Off Farm Job- Hybrid Working?

Kevhog1988

Hi all,

Just wondering if those of you with an off farm job are back in the office or what is the situation where you work?.

We have been 2 days per week for a number of years but talk of a 3 day week now. Not looking forward to an extra 4 hours in the car per week myself.

Jack98

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058371532/off-farm-job-hybrid-working

I’m working from home two days every week and 3 some weeks since I started working after college. No talks of going back to 3 days inside and I’ve been offered two jobs lately one had 2 days in office and other had 3. These are all MNC’s so I’m not sure how other companies would operate.

Siamsa Sessions

I work 3 days/week in a public sector organisation (I’m employed by them but essentially self-employed - don’t ask!) and I’ve been told I should be in the office at least 1 day/week. It’s a 20-min drive so I just go in rather than kicking up a fuss to work from home.

People working full time on 5 days/week (officially public sector employees but self-employed too) were told they should be in the office 2 days/week. But I don’t know if everyone complies. It’s the public sector so no one checks.

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058371532/off-farm-job-hybrid-working

3 days on site.

Up this morning half five to check a cow calving. She had it done thankfully but calf too weak to stand. I got home till 7.20 and had 15 mins of light to check things.

Not easy. Hate this time of year. Easier on one way once their housed. Wont be too long as **** all grass really.

roosterman71

Was full on remote but now it's 3 days in the office. A complete balls of a situation here now

tractorporn

Im in the office 5 days a week with no option for days at home with an hour and a half each way commute. I had to cut the cloth to suit, got rid of all births on the farm and have an auto feeder to take the labour out of feeding calves. Still put in an hour every morning and 3 hours every night, just waiting on the clocks to change to house all as won't see them if they're not in. My contract is up in December so hoping to wrangle something closer to home in the new year, a few days WFH would help massively too.

Kevhog1988

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122674251#Comment_122674251

That's a tough one. What time would you be on the road at in the mornings?

SodiumCooled

Was fully remote for about 1.5 years during Covid and 2 days at home since (would do the 3rd some weeks also as initially wasn’t being monitored). Big push now to be back in the 5 days but so far I’ve ignored it and continued to do the 2 days. Have plenty of help still with dad around but going in 5 days just not feasible in the long run for family or farm reasons - I was hoping to up my days at home to 3 just before the return to office mandate went out.

Seriously considering looking around for jobs if I can’t get at least 2 days at home in the current place - if I never saw the inside of an office or commute traffic again I’d be happy. Having hybrid/remote In my contract a must in any future job as I was promised hybrid long term but someone’s word means nothing while for the people with it in their contract they can’t be forced back no matter how much the powers that be want it.

tractorporn

Need to be on the road for half 7, I try and be in the yard for 6 every morning. As 893 said the evenings are a killer atm as there's not enough light to do anything. I try and be in from the yard for 9 each eve but doesn't always work like that, any later and I find I'm not in bed early enough. I don't mind it so much but it's a killer when the wife starts on about how she feels like a single mom cos she never sees me.

Tileman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122674204#Comment_122674204

same as. I loved the lock down. Work from home full time and out on the farm every day at 5.
now it’s 3 days in office for past 2 years but real push to increase it to 4 days .
1.5 he commute each way so ure bollicjed in evening after a long day like that .

Would love some close but on a good wage that I won’t get locally.

carrollsno1

Qualified next April reckon im going travelling anyway afterwards however im gonna be on tge wrong side of 30 by then. Could probably get a job in a workshop 10 minutes from home and do a flat week if the option to farm was here too, looking at the budget changes today and the current trade rates id be clearing €800/week for a flat week from January on am i mad to consider catching a flight outta here or stay and farm away aswell. 80 odd acres fragmented goodish neglected land, first job on my to do list if i take over is set it up the way i have no use for the cattle trailer anymore.

lmk123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122674434#Comment_122674434

absolutely not mad, go for god sake you can come back anytime you want, my biggest regret is not spending longer working abroad, the option won’t be there forever

mr.stonewall

Public sector, in the classroom, tough at the moment, until Everything is in. No flexibility with work from home. I just hate the period of half in half out. Spring time is better as you can see the goalpost of everything out. It's fighting light in be morning or evening is the killer

Kevhog1988

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122674430#Comment_122674430

I'm in the same boat. Not a fear of getting the twine I want if I'm not in Dublin but dont want to stick the car in a ditch with tiredness either .

