Popular Post Davkaus Posted January 19 Popular Post Share Posted January 19 (edited) I've got no problem saying on here, to my colleagues, or to my boss that I'm not glued to my desk all day and I take time to chuck in some washing, have a coffee, or go out for a walk. It's not uncommon for downtime to be when "knowledge workers" have a breakthrough. The difference isn't that people work more in the office, it's that they feel like they need to hide the down time because of the perception for a need for bums on seats. I'm paid to solve problems and deliver results, not to sit in a chair for 40 hours. Edited January 19 by Davkaus 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osmark86 Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 2 hours ago, Xela said: People that take the piss WFH, will take the piss in the office as well. No. Before WFH we enjoyed 100% productivity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted January 19 VT Supporter Share Posted January 19 6 hours ago, tomav84 said: think it depends on your personality. i've read a lot on this thread things like "i have to talk to people i don't like" or "people keep coming to my desk to chat" when they're in the office. i personally like that, whether it's chatting work or football. when the colleagues i work with that are into football are in the office it's great to chat transfer rumours or show each other funny shit we've seen on twitter or updating each other on our FM24 saves. not to mention a good old gossip about colleagues that you don't want to do on a Teams chat for obvious reasons. It’s not so much whether you like it or not, it’s how it affects your work. I love talking and gossiping with (some) colleagues. But it takes up far more of my time than anything I do at home that isn’t work. Which is the point really. It sounds like from your post that you spend a lot of time at work not working. Which is absolutely fine. It’s completely normal if you ask me. But it’s the kind of thing that people ignore when they hear someone working from home has dared to log off 5 minutes early to walk their dog 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rds1983 Posted January 20 VT Supporter Share Posted January 20 (edited) 16 hours ago, tomav84 said: when the colleagues i work with that are into football are in the office it's great to chat transfer rumours or show each other funny shit we've seen on twitter or updating each other on our FM24 saves. not to mention a good old gossip about colleagues that you don't want to do on a Teams chat for obvious reasons. I thought being in the office increased productivity and stopped people wasting time. Edited January 20 by Rds1983 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted January 20 VT Supporter Share Posted January 20 3 hours ago, Rds1983 said: I thought being in the office increased productivity and stopped people wasting time. It’s almost as if most people who have a job to do will just get it done regardless of where they’re working 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 On 19/01/2024 at 18:54, Davkaus said: I've got no problem saying on here, to my colleagues, or to my boss that I'm not glued to my desk all day and I take time to chuck in some washing, have a coffee, or go out for a walk. I did a double take at that! I was thinking. "well at least he's upfront about it" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 23 hours ago, Stevo985 said: It’s not so much whether you like it or not, it’s how it affects your work. I love talking and gossiping with (some) colleagues. But it takes up far more of my time than anything I do at home that isn’t work. Which is the point really. It sounds like from your post that you spend a lot of time at work not working. Which is absolutely fine. It’s completely normal if you ask me. But it’s the kind of thing that people ignore when they hear someone working from home has dared to log off 5 minutes early to walk their dog You take work far to seriously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted January 20 VT Supporter Share Posted January 20 39 minutes ago, foreveryoung said: You take work far to seriously. Based on what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobzy Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 (edited) On 19/01/2024 at 21:10, Stevo985 said: It’s not so much whether you like it or not, it’s how it affects your work. I love talking and gossiping with (some) colleagues. But it takes up far more of my time than anything I do at home that isn’t work. Which is the point really. It sounds like from your post that you spend a lot of time at work not working. Which is absolutely fine. It’s completely normal if you ask me. But it’s the kind of thing that people ignore when they hear someone working from home has dared to log off 5 minutes early to walk their dog I think the thing for me is that chatting to (some) colleagues builds a bond within a workplace. You create an understanding between people, find out more about them and therefore can understand more about how they work or think or why they have certain issues or whatever it is. Naturally, some people take this way further and spend hours chatting (as someone else said, those likely to shirk at home are likely to shirk in the office). Maybe it's different for everyone else but, when I'm in the office, I generally will have small talk with people when getting a coffee or pop over to someone's desk if they are new to introduce myself. For me, working relationships are well worth building. If I'm at home, these things just don't happen. It's a very different type of going out of your way - or requires a much more extrovert personality than I have - to call someone who you don't know that well just to chat or introduce yourself to someone new who doesn't directly work with you. I'd wager it doesn't happen that often at all; people are much more likely to plod through their workload and then do the whole home chores/go for a