Working From Home. Torture
Discussion
oldbanger said:
Absolutely. Mine are 13 and 16. My eldest could not do college or work experience without one of us driving her there, which wouldn’t work if I was tied to the office. However I don’t get to compartmentalise whilst working at home, there’s no way of blocking out the squealing noises etc. and as yet the kids aren’t self sufficient enough to sort their own snacks, school bags, clothes etc. Just to add, I am not unusual in not finding it easy to work and parent simultaneously - I had a male colleague in another department on the verge of tears because he hadn’t quite finished an urgent piece of work and his two 5 year olds were crying very loudly in the background.
My employer was already flexible and I have at points worked from clinic waiting rooms for example. We’re going to be allowed to return to office for a couple of days a week and I am really looking forward to it
I suppose I'm lucky in the sense that I have space in my garage which I've converted to be my home office. It can get a bit chilly in winter but nothing a thick coat and nice oil heater won't solve My employer was already flexible and I have at points worked from clinic waiting rooms for example. We’re going to be allowed to return to office for a couple of days a week and I am really looking forward to it
Edited by oldbanger on Tuesday 27th October 16:47
Edited by oldbanger on Tuesday 27th October 16:48
I have a desk in the house as well but for the reasons you've stated it's more convenient for me to have a dedicated space. My family respects my office space and would only come in if it's something urgent.
As a partner of someone who works from home I cannot wait for her to return to the office.
I'm tired of seeing her in the house every single day staring at a screen. Getting upset if I dare so much as hoover the house in case she has to do a videocall at anytime.
It wouldnt be so bad, but her 3 day week now seems to have morphed into a 5 or 6 day week with constant 'I'm just checking my emails'
She used to go out walking or go to the gym on her lunch hour which is part of the business park she was on. Now that she is barely moving from the house she has put on a significant amount of weight.
I guess I'm not the conventional worker in that I am either away, or home for 4 to 6 weeks at a time.
I catch up with jobs on the house, and used to enjoy having 3 days a week to myself as working away involves working with 3-6 people very closely.
I used to look forward to when she got home and we could talk about her day over tea. It's just not the same anymore and our relationship has suffered as a result.
Another 6 months of this I can see us either separating or at the very least live in separate homes.
I'm tired of seeing her in the house every single day staring at a screen. Getting upset if I dare so much as hoover the house in case she has to do a videocall at anytime.
It wouldnt be so bad, but her 3 day week now seems to have morphed into a 5 or 6 day week with constant 'I'm just checking my emails'
She used to go out walking or go to the gym on her lunch hour which is part of the business park she was on. Now that she is barely moving from the house she has put on a significant amount of weight.
I guess I'm not the conventional worker in that I am either away, or home for 4 to 6 weeks at a time.
I catch up with jobs on the house, and used to enjoy having 3 days a week to myself as working away involves working with 3-6 people very closely.
I used to look forward to when she got home and we could talk about her day over tea. It's just not the same anymore and our relationship has suffered as a result.
Another 6 months of this I can see us either separating or at the very least live in separate homes.
oldbanger said:
Woodrow Wilson said:
Definitely. It's very difficult to change direction, especially if you have dependents.
It really depends. I am on career 3.5. I am main earner with 2 kids. It has however meant taking risks and investing in coaching/courses. And not taking on any big financial commitments other than the mortgage (and college fees paid in instalments) I can't think of anything that I could do that I could face paying and studying for that would pay well.
Uggers said:
As a partner of someone who works from home I cannot wait for her to return to the office.
I'm tired of seeing her in the house every single day staring at a screen. Getting upset if I dare so much as hoover the house in case she has to do a videocall at anytime.
It wouldnt be so bad, but her 3 day week now seems to have morphed into a 5 or 6 day week with constant 'I'm just checking my emails'
She used to go out walking or go to the gym on her lunch hour which is part of the business park she was on. Now that she is barely moving from the house she has put on a significant amount of weight.
I guess I'm not the conventional worker in that I am either away, or home for 4 to 6 weeks at a time.
I catch up with jobs on the house, and used to enjoy having 3 days a week to myself as working away involves working with 3-6 people very closely.
I used to look forward to when she got home and we could talk about her day over tea. It's just not the same anymore and our relationship has suffered as a result.
Another 6 months of this I can see us either separating or at the very least live in separate homes.
Are you a house husband? Is your missus the breadwinner?I'm tired of seeing her in the house every single day staring at a screen. Getting upset if I dare so much as hoover the house in case she has to do a videocall at anytime.
