We are currently in the midst of leaving the city for the burbs and we decided to do it ONLY because I can work largely remotely. I plan to go into the office 1-2 days a week, but if I had to commute everyday, there is no way we would leave the city, where we live within walking distance of my office.
Post by redheadbaker on Oct 10, 2019 12:01:58 GMT -5
I would love to WFH more, but my company grudgingly only gives us one day per week. If something comes up, and I need to WFH oon my non-regular day, I need to come in on my regular WFH day. I don't feel like I can schedule doctor visits or appointments on my lunch hour on my WFH day, in case something happens and I have to change my day.
I guess I did it the wrong way--I WFT in a HCOL city. But it's still awesome. I don't have to commute, so I avoid traffic, and I still get all the benefits of a big city. I have no interest in moving out of the city, even though housing prices here are crazy.
I am here. I WAH and pay HCOL housing and I live living in the city. Unless DH switches careers we're city people anyway.
While there are a upsides to WAH there are downsides too. I do feel like the day stretches on forever sometimes and isolation is very real.
I'm here. WFH 100% and live in a VHCOL area. But when I can take my morning walk on the beach and still be at my "office" by 8:30? I will never leave this. My mental health is so much better since starting this job and not battling the LA traffic daily.
In the future, it seems like we really might be able to take our jobs with us, which will be nice from a cost-of-living perspective, a snow-bird perspective, or a partial "retirement" perspective (I plan to work longer than my H because he's 8 years older than me).
Funny you put it this way. I am only mid-40s, but have held high-level leadership roles and took a step back for several personal reasons. I joke that my current job is my "semi-retired" job because there is like zero stress, but it's still in my industry. If I decide I want to go back to leadership at some point, I have many people who would advocate for me and I'm still doing the work, so my skills aren't atrophying. It's such a good match for where I am in my life.
In the future, it seems like we really might be able to take our jobs with us, which will be nice from a cost-of-living perspective, a snow-bird perspective, or a partial "retirement" perspective (I plan to work longer than my H because he's 8 years older than me).
This is a good point and not just for retirement. As a trailing spouse, being able to take my job with me was key to my happiness (even though I didn’t necessarily enjoy working from home, financially and from a career perspective it was vital to me.)
And another thought: Even though men work remotely, I would assume the gender breakdown tips toward women because men’s careers are often those that are prioritized. So this is a trend that’s good for women as much as it’s reshaping our work/life. Women used to be pushed toward careers with flexible hours (nursing, teaching) but now it seems like flexible workspaces have become the new flexible scheduling.
goldengirlz, exactly - we moved to PA from Los Angeles for my husband's new job, and being able to keep my income and seamlessly transition to working here (I literally took 1 Friday off, flew across the country, and started working remotely on Monday, on the floor, still surrounded by piles of boxes and furniture) was what really allowed us to make that move.
I can only imagine how great it would be for trailing spouses who move every few years, like for the military.
After having to lock myself in a conference room so I could do my yearly self evaluation, and then still having someone talked to me through the locked door... I would like to work from home.
H has the option to work from home, but almost never takes it. We live in a smallish Manhattan apartment and I’m also home during the day. He finds it too distracting. At home, he only has one computer monitor, while he has 3 at work, so he finds it easier to commute into the office.
Occasionally he has to handle a late night emergency, and I find it so disruptive to our home life to have his work sprawled out over our living room while he fields calls. We’re in a two bedroom apartment though. I wouldn’t mind it if he had a dedicated office space with a door separated from our living area.
Post by rondonalddo on Oct 10, 2019 18:40:22 GMT -5
I usually WFH one day a week, though I'm WFH every day this week because I have a hideous cold and a double eye infection.
I'm incredibly productive when I WFH. Actually I usually forget to eat lunch. I just get cozy on the couch with my laptop and dig in. And because it's one day a week, my meetings are scheduled around it so I don't often have to call in for anything. I've had weeks at a time where I couldn't have that day and it was exhausting, absolutely draining. I'm an introvert and my office is a long, long drive away.
I changed jobs and started working from home 100%. This nudged me to move from CO to NY, where I'm closer to family and can help care for my aging mother. I ended up getting laid off from the company, but was able to return to a previous employer who happens to have a number of remote employees, so I don't stand out.
