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I did over 90 flights in the 19/20 tax year (I had to tot it all up for my annual carbon offset payment) so that was between July and Feb 2020. I most definitely don't miss that amount of travel, being knackered all the time and not being around to be a human being at home. saying that I had proper dread and fear looking at the office door yesterday before I came back today and it's very isolating for sure.
Interesting to read what I thought 7 months ago on page 1.
Working from home has become the norm. I have been into the office probably 10 times since then. It’s ok, but I was right, living alone and working alone, all in the same house, is shit. Glad I’ve got the option to go in when I want to.
I'm still WFH at the kitchen table, bored and lacking motivation, though I am dealing with everything I need to for work.
It's generally a quieter time of year for me where I'd be working on projects for the new financial year and other more strategic things, but I can't as I'm only supposed to be dealing with issues that arise and the usual things I'd be doing involve a good bit of consultation and meeting people out an about.
Wife is part WFH as she is part of a triage system that requires her in the office a couple of days, so she's in the 'back bedroom', as will my son be when he's remote learning (still holiday this week).
I know it's necessary, but it's wearing very thin with inability to do my job fully, boredom and isolation. And yes, I do feel very lucky to have a job and be in a secure job, it's still crap though.
Well I came back to the Dining room table home office yesterday for a 9am start!
I guess we'll be still WFH for at least the first half of the year - can't see the vaccine being rolled out to enough people before then.
We don't have an office at the moment, all WFH, so I had to drive to a colleagues house this morning to collect a PC and then drives somewhere else to collect something else. All so I can build some test kit in the workshop, which is now doubling as a mini lab for work!
It’s ok, but I was right, living alone and working alone, all in the same house, is shit.
Yeah, did that for about 15yrs, luckily I had my young kids to keep me on my toes for a lot of the time but can be very isolating. Mrs dB has the spare room & has wfh since March & I've wfh for 22yrs so have a dedicated office but currently very little to do 😬
I still prefer it to going into an office, but with this new lockdown I will find it hard due to lack of other forms of interaction. Usually I have no issues when I can get out once a week for other stuff
I work for a software company as an account director, per covid I'd be out seeing clients 2 or 3 days a week and in the office the rest of the time.
I really miss the face to face contact with my clients, teams or zoom isn't the same.
My partner is a nurse, she's leaves for work at 7.30, usually home at 6.00 in the evening. I find it quite lonley, during the summer it wasn't too bad as I'd get out for a ride at lunchtime but during the poor weather I can't be arsed. I did manage into the office a handful of times when we re-opened it after lockdown, although with all the measures in place we've gone from a capacity of 20 to a capacity of 10, the busiest it ever got was 5 in on one day.
I doubt we'll ever get back to full time in the office.
Started a completely new job in September. Never met my team face to face. Practically all training delivered by e-learning with occasional Teams sessions.
First live cases now coming through and none of us have a clue. I would give my soul to be sat at a desk with an experienced colleague walking me through the live system as I try and progress the case. Our customers might prefer that as well 🤣
I re-did my home office arrangement at the weekend. New shelving, a new laptop stand, managed to clear a lot of stuff off the desk so it's a much tidier workspace. Could maybe do with a proper desk lamp actually.
Early talk at work was about a phased / partial return to the office around Easter time but that won't be happening. Personally, I'd be surprised if I see the inside of our office again before June.
Still loving it here, I went through a phase of doing a day a week or every other week in the office when things were a bit more normal over late summer, but we moved around that time and it made things a long day.
Also found I ended up dreading doing it, because people were obsessed with having pointless face to face discussions - I ended up going to the office to have back to back meetings all day & achieving nothing.
There are times it's a bit more lonely & isolated, but I will take that with both hands over being stuck in an office, all day every day.
Today was lovely - I had a couple of hours break between meetings so I wandered into the woods next to the house, climbed the big hill to scout out some lines & ended up starting to dig in a new trail. We have a big virgin, pine & loam covered hillside to dig on, literally a minutes ride from home. 🙂
Winter lockdown project - dig a few bangers!
