Have you enjoyed working from home?

vafankillar · 17-07-2020 9:22pm #1

I'm not doing it myself, but i've been curious about the experience of those who have. The pros & cons and possibility of it being brought in as either a full or part time feature of particularly office work? or even liklihood of any of that happening? i'm sure there's things i haven't even thought about that people are either hating or loving about the situation

Purple Mountain · 17-07-2020 9:28pm

I hate it. No structure, I need routine.
****e WiFi and no colleagues to interact with.

TheDriver · 17-07-2020 9:29pm

doc22 · 17-07-2020 9:36pm

No! Love having a separation between work and home. Getting out of house a plus too.

Rodney Bathgate · 17-07-2020 9:37pm

Not really. I had no problem being fully productive in the office so no change there. I chose not to work from home unless I needed to be at home for some reason.

Outkast_IRE · 17-07-2020 9:39pm

I would like it 2-3 days a week. The other 2 in the office would be good for the social interaction.

Honestly though on the flipside my company froze wage increases and cancelled bonuses and every staff member is busier than ever. Working 12 hour days regularly for nothing extra except hitting deadlines. That saps the morale fairly lively.

Nijmegen · 17-07-2020 10:00pm

Like most people, I’m missing the social aspect but not missing the commute. Probably saving 10-12 hours per week (plus about €200 in travel costs per month), which is really rich time - breakfast with the missus and preparing dinner together, having it out of the way early and spending our evening together or doing what we want.

Likely will look for a part time return to the office, a “best of both worlds”. The business is operating fine with folks at home.

Bot1 · 17-07-2020 10:09pm

Working at home is good!
Working at home during a pandemic...... not so much!

yessiryes · 23-07-2020 11:25am

Very much so. No commute, no dragging kids out of bed at crazy hours of the morning to do multiple drops offs. No paying for parking etc. For me there are no downsides bar needing a better desk and chair.

Irish Aris · 23-07-2020 12:28pm

Mr.S wrote: »

I like it. I miss the social interaction and being able to pop over to chat to a colleague vs having to call / IM them for small mundane things.

When we return to the office, it will be on a voluntary basis going forward. General consensus is that most people will go to the office 1 or 2 days a week and WFH the rest. Suits everyone all round.

Same feelings for me, missing the social interaction.

We don't know when we will be back in the office (not before September anyway) but similar to Mr. S case, my employer looks to prioritise people that really need to be in the office. Personally I expect to be one of the last people to go back in the office as in my current role I primarily work with coilleagues from other countries - so I don't really need to be in the office, 1-2 days per week would do just fine and it would give me a social interaction boost.

BobMc · 23-07-2020 12:32pm

Can only give wifes opinion as I'm in work, shes home since 12th March, took some time but loves it now, got her set up with desk and office chair, she brought home her large monitor and laptop dock, shes loving it now,

communte and petrol saving are big, time wise 25mins mornings, 45/55mins evening, we have noticed increased ESB bill
and I'm expecting gas to go up come winter when at home more. Shes confirmed home till at least end of this year with review due then

daheff · 23-07-2020 12:33pm

yes. don't miss stupid commutes or toxic workplace.

will enjoy it more when kids go back to school.

B.A._Baracus · 23-07-2020 12:38pm

Working from home myself since march but for the last three weeks doing two days in the office.

Not gonna lie I was getting crazy lazy at home. To the point where I knew I had to put a stop to it. So when the job sent a survey saying who'd like to go back I said sure.

I love working from home. No long traffic journeys. You get up out of bed and you're ready to go. That said working two days a weeks helps. Get the bigger things done and then relax a bit more for the rest at home.

Dravokivich · 23-07-2020 12:39pm

Dont like working from home at all.

never_mind · 23-07-2020 12:43pm

As someone said recently on the radio we are not working from home we are living in work.

It has good points and bad.

Good
No commuting
Saving money on commuting, random lunches/coffees/pints after work
No BS talk in staff room when you're in bad form
Able to go for good runs and walks any time you want (mostly!)
More time to read/catch up with friends or housework etc.