I never want to return to a commute and an office. (If Star Trek transporters are invented, I might consider an office. Just no commute.) There are downsides, as people have pointed out, but I love it. Even times like now, when I'm stuck on a shitty project interacting with almost no one else, I'll still take this over wearing real clothes every day.
Post by fluffycookie on Oct 11, 2019 8:30:29 GMT -5
I work remote 3 days and in the office 2 days a week. It's the perfect balance because it still allows me to see/talk to people in person and check physical mail/send stuff out. In the beginning people complained that they never saw other people since everyones office days were different so our department implemented a designated day that everyone is to be in the office each week and once a month we will get together and have lunch and catch up on stuff.
In the future, it seems like we really might be able to take our jobs with us, which will be nice from a cost-of-living perspective, a snow-bird perspective, or a partial "retirement" perspective (I plan to work longer than my H because he's 8 years older than me).
This is a good point and not just for retirement. As a trailing spouse, being able to take my job with me was key to my happiness (even though I didn’t necessarily enjoy working from home, financially and from a career perspective it was vital to me.)
And another thought: Even though men work remotely, I would assume the gender breakdown tips toward women because men’s careers are often those that are prioritized. So this is a trend that’s good for women as much as it’s reshaping our work/life. Women used to be pushed toward careers with flexible hours (nursing, teaching) but now it seems like flexible workspaces have become the new flexible scheduling.
Totally agree with this. Two years ago, we moved cross-country so DH could take a new, higher-paying job. I took a few days off during the most busy part of the move, but that was it -- I took my WFH job (that I really like) with me, my seniority, my expertise, etc. and didn't have to go through the PITA of starting over somewhere else. My paychecks kept coming while DH didn't have one during the transition period, and that helped our stress level because we didn't have to rely on savings too much while we were also buying/selling houses and the inevitable miscellaneous moving expenses.
Moving time zones was actually a good thing for me, professionally, and being close to DC/the East Coast has absolutely offered me some new opportunities to attend things that I would not otherwise have been able to when I was a multi-hour-flight away. So in addition to having a portable job being a good thing for me, my company benefitted from both being able to retain me and from my new location. Something similar happened with one of my colleagues who moved to follow his wife for her job in the U.K. -- now he works for us out of London and we've been able to expand our presence in Europe.
Honestly, that whole moving period is one of the times I've been most grateful to be WFH. A portable job can be priceless.
We are currently in the midst of leaving the city for the burbs and we decided to do it ONLY because I can work largely remotely. I plan to go into the office 1-2 days a week, but if I had to commute everyday, there is no way we would leave the city, where we live within walking distance of my office.
I WFH one day per week, but if there are days where it's just more convenient, my boss doesn't care if I don't physically show up.
The article does a solid job of pointing out the benefits and the detractions of working remotely/from-home, but it's something I'm used to with working in social media - I'm technically always kind of on anyway with my smartphone and alerts.
What I simply cannot fathom is companies who can allow WFH but refuse to. It's fucking stupid. I worked at the state dept. of human services and they would do fucking seat checks when there were things like power, HVAC, or internet outages for hours - even though those people were offering to take their state-issued laptops home to continue working via VPN on wifi, it was a hard "NO" because stupid people insisted that being at the desk was evidence of work getting done. You'd think a government entity, operating with taxpayer dollars, would be interested in saving money... but instead old-fashioned and antiquated views by management want to be ignorant.
I WFH one day per week, but if there are days where it's just more convenient, my boss doesn't care if I don't physically show up.
The article does a solid job of pointing out the benefits and the detractions of working remotely/from-home, but it's something I'm used to with working in social media - I'm technically always kind of on anyway with my smartphone and alerts.
What I simply cannot fathom is companies who can allow WFH but refuse to. It's fucking stupid. I worked at the state dept. of human services and they would do fucking seat checks when there were things like power, HVAC, or internet outages for hours - even though those people were offering to take their state-issued laptops home to continue working via VPN on wifi, it was a hard "NO" because stupid people insisted that being at the desk was evidence of work getting done. You'd think a government entity, operating with taxpayer dollars, would be interested in saving money... but instead old-fashioned and antiquated views by management want to be ignorant.
