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Remote working - the future?

Young_gunner

Hello everybody

Just wondering what everyone's employer is doing now in relation to future working arrangements (assuming you can wfh).

the Whitaker poll from NUI Galway showed almost one third of all time want to work remotely 100% of the time.

Personally, having wfh'd since March 2020, I have seen the huge benefits of no stressful commutes - more productive, more time with family, just happier!
That said, I am a home owner with a small office space (but does the trick) and have reliable broadband.

I am not sure I can ever see myself commuting again.

What are people's general thoughts on this? I believe many offices may have pressure from Senior Execs to get people back in the office.

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Comments

ineedeuro

Augeo wrote: »

If the average is an hour most folk can't be doing 90 mins
So, it seems you are off your tree if you think most folk were spending 90 mins commuting when the average was under an hour.

I said "Standard enough travel time in Dublin" in the first place. Not most as you claim, best to read people posts I find

As per the link the average time is 60 mins, so that means some people do less and some people do more. You do understand what "average" means?

[Deleted User]

Augeo wrote: »

Yes, that's all very obvious, again I just stated that most folk never had 90 minute commutes (which is apparently untrue for most of folk working in Dublin, which is bullsh1t IMO)

Well, we'll have to disagree on that.

I've been commuting in this city for nearly 40 years, (including my secondary school years) some of it on public transport and some of it by car, and I'd never allow less time than that, and definitely not in the mornings.

[Deleted User]

Augeo wrote: »

Yes, that's all very obvious, again I just stated that most folk never had 90 minute commutes (which is apparently untrue for most of folk working in Dublin, which is bullsh1t IMO)

Yes thats your opinion. Unfortunately your opinion is wrong. For 2 years I had a 90 minute commute one way. Living in one part of Dublin and working in another part.

Pogue eile

All I know for sure is I don't ever want to share an office with Augeo....

Mrs OBumble

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Well, we'll have to disagree on that.

I've been commuting in this city for nearly 40 years, (including my secondary school years) some of it on public transport and some of it by car, and I'd never allow less time than that, and definitely not in the mornings.

Surely you'd eventually to learn to choose work or study opportunities that are closer to home?

Pogue eile

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Surely you'd eventually to learn to choose work or study opportunities that are closer to home?

Umm cos life is always that simple!

PhilOssophy

The big winner of this post-pandemic world will be the employer who doesn't care where the people work from. Come in to the office, grand. Work from home, grand.
Once the job is done, don't care where you work from.
The big loser will be the company full of finger wavers or inefficiencies.

Antares35

Pogue eile wrote: »

Umm cos life is always that simple!

Sure look, when I raised the point about childcare flexibility as a WFH benefit, same poster also informed me that nobody asked me to have kids

there's a lot of idealism going on!

Antares35

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Yes thats your opinion. Unfortunately your opinion is wrong. For 2 years I had a 90 minute commute one way. Living in one part of Dublin and working in another part.

Same, especially when the journey has two legs and if one goes àrse up you miss the other. I often commuted well over an hour within Dublin.

[Deleted User]

Deleted User wrote: »

A list of solutions

Followed by a bizarre list of "problems"

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Bank of Ireland cowork space – free.
Closed. And as you can imagine, a "free" service from a bank comes with a lot of strings attached.

Actually its the exact opposite of that. As stated on the website "There’s no need to contact anyone before using the space – you’re encouraged to drop in, find a desk, open up your laptop and get to work" and thats it

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Galway Technology Centre – €165pm.
Exists to support/ incubate startups and growing businesses. They aren't going to sign up an existing business or an individualnon-entrepreneur. Also not within 2km of my home.

No such distance limit exists

Deleted User wrote: »

Sigh. Yet again, you're offered solutions, and all you look for is more problems. There will be other workspaces.

Also not within 2km of your home?!? That's part of your criteria now?

Keep up, these are the Ballinspittle goalposts, havent you figured that out by now lol

Anyway Mrsb, here is the hub map, have a look, theres 11 locations in Galway, I look forward to hearing whats wrong with each of them

[Deleted User]

Fantastic to see in a poll of 300+ , only 19 people see themselves returning full-time.
Personally, I would find it mentally draining to go back to a 90 min each way commute to do a job which I was able to do in exactly the same way from a home environment. I can only hope that my presence in the office going forward is a meaningful and necessary one now. I feel that anything less would create a type of cognitive dissonance within me which could only lead to worse stress !

