Working From Home Megathread

shadyslimshady

House has never been so clean, get my washing done during working from home and ironing as well. I pop out and do my weekly shopping during lunch hour as well. Everyone has a couple of quiet hours in there job. In the office just be looking for something to do.

Just all this and not having a two and half hour commute is the job. Up at 8.30, Laptop off at 5.30 its great.

Just the amount of extra energy I have from not having to get up at 7AM and not been home till 7PM. The extra money been saved is fantastic towards a mortgage is great.

I can go to concerts etc that are happening on week nights as well, stay out for extra beers, stay up late as don't have to drive.

I just love working from home. Its like a major weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

jakiah

Deleted User wrote: »

There is a certain class of management who see this "idle time" as idleness and someone who needs a kick up the jacksie, these tend to be the same types that hate WFH as they lose that power.

Christ, the stuff that goes on behind closed (office) doors.

BrianD3

Deleted User wrote: »

There is a certain class of management who see this "idle time" as idleness and someone who needs a kick up the jacksie, these tend to be the same types that hate WFH as they lose that power.

I worked in the public sector for many years including working from home last year - people from outside of the sector would likely find some of the work practices to be nuts

During WFH I had to send a memo every week detailing exactly what I had done. It went like this:

Monday @ 9:00: I sent an email to Jim about x
Monday @ 9:15: I had a phone call with Tom about y
etc etc. for the entire week

This memo took the best part of a half day to prepare. Great use of time :rolleyes:

When Covid seemed to be improving in the summer, staff were ordered back to the office, told they weren't doing their jobs in spite of
a) doing a least as much as they did in the office, more unpaid overtime
b) logging what they were doing as above which almost never happened in the office

I say almost never because i did experience something similar during the recession when there was the threat of cutbacks. Big panic, "we have to justify why we are employing staff, everyone record what you're doing using this template".

While at other times management were so disengaged that they didn't know whether staff were in work ("is Mary out sick today? Jaysus I dunno") let alone what they were doing. Completely dysfunctional stuff, jumping from one extreme to the other.

Lillyfae

Mr.S wrote: »

I’d be less inclined to do it, if I was in the office though. And I don’t just mean going for coffees, but doing whatever in your downtime, like today I did the grocery shopping etc.

Not to mention that a lot of offices are in depressing industrial estates in the middle of nowhere so there’s nowhere to go for a walk, get a coffee, browse shops etc.

Sunny Disposition

One thing about office work in the future. If you are requiring people to be in an office, you’d want to be able to explain to them why they have to be there. People will be disgruntled if they’re just there to do things they could do at home, even if it’s only a few days a week.

Mrs OBumble

Antares35 wrote: »

I never said it was unique to WFH, but it would be hard to square it with your clocking/ stamping card system now wouldn't it

Not even slightly.

You just book sick leave (or whatever type is appropriate), clock out while you are out and in when you get back. Nothing could be simpler.

Antares35

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Nothing could be simpler.

I find my current flexible situation more simple

namloc1980

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Not even slightly.

You just book sick leave (or whatever type is appropriate), clock out while you are out and in when you get back. Nothing could be simpler.

Just popping out while you are at home. That's simpler.

Lillyfae

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Not even slightly.

You just book sick leave (or whatever type is appropriate), clock out while you are out and in when you get back. Nothing could be simpler.

Or you just go to the shop for a 30 minute round trip and do nothing at all.

Mrs OBumble

namloc1980 wrote: »

Just popping out while you are at home. That's simpler.

But doesn't enable your employer to comply with the Organisation of Working Time Act.

shadyslimshady

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

But doesn't enable your employer to comply with the Organisation of Working Time Act.

I really think you want the workplace to be run like a concentration camp or secondary school.

AlmightyCushion

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

But doesn't enable your employer to comply with the Organisation of Working Time Act.

How does an employee popping out to do something during the working day mean an employer isn't complying with the working time act?

JDD

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Not even slightly.

You just book sick leave (or whatever type is appropriate), clock out while you are out and in when you get back. Nothing could be simpler.

Back in the day when my public service job had a clock in/clock out system, we had to book half a day's sick leave if we had a doctor's appointment at 10am. The system couldn't cope with a two hour sick leave window. So if a colleague had a dentist appointment at 10 and was finished by 11, they'd just go off to the shops until lunchtime, because "sure the system has me out until 1pm anyway".

They got rid of the clock in/out system three or four years ago.

Now its even easier, I just put my status on jabber as "away from desk until 10.45" and that's it. Same if I am running to the shops or want to go for a walk or decide that I'm picking my kids up from school early. I have weekly 1-to-1s with my line manager where we agree a pretty comprehensive list of tasks/goals that will be completed over the next week, and when I get them done is up to me (though obvs most get done during office hours as you need the input of others).

It is SO freeing.

The only places I have worked that regularly made their staff work hours longer than the 49 maximum per week were those that highly valued presenteeism.

And if you are working more than 49 hours a week at home, surely that's a product of agreeing to complete too many tasks, and something that needs to be raised with your manager.

I could be clocking in 55 hours a week and be completely overworked, or I could be clocking in 55 hours and not be doing a tap for 70% of it - the hours clocked won't actually be any indicator of whether you are actually working long hours - only the output will.

Frank Bullitt

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Not even slightly.

You just book sick leave (or whatever type is appropriate), clock out while you are out and in when you get back. Nothing could be simpler.

Book sick leave...do you not mean vacation time?

Mrs OBumble

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

But doesn't enable your employer to comply with the Organisation of Working Time Act.