We're never going back to everyone in the office every day, that is the past now. Even when things are fully opened back up, we will be a blend of some days at home and some days at the office.
The pre-start meeting for Radiator Replacement & WC Refurb at Fysche Hall Clinic will be held on Monday 14th December at 15:00pm. I would be grateful if could you confirm your attendance.
Should there be additional/alternative parties required to attend, please feel free to forward on the meeting invite as required. Trish/Glen – could you please make any other tenants / service providers aware and invite if required with the link below to join the teams meeting.
The works are scheduled to commence in early January and anticipated to take four weeks - items such as Access / Security & Welfare etc. will be confirmed during the meeting, however if you could please notify any interested parties of these works that would be appreciated.
Any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.
What's your role?
i also work form home. i am about to start a new job after being finished at my last place in October. i still have the laptop from that job and it doesn’t seem like they are bothered about getting it back. i can use it to go online but obviously all the licensed products are disabled; problem is i need administrator access to install any new programs on it – is there any way round this??
I would take the existing HD out of the computer and keep it safe somewhere. Go and buy a new HD and install a fresh copy of windows on it - that way you have full rights to install anything you want, plus if your old co. ever realise you still have their computer, you can switcharoo the hard drives and their laptop will be back to "normal"
finished at my last place in October. i still have the laptop from that job
Pfft, a piddling laptop? I finished my old job 30th Sep & my old company car is still on the drive! Anybody want an Outlander, going cheap!
I think there will be plenty of people returning to physical offices when they are able to, the novelty of actually travelling and meeting people will be quite a boost for morale.
That said I haven't had to regularly work in an office for about 10 years, but I have travelled a lot (did 16 flights in January 2020 before lockdown!) and had meetings with people all over Europe, I wouldn't want to go back to 100+ flights a year, but two a month and some F2F time with people and beers after work in Kosice or Warsaw would be nice occasionally.
I did wfh full time from 2013-17 and hated it mainly working with offshore teams. When I got a new job I didn’t even bother finding out how to log on at home.
Now I’m sat in Spain and wfh is pretty good. Paying London rent to sit inside would be a wasted opportunity for me and this is going to have a big impact on my whole life. One bike, one suitcase, a laptop, a phone and replace the car with a van when the time comes.
our Director threw a tantrum before Christmas and said he wanted everyone back in as he didn't feel we were working effectively from home and we've got a COVID secure office.
he's been seen 3 times over the last 10 months, whilst many of us have been in 1-2 days per week all the way through.
I don't think we'll ever be back in 5 days per week, but I'd be happy with a 2/3 day split as I need the social contact and need to see our workshop guys weekly.
Still WFH from'the shed'. MrsF was furloughed and out of work, but starts a new job Monday, and son been out of work since summer, but is doing Dominoes delivery.
MrsF's boss dropping laptop etc off this week as they are all at home. I've been in once, only to sort out changing the password as you have to be physically connected to works network. Realised how much paperwork I don't need in the office. None of us will be 100% office based going forward, which suits me.
I'm still WFH and expect I always will so long as I stay in my work. I manage a couple of teams who are building based so I get out and about when I need to, or want to.
Interesting to think about the future though. Mrs S and I have always planned to move abroad when we retire, now able to consider this much sooner (when kids bugger off to Uni) as my work could, in theory, be completed anywhere. Obviously Brexit has buggered that up slightly but still exciting that living in the sun is now not entirely dependent on local work or retirement. We are looking at options for splitting time between countries in the next few years now.
I would take the existing HD out of the computer and keep it safe somewhere. Go and buy a new HD
simple as that!? you dont need to do any mad coding sorcery when you boot it up??
how much would you expect to pay for one of them?
Thinking something similar but what I wonder is how it works to build up relationships with people over Zoom as opposed to face-to-face.
Back to page 1 this
We had two new starts (yeh massive sample I know) just after (the first) lock down, they’d been appointed literally in the week leading up to lock down.
