Office Working

[popsiwinkle]

I work for a Local Authority in Wales and the plan for us is to never go back in full time. I'm in the office for half a day this week and will do that for a while to come. I'm just as productive at home and this morning I'm the only person in the office so it doesn't even benefit me with being able to chat to people! I'm lucky that my department has embraced hybrid working completely and there is no pressure to attend the office if we don't want to. I expect eventually I'll do more days in the office but that won't be for a while.

I mix things up by working at various local spaces rather than always at home but the idea of coming back full time makes me sad - my life is much better now I have the choice of how to work. I was reminded this morning of how much I hate commuting - a normal 15 minute drive took 30 because of school traffic. Haven't missed that!

[catherinesian]

We are slowly ramping up to 3 days in the office from 1st November. Last week I did 2 days and this week I will do 1 day in office. I am far less productive but it's nice to have a change of scenery and to see colleagues.

Before the pandemic if you'd have asked me what a perfect work pattern would be it would be 50-60% in office, so whilst it is difficult to get back into a routine of going in, I feel pretty lucky and grateful to now have that flexibility.

Masks have now become optional at work, but thankfully lots are still wearing them, including myself.

[mitch84]

Originally Posted by disney1st timer

I agree with productivity but I don’t think the overall impact on people’s mental health is good. My mum is allowed to permanently work from home now and she has become a recluse. Despite telling me she’s much happier at home she now hates driving anywhere and is happier doing nothing than seeing her friends!

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It’s a fine balance I think, and one cap doesn’t fit all I don’t think.

My mental health is pretty good, but I do have a couple of mild auto-immune health conditions, hypothyroidism which makes me very tired, and psoriasis which flares with stress

I am so much better at home. I’m not really social with work colleagues anyway and so a day a week gives me that coffee and chat and I’m happy with that.

I get 2 hours a day back, I spend more time with my dog, see my husband more, get more exercise, am able to eat well with no prep, less prep altogether. I spend far more time outside, walking the dog, seeing the horses etc.
I’m comfy, dressed how I want, and I save so much money on commuting etc. I feel so much better. My relationship is better because i’m not coming home exhausted to an untidy house and snapping at him. I can stick a wash on whilst waiting for my lunch to heat up, empty the dishwasher whilst waiting for the kettle to boil.

Work benefit as I’m contactable from 6-10 7 days a week pretty much. The laptop is on, and I’m rarely more than a couple of hours away from a reply. Plus they save a fortune in office space

It really must be tough for extroverts though, or people who live alone

[rudie111]

Working from home 2 days a week. I picked up a cold a few weeks ago but didn't go into the office until it had passed, so didn't pass it on to anyone at work. I would prefer more days from home but I do enjoy a mixed approached

[Belle x]

We returned to the office 2 days a week from the end of September.
It was a bit of a shock to me at first as I finished work in April 2019 to have my little boy, so with a mixture of maternity leave & covid, I hadn’t been in for over 2 years!
I’m enjoying it and it’s nice to see everyone in person & not always via zoom.
We do get to choose which 2 days we do and they don’t have to be the same each week which is nice.

[FlorayG]

I had been trying with no luck for the previous five years to get my employer (large retailer and I'm in admin) to let me work from home. I'm the only person in my office, it's inside one of the stores and because I work for 'Head Office' there's no reason for anyone who works in the store to come in to my office - so I was alone all day anyway.
Since pandemic rules have relaxed I was dreading being called back in but finally they have realised it's meaningless to keep each of my team in single offices all over the country and now officially I only have to attend at Head Office for 'training days' of which we get probably about two a year. So permanently at home now and loving it!

[mitch84]

Originally Posted by catherinesian

We are slowly ramping up to 3 days in the office from 1st November. Last week I did 2 days and this week I will do 1 day in office. I am far less productive but it's nice to have a change of scenery and to see colleagues.

Before the pandemic if you'd have asked me what a perfect work pattern would be it would be 50-60% in office, so whilst it is difficult to get back into a routine of going in, I feel pretty lucky and grateful to now have that flexibility.

Masks have now become optional at work, but thankfully lots are still wearing them, including myself.

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I didn’t realise that people in office roles were wearing masks. I wouldn’t have managed that all day. I know plenty of people in face to face roles have had to, but I don’t think I have seen a mask at work except for ordering at the coffee shop the whole way through

[catherinesian]

Originally Posted by mitch84

I didn’t realise that people in office roles were wearing masks. I wouldn’t have managed that all day. I know plenty of people in face to face roles have had to, but I don’t think I have seen a mask at work except for ordering at the coffee shop the whole way through

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I don't wear one at my desk, but when transiting, making a cup of tea etc I always put it on. My desk still has a perspex divide between my colleague and I so I feel pretty safe.

We've never had to wear a mask at our desks even when they were mandatory, but my partner has and he has a mainly desk job.

[Talland 2016]

If I go in to the office I have to wear a mask the whole time even when sitting at my desk and obviously when moving around it
Makes making phone calls using a headset interesting

[waiting4disney]

I had my first day back in the office a couple of weeks ago. I was dreading it, full of anxiety with first day nerves.
It went absolutely fine. We are just back 1 day a week at the moment.

Hope it all went ok.