Bad
Little interaction with people
Zoom meetings are horrendous and can be too long and boring
No life/work split
Being 'on' all the time particularly with parents who work in the AM and then after 7PM when their kids are gone to bed and I am suddenly going to have to help with stuff
Not as much facetime with people means you don't learn as much

It's a mixed bag. I can see a hybrid blended work space being important for the future. Both have issues but both have benefits. The days of 9-5 and Mon-Fri is on its last legs.

recyclops · 23-07-2020 12:50pm

I am not a fan, I actually find i have too much time in the day now.

normal working

30-40 min commute both ways, loved it, listened to a podcast happy out. Then I would get home around 6-6:30 catch up with the wife stick on dinner for around 7 or so then clean up and watch a movie maybe or a bit of tv, I was fairly active with playing footie a few nights a week.

WFH
up around half 8 straight to work, go for a run at lunch to get away from desk and as footie is on hiatus, finish around half 5 just potter around as too early for dinner and nothing to really discuss with wife as both here all day, both have already been active during the day so trying to fill the day up as you have nearly 3 hours more than you originally had.

I would like to return for 2/3 days the way most are saying. I also think it ruins creativity as well

Mrs OBumble · 23-07-2020 12:58pm

No.

I've lost my dining table to my work computer.

Everything takes longer to do. If someone's computer malfunctions, getting them a replacement is work, instead of just telling them to sit at another desk.

Last week I was on annual leave. But my phone kept ringing anyway, cos the company have decided to be mobile by diverting desk phones to personal mobiles.

23-07-2020 1:08pm

The definition of insanity is thousands of office workers from all over the country, ALL making their way towards Dublin City Centre and surrounding suburbs to go to work and do a job that can be done from their house.

3 hour commutes for people just outside Dublin. Bumper to bumper traffic. Multiple crashes a day on the M50. Environment getting destroyed.

Working from home has its disadvantages. But it is a much better alternative than what we had before.

I’m sure other workers that can’t work from home also benefit from the quieter roads.

Shakey_jake · 23-07-2020 1:12pm

Yes yes i have

Any day where i don't have to deal with

"were sorry to annouce that the 17:51 dart service to malahide is running approximately 14 mins late due to our ineptitude"

Is a good day!

Long may it continue :cool:

Shakey_jake · 23-07-2020 1:15pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

No.

Last week I was on annual leave. But my phone kept ringing anyway, cos the company have decided to be mobile by diverting desk phones to personal mobiles.

That's not the company's fault, that's yours

Don't blame IT either

Creamy Goodness · 23-07-2020 1:18pm

It depends what day of the week you ask me

At the start I hated it I hadn’t a proper desk or room to use as an office work blended into home life, partner was at home too with nothing to do so it made things tough.

Now though I’ve converted the box room into a full on office, proper sit/stand desk, fully ergonomic chair, work phone stays in this room, I leave the room at 5-5:30 and go straight for a 3-5k walk. I also close the door over when on calls and that lets my partner know I can’t be disturbed.

It has been a tough transition, and working from home through a pandemic is in no way comparable to regular working from home.

I’m lucky though, lucky that I have a spare room, lucky that I’ve an understanding work team (none of this working all hours or being chained to a phone), lucky I have no kids, lucky I have a partner that understands that when I’m in work I’m in work.

Brian201888 · 23-07-2020 1:22pm

I've loved it, saving 2 hours a day on a commute is such a huge bonus in life.

Hopefully work sees it the same way, I've been happy to work later/start earlier given the time savings so hopefully they can see the benefit in not having people run out the door for a train/bus instead of finishing something

23-07-2020 1:23pm

Possibly off topic, but the biggest challenge of work in general right now is that we have very little release.

It’s very hard to just stroll into a restaurant and get a seat. No pubs open. Need to queue and mask up to go into a shop. Travel abroad is frowned upon and not possible to lots of destinations.

We are expected to work as normal but restricted from enjoying ourselves outside work.

KaneToad · 23-07-2020 1:25pm

I think those that live to work are happier in their office - it fills an important part of their life.

Those that work to live are happier at home - work is a necessary inconvenience to their day.

Nothing wrong with either camp. Different strokes and all that.

I'd be in the second camp. I'd gladly work from home all the time. I don't miss any aspect of being in the office - the travel, the time, the people, the office infrastructure...