It wouldnt be so bad, but her 3 day week now seems to have morphed into a 5 or 6 day week with constant 'I'm just checking my emails'
She used to go out walking or go to the gym on her lunch hour which is part of the business park she was on. Now that she is barely moving from the house she has put on a significant amount of weight.
I guess I'm not the conventional worker in that I am either away, or home for 4 to 6 weeks at a time.
I catch up with jobs on the house, and used to enjoy having 3 days a week to myself as working away involves working with 3-6 people very closely.
I used to look forward to when she got home and we could talk about her day over tea. It's just not the same anymore and our relationship has suffered as a result.
Another 6 months of this I can see us either separating or at the very least live in separate homes.
Bacon Is Proof said:
Just jack it in if you don't like it.
If you can work from home your job probably isn't that important anyway.
Trollolololololololololololol.
There are some incredibly infantile comments on this thread, but this one's won the prize. Shame he hasn't posted since then to explain to all how his job must be so much better and more important than someone who can do their's from homeIf you can work from home your job probably isn't that important anyway.
Trollolololololololololololol.
anxious_ant said:
Are you a house husband? Is your missus the breadwinner?
No I earn roughly 4-5 times what she does. Which is why if she actually only did 3 days a week and used the rest to be active doing other activities it would be fine. But work from home seems to have turned into 5-6 days of work. Funnily enough she says she gets a lot more done.
She claims she likes to WFH which is why I suspect is why she works many more hours than she gets paid for. Justifies no return to the office should it ever happen I guess.
I think it can come down to how you work from home. The night before or in the morning before I start work I make a list of things I want/need to get done. Then I set about them with vigour and trying to be maximally effective, and if I run out of work before the end of the working day I do other things - like work on my own business/online grocery shopping/do some house work etc
This suits me because I discharge my duty to my employer so they are getting their moneys worth, but because I am far more effective without wasteful office stuff like meetings that could be an email etc getting in the way, I often as not get a lot of things done for myself. So then the evening are mine to do as I want with.
This suits me because I discharge my duty to my employer so they are getting their moneys worth, but because I am far more effective without wasteful office stuff like meetings that could be an email etc getting in the way, I often as not get a lot of things done for myself. So then the evening are mine to do as I want with.
Uggers said:
No I earn roughly 4-5 times what she does.
Which is why if she actually only did 3 days a week and used the rest to be active doing other activities it would be fine. But work from home seems to have turned into 5-6 days of work. Funnily enough she says she gets a lot more done.
She claims she likes to WFH which is why I suspect is why she works many more hours than she gets paid for. Justifies no return to the office should it ever happen I guess.
do something together? jog, walk, cycle?Which is why if she actually only did 3 days a week and used the rest to be active doing other activities it would be fine. But work from home seems to have turned into 5-6 days of work. Funnily enough she says she gets a lot more done.
She claims she likes to WFH which is why I suspect is why she works many more hours than she gets paid for. Justifies no return to the office should it ever happen I guess.
fastraxx said:
do something together? jog, walk, cycle?
I'm not sure you quite grasp that I would prefer my own time occasionally at home? Maybe some think that's strange as a couple, but I'd prefer not to spend 24/7 365 days a year together. I don't think it's particularly healthy long term for a relationship.
Uggers said:
fastraxx said:
do something together? jog, walk, cycle?
I'm not sure you quite grasp that I would prefer my own time occasionally at home? Maybe some think that's strange as a couple, but I'd prefer not to spend 24/7 365 days a year together. I don't think it's particularly healthy long term for a relationship.
It's just so illogical..... This whole covid thing needs to end, it's getting crazy.
Getting away for a week really helped, we did a week at a caravan park down south.
Woodrow Wilson said:
Well done for that. What have your careers been?
I can't think of anything that I could do that I could face paying and studying for that would pay well.
. I can't think of anything that I could do that I could face paying and studying for that would pay well.
To be fair I made the biggest changes before the kids turned up. I started out in insect ecology, then had a business importing evening wear. Then moved into intelligence in the public sector. Moved into the private sector 5 years later and then moved sideways into data.
I have been tempted to move back into the public sector but whilst the pay isn’t top notch the Private sector role I am in is interesting and I don’t have to explain anything to them. So I am a middle management hack, for now.
The long term plan is operations management. I am trying to sweet talk my employer into funding a level 7 diploma in strategic management - they have started funding level 5 management qualifications through the apprenticeship levy but I did that myself via distance learning. I am also currently studying R. Learning stuff is a bit of a hobby.