I do try to be good with the hybrid thing and get all work done but its no harm to be seen to do a late shift the evenings I'm at home. I often group a clatter of emails in draft and not send them til I'm back in from checking stock etc. Its a bit odd but I think little things like that help your cause.

SodiumCooled

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122674613#Comment_122674613

Check out schedule send, great little tool. Set emails to send whenever you want automatically.

emaherx

Working fully remote, they gave up the lease on the office as no one was going in, so we'll not be going in now anyway.

I only work 9-3 at the moment, but have the flexibility to work more or less if I want.

893bet

just moved strip wire in the dark there for the cows pitch dark not easy. I was saying to my father who doesn’t get out the field much due to his age – grass is tight so they will be housed early.. he was saying and he’s not wrong……i should try to bring them in for a couple of hours every day to feed them hay or silage to stretch it. I nearly fought him as I was annoyed as it’s such an impractical solution with a fragmented Farm and trying to work a full-time job with a long commute. If the weather stay dry might pick up around feeder feed a few bales outside; not going to stay dry though.

red_diesel

One day in the office, four remote since Covid. We are supposed to be two days in the office but not enforced yet. My commute is 2 hours door to door each way. Small store to beef operation so manageable. Due to poor winter housing facilities I am looking at options to not have cattle on the farm between November and February.

Dozer1

currently 2 days in the office, talk of 5 days on the cards, I haven't done 5 days in the office in probably 10 years and it would be a massive change, childcare etc would be all screwed up. Like that herding and calving would all be impacted and would lead to a change of practice.

I think the multinationals are doing all they can to put the squeeze on to see if workers will leave roles as there a big belief the AI will replace alot of functions.

carrollsno1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122675197#Comment_122675197

Pfizer looking to cut 200 jobs in Grangecastle while at the same time building on an identical plant right beside it.

Siamsa Sessions

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122675197#Comment_122675197

The irony is that the people whose functions AI could replace (finance, admin, planning) will fight hardest of all to maintain their position and/or avoid redeployment.

Dozer1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122675348#Comment_122675348

exactly, I think it currently being used as a tool to scare workers, see who blink and give up, from my role while there is a role for AI its not the solution its being portrayed as.

farawaygrass

work 10 min from home for only okish pay, but the flexibility is very handy as can nip off home if needed too, the bosses are sound. Often though about chasing more money but don’t think I’d be much better off when it’s all added up.
what I find is the killer for the last couple of years is all the kids activities. Time is scarce and I do find work falling behind at home.

Siamsa Sessions

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122675802#Comment_122675802

Same here - driving young lads to training and matches is like a third job.

Now, we'll keep driving them as long as they want to go (or can drive themselves) but you'd wonder if the GAA and soccer organisations are getting more out of it than the youngsters at times.

PoorFarmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122675802#Comment_122675802

I'm similar here. In work 5 days but really flexible as regards heading off for an hour or 2. Can finish at 3 any day so I plan my work around it. Less than 10 minutes drive in the morning. Have been offered better wages (+40%) in the same industry but more than an hour away. It wouldn't be worth it in my eyes when you take travel time and cost into it.

Anto_Meath

I work from home 2-3 days a week and then I am on site the other 2 -3, but the problem is on site could be anywhere in the 32 counties. Good thing about Meath is 2- 3 hours will bring you most places (apart from West Cork). Before Covid I was driving to Dublin to do what I am doing from home. Work is fairly flexible, once I get done what I have to everyone is happy. So I could be on line at 7 some mornings if I need an hour or so off later on. Plus once I have the phone with me I am always available. When the cattle are in though it is a lot easier. I fill the feeding passage on a Saturday, nothing to do Sunday or Monday. Push it in Tuesday & Wednesday morning. 2 bales per pen on a Wednesday night that right again unti Saturday.

dryan

After being fully remote in the early stages of Covid, i am now back in the office 1/2 days a week (when it suits). The flexibility was brilliant, and personally, it worked out great as i got to spend lots of time with my late father who needed care at home for over a year.

