Working From Home Megathread

A lot I have noticed may not be 100% WFH though, but rather hybrid.

I am looking for a new job myself now, not unemployed but just looking and a lot of agencies contact me with the promise of remote jobs etc but when it comes to 100% WFH they backtrack a bit and admin that the client is going hybrid rather than 100% WFH.

They're not actively considering it because they haven't yet received the advice from NPHET.

If the Dept of Health have already gone full WFH to demonstrate leadership, I think we can safely assume NPHET will advise Government for a full return to WFH where possible.

I was quite enjoying the hybrid model myself, and am not looking forward to full time WFH again. I find it quite isolating.

Very much the same 2 or 3 days is enough for me

I've been heading in 3 days per week the last month or so and the commute is starting to take its toll - over 2 hours dead time per day; unpaid and lost personal time. It really is where the WFH has a big benefit.

What I find in terms of productivity is that my Monday in the office is good, Tuesday is nearly totally useless as I'm already tired from the day I had on Monday and then when Wednesday comes (back home) it feels like a day off until I go back into the office on Thursday. Thursday is when I make up for Tuesday and Wednesday's lack of productivity and then Friday (back home) is again a day off essentially. Productivity lower and fatigue higher from the 3:2 model; my own preference is 1 day maximum per week in the office but unfortunately the staff weren't consulted - now I'm just waiting for restrictions to end to see where the go-forward WFH policy end up before making job-changing decisions. The whole point about flexibility should be about the individual and not the company as a single unit; what works for one does not work for others!

In the U.S. they are many months ahead of us with reopening and they are experiencing The Great Resignation - that is something we won't fully experience until mid-2022 onwards I suspect but it is coming here as well.

The last few weeks have been crap with a lot of wasted hours commuting as I refuse to get the train with the leveL of cases/virus so high.

It appears everyone has the same idea because traffic has been hell a few of the mornings. My workplace is quite empty still and it’s supposed to be at 50% capacity but people/departments are actively refusing to head into the office. We’re supposed to be doing 50% in office and 50% from home with a capacity in office of 50% but this isn’t the case for most although sadly my department is following each and every rule set out by the business by the book. So I’ve been in 3 days and 2 days for the last while.

This level of hybrid isn’t really working if I’m honest and my boss is really pushing me into going into the office. Traffic is gradually getting worse.

spent 4 days in office last week and doing 2 days this week so already exceeding the business advice.

My company is semi-state and I’m looking at departing them after 8 years due to a number of factors anyway.

If you can reduce your office foot print by 50%, the savings in rent alone are going to pay for new furniture and monitors for staff multiple times over.

Government managing the communication streams in order not to panic everyone - this is an extremely sensitive topic. Off the top of my head, those who would be significantly impacted by a decision to WFH until February;

• Companies themselves who have started taking staff back in; they would've spent a lot of time on policies.
• Cleaners and other support staff for the offices.
• City centre/office park businesses like pubs, restaurants and cafes who depend on the footfall of office workers and would've been gradually seeing an uplift in trade.
• Employees themselves who would've made arrangements to go back to the office e.g. they may have entered into new leases near the office as they understood they would be back in.

All of the above would necessitate millions in additional financial supports being (re)introduced in order to mandate that those who can WFH do so. As much as I would welcome it for my own situation, I really don't think we can go back to full WFH at this stage; the finances and logistics won't allow it. It would also send a terrible message if pubs were open but not offices.

I think anyone recently dragged back into an office would be mad to go back in Monday. I'd be onto the boss tomorros taping the nphet sign and that would be that.

My Husband has been WFH since March 2020. He was in the office 2 days in total in October and 1 day earlier this week. That's it now for him until February unless there is an urgent reason to go in.

He did not WFH at all pre-Pandemic.