I can imagine if you’re a senior lawyer, doctor or engineer then a comparable role might be difficult to find.
Uggers said:
anxious_ant said:
Are you a house husband? Is your missus the breadwinner?
No I earn roughly 4-5 times what she does. Which is why if she actually only did 3 days a week and used the rest to be active doing other activities it would be fine. But work from home seems to have turned into 5-6 days of work. Funnily enough she says she gets a lot more done.
She claims she likes to WFH which is why I suspect is why she works many more hours than she gets paid for. Justifies no return to the office should it ever happen I guess.
I get it, even as married couple sometimes you want space.
Does your partner have an "office" in the house? Or is she working in a open area like the kitchen?
I used to work in the lounge, then moved up to the master bedroom and finally settled into my "office" in the garage. It's detached from the house and feels like I'm at the office, if that makes sense. I find it helps to set some normality to my routine.
anxious_ant said:
Ah I see, I was just a bit confused as from our initial post I had the impression that you are always home.
I get it, even as married couple sometimes you want space.
Does your partner have an "office" in the house? Or is she working in a open area like a kitchen?
I used to work in the lounge, then moved up to the master bedroom and finally settled into my "office" in the garage. It's detached from the house and feels like I'm at the office, if that makes sense. I find it helps to set some normality to my routine.
So basically you both want to wI get it, even as married couple sometimes you want space.
Does your partner have an "office" in the house? Or is she working in a open area like a kitchen?
I used to work in the lounge, then moved up to the master bedroom and finally settled into my "office" in the garage. It's detached from the house and feels like I'm at the office, if that makes sense. I find it helps to set some normality to my routine.
k in peace I'm now in the 2nd stint of WFH, company had us back for 3 weeks or so before BOJO said if you can WFH then do so etc,
Initially I loved it, loads more time with the little one, she was 8 months at the time and i loved every second, weather was lovely so out in the garden daily with her.
What became more and more unbearable was how busy the mrs got .. every 5 minutes was ''i'm in a meeting ' 'ive got a meeting in x '' and then the countdown to said meeting every minute like she was on Apollo .
I couldn't wait to get back to the office in the end.. what I realised when I got back was how much I disliked it. There's no fancy offices, nowhere nice to walk, I become so tired sitting at my desk all day. At least WFH you get them 5/10 mins when its a bit quieter to take a break. Unless you smoke in the office you don't really have any breaks apart from lunch.
I am loving it again WFH, little one in nursery FT, she is 16 months now or so and there is no way we could work and look after her, Well done to anyone who does !
Hopefully mrs gets her office furniture approved soon and I will like it even more ! its very cramped on the dining room table
Initially I loved it, loads more time with the little one, she was 8 months at the time and i loved every second, weather was lovely so out in the garden daily with her.
What became more and more unbearable was how busy the mrs got .. every 5 minutes was ''i'm in a meeting ' 'ive got a meeting in x '' and then the countdown to said meeting every minute like she was on Apollo .
I couldn't wait to get back to the office in the end.. what I realised when I got back was how much I disliked it. There's no fancy offices, nowhere nice to walk, I become so tired sitting at my desk all day. At least WFH you get them 5/10 mins when its a bit quieter to take a break. Unless you smoke in the office you don't really have any breaks apart from lunch.
I am loving it again WFH, little one in nursery FT, she is 16 months now or so and there is no way we could work and look after her, Well done to anyone who does !
Hopefully mrs gets her office furniture approved soon and I will like it even more ! its very cramped on the dining room table
nealeh1875 said:
What became more and more unbearable was how busy the mrs got .. every 5 minutes was ''i'm in a meeting ' 'ive got a meeting in x '' and then the countdown to said meeting every minute like she was on Apollo .
Ha! Are we married?For some reason WFH full time meant wall to wall Skype calls, as everyone needed extra reassurance and the work also ramped up in volume. It’s calmed down a bit now but it was a nightmare at first.
I also found there were a lot more zoom/teams meetings at first, but seems to be back to 'essential' only now which is good.
Myself any my wife still go to each others room and say stuff like "I've got a zoom meeting in 5 mins" or whatever, just so that we know not to come barging into each others room during said call, and also we know that if the postman/parcel company knocks at the door that the other person can't get it as they are in a meeting.
Myself any my wife still go to each others room and say stuff like "I've got a zoom meeting in 5 mins" or whatever, just so that we know not to come barging into each others room during said call, and also we know that if the postman/parcel company knocks at the door that the other person can't get it as they are in a meeting.
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