% WFH and 50% in the office.

But i suppose that was my point. Are people willing to be paid less to WFH? If an employee doesn't want to go back into the offices to save money that same train of thought should work both ways. Stay WFH but you get paid less than you did before.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

Agreed with this but wfh is still great. Should be a staple offering in every computer based job you can do 2-3 days a week home imo. As someone posted above, flexibility wins if you arent getting a payrise

I sat on Teams meetings for 5 hours today. My current employer doesnt allow wfh but we are a statewide service so need to meet via Teams anyway. Why the * could that not have been done at home? Stubbornness from management and nothing more

Most importantly, keeping staff happy has better results than not. Why not allow flexibility rather than them hate working and look elsewhere leaving you having to train someone new, repeat

depends on the situation. CBA have done specific research that shows their company benefits from people being in the office.

I think flexibility in the workplace isn't going anywhere but being in the office 50% of the time is more than reasonable if thats how CBA want to run their business.

 

[kickazz]

Don't get me wrong, but WFH is great, especially in winter! I also like it for days when you have things like documentation to write or other stuff when you just need to plough through undistracted.

On the whole Zoom thing - I was at a course recently where the host explained the science behind "Zoom fatigue" - basically it came back to our cognitive desire for body-language related feedback - when that is absent our brains have to work harder to stay engaged in the interaction. This can take it's toll over a day.

For me its all about balance - 2-3 days a week WFH and 2-3 days in the office is ideal.

Except school holidays, then it's 5 days in the office please.

 

[burge13]

How is productivity defined & measured for you.

Exactly the same way it is in an office. There's literally no difference

Source, i manage 65 people across 26 sites. How do i measure them in office v at home if im not with them? Its the same thing...

 

[Seeds]

seems most banks are asking staff to go back into offices.

i dont think there will be any noticeable reduction of talent from making people go back to offices. I think what CBA are offeering is more than fair whish is 50% WFH and 50% in the office.

But i suppose that was my point. Are people willing to be paid less to WFH? If an employee doesn't want to go back into the offices to save money that same train of thought should work both ways. Stay WFH but you get paid less than you did before.

supply and demand for wfh jobs will result in them being paid less, all else equal, then jobs that require you to be onsite. But its the workers that will drive this outcome and should not be the bosses trying to manufacture it.

 

[Seeds]

You can't have the tea room chats that help build rapport when you're WFH. The only time I interact with some people is online through organised meetings, which makes the relationship feel very manufactured and somewhat shallow to me.

The tea room chats arent the valuable ones though. Thats where you develop friendships and form workplace alliances and gossip. All the bad stuff for doing your actual job.

Teams chats are far more productive for work.

 

[Kwality]

Exactly the same way it is in an office. There's literally no difference

Source, i manage 65 people across 26 sites. How do i measure them in office v at home if im not with them? Its the same thing...

I was reflecting my experience in the professional accounting industry. I was expected to recover 1500 hours per year, not charge, recover.

Productivity in admin is often not measured in my experience.

 

[Alesana]

The tea room chats arent the valuable ones though. Thats where you develop friendships and form workplace alliances and gossip. All the bad stuff for doing your actual job.

Teams chats are far more productive for work.

Can't speak for others but I am much more comfortable collaborating with and approaching colleagues who I have better personal rapport with, than those that I don't. I'm more likely to continue attempting something myself and only going to the 'online' colleague as a last resort, which is not productive.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

supply and demand for wfh jobs will result in them being paid less, all else equal, then jobs that require you to be onsite. But its the workers that will drive this outcome and should not be the bosses trying to manufacture it.

don't agree.

employers drive what they want for their business. Not employees

In an environment of slowing economy and higher unemployment. Employees demands will only get so far.

 

[Seeds]

don't agree.

employers drive what they want for their business. Not employees

In an environment of slowing economy and higher unemployment. Employees demands will only get so far.

employers aim to lower wages as much as they can. but its the combination of demand and supply for workers that determines wages. Not just demand. Workers will gravitate to the jobs that offer higher work life benefits, all else equal. This change in supply by workers will ultimately influence the wage outcome And lower wages for wfh relative to work from work jobs.

draw the supply and demand curves. then shift the supply curve to either the left or right. See for yourself. The wage adjusts even without any change in the demand curve by employers.

 

[Seeds]

Can't speak for others but I am much more comfortable collaborating with and approaching colleagues who I have better personal rapport with, than those that I don't. I'm more likely to continue attempting something myself and only going to the 'online' colleague as a last resort, which is not productive.

But work isnt just about your comfort. Its about achieving the best work outcome with your team. Limiting yourself to colloborating with people you socialise well with is not only counter productive but can be plainly unjust to your follow workers and consumer base. Such attitudes have justified descrimination against women and minorities in the workplace in the past.

 

[Themanbun]

The tea room chats arent the valuable ones though. Thats where you develop friendships and form workplace alliances and gossip. All the bad stuff for doing your actual job.

Teams chats are far more productive for work.

I've noticed this as well.

Worked with a lot of teams that were stood up post WFH and they all have a far healthier culture than those that pre-existed.

Might be a bit harder for older generations but I've found it totally fine getting to know my colleagues (and even made good friends) remotely.

 

[Alesana]

But work isnt just about your comfort. Its about achieving the best work outcome with your team. Limiting yourself to colloborating with people you socialise well with is not only counter productive but can be plainly unjust to your follow workers and consumer base. Such attitudes have justified descrimination against women and minorities in the workplace in the past.

In theory that sounds fine, unfortunately I'm not a robot and can't just see the world in 1's and 0's. Just because you can forge relationships remotely that are good enough for you, doesn't mean every one else can. I've felt more confident engaging with others remotely after meeting them in person and establishing a rapport, regardless of skin colour or gender. To me, that is a productive outcome, but everyone is different.

 

[Gralin]

How do you measure a full days work ?

by the number of hours I get paid to be working for

How does your employer measure your contribution, if at all ?

with about 5 million metrics and reports