Herb Powell · 23-07-2020 1:25pm

Going to the office is such a colossal waste of time.

Really resent not being given the option going forward (apart from the blindingly obvious health concerns), and I'll be bearing it in mind in job searches. Sooner rather than later, because working from home has suited me perfectly

23-07-2020 1:28pm

I find pretty soul destroying to be in the same space every day, and I’m definitely much less productive and getting less so as the weeks go by. Can’t wait to get back for the 3 days a week in the office I was doing before COVID.

A little table in the corner of the same room in which I relax and watch TV and read, compared to a bright office with an adjustable desk, at which I can stand, with three screens (and a nice view over the city). Though the office is, admittedly, only a 15 minute cycle away, so no commuting considerations.

No comparison for me, and the latest is that we should be back from September and will be able to cater for the return for all those that want to go back.

23-07-2020 1:32pm

KaneToad wrote: »

I think those that live to work are happier in their office - it fills an important part of their life.

I completely disagree. For me it is the opposite. I have always felt strongly that work should not encroach on home life. I work from home when I know I have an offline desk day, and would normally do that from a coffee shop. At night I leave my laptop at work and turn off my phone.

Work / life separation is important to me and that can’t be achieve in a 100% WFH situation in my personal experience

Edit: I actually find your assumption that all people who go to the office have a ‘live to work’ mentality a little bit insulting

Un1corn · 23-07-2020 1:52pm

Saving 90 minutes per day and working as a dev. Don't ever want to go back to be honest.

23-07-2020 2:06pm

Un1corn wrote: »

Saving 90 minutes per day and working as a dev. Don't ever want to go back to be honest.

Commuting would be the deal breaker. We have 30 offices around the world and I saw the results of the staff surveys re. desire to return to the office. The results are almost perfectly correlated with the average commuting time. New York, London and Mumbai and Sydney nobody wants to go back. Amsterdam, Stockholm, various smaller US cities, almost everyone wants to go back. Dublin is in the middle, and at an individual staff level it’s those that walk / cycle / scooter who want to return

KaneToad · 23-07-2020 2:30pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I completely disagree. For me it is the opposite. I have always felt strongly that work should not encroach on home life. I work from home when I know I have an offline desk day, and would normally do that from a coffee shop. At night I leave my laptop at work and turn off my phone.

Work / life separation is important to me and that can’t be achieve in a 100% WFH situation in my personal experience

Edit: I actually find your assumption that all people who go to the office have a ‘live to work’ mentality a little bit insulting

Maybe you should read what I wrote again.

Neyite · 23-07-2020 2:45pm

I've loved it.

I've saved money on petrol, cut 14 commuting hours out of my week, work-wise I'm able to do the vast majority of my role with no difficulty.

It will probably end once the office reopens but I'd love a balance of maybe one or two days a week in the office and the rest working from home.

23-07-2020 2:46pm

Un1corn wrote: »

Saving 90 minutes per day and working as a dev. Don't ever want to go back to be honest.

Same. I've been looking at properties all around Ireland which was once a pipe dream. It can actually be a reality now.

kenmc · 23-07-2020 2:48pm

Love it. Out of bed, quick shower, tshirt and shorts and into the "office". Lunch is 30 seconds downstairs, whatever I want right there and then, not what I thought I would like hours or even the night before. Back upstairs, couple more hours and "home" 30 seconds after leaving "work". Time to play with the kids, get dinner, mow the grass etc. Long may it continue!

ChikiChiki · 23-07-2020 2:50pm

Since the office is now in my bedroom my sleep has been really abysmal for the last 3 months. Thinking to rent a bigger place down the country so I can set up a separate room as a home office as we are not going back anytime soon.

Also why fork out 1200 a month in rent for a room in Dublin when I can get a whole gaff in Mayo for 900 a month. All the benefits of city living are gone for the moment.

Real Life · 23-07-2020 3:09pm

Theres been good and bad points to it.
Good:
Ive got to spend a lot more time than I should have been able to with my 8 month old son.
I have no commute to and from work and so save time and money.
My work is still being done and hasn't been affected.

