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Working From Home Megathread

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  • Registered Users Posts: 14,931 ✭✭✭✭Fr Tod Umptious


    What you describe there with people from Galway or Cork coming in one or two times a month (if even) is what I would call WFH and not hybrid.

    Hybrid is where people would be required to come in to the office on certain days and stay at home on certain days.

    Our group, who have been 100% WFH since March 2020, were given a survey on what we might like going forward.

    It did not include a "0 days per week in the office option", which annoyed some people who are doing fine from home, wondering why they had to come on at least one arbitrary day for the sake of it.



  • Registered Users Posts: 25,594 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    Good luck with that at age 55.

    After 50, your chances of even getting an interview go down substantially.



  • Registered Users Posts: 25,594 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    Mortgage protection insurance means that many families would be better off with a dead parent than one who had to take a substantial pay cut.



  • Registered Users Posts: 28,005 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko




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  • Registered Users Posts: 162 ✭✭Szero


    The company I work for was supposed to be doing a return to office in September. I was expecting to hear detailed long before now (when exactly, if they would operate social distancing, if we had to wear masks when indoors etc). Instead total silence and rumours that the return to work won't happen in September and will get pushed back until "the picture gets clearer".

    Are other people finding the same? Are other companies abandoning September return to office plans? Perhaps for the reasons stated by other posters.



  • Registered Users Posts: 9,151 ✭✭✭limnam


    Sounds like they might have over extended then.





  • With the high costs of accommodation in some parts of the country, it's possible to be overextended while still have inadequate accommodation.

    I was fortunate when I last changed jobs, replacing a 5 hour (bothways)commute with a ten minutes drive & 20% pay cut, that my mortgage payments were less than 10% of take home pay, now fully paid off. Getting back almost 20 a week was well worth the cost of 20% salary.



  • Registered Users Posts: 198 ✭✭zebastein


    A few elements to take into account:

    • Most of the companies have already their plan written off, their office ready with the temperature checks, the furniture moved.... because they were close to reopen or reopened last year. So when they will decide to reopen, most of the companies won't give a long notice. In the companies I know, I would expect an email to employees 7 to 10days before the date.
    • July is probably not the best time to take a decision given the amount of people in the leadership teams that are in holidays. I'd say that people will meet again when everybody will be back 10-15 august.
    • Ireland is really focused on the 26th July and hospitality. I'd expect that the week after, the focus will shift on all the other indoor activities that are not yet reopened, work included. I'd say we'll start articles popping up beginning of August and that should start the ball rolling.

    I would not be surprised to see a government advice around the 15th August and the companies starting communicating around the 20th August for people to get back in the office beginning of September. We are not supposed to need a long notice because we should be ready to be back to work as "normal" as stated in our contracts, even if in reality a minority of people have moved far from the office or taken arrangements that are not compatible with going to the office.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 9,151 ✭✭✭limnam


    Right, but this is a hypothetical 55yo who most likely bought the house 25 years ago......who's had potentially 25years of increases and promotions.

    You can see how quickly this conversations gets pretty nonseneical when we're basically saying chideren would be better of losing a parent than taking a pay cut.





  • As a 60year old, the situation is not hypothetical, so for me changing jobs at 55 was still possible and was a huge improvement in the quality of life at a cost of -25% (20% after taking into account the reduction in commuting costs) of take home pay.

    WFH has reduced the costs of working even more.

    But yes it is likely that in some areas, age will be a real negative when it comes to changing jobs, but with the right skills and qualifications (and ideally a lack of competiton) the jobs are there.



  • Registered Users Posts: 9,151 ✭✭✭limnam


    Sure, Sorry I was referring to the hypothetical 55yo that was brought up previously that turned out be better off dead than taking a pay cut

    Some people will go to any lengths to push a non wfh agenda to the point of killing off parents :D



  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    My employer was trying to bring people back to the office on 10th May when other restrictions started being eased, but obviously that wasn't going to happen. They're desperate to get us back full time ASAP (even the tiny regional offices that only have 2 to 3 people in them, with no public facing roles). It's very frustrating, what is the point in commuting for an hour each way to sit in an office with one other person?





  • So push back

    There has to be stronger justification than "cos thats the why!!1"



  • Registered Users Posts: 828 ✭✭✭2lazytogetup


    there is less distractions for most people at the office. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/pilita-clark-mediocre-workers-have-nowhere-to-hide-at-home-1.4623898 article suggests what i believe is that we are doing more hours at home than in office but are less productive. i prefer the office as i get uninterrupted hours at a time instead of having kids screaming on the road, the delivery drivers, and my lack of self disipline to start tidying during the day.

    plus lack of aircon in this heat.


    if i was a new company id have in job adverts that i want 100% time in office and see if i get prospective employee interest.



  • Registered Users Posts: 8,664 ✭✭✭Nuts102


    Most people put on headphones while working and it cuts out noise.

    How long does it take to tidy up the house, a few minutes and you could do it on a lunch break.

    How many deliveries do you get a day.

    In work you are guaranteed to have someone calling over to chat, guaranteed small talk when moving around and more noise.