They are both now as seamlessly integrated with the team as anyone else. It actually surprised most of the team before heading off to Christmas that only one person had met either of them. Actually a bit odd really how they’d become part of the workplace yet never seen us face to face.
Still WFH, constantly since March. I’ve delivered online field trips, hosted countless meetings, taught lectures, run an international conference in different time zones, co-run a new project with a load of short term staff who’d never met, submitted £xxM of funding applications, hosted a coring campaign in the North Sea and supported my entire team, all from my spare room (which thankfully was always set up as an office). Clearly I can work from home, and I don’t miss the commute, but god I just want some variation - talk science where you can draw ideas on a piece of paper, get a train with a Pret breakfast, go and do field work!! The screen time is screwing up my eye (one bad one!) and head.
However, I don’t see us back until Sept so current plan is to get some more house plants and get my Cotic Soul frame hung on the wall to brighten up the space. I hope to get into our labs to do some research in the next few months but that is going to be complicated and no one else is allowed in the lab with you.
Waiting to hear what the plan is for Monday when I'm due back in. Was WFH until September and the office based up to Christmas.
Now I’m sat in Spain and wfh is pretty good
Yep it sure is 🙂
I do sometimes forget I’m not in Bristol some days, one cupboard with screens is much of a muchness, but riding the bike, wow just riding round the block puts a smile on your face as there’s miles of crazy quiet roads here and mountains and beaches.
(Last cannies of San Miguel I bought were under 28p each)
The screen time is screwing up my eye (one bad one!) and head.
Remeber to take yor breaks from the screen. I cannot remember the VDU regs off the top of my head but 10 mins an hour comes to ind
There used to be quite a lot of resistance to home working at my place. This has broken that down completely. I doubt I’ll ever be in now more than 1-2 days a week, and even when I have been in, I’ve joined meetings via video from my office desk as it’s rare that everyone is in the same place.
I think the meeting room hasn’t been used for months.
Remeber to take yor breaks from the screen. I cannot remember the VDU regs off the top of my head but 10 mins an hour comes to ind
There is no legal guidance about how long and how often breaks should be for DSE work.
Started a completely new job in September. Never met my team face to face. Practically all training delivered by e-learning with occasional Teams sessions.
First live cases now coming through and none of us have a clue. I would give my soul to be sat at a desk with an experienced colleague walking me through the live system as I try and progress the case. Our customers might prefer that as well 🤣
Change September to November and you could be describing me.
I’m missing the casual interaction with new colleagues and those little, helpful chats across the desk.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s fine, I’m working for a great company in a role I enjoy, I’d just rather be in the office a few days per week.
Airvent
Edit - I think we were a bit at cross purposes but here are links to the law and guidence
The relevant regulations are the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992. Regulation 4, is concerned with the daily activities of users and states:
'Every employer shall so plan the activities of users at work in his undertaking that their daily work on display screen equipment is periodically interrupted by such breaks or changes of activity as reduce their workload at that equipment.'
short, frequent breaks are more satisfactory than occasional, longer breaks: e.g., a 5-10 minute break after 50-60 minutes continuous screen and/or keyboard work is likely to be better than a 15 minute break every 2 hours;
https://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/vdubreaks.htm
The employer is required to make sure you have breaks from the screen. timing is suggested but the breaks are legally mandated - also good advice for anyone and applies to WFH as well
This week is the first week I've really not wanted to work from home.
I think that might be more to do with hating my job than anything else!
I had a new colleague start working with me in January last year - she'd literally only been with us 2 months before we started WFH. She's done great though, but must be so strange - MrsF was the same - had only been in her job a few months, then they tried WFH, but work dried up, so furloughed folk.
Of the plus points, I did manage to WFH from our caravan a few times, including sat on the decking during meetings, and even stayed connected to a meeting whilst MrsF was driving to Anglesey to watch the Red Arrows - I finished the meeting sat in a field, somewhere near RAF Valley, just before they took off - how's that for flexibility.