Bad:
No separation from work and home life, that's mostly my fault because I haven't done enough about it. But there's some days I get up out of bed, go to the computer, to and from the kitchen for coffees or lunch. Go from work to watch TV, then bed. No fresh air all day. Got into a bad slump but that's could be sorted if I got my act together.

pinktoe · 23-07-2020 3:13pm

I've worked from home since 2015. Went from getting up at 7 and coming home after 6, for 5 days a week to managing to get all my work done at home in 4 days. I used to spend alot of time in the previous workplace just putting down time and doing sweet f@@k all, eating crappy lunch and getting out of shape, listening to idiots who either thought they were funny or else people hitching about a job they'll never leave.

For the last five years, roll out of bed at 8.55 or even 10, it doesn't matter. Do a bit of work, go for a run with the dog, do some more work, and have tasty good food. Go to the supermarket when it's quiet instead of the weekend or Friday evening. Health and shape has definitely improved alot.

Once you have a place in your home that's not the bedroom, sitting room or kitchen to do your work it's fine.

I have a lot of time and am not slaving away as a number for a company. Living in a spacious house in Galway that I own as opposed to a dump of an apartment which would cost more to rent these days. Wages are the exact same so for me it's a no brainer.

Some office jobs though, would be much harder to do at home so it doesn't suit everyone.

dashoonage · 23-07-2020 3:34pm

Yip love it. never want to go back. 15hrs a week back. I am disciplined enough to have separation between home and work. I still get out of the leaba at the same time in the morning, so ive an hour of no rushing before i start work. Nice peaceful lunch breaks. Eating a lot better. Exercising more and im getting way more work done as well. The main benifit is i have my dog at home though

DuffleBag · 23-07-2020 4:21pm

Going great. No hour plus commute, nice peaceful lunches, breakfast and dinner with the partner at home. No ****e talk from colleagues who you'd only be avoiding during the day anyway and I can pick who and when I want to talk to people through Skype/calls.

Big thumbs up from me.

Rimmy · 23-07-2020 4:29pm

I get that work means the World to some people and it's probably because they have very little going on on their life's outside it and that's fine. Work for me is just money, I start at 9 and finish on the dot at five every day. Our work place is good that if you want to be available out of hours you go on a roster and get paid 25% extra for the week. I don't want that.

I never want to go back to the office and looks like my company are letting us work from home till after winter which is ideal. I'm lucky to be in a pretty well paying role and a company that employs 7000. It's all internal so camera on is optional.

I start at 9AM. I get up at 8.45 quick shower and sit down on the recliner on my laptop in the sitting room with the TV on in the background. Around half nine stick on the breakfast if nothing urgent needs doing. Few meetingsIY project work and IT support for the day.

The hot days there I was out in the garden on a sun recliner tipping away on the laptop for the day.

Work means nothing to me, it's just a pay check. If my company doesn't let us do two days at least from home after next Winter I'll be looking for a new job.

I have great friends outside of work and a active social life so don't really give a toss about interacting with people in the workplace and I hate 99% of them.

Rimmy · 23-07-2020 4:43pm

Just to add that I don't love in Dublin, around a three hour commute one way. This opens so much more oppertunities for me working from home that I previously couldn't take due to where I live. I'll probably be able to get another 30-40K on top of my current salary.

DuffleBag · 23-07-2020 5:00pm

Rimmy wrote: »

I get that work means the World to some people and it's probably because they have very little going on on their life's outside it and that's fine. Work for me is just money, I start at 9 and finish on the dot at five every day. Our work place is good that if you want to be available out of hours you go on a roster and get paid 25% extra for the week. I don't want that.

I never want to go back to the office and looks like my company are letting us work from home till after winter which is ideal. I'm lucky to be in a pretty well paying role and a company that employs 7000. It's all internal so camera on is optional.

I start at 9AM. I get up at 8.45 quick shower and sit down on the recliner on my laptop in the sitting room with the TV on in the background. Around half nine stick on the breakfast if nothing urgent needs doing. Few meetingsIY project work and IT support for the day.

The hot days there I was out in the garden on a sun recliner tipping away on the laptop for the day.

Work means nothing to me, it's just a pay check. If my company doesn't let us do two days at least from home after next Winter I'll be looking for a new job.

I have great friends outside of work and a active social life so don't really give a toss about interacting with people in the workplace and I hate 99% of them.