Yeah, there is a push to get us back to the office 3 days a week after xmas.
I dont see it as an issue for me for now. Mt office commute is 15 mins so i can get 2 hours farming in each morning and leave things set up nicely for the office days. It will take a bit of getting used to though…

Cavanjack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677029#Comment_122677029

Aren’t we a mad bunch too. Two hours work before going to work and maybe another two after and we are delighted with ourselves. And the best of it is that there are none of us making any money 🤣

techman1

The irony is that the people whose functions AI could replace (finance, admin, planning) will fight hardest of all to maintain their position and/or avoid redeployment.

They won't be in a very strong position to fight it will they though. WFH was great while it lasted but its really too good to be true, you just have to accept reality now. It's either job or farm, job pays the money mostly though. I think people were lulled into a false sense of reality that this was the new normal. Government should be blamed for alot of it aswell as it fitted into their narrative during covid in order to enforce the lockdowns

Anto_Meath

@Cavanjack we are, but some of us have an addictive personality and need to keep busy.. 1 lad that works on one of our sites is from a farming background but lives in a housing estate. He never takes holidays but last week for some reason he had two days off.. I was talking to him Friday & asked how was his time off, he said they were the longest 2 days of his life as he had nothing to do.. while I regularly find myself with a long to-do list, I don't think I could cope if I hadn't something to keep me occupied in the evenings & on a Saturday.. I wouldn't be one for sitting down to watch tell or going to play golf. There is a sense of achievement I get from farming, which I love.

SodiumCooled

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677086#Comment_122677086

I don’t think WFH or hybrid is going anywhere to be honest. Some places will cut back on it as we see but there is still a silent majority of places both MNCs and Irish companies allowing everything from fully remote to at least 1 day from home.

Even my employer who has gone very against wfh in general is still handing out remote and hybrid contracts when it suits them to hire someone they really want. I also know of at least two companies who closed their offices and went fully remote for all staff.

What is needed is staff to be united on it, if a large number of employees are hybrid and there is a forced return 5 days then they should all ignore it - very difficult to enforce with power in numbers. In our place there wouldn’t be the numbers to do this who feel strong enough as some have it in their contracts so don’t care and others are happy coming in so it just left a handful of us who joined pre Covid and the company renaged on our promise of hybrid.

Dunedin

3 days in the office and 2 at home on average but if I have a lot of teams meetings, I just do the full days from home. Only in the office one day this week. Lucky enough in that I manage my own diary so can change days if need be. Fully flexible with work so it’s grand and no push from anyone about going back full time.

All that said, whilst I love the farming, the day job always takes priority. Would often be logged on at 6:30am - typical finish when in the office is 4:30pm as have 1.5 commute. The day job is well paid and very happy in the job with a very sound boss so no way I’m jeopardising that. I have my system set up to an average of 7-8 hours a week. Any big jobs are left to Saturday. The bit during the week is only therapy such as herding and gets me a bit of exercise too.

The main benefit of the flexibility is with the kids sports. Pretty much something on 6-7 days a week and great to be able to go without any major pressure. Would also go to a lot of adult GAA club games.

farawaygrass

why is there resistance coming from companies for working from home? Is the productivity down? If the work is getting down would it not suit the companies more with maybe smaller offices/expenses going forward

SodiumCooled

It’s just an old fashioned “presentisim” attitude - we had some of our most successful years in the company I work for during Covid and since with the whole company fully remote for a time and hybrid since.

The top management abroad just have a terrible attitude and come with all these buzz words like “together as a team” etc while having no idea of the day to day dynamics of how well things are working (well they know it’s working well as the company is growing faster than we can hire people).

Siamsa Sessions

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677086#Comment_122677086

Many are in strong unions and hell or high water won’t shift them. I’ve seen it first hand.