On the flip side, I can see the disadvantages of a workforce being fully remote. Primarily a sociological one and I can understand that for newer and primarily younger members of staff they will be at a form of disadvantage. Career progression as we all know is not down to just hard work but sometimes chance encounters in the work place or after work engagements.

I think we are witnessing an anthropological evolution and I think that anyone who denies it has obviously something to lose because of it much like the people on the other side of the fence !

Flinty997

Deleted User wrote: »

Well, we'll have to disagree on that.

I've been commuting in this city for nearly 40 years, (including my secondary school years) some of it on public transport and some of it by car, and I'd never allow less time than that, and definitely not in the mornings.

Just a FYI, you're disagreeing with the "European Environment Agency (EEA)" https://www.eea.europa.eu/ who carried out the research across Europe.

Also different people take different times to do the same journey, all things being the same. Some people just take longer than others.

I certainly have had 90~120 mins commutes across Dublin at times, some times for months. But I wouldn't find that viable (for me) long term. I've no patience for it. I've refused many things because I thought the commute was soul destroying.

ineedeuro

Antares35 wrote: »

Same, especially when the journey has two legs and if one goes àrse up you miss the other. I often commuted well over an hour within Dublin.

Good luck if someone crash’s, at that stage it’s time to pull out the pillow and have a nap

[Deleted User]

Flinty997 wrote: »

Just a FYI, you're disagreeing with the "European Environment Agency (EEA)" https://www.eea.europa.eu/ who carried out the research across Europe.

Also different people take different times to do the same journey, all things being the same. Some people just take longer than others.

I certainly have had 90~120 mins commutes across Dublin at times, some times for months. But I wouldn't find that viable (for me) long term. I've no patience for it. I've refused many things because I thought the commute was soul destroying.

With all due respect, I couldn't give a :P who I'm disagreeing with from the EEA. I was posting from my own real life experience of living and commuting in Dublin.

I don't know how it got turned into a "Dublin only" issue but its worth mentioning that not everyone who works in Dublin, commutes from within its borders. Of the top of my head, I can think of staff commuting into our building everyday from the far flung corners of Meath, Kildare, Wicklow and Cavan daily. Some of their commutes are truly killer.

As a civil servant, moving location isn't that easy unless you are prepared to leave the CS, and I was in a position where others depended on me and job security had to be my first priority so I had to put my head down and get on with it. Needs must. Such is life.

Antares35

ineedeuro wrote: »

Good luck if someone crash’s, at that stage it’s time to pull out the pillow and have a nap

Lost count of the number of times the Luas just dumped everyone off at black horse and the buses would all go past full as a hundred people tried to get a bus/ taxi into town. I missed a really important meeting one day, that I'd allowed plenty of time for, and that was when I made the decision that it was easier to just finance running a car and drive to work instead.

Antares35

[Deleted User] wrote: »

With all due respect, I couldn't give a :P who I'm disagreeing with from the EEA. I was posting from my own real life experience of living and commuting in Dublin.

I don't know how it got turned into a "Dublin only" issue but its worth mentioning that not everyone who works in Dublin, commutes from within its borders. Of the top of my head, I can think of staff commuting into our building everyday from the far flung corners of Meath, Kildare, Wicklow and Cavan daily. Some of their commutes are truly killer.

As a civil servant, moving location isn't that easy unless you are prepared to leave the CS, and I was in a position where others depended on me and job security had to be my first priority so I had to put my head down and get on with it. Needs must. Such is life.

Do CS not do transfers anymore? I remember I used to see them advertised in the union newsletter, like a lonely hearts column

[Deleted User]

Antares35 wrote: »

Do CS not do transfers anymore? I remember I used to see them advertised in the union newsletter, like a lonely hearts column

Its complicated - or was. I put my name on what was the Central Transfer List for any department with a local office in the area where I lived when I found out I was pregnant. My daughter will be 25 this year and I've never received a single offer of transfer!