My god. What kind of companies do you work for?!? I thought you hailed from the 1990s. Now I think you hail from the 1800s!

Frank Bullitt

Deleted User wrote: »

My god. What kind of companies do you work for?!? I thought you hailed from the 1990s. Now I think you hail from the 1800s!

Convinced now that they are just taking the piss, their argument has more holes in it than Swiss cheese

Mrs OBumble

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

But doesn't enable your employer to comply with the Organisation of Working Time Act.

Your comments keep on reminding me of this!
"The queen Bee syndrome!"

https://www.news24.com/fin24/special-reports/womens-month-2016/are-you-a-woman-bully-maybe-you-have-the-queen-bee-syndrome-20160802

Mrs OBumble

[Deleted User] wrote: »

My god. What kind of companies do you work for?!? I thought you hailed from the 1990s. Now I think you hail from the 1800s!

Ones that don't break the law.

The OWTA only dates from 1997.
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1997/act/20/enacted/en/html

shadyslimshady

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Ones that don't break the law.

The OWTA only dates from 1997.
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1997/act/20/enacted/en/html

which section relates to what your spouting on about with regards someone on salary.

I remember a while ago you were saying that people who don't work extra hours or don't take calls after they finish work won't get a promotion.

tom1ie

Deleted User wrote: »

My god. What kind of companies do you work for?!? I thought you hailed from the 1990s. Now I think you hail from the 1800s!

working time act is an employment law that employers should be adhering to?
Unless you work in the horse racing industry..........

Frank Bullitt

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Ones that don't break the law.

The OWTA only dates from 1997.
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1997/act/20/enacted/en/html

So are all these companies now breaking the law?

Mrs OBumble

shadyslimshady wrote: »

which section relates to what your spouting on about with regards someone on salary.

I remember a while ago you were saying that people who don't work extra hours or don't take calls after they finish work won't get a promotion.

All of them apply to all employees.

Yes, salaried employees usually do need to go beyond their contractual minimum if they want to be seen as worthy of promotion.

But they still need to comply with labour laws.



The attitudes of many posters here towards something as basic as the laws that cover employing and managing staff tell me that you know next to nothing about business or management.

Sure, some companies choose to knowingly break some laws, some of the time. But do it for a while, and you will get in to trouble or one sort of another. It's usually just not worth the risk.

shadyslimshady

namloc1980 wrote: »

Just popping out while you are at home. That's simpler.

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

But doesn't enable your employer to comply with the Organisation of Working Time Act.

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Ones that don't break the law.

The OWTA only dates from 1997.
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1997/act/20/enacted/en/html

So what part of this act stops someone from popping out for half an hour while working from home?

You pretend you have knowledge but your actually clueless.

Frank Bullitt

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

B]Yes, salaried employees usually do need to go beyond their contractual minimum if they want to be seen as worthy of promotion.

But they still need to comply with labour laws.[/B]

Would you like extra cheese with that contradiction?

Antares35

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Yes, salaried employees usually do need to go beyond their contractual minimum if they want to be seen as worthy of promotion.

Notwithstanding that there will be occasions where you need to get something over the line and put in more hours, exceeding your contractually agreed hours on a regular basis doesn't make you a hero or better at your job.

If you can't get your job done in the prescribed hours then you're probably incompetent.

shadyslimshady

Antares35 wrote: »

Notwithstanding that there will be occasions where you need to get something over the line and put in more hours, exceeding your contractually agreed hours on a regular basis doesn't make you a hero or better at your job.

If you can't get your job done in the prescribed hours then you're probably incompetent.

I find in smaller companies they do try and overwork you and think since there paying your wages that you owe them and should be grateful your getting a wage.

People generally move on within a year.

Antares35

shadyslimshady wrote: »

I find in smaller companies they do try and overwork you and think since there paying your wages that you owe them and should be grateful your getting a wage.

People generally move on within a year.

I haven't found that with my job, and it's a small company. But maybe I've been lucky! I worked in a big company before and it was all this thing of everyone staying late to be seen to stay late. Rather than just get in, get the work done and get home. Soul destroying place and I was seriously underpaid. I stayed to get the experience "on paper" because it looked good to have them on my CV but I've actually learned far more and been given much more room to take initiative and own things myself since I moved to the smaller place. Doubled my wages in 18 months too so I'm not complaining.

I can see how smaller and maybe family run businesses might feel like they "own" their staff.

Mrs OBumble

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

All of them apply to all employees.

Yes, salaried employees usually do need to go beyond their contractual minimum if they want to be seen as worthy of promotion.

But they still need to comply with labour laws.



The attitudes of many posters here towards something as basic as the laws that cover employing and managing staff tell me that you know next to nothing about business or management.

Sure, some companies choose to knowingly break some laws, some of the time. But do it for a while, and you will get in to trouble or one sort of another. It's usually just not worth the risk.

Yeah, I think I’ll go and point out those labour laws to my MNC employer and demand that I work my contractual 35 hours and not a minute more

I think that will go down well. Thanks Mrs O’B

Antares35

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Yeah, I think I’ll go and point out those labour laws to my MNC employer and demand that I work my contractual 35 hours and not a minute more

I think that will go down well. Thanks Mrs O’B

Don't forget to invoice them for renting your house while you're at it

Mrs OBumble

shadyslimshady wrote: »

So what part of this act stops someone from popping out for half an hour while working from home?

You pretend you have knowledge but your actually clueless.

Nothing prevents it, from either home of office.

Some people seem to believe it's easier from home.

But you should be recording working vs non working time, either way.