Kevhog1988

Had a meeting today. 3 days per week in the office from November going forward. Not so sure how that will work for me tbh.

roosterman71

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677500#Comment_122677500

Where I am it's the loss of knowledge transfer to the younger lads, grads, new hires, etc. Everyone working at home in their own little bubble and their isn't the same team interactions with each other to thrash things out (this is a SW design centre I'm talking about now). Likewise ya don't "bump" into people in the canteen/hall/jacks where some other nuggets could be mentioned and shared.

SodiumCooled

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677978#Comment_122677978

The benefit of this is all highly over played in my opinion - especially the problems being solved by bumping into people. These type of informal chats are more likely to be about the weekends matches rather than work. I find email and video calls are just as good a for relying information, in many ways video calls are better than in person meetings.

Training for instance is easier done over a call and shared screen rather than looking over someone’s shoulder.

I find the office a distraction with far more time spent talking, going to the cafe, getting pulled into things that slow down your main work which would be better scheduled in a remote environment.

roosterman71

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122678036#Comment_122678036

I agree with the last part. Though that sort of stuff is surely accounted for?

The first part, I disagree with. I've dealings with exceptionally bright people coming out of college and being totally lost in the place as they've no one to turn to, bar over zoom/teams/phone to ask questions. Whereas if they were surrounded by colleagues, they'd learn by osmosis, being able to chew the ear of someone next to them in a much more informal way.

divillybit

Fair play to guys doing big commutes to work, i couldn't do it. Did alot of driving in my old job. Changed jobs 2 years ago, from the private sector into the Civil service. Took a good pay cut but I've a better work life balance now and it's great to get a pay increment every year without having to fight for it. The day I handed in my notice in my old private sector job they were very keen to up my pay but I had my mind made up to leave. I'm 5 min drive from the office now so don't bother working from home but it's 1 day a week max working from home in my department but others like social welfare can offer up to 3 days wfh.

techman1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677978#Comment_122677978

That's the jist of it alright, many people forget that they learned the job onsite not remotely at home . During COVID very little knowledge was being passed down to the new hires everything basically stagnated.

Also many jobs are not exclusively office based because they support the wider organisation which maybe producing real world goods and services that need people onsite everyday. It doesn't generate much solidarity when one set of workers have to be in work every day and another doesn't .

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122678207#Comment_122678207

and the side from the New hire being asked questions questions, more experience people when on site and working close by are able to keep an informal eye on what they’re doing just to make sure they’re following whatever processes needs to be followed and stuff and not not circumventing things accidentally almost.

I think half probably is that they haven’t adjusted processes and training, et cetera to suit hybrid working fully

Edgardo.

Agree that the hybrid model doesn't work as well in integrating new hires.

Also the old way , 'Day prison' required workers to 'clock in' and remain at their assigned location until 'clock out'. It was in fact a perfect system to have workers 'locked in' for a set number of hours where tasks could be completed. Not always at a productive rate, but completed nevertheless and gained from synergies

It was a perfect system. Those day prisoners had to provide their own transport and incur any costs associated.

The new ankle bracelet method (WFH) lacks any synergy benefits and provides too much freedom for all the tasks to be completed in the same time.

emaherx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122678599#Comment_122678599

I'm not new to working, but I've only worked a handful of days in an office ever (mostly training). I worked in field service for most of my career and only changed to a WFH role in 2022, so didn't even experience the Covid WFH thing as I was still on the road.

When I started this role, I spent a few days over a few weeks working with some of my new colleagues in the office, they took turns coming in and all showed me different parts of the job, afterwards they supported me remotely until I could work on my own, phone, WhatsApp, TeamViewer and Zoom all made it fairly seamless and still do for working out issues with the team.

The company more recently decided there was no point in keeping the office and the plan for any future need for training or meeting space is to just hire a hot desk or meeting room from the nearest hub to us. To be fair to them they were already heading towards fully remote working only before Covid.

I had more personal reasons to find a WFH job beyond just being close to the farm, there is no way I'd consider going back to commuting/traveling 5+ days a week now. I think if the company I'm working for took the same approach as many on here are experiencing I'd resist it to the last and in the end if they insisted, I'd be looking for a new role, especially as there is nothing in my job that requires my presence onsite not even meetings (with a very few exceptions).