I work at a Uni and space is a premium, so they are now looking at more 'flexible' working spaces - people demanding their own desk is going - we had an issue with too many academic desks being empty - that could be teaching space. The positive side is I won't need to be in every day - even WFH on a Friday, long term, would be great.
Pre-lockdown I worked from home reasonably regularly but anymore than 2/3 days on the trot and I was climbing the walls, desperate to get into the office for a bit of normality (despite having a crap commute and not really enjoying being in the office when I was there!).
10 months in and we've basically been told the head office won't be reopening as it was. Lease ends this year, was a big office anyway for the couple of hundred people it housed so it looks like a smaller, cheaper office will be moved to and used almost purely for meetings.
Better get some work done now - planning on a run with the dog at lunch...
Dunno. I have lab stuff that means being physically present. A 2/3 day split would work just dandy for me.
How quickly 7 months has passed!
Apart from the week between Xmas and NY I've not really had to WFH apart from Monday this week whilst our Daughters school sorted out the Essential Workers Childcare thing all over again.
I'm generally less anxious about this now, I'm not 'over' it, more resigned to the fact ha ha.
Boss and I are the only ones coming into the office, we've got our own offices and we seem to be the only 2 of use who can actually Socially Distance reliably.
I think most of my colleagues would prefer to WFH full-time, we've discussed getting rid of the office, booking meeting rooms when needed etc. The last barrier is actually us, we've both got 2 kids at home and no room for an office. If I could overcome that somehow I'd be happy to WFH full-time, Mrs Jay is home based now and despite some reservations, I think we could share an office quite happily.
I'd love to work from home but getting the hospital beds and all the rest up the stairs to my flat might be a bit tricky
From Monday my plan is sling my laptop bag over my shoulder and walk down to the local station which is only 200m from my front door. Stand on the platform for a couple of minutes then walk back, unpack and start working. Not sure if it will make a difference but I did read you should try and put some kind of buffer in between getting up and starting work.
@TheBrick I agree, I was WFH prior to this and it is much harder now.
I didn't realise how much I would miss interaction from swimming and occasional gym. Now I can't even get out with my MTB buddies because they aren't local.
Yep. I don't need much but a little interaction is needed. Still want to keep WFH once it opens up a little, but it will be easy again then.
I don't want to WFH for ever. If my place made it optional I'd probably still go in most days I reckon.
I'm not so sure that this is going to lead to a lasting upheaval in how and where office-based workers work. Sure you'll easily be able to find examples of companies that have binned them off but I reckon that whenever it's safe to people to go back we'll end up with something pretty close to the old normal.
I’m not so sure that this is going to lead to a lasting upheaval in how and where office-based workers work. Sure you’ll easily be able to find examples of companies that have binned them off but I reckon that whenever it’s safe to people to go back we’ll end up with something pretty close to the old normal.
https://twitter.com/chris_herd/status/1334842553561198593?s=08
I wonder how much of this will come to pass...?
Some interesting things in there. The asynchronous working bit (if it means what I think it means) is interesting. At the moment I find the flexibility to e.g. go out for a ride at lunchtime if it's a nice day isn't really there because shifting that work to a different time of the day means other people in my team aren't around so a lot of stuff would get blocked. If that was more flexible I reckon I'd personally find WFH more appealing.
Right now in many ways it's not that different to being in the office. But then I didn't have a big horrible commute, and I can imagine that would change the equation.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the Basecamp internal rules and how to encourage more of that async / “write it up” working rather than exhausting endless chat and meetings. The “working out loud” ethos promoted by Microsoft, Slack and the like makes for an awful lot of noise and tangents when quietly thinking it through and getting a proper first draft together would be a better approach.
https://basecamp.com/guides/how-we-communicate
That Chris herd Twitter thread is really interesting. Thanks
MrsF's kit has been dropped off. Decent Dell Lattitude with 8th gen i5, 27" monitor, mouse keyboard. All needed a good clean as the previous user was a smoker. All good to go on Monday. Her new boss seemed excited that she was starting - probably because he's bogged down with work !