Preach. This is my view also

ednwireland · 23-07-2020 5:03pm

no

but it would be bearable with better broadband, and if i wasnt expected to make international calls on my own phone. despite that been part of my job.

Rimmy · 23-07-2020 5:05pm

ednwireland wrote: »

no

but it would be bearable with better broadband, and if i wasnt expected to make international calls on my own phone. despite that been part of my job.

You using something like Viber? Get a ton of minutes for like a tenner to international numbers.

Rimmy · 23-07-2020 5:09pm

DuffleBag wrote: »

Preach. This is my view also

And the funny thing is I'm actually getting more done from home than I ever have in the office.

I'm energised every day and not wrecked as soon as Thursday and Friday come around. I can stay up two hours later in the night and my hour commute is gone each way.

Working from home is awesome!

Neyite · 23-07-2020 5:10pm

ChikiChiki wrote: »

Also why fork out 1200 a month in rent for a room in Dublin when I can get a whole gaff in Mayo for 900 a month. All the benefits of city living are gone for the moment.

You would probably get it for even less. While you save a bit in rent, you do need to invest in a reliable car as public transport is pathetic and you quickly get tired of getting soaked waiting for a bus because there's no bus shelter and you've to get to your destination two hours before you need to because there's one bus a day heading the way you need to. Or if you wanted you could still rent a town house in a small town in Mayo or Galway cheaper than Dublin rents and still have the convenience being near pubs and restaurants.

City living is great but when covid takes away all the social stuff that makes living in a city worthwhile like the cafés, bars and concerts on your doorstep it's not so much fun.

quickbeam · 23-07-2020 5:14pm

I don't particularly enjoy my job so to say I "enjoy working from home" wouldn't be quite right.

But I do prefer it over a commute. I save a minimum of 90 minutes per day on a commute, plus the associated petrol costs.

I spend all day with my pets.

I can be flexible and do things like hang out the clothes, in the middle of the working day.

Fewer distractions (for me - I get those with a family might find differently), so more productive.

antimatterx · 23-07-2020 5:15pm

Initially I didn't, but after 4.5 months working from home, I'm going to struggle to go back to office life. I will refuse any job that doesn't let me work 3 days a week from home.

I don't get up until 8:30 (it used to be 6:45). I have a quick shower, and breakfast before my first meeting and it's great. I finish at 5:30, and exercise straight away, I've lost a stone, and put on some serious muscle since COVID.

I'm saving €40 p/w commuting and as I'm not in town anymore I cancelled my GYM membership which was €30 a month. Thats almost €200 a month being saved.

It's been a fantastic experience, and I'm lucky I'm in the type of job where this can become the norm. (Software development)

I'm lucky in Dublin, with great internet and a decent desk setup. I know others aren't so lucky.

CBear1993 · 23-07-2020 5:16pm

No. I love human interaction.
One or two days a week is fine. But being stuck at the desk all day is horrible for me mentally. I need to get out and about daily. I’ve found that if I have to work 2/3 days in a row from home I become very demotivated and lacklustre. Not great for the old mental health, but that’s only me

antimatterx · 23-07-2020 5:18pm

KaneToad wrote: »

I think those that live to work are happier in their office - it fills an important part of their life.

Those that work to live are happier at home - work is a necessary inconvenience to their day.

Nothing wrong with either camp. Different strokes and all that.

I'd be in the second camp. I'd gladly work from home all the time. I don't miss any aspect of being in the office - the travel, the time, the people, the office infrastructure...

I tend to "live to work", but I'm much happier at home. Life just feels easier.

antimatterx · 23-07-2020 5:19pm

Un1corn wrote: »

Saving 90 minutes per day and working as a dev. Don't ever want to go back to be honest.

I'm saving almost 3 hours a day. I was commuting from the northside to the southside via DART and Luas.

CBear1993 · 23-07-2020 5:21pm

antimatterx wrote: »

I'm saving almost 3 hours a day. I was commuting from the northside to the southside via DART and Luas.

3 hours per day from Northside to south side, jeez that was rough!! I hope the job was worth it. You could be in a job in the midlands and back daily in the car with that! (Not that you would leave Dublin for that but you get me)

Have you enjoyed working from home?

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