As for informal chats with colleagues, I have those regularly through the week, it's a small friendly team and we do seem to spend a good bit of time discussing nothing on WhatsApp or even by phone sometimes, perhaps it's just I've never experienced any different, field service has much in common with WFH when it comes to contact with the rest of the team.

Some companies just seem to be flexing their muscles and trying to show that they are in control, workers need to stand up to unreasonable requests to return to the office, sure there are many roles that need more presence onsite even up to 100% in many cases, but they should have to justify your return especially if you are proven effective by now where you are.

techman1

Some companies just seem to be flexing their muscles and trying to show that they are in control, workers need to stand up to unreasonable requests to return to the office, sure there are many roles that need more presence onsite even up to 100% in many cases, but they should have to justify your return especially if you are proven effective by now where you are.

TThats where you have it completely wrong, WFH is a privilege not a right, it was enforced because of covid lockdowns but 100% WFH was not a natural progression of the way things were going. Just because everything got by when the lockdowns were in force doesn't mean that its now the "new normal " . Alot of stuff was effectively put on hold until the mandatory WFH was lifted. Probably 1 to 2 days maximum WFH is where most organisations will land at.

zetecescort

Is there anyone doing a trade or other physical work as a day job?

emaherx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122679875#Comment_122679875

Yes, I farm

emaherx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122679855#Comment_122679855

I didn't say it was a right, I even acknowledge that onsite is necessary in many roles even up to 100%. However there is no justification in many companies trying to get all employees back to offices 100% of the time unless they can show it would improve productivity in some way (that may vary significantly by role). I would exercise my right to leave though if I were pushed into an office.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677053#Comment_122677053

Nothing wrong with it if you are making money. It can turn an average wage into a decent job. I have seen lads working 2 hours an evening and part or all of Saturdays trying to make ends meets over the years.

I am semi retired for nearly 6 years. Sitting hear in the cattle shed having a late lunch. I would still probably be working or worse still retired with nothing to do without the farm. However I cannot understand it taking lads 3-4 houses to do farm.work every day. St tge height of my working career I could be in and out the gate in an hour a lot of the time. It's about focus and not making work for yourself. Managing disorganised chaos and ignoring what need not be done. Ya tge yard was always a bit untidy but I learned to ignore it.

Was on the road for 10 years and on call for another 6. On the road I was luck to be my own boss and could work late and stay overnight the most of the time. Lucky enough 20 hours would complete most jobs I was at so it was usually only one night away.

But organisation is what it all about. Financially if you are writing off cars and there running costs, telephones, kids going to college electricity down to the cat food it could be the equivalent of 10-15k in untaxed income more when the children were drawing a wage. Add in building wealth and assets and it's not to be sniffed at

SodiumCooled

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122679855#Comment_122679855

Why should we not strive for it to be a right though? I bet when things like a 2 day weekend or working time directive etc were in their early stages people said they were a privilege.

There is no reason that jobs that can be done from home should not at least have the option of them being fully remote or only needing to be in a day or two per week. It’s better for family, health, work life balance and the climate. When you have some businesses closing their offices and going fully remote that shows it works.

The 4 day week is another thing that’s getting discussed and I think it’s something we will hopefully see happen over the next 10 years - I know it may not be time off for those on this forum but only doing your day job 4 days per week would be a huge thing for most in getting things done be it farming or just life.

techman1

There is no reason that jobs that can be done from home should not at least have the option of them being fully remote or only needing to be in a day or two per week. It’s better for family, health, work life balance and the climate. When you have some businesses closing their offices and going fully remote that shows it works.

YYes of course its great for the individual that is already trained and has already made the work connections but its not great for the organisation as a whole and its not great for society as it distorts the whole jobs market. The most critical labour shortages are not in office jobs but in trades, construction and physical jobs that cannot be done from home. Who is going to want to be an electrician or plumber on a site at 7am when you can have a job where you can roll out of bed at 8.30 to sit at a laptop.

As for the productivity issue you just have to look at the public sector and how bad everything has got since covid, nobody available to answer phones, queries and emails taking months to be answered whereas beforehand it was relatively fast.