Obviously I have strong feelings about this.
This happened at my last job. Our classes were blended (higher ed). Three days a week... two days face to face and one day online. The department chairs/deans insisted the full-time instructors be at their desks on campus on the online day in case students stopped by with a question. 🙄
I wfh full time, my entire company is virtual (only about 15 employees). I am not sure I could ever go back to office life. I've been at this company almost 5 years.
I wfh between 2-3 days per week most weeks. My office is only a ten min drive away but I don’t have a job that requires me to collaborate with those in the office so unless I have meetings, it makes more sense for me to wfh. My office days are mostly for human interaction and eating the free snacks, I get much more done from home. I could never go back to a normal 8-5 office job.
Post by lolalolalola on Oct 14, 2019 7:06:23 GMT -5
I would love to work from home. My company does not support this - we are able to if we have a repair person coming or an appointment close to home or something but not on a regular basis or ‘just because’. My commute is 40 minutes each way — I’d love to get that 80 minutes back each day.
I’ve worked remotely off and on over the years (same company) and it took me a while to realize it really triggers my depression. I’m a social introvert so being around people helps me feel connected. Now I work one day a week from home. Ideally I’d like to have two days a week at home but I’m not complaining. It makes things like doctors appointments so much easier. Unfortunately our current client is really not a fan of teleworking so we aren’t allowed to do it more than once a week or from a location other than our local residence.
I've been 100% remote for the past 3 years and it has not been good for my mental health. I'm currently in the process of interviewing for an in-office position that allows 1 day WFH/week and this is a big reason why. If I get it I'm sure I'll be regretting it those days the weather is nasty, but overall I think I'll do much better being around people and having a clearer work-life balance.
Wfh part time is probably my ideal, but if it's all or nothing I think I'd prefer to err on the side of 100% remote.
I am an introvert and currently have to share an office, plus am interrupted constantly with questions and people printing to the printer in my office.
I haaaaaaaate it. It has become really bad for my mental health because I'm constantly on and it is draining. there is also no quiet time for me to focus at the office, and no ability for me to work from home to complete my work.
I have been interviewing for 100% remote options and really looking forward to the change. I have multiple friends and neighbors who are wfh or don't work, and I plan to meet them for an occasional lunch or walk around the neighborhood to have a social outlet.
I wfh between 2-3 days per week most weeks. My office is only a ten min drive away but I don’t have a job that requires me to collaborate with those in the office so unless I have meetings, it makes more sense for me to wfh. My office days are mostly for human interaction and eating the free snacks, I get much more done from home. I could never go back to a normal 8-5 office job.
Woah isn't it crazy to think that it was 5 years ago when I interviewed at your company?? Do you even remember that? 😂😂 time freaking flies!
I wfh between 2-3 days per week most weeks. My office is only a ten min drive away but I don’t have a job that requires me to collaborate with those in the office so unless I have meetings, it makes more sense for me to wfh. My office days are mostly for human interaction and eating the free snacks, I get much more done from home. I could never go back to a normal 8-5 office job.
Woah isn't it crazy to think that it was 5 years ago when I interviewed at your company?? Do you even remember that? 😂😂 time freaking flies!
I forgot about that! I can’t believe I’ve been here almost 5 years!
We got a new VP a couple years ago who is totally anti wfh, so they've been rolling that back here. That's really ticked people off.
We actually just lost someone who developed a new system we use because his wife got a job in another state, one where we do have offices, and he asked to be allowed to move and wfh with occasional visits to one of the offices there and management refused. So he left and now we're screwed. I don't get people who will hold so tight to a "everyone must be in the office" mindset when it's not true and it totally hurts the company.
Before I quit my job I was 100% at the office because I worked in a lab and H was 100% at the office because of security. It was horrible because both our commutes were 40min-1hr and because we were around people all the time we didn't get as much done as we'd like.
Now I'm not working and at his new job H can WFH as often as he likes. He does maybe 1x a week because it's not a long drive, but it's so nice having that option when it's needed. I'm sure he'd do 2-3x a week but he does need face to face time with his employees so office time is necessary.
I have been WFH about 90-99% of the time for the past 3 years and I love it. I love that it generally allows me to create my own hours and structure, and I can do my work without distractions from people.