    How can being in an office with people make it more likely you can get uninterrupted hours than being alone with a pair of headphones.

    it is pure nonsense to say you have less distractions in the office.

    If people are doing more hours at home that's a decision they are making, I certainly have not worked more hours than I need to.

    Again haven't the majority of studies I have seen here and from my job that people are as productive at home or even more productive.

    If you opened a company advertising you have to be 100% in the office you would be ruling out a lot of potential employees.



  • Registered Users Posts: 828 ✭✭✭2lazytogetup


    maybe its just lack of disipline on my part. when you were doing the leaving cert, did the school offer supervised study? i know studnets that had nice big houses with ample study space but they prefered to pay to have supervised study after school. i benefited from that, or going to the library. i wouldnt be typing this if i was in the office.





  • This all sounds like a you problem to be honest



  • Registered Users Posts: 8,664 ✭✭✭Nuts102


    I studied in my room for the leaving cert.

    It seems like a lack of discipline and you are working more hours because of it.

    I just find it strange an adult would need someone supervising them to do work.

    Look at the opposite side of it, I have a bit of downtime today, if I was in work I would be roasted in a shirt and pants and bored off my head pretending I am doing work.

    I am at home sitting with no t shirt on lovely and chilled, I have the house cleaned and I am going for a nice long walk in the sun.

    Next week I could be up to my eyes and have to work till 7 and instead of getting home around 8 and cooking food, I will throw something in the over and close the laptop at 7 and head out to do something.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 28,005 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    Remember all that 'guaranteed small talk'? That's how you learn about other stuff going on outside of your direct area. That's how you learn about new opportunities and managers to avoid. That's how you build relationships outside of your immediate team that stand to you when you expand your role or just need someone to bounce something off.



  • Registered Users Posts: 9,151 ✭✭✭limnam


    You shouldn't let your lack of imagination get in the way of seeing the all the benefits of remote working



  • Registered Users Posts: 5,532 ✭✭✭JTMan


    Great New York Times article on the status of return to the office.


    Some interesting take-aways:

    • Masks becoming compulsory indoors in offices again at Google.
    • Some companies delaying return to office. Apple has pushed back from September to October.
    • Indeed.com pushing back their return to office beyond the original September date.
    • Many other companies with September returns are "actively monitoring the situation".
    • Companies forced to make very difficult decisions as to whether to reverse plans to reopen offices. Some companies have made u-turns after reopening their offices and have closed them again.
    • Many employers making vaccinations mandatory.
    • 1,000 Apple staff sign letter looking for right to work from home full time.

    Delays, u-turns, some pissed off employees with returning, social distancing between desks and painful mask wearing at your desk. Lovely.

    September return to the office is looking less and less likely.



  • Registered Users Posts: 5,532 ✭✭✭JTMan


    WSJ reports ... "The Office Is Back ... What If Covid Has Other Plans?"

    • Some companies are rethinking their return-to-office dates. 
    • Some companies feeling pressure to delay from employees who are voicing fresh concern about the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant, breakthrough cases and unvaccinated people.
    • Apple delay is actually until at least October (rather than till October like the NY Times said) and staff will be given at least 1 month notice of return. (I know other companies saying they have no idea when they will reopen but will give 6 weeks notice before returning).
    • Range of companies who were due to return in September now say they are watching the situation closely.
    • Facebook due to do a full return in October but will 'watch the data'.
    • Facilities-management company Sodexo has said that staff should ware masks in indoor offices.
    • Companies having to stock gloves, N95 masks and other PPI for returning staff.
    • Citi not setting a date for reopening offices. Citi will "consider conditions".
    • Many workers remain worried, especially those with weak immune system are anxious about returning to an indoor workplace.






  • A new twist on the WFH theme, an office that is like being at home!



    Sounds like a desparate attempt to keep business parks alive.



  • Posts: 0 Landyn Witty Thud


    Small talk is never about work.

    Its listening to colleagues waffle on for an hour about the football or other sports results, Love Island, their kids, the eternal "what are your plans for the weekend" every Friday followed by "how was your weekend" on Monday followed by a full breakdown. Did you watch this on Netflix? You should watch this on Netflix (and why) all while you smile politely and nod while inside you really couldn't give a shite what new shade of grey they're planning to paint their living room and wish they'd shut up with the stream of endless chatter so you could focus on what you're doing.

    Oh the peace for the last 16 months has been wonderful!





  • It's probably fair to say that for some people, this small talk is their only social outlet.

    That's kindof sad if you think about it, for these people getting back to the office is a way to avoid loneliness.



  • Posts: 0 Landyn Witty Thud


    Yes, it is sad when you think about it.

    But in the context of the thread, I nor anyone else should be asked to return WFO just because someone else is lonely and has no other social outlet.

    Keeping my colleagues company is not part of my contract.



  • Registered Users Posts: 19,549 ✭✭✭✭Cyrus


    That's as sweeping a generalisation as saying people who favour working from home full time are work shy layabouts.



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  • Agree 100% with this. I should not have pressure to go back to the office because others miss the social interaction



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