Working From Home Megathread

Frank Bullitt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117918932#Comment_117918932

Amen to that! My manager says the exact same thing, just get your work done and show up to the meetings you committed to showing up to. I get my work done, and get to do other things that would usually be put off.

Everyone wins.

Backstreet Moyes

You see it in work people clocking in and going for breakfast and chatting for 20 minutes.

People going for a 15 minute coffee break in the afternoon.

People calling over to chat or gossip at desks.

Smalltalk and gossip at the watercooler.

The only difference at home is you can clean the house, prepare the dinner, go out for a walk etc which is far more beneficial.

No competent manager would expect someone to work non stop for 7 hours.

People who slack in the office will do so at home, people who have to try look busy during downtime are able to get something done at home during downtime.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117919715#Comment_117919715

There were many, many occasions where I shared or gained useful information through those water cooler chats. It really helped to build good relationships with colleagues too.

Absolute Zero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117920501#Comment_117920501

oooh water cooler friends 😂

Frank Bullitt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117920501#Comment_117920501

Useful information should be shared collectively or in meetings, water cooler chats is where division begins in an office.

martingriff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117920501#Comment_117920501

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117920719#Comment_117920719

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117920944#Comment_117920944

This is the reason people should be in the office at least once a week the chats and gossip with people at work.

@Frank Bullitt Water cooler chats are great at people been relaxed and discussing problems not every little things needs a meeting and in those moments new ideas may come in the relaxed environment of a casual chat and not in a stuffy meeting room, which then get mentioned in a wider circle. I hat to be you who sees all chats as some conspiracy to divide.

A couple friends and myself regular ring each other for those chats

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117920944#Comment_117920944

I remember being amazed when I joined a particular multinational in the naughties to be told that the canteen tables were specifically designed to only allow five people in order to stop groups of people communicating with each other, just in case they might end up joining a trade union. It seems that kind of blinkered thinking still exists among some narrow minded people.

Young_gunner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117921195#Comment_117921195

I've worked in the finance sector in an office for 17 years and never once had I a conversation at a water cooler that helped my work, in fact it was sometimes hassle having to make small talk when i just wanted a cup of tea!

No such issues to impact on my productivity at home thankfully.

Yup agreed, I work in an analytical role in a large organisation for past 7 years. While having chats at breakout area/water cooler can be enjoyable it has never significantly helped my job

One has to wonder how Ireland isn't a world leader in everything prior to covid considering how much innovation was occurring at water coolers the length and breadth of the country

bokale

Yep. 20 years here... Building relationships at the watercooler?

Nights out though. That's when you build real relationships! And discuss whose water cooler chat is the most annoying.

martingriff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117921684#Comment_117921684

Oh ya agree there with a bit of lubrication the real juicy stuff comes

Potential-Monke

Jesus, ye must all have some amount of friends considering how much chatting and socialising ye do! Do ye make friends with everyone ye have worked with in every job since you started working? I've never made a permanent friend from work, because work friends come and go, just like everything else. I don't want to waste time chatting small talk with people I work with, because I will most likely never consider them a friend (in the true sense of the word). They are all acquaintances. I'd prefer if these people worked at their roles better so my job would be easier overall. I feel like people want work to be like school. Ugh. Gimme the day where I just turn up, do my work and clock out when I'm finished without having to take part in these office politics and small talk crap. It's just a job, nothing more. The vast majority of us wouldn't continue it if we had a choice.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117920501#Comment_117920501

Good for you. I used to hate them, and avoid them. Making small talk with a colleague while the slowest kettle in the world boils is certainly not something I will miss. But doesn't seem to have affected my progression in any way, nor my professional relationship with colleagues.

But having said that, I have rarely socialised with work colleagues - I have little to no overlap between work colleagues and home friends. If your office is also your socialisation then obviously getting back to the metaphorical water cooler is probably quite a big deal

But let’s not pretend that the company’s performance hinges on water cooler chats

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922134#Comment_117922134

Its a variation on networking.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117921516#Comment_117921516

That it was never a help and that it was just a hassle for you, may not be unrelated.

martingriff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922127#Comment_117922127

It's not about making friends for life. It is about been friendly with people who you work it's not your bffs it just getting on with people

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922127#Comment_117922127

Maybe it's something about this country.

I've been working here for 12 years, and only have one person from a job here who I regard as a friend and keep in touch with. (Another foreigner, fwiw).