I do actually love my coworkers from both jobs, so I enjoy when we are able to get together for meetings or retreats in person. That said, when that happens, I rarely get my own tasks done on our down time slotted for that purpose.
I’ll be transitioning back to more clinical work in the next year, so I’ll go back to working in a separate location about 1/2 of the time. I am having mixed feelings about it, but I will also still be making my own hours mostly, so that is a positive. I’d much rather start my day later and end in the evening because my body prefers it and also it ends up being more convenient for clients who work regular hours.
I can't do either of my jobs remote, unless I do telehealth instead of going into my private practice office. I am an introvert and it's easy for me to stay in my apartment for long stretches of time, so I think it's good that I'm forced out and have to be around people and socialize. It's nice to be able to do paperwork from home, though.
I am an introvert and currently have to share an office, plus am interrupted constantly with questions and people printing to the printer in my office.
I haaaaaaaate it. It has become really bad for my mental health because I'm constantly on and it is draining. there is also no quiet time for me to focus at the office, and no ability for me to work from home to complete my work.
This is my issue, too. I used to WFH full-time, then I was laid off, but found another WFH p/t. When we moved here, I started working f/t again in a totally open workspace, and I hate it. i seriously get about 2 hours of work done in a regular day because of the constant interruptions and chatty co-workers. I'm so exhausted by the end of the day...too much stimulation. I've been seriously considering looking for another WFH job, but I don't actually dislike my current job, so it's hard to pull the trigger.
My office is finally starting to roll it out but so far my department can't do it unless there's a specific reason like waiting for a plumber.
Hopefully soon we can all do 1-2 days a week. The couple of times I did it were great as I was just as efficient at home than at the office with the added bonus of a clean house, washing done etc. I wouldn't like to do it all week though as I would feel too disconnected socially. I have introvert tendencies and it wouldn't be good for me.
DH finds that he is far more productive working from home than in the office, but the downside is that he isn't very good at setting boundaries with work. It's very easy to end of working or being available more than what you would be in at the office.
When I was working, I worked from home frequently, but again, it was easy to fall into the always-available trap. I wasn't great at boundaries with work.
I love when DH works from home, though. His commute is about 1 hr and 45 minutes on the way home. If we have things that start in the evening at 6, he's almost never able to make it. When he works from home, it's just easier for all of us.
What I simply cannot fathom is companies who can allow WFH but refuse to. It's fucking stupid. I worked at the state dept. of human services and they would do fucking seat checks when there were things like power, HVAC, or internet outages for hours - even though those people were offering to take their state-issued laptops home to continue working via VPN on wifi, it was a hard "NO" because stupid people insisted that being at the desk was evidence of work getting done. You'd think a government entity, operating with taxpayer dollars, would be interested in saving money... but instead old-fashioned and antiquated views by management want to be ignorant.
I work in the corporate office for a construction company with job sites around the country. Our goal as an office is to either bring in work or support the field teams. Literally every person in my office (about 40 of us) can successfully work from home. Our CEO is really against it, despite a lot of pressure and high turnover due to people leaving for remote opportunities. He recently announced that people are allowed to work from home two days per month provided a) they clear it in advance with their supervisor, b) it isn't adjacent to a weekend, and c) isn't adjacent to a holiday. It's worth noting here that people aren't allowed to WFH on Fridays, but with our schedule, people only work 4 hours on Friday. So basically, he doesn't trust that people are working from home, but won't let them do so on a day with a short schedule and that is often blown off even if you are in the office.
It's so fucking ridiculous. And they are moving our office to a location that is less centrally located next year, which means about 40% of our office (this is the number our CEO gave with the announcement) will have a worse commute. So, basically, he's making people spend more time commuting, refusing to give them the flexibility to work from home, and expects to maintain low turnover. lololol I'm actually kind of looking forward to seeing what the office move does to our turnover.
I am one of the few really lucky ones. The majority of my team is remote because they spend so much time traveling anyway and my boss is really supportive of me working remote. I do so two days a week now and will increase that to 3-4 once the office move happens (since my commute is already long and this will just make it worse). Working from home 2 days a week has done wonders for my stress levels and general happiness. Not having to make that commute is huge and I am often more productive because there are fewer interruptions.