walk/whatever as their movement away from their desk, and just talk to friends. But then, how do you build a relationship remotely that you don't already have? It must be harder. I'm sure people on here have joined new companies during/since the pandemic - and they'll be far better placed to express how it is - but I reckon a large proportion of the higher turnover of staff we've seen over the past year or so will be down to people not integrating or "bedding in" properly because their introductions are online, their training is online, they're not actually interacting with people in a "normal" way. In a similar way that it's much easier to walk over and talk to someone at their desk than to want to interrupt someone showing as "Busy" on MS Teams or the like. Edit: obviously looking at “one or the other” rather than hybrid working; but still relating to the office environment. Edited January 23 by bobzy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted January 23 VT Supporter Share Posted January 23 33 minutes ago, bobzy said: I think the thing for me is that chatting to (some) colleagues builds a bond within a workplace. You create an understanding between people, find out more about them and therefore can understand more about how they work or think or why they have certain issues or whatever it is. Naturally, some people take this way further and spend hours chatting (as someone else said, those likely to shirk at home are likely to shirk in the office). Maybe it's different for everyone else but, when I'm in the office, I generally will have small talk with people when getting a coffee or pop over to someone's desk if they are new to introduce myself. For me, working relationships are well worth building. If I'm at home, these things just don't happen. It's a very different type of going out of your way - or requires a much more extrovert personality than I have - to call someone who you don't know that well just to chat or introduce yourself to someone new who doesn't directly work with you. I'd wager it doesn't happen that often at all; people are much more likely to plod through their workload and then do the whole home chores/go for a walk/whatever as their movement away from their desk, and just talk to friends. But then, how do you build a relationship remotely that you don't already have? It must be harder. I'm sure people on here have joined new companies during/since the pandemic - and they'll be far better placed to express how it is - but I reckon a large proportion of the higher turnover of staff we've seen over the past year or so will be down to people not integrating or "bedding in" properly because their introductions are online, their training is online, they're not actually interacting with people in a "normal" way. In a similar way that it's much easier to walk over and talk to someone at their desk than to want to interrupt someone showing as "Busy" on MS Teams or the like. Edit: obviously looking at “one or the other” rather than hybrid working; but still relating to the office environment. Yep, I don't disagree with that. And a fully remote arrangement wouldn't work for a lot of jobs. I wouldn't like to never be in the office. It was really just a defence against the suggestion that people who work from home are sad losers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marka Ragnos Posted January 23 VT Supporter Share Posted January 23 On 31/03/2009 at 10:28, The_Rev said: Not really practical in my line of work! You and lots of others. Think about how a plumber or residential electrician or home hospice worker or someone like that might respond. On the other hand, even with jobs such as plumbing, there are certain aspects of such a service that can be remote. For example, I often send photos to my plumber before he gets to my house. Thirty years ago, that would never happen. In a way, it's a boujee question and "debate" that's usually set forth without acknowledging that home vs. office only covers a minority of workers (mainly, managerial and administrative). But it's the biggest minority in the USA and UK, so it's understandable to wonder? In my experience, I think it's good policy for companies and orgs not to take too strong a line on this question but to stay flexible and willing to learn as companies/orgs and as people. So much is still changing with how we work and the tech there to support it. What is an office? Do we really know anymore? So much up in the air. I think in a way that like so many things today, our technology has outrun our practical and psychological and ethical thinking about how we work. Definitely an interesting conversation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marka Ragnos Posted January 23 VT Supporter Share Posted January 23 On 19/01/2024 at 09:55, tomav84 said: i totally get that introverts don't want any of that and would rather just work at home in peace. Sounds like a recipe for depression. Some not all of the people who want to work alone at home are probably the last people on earth who ought to in terms of self-care. On the other hand, working in an office is no guarantee for sure that you're going to feel connected to people. I've felt alienated in the office, too, at times. Nowadays, I find that working in the office slows me down. My "social work life" with colleagues is mostly on private social media, not in the office. Quote Just skipping to in-person and hoping that somehow people re-bond is wrong. A forced return to the office with tremendous employee resistance can create that alienation that will increase loneliness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted April 6 Share Posted April 6 Didn't go into the office last week due to engineering works on my train line. I actually missed it a bit! I still think three days a week in the office is too much for me, but once or twice is ideal, if only for a change of scenery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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