In our firm around 80% of staff have been in all the time since March.
This is mainly due to the nature of our product. Flour, despite our plant being fully PLC controlled there are so many things that require human intervention so no choice but to have staff in. The Admin side was WFH for about 3 months but seeing as we have a large office and a 10th of the staff it was designed for separation/space isn't an issue.
At first I was doing 3 days in and 2 at home but at any time I could be called in and most of my tasks as Engineering manager means you need to be on site.
I mostly hated the WFH as I was covering the early start at 6am yet still having to field calls etc at 6pm. Plus being on 24/7 call every 4 weeks was stressful as you can normally head off certain issues if you are on site.
I think it was @DezB that said it was very lonely if your on your own, though I can see from others posts having others around, I know my sister in law and husband found it hard work.
Our office is a new building with high environmental spec, part of the design is that you have full occupancy so that body heat and laptop heat to keep the building warm, in this weather no one will want to go in because it will be bloody freezing !
At the moment I find the flexibility to e.g. go out for a ride at lunchtime if it’s a nice day isn’t really there because shifting that work to a different time of the day means other people in my team aren’t around so a lot of stuff would get blocked. If that was more flexible I reckon I’d personally find WFH more appealing.
I've done that a few times. Need to be quite careful about it and keep an eye on calendars to make sure that I'm not likely to be called but I can quite often find the time to take a 2hr lunch break or log off at 3.30pm and get out then. It does vary and there are times when I'm working more or less solidly throughout the day.
I'm lucky in that my current place already had a fair degree of remote working even before lockdown so it was able to transition to full WFH with minimal disruption and management are very keen on staff wellbeing. That encourages a very open environment; my boss once told me he'd be off for a long lunch as it would be the only time that day he'd get his 10km run in. Similarly I've told him I'll be taking a long lunch/logging off early to go for a ride and he's not batted an eyelid. He knows I'll stay late/start early when required, he knows I always get the work done to the times stated so within reason he doesn't care too much about a prescriptive 9-5.
I quite like the fact that I can nip into the garden and spent 10 mins on the slack line as a quick screen break (although I've slacked off quite a bit in this recent cold snap).
A few of us on work are friends on Strava and I quite often see our Head of Sales nip out early for a 5k or 10k run mid afternoon, before it gets dark.
I wonder how much of this will come to pass…?
I think the KPI thing will. Which in most companies wi be a bad thing as the target will always be slightly beyond but the is normally achieved and modelled on the good weeks so you will be working even more.
This motivates me.
It would massively demotivate me.
Our office is a new building with high environmental spec, part of the design is that you have full occupancy so that body heat and laptop heat to keep the building warm
Yikes, wonder who signed off on that design? Last time I saw a building designed like that all their heating plant (heat pumps, maybe asking for trouble) was working so hard it eventually froze up, the evaporator coils were encased in ice/frost so thick it had buckled the unit casings!
It's a proper spam magnet, this thread.
Funny how we're all wired differently, isn't it. I've recently reduced my commute from "down the stairs" to "across the landing," it's been brilliant as it's at least halved my journey time.
I don't see much issue with long lunches. I suppose it depends on what you do but I'd not be available all day every day as I have meetings and calls to make. The world still turns.
Just went out in the ice at lunch for an hour and a half in the ice. It was great. Nothing stopped at work.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the Basecamp internal rules and how to encourage more of that async / “write it up” working rather than exhausting endless chat and meetings. The “working out loud” ethos promoted by Microsoft, Slack and the like makes for an awful lot of noise and tangents when quietly thinking it through and getting a proper first draft together would be a better approach.
https://basecamp.com/guides/how-we-communicatePosted 6 days ago
Just read these guidelines and found myself nodding my head the whole time, really wish I could work in such an environment, so many of the bugbears I have of corporate life would be eliminated working like this
I ****ing hate working from home and only do it now and then, much prefer to be in the depot.