From my home country, where I haven't worked for 13 years, there are a handful who I am Facebook-friends with and keep in contact with. Several handfuls who I would contact if I was going to be living back in my home country for any period of time, because I genuinely liked them and would be interested in finding out how life is going for them.

I find it really weird that you don't seem to make workplace friendships here. Obviously not all colleagues are going to be your friend. Some, you really won't like. But some, surely, should be worthy of your time and interest.

Potential-Monke

That's probably true for most, but I'm not most and it's rare for me to find someone with the same interests. I can't do small talk, it bores me and I never remember anything because my brain has rightfully decided it's not important information worth remembering. Life moves on and so do people. The last person who I could say I made friends with at work ended up moving 3 hours away. We haven't met since, that was 2 years ago. It just happens, and I couldn't be bothered anymore. I'm civil, I'll appear friendly, but I don't want to take part in any social activities with people I just work with.

Not saying it doesn't happen, made a great friend in that same job, still friends to this day. But they've now also moved and while it's only an hour away, having a baby and soon a mortgage, their priorities will change and visits will lessen until most likely that's the end of that. Christ, I spent 9 years as a Garda, made what I thought were close friendships, but similarly I haven't seen all of them in over 10 years. The odd message here and there, but they have their lives, I have mine and they don't crossover. Yeah, I could probably reach out more. But so could they.

At the end of the day, my employer is paying me to be there to work, not have idle meaningless chitchat over mundane topics. As someone noted either in this thread or some other one, there's a lot of lost activity because of these chats. I'd much prefer to eliminate that crap and shorten the work day instead.

bokale

Some of my best friends are people I've met in work over the years. But from my younger days in work.

Lefty2Guns

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922244#Comment_117922244

I don't believe its got to do with the country where your from, more the type of person you are. (I'm Irish BTW and have worked in a couple of other countries)

I have made friends for life with a load of people I have worked with over the years. Been to their weddings, been on weekends away with some, meet up every Christmas for pints with others. Its not that I'm short of friends, just at times you meet someone that shares the same views as you in life away from work so its a lot easier to become friends away from work IMO.

Backstreet Moyes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922244#Comment_117922244

I would say you are probably the reason to be honest.

Everyone I know has friends they meet up with for nights out with from work.

You commented you don't trust people you cannot see in person to do work and always seem to be here defending employers any chance you get.

That's not really the type of person that anyone I know that would like to work with never mind socialise with.

Just to add I mean that in the nicest possible way.

Absolute Zero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922443#Comment_117922443

That's the type of jobsworth who never gets texted to go for drinks on a Friday after work.

mohawk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922234#Comment_117922234

Agreed. Depending on the role being friendly to people can definitely help your job. Especially when something unexpected and urgent lands on your desk to sort out and you need to call in favours from other people/teams to also prioritise the task.

Frank Bullitt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117921195#Comment_117921195

So people should be in the office once a week to chat beside a water cooler...right, I will have to try and figure that out.

You are saying that they are great for relaxed chats, but then counter that that not everything needs to be a meeting. My point exactly is that 2 team members talk shop outside of the greater team, make a few decisions or suggestions, these are not inclusive or productive for a team when decisions are made outside of a formal meeting.

Your last point I agree on though, organise zoom chats or something that has nothing to do with work, I do then 4-6 times a week. And not a water cooler in sight.

Frank Bullitt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117921432#Comment_117921432

Right...because you can only talk about a union at a water cooler or in a canteen.

Give...me...a...break.

bokale

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922244#Comment_117922244

Maybe us Irish are too fond of the pub for socialising/making friends. So can depend on where people are in their life.

I feel I've loads of work best friends from my early years. But I can't say I've many new ones as people get older. (I mean ones I would meet outside of work events at the weekend say)

Not sure if that makes any sense!

HerrKuehn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922735#Comment_117922735

I would say Irish people make superficial acquaintances easily, but it is more difficult to make an actual friend as you get older. People tend to have their own circle that they stick to and this can be difficult for immigrants. It becomes easier when kids come along as you have something new in common with people.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922443#Comment_117922443

There are bunch of posters here saying that they don't have friends in work.

Or at least they were saying that. Some appear to be changing their tune now.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922411#Comment_117922411

As a sweeping generalization, small talk is cultural. Its actually not common in some countries and they think its weird to do it.

There's loads of memes about Swedes and Norwegians not doing small talk. I heard similar from colleagues from other places in Europe.