Working From Home

[Jacob]

Teaching and mentoring is great. Even greater if it can be done in a way that preserves some of the benefits that come with flexibility around working from home.

[Tamas]

How are you there when you're working? Simply being present in the same building doesn't count as parenting.

In my observation, the advantages of working from home as a parent typically are:

• More flexibility around pick up and drop off for school and extracurricular activities.
• Ability to keep sick kids at home without unduly impacting work or burning vacation days.
• Ability to spot-help with a home going partner with diaper changes and whatever else during the infant stage.
• Option to use short breaks or lunch to get chores done, making it easier to manage the household (this also applies to non-parents as well, obviously, but IMEX the ability to keep shit together is under more pressure as a parent).

It may not sound like much, but it makes a pretty big difference - especially for folks who don't have extended family to help them out and who can't afford nannies or otherwise just throw money at logistical problems.

This has been very true for us BTW.

[crazy canuck]

And that is actually what I've been afraid of when people say they're working from home. They're not actually working the full workday from home. They're doing spot chores at their house. 

That's where work from home actually falls down. If people are going to work from home then work.

If you want time off to take care of family chores, take time off.

But don't do both.  The people who are actually working at the office take an unfair burden..

[Zanza]

And that is actually what I've been afraid of when people say they're working from home. They're not actually working the full workday from home. They're doing spot chores at their house. 

That's where work from home actually falls down. If people are going to work from home then work.

If you want time off to take care of family chores, take time off.

But don't do both.  The people who are actually working at the office take an unfair burden.

Do you assume that all office workers actually work productively the entire time they are in the office? May be true for your context, certainly isn't true where I work.

[Zoupa]

Yeah, as if office workers give you 8 hours of productivity 

Sorry to burst any bosses' bubbles, but most employees work for you for the paycheck and can't wait to get home. Most jobs also involve menial tasks and can get repetitive, hence why no one is productive for 8 hours.

[Syt]

To think there were such high hopes for the future of work some time ago.

[celedhring]

They were dead right regarding using leisure meaningfully though

[Tamas]

And that is actually what I've been afraid of when people say they're working from home. They're not actually working the full workday from home. They're doing spot chores at their house. 

That's where work from home actually falls down. If people are going to work from home then work.

If you want time off to take care of family chores, take time off.

But don't do both.  The people who are actually working at the office take an unfair burden.

Do you assume that all office workers actually work productively the entire time they are in the office? May be true for your context, certainly isn't true where I work.

In my experience working in 3 different offices in two different countries, you do not need to be wfh to avoid working. If somebody wants to slack off that is eminently possible in the office.

[Josquius]

As said before there's definitely pros and cons to WFH and in-office work, much like there is for anything in existence.

The big pro that stands out for me is how it drastically increases equality. It makes it so much easier for people with disabilities or those who live in areas without many jobs to get by in life. Plus the mentioned parents part.
If WFH had been the norm back when I was starting my career then my life would have taken a very different path with my 20s being far more productive and comfortable. I remember back then a huge problem was affording to go to job interviews and uncertainty on whether I could even afford to take roles- the seeming need for an unpaid internship based in London to get my foot on the ladder was a huge blocker.

In my experience working in 3 different offices in two different countries, you do not need to be wfh to avoid working. If somebody wants to slack off that is eminently possible in the office.

Moreso IMO.
WFH you've got your teams online status but other than that your work is your only marker of actually working.
In the office.... Much easier to make it look like you're busy without actually doing anything. Presenteeism can be a big problem.

[CountDeMoney]

And that is actually what I've been afraid of when people say they're working from home. They're not actually working the full workday from home. They're doing spot chores at their house. 

That's where work from home actually falls down. If people are going to work from home then work.

If you want time off to take care of family chores, take time off.

But don't do both.  The people who are actually working at the office take an unfair burden.

Do you assume that all office workers actually work productively the entire time they are in the office? May be true for your context, certainly isn't true where I work.

I dunno...all of our administrative assistants no longer come to the office; they work at home. Now, as a hybridnista, I don't mind shouldering their duties of receiving office supplies, servicing printers, going to the loading dock to find shipments for the department on top of the rest of my duties that, quite frankly have nothing to do with being an ESS LAN engineer--but if the people that used to do that aren't doing that anymore, and I'm required to assume their duties because they're not there, then what, exactly, are they doing now? 

I mean, other than calling me to let someone in the building, because the door intercom that used to go to their desk when they managed the entrance now rolls over to their phones at home. 

[Sheilbh]

In my experience working in 3 different offices in two different countries, you do not need to be wfh to avoid working. If somebody wants to slack off that is eminently possible in the office.

Shhh - don't tell the bosses

[Tamas]

And that is actually what I've been afraid of when people say they're working from home. They're not actually working the full workday from home. They're doing spot chores at their house. 

That's where work from home actually falls down. If people are going to work from home then work.

If you want time off to take care of family chores, take time off.

But don't do both.  The people who are actually working at the office take an unfair burden.

Do you assume that all office workers actually work productively the entire time they are in the office? May be true for your context, certainly isn't true where I work.

I dunno...all of our administrative assistants no longer come to the office; they work at home. Now, as a hybridnista, I don't mind shouldering their duties of receiving office supplies, servicing printers, going to the loading dock to find shipments for the department on top of the rest of my duties that, quite frankly have nothing to do with being an ESS LAN engineer--but if the people that used to do that aren't doing that anymore, and I'm required to assume their duties because they're not there, then what, exactly, are they doing now? 

I mean, other than calling me to let someone in the building, because the door intercom that used to go to their desk when they managed the entrance now rolls over to their phones at home. 

Don't blame a terribly organised situation on the overall concept.

[CountDeMoney]

Don't blame a terribly organised situation on the overall concept.

Oh believe me, I have no problem pacing myself, especially at this age salary grade. 

[crazy canuck]

And that is actually what I've been afraid of when people say they're working from home. They're not actually working the full workday from home. They're doing spot chores at their house. 

That's where work from home actually falls down. If people are going to work from home then work.

If you want time off to take care of family chores, take time off.

But don't do both.  The people who are actually working at the office take an unfair burden.

Do you assume that all office workers actually work productively the entire time they are in the office? May be true for your context, certainly isn't true where I work.

No, but employers do expect them to be avail

And that is actually what I've been afraid of when people say they're working from home. They're not actually working the full workday from home. They're doing spot chores at their house. 

That's where work from home actually falls down. If people are going to work from home then work.

If you want time off to take care of family chores, take time off.

But don't do both.  The people who are actually working at the office take an unfair burden.

Do you assume that all office workers actually work productively the entire time they are in the office? May be true for your context, certainly isn't true where I work.

In my experience working in 3 different offices in two different countries, you do not need to be wfh to avoid working. If somebody wants to slack off that is eminently possible in the office.

It is true.  And in this country that is called time theft.  Employees get fired for cause for that.

[Tamas]

Employees get fired for slacking too much anywhere. But you need to get caught first and second it needs to be serious enough to worth thr trouble of hiring another slacker.