A lot of it depended on your parent department. I haven't bothered looking at mobility since it was changed.

(eta) those head-to-head transfers in the Union magazine where risky, as you could lose your service by taking one. My area rarely came up anyway, and when it did, it was usually gone by the time we got the magazine.

Antares35

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Its complicated - or was. I put my name on what was the Central Transfer List for any department with a local office in the area where I lived when I found out I was pregnant. My daughter will be 25 this year and I've never received a single offer of transfer!

A lot of it depended on your parent department. I haven't bothered looking at mobility since it was changed.

Oh god, that's awful!

dodzy

Young_gunner wrote: »

Hello everybody

Just wondering what everyone's employer is doing now in relation to future working arrangements (assuming you can wfh).

the Whitaker poll from NUI Galway showed almost one third of all time want to work remotely 100% of the time.

Personally, having wfh'd since March 2020, I have seen the huge benefits of no stressful commutes - more productive, more time with family, just happier!
That said, I am a home owner with a small office space (but does the trick) and have reliable broadband.

I am not sure I can ever see myself commuting again.

What are people's general thoughts on this? I believe many offices may have pressure from Senior Execs to get people back in the office.

My tuppence worth - pre covid - AIB banking phone support was minutes to get through , now it’s impossible. VIRGIN media - same. Vodafone - same. Just examples. Service had plummeted in many areas in my opinion and particularly in phone support, there is no way a service level comparable to pre-covid could be maintained with people WFH. Now whether or not those at the helm of these organizations actually give a toss about effective CS is another matter entirely.

[Deleted User]

dodzy wrote: »

My tuppence worth - pre covid - AIB banking phone support was minutes to get through , now it’s impossible. VIRGIN media - same. Vodafone - same. Just examples. Service had plummeted in many areas in my opinion and particularly in phone support, there is no way a service level comparable to pre-covid could be maintained with people WFH. Now whether or not those at the helm of these organizations actually give a toss about effective CS is another matter entirely.

To be honest I've never found phone support to be worth it even pre-covid. Was always less stressful to just email

[Deleted User]

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Surely you'd eventually to learn to choose work or study opportunities that are closer to home?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Flinty997

[Deleted User] wrote: »

To be honest I've never found phone support to be worth it even pre-covid. Was always less stressful to just email

I think it depends entirely who you get. VM was always rubbish. AIB great. BOI rubbish. VM was almost impossible to get in the first place.

givyjoe

Deleted User wrote: »

Yes thats your opinion. Unfortunately your opinion is wrong. For 2 years I had a 90 minute commute one way. Living in one part of Dublin and working in another part.

Not sure why this is so hard for people to believe. Our transport system makes it bizarrely hard to get form relatively close parts of the city, to other relatively close parts. When i first started working in Sandyford, commuting from D12 via public transport, it was a nightmare. Bus and Luas taking around 90 mins door to door for a journey that would later take me 20-30 mins by car. I was fit for bed by the time I got to work.

Flinty997

givyjoe wrote: »

Not sure why this is so hard for people to believe. Our transport system makes it bizarrely hard to get form relatively close parts of the city, to other relatively close parts. When i first started working in Sandyford, commuting from D12 via public transport, it was a nightmare. Bus and Luas taking around 90 mins door to door for a journey that would later take me 20-30 mins by car. I was fit for bed by the time I got to work.

I'm not sure why it's so hard for people to believe how averages work or that the stats are from a pan European study.

Also your solution was to buy a car. As was mine.

ineedeuro

dodzy wrote: »

My tuppence worth - pre covid - AIB banking phone support was minutes to get through , now it’s impossible. VIRGIN media - same. Vodafone - same. Just examples. Service had plummeted in many areas in my opinion and particularly in phone support, there is no way a service level comparable to pre-covid could be maintained with people WFH. Now whether or not those at the helm of these organizations actually give a toss about effective CS is another matter entirely.

How many of those services are based in Ireland?

givyjoe

Flinty997 wrote: »

I'm not sure why it's so hard for people to believe how averages work or that the stats are from a pan European study.

Also your solution was to buy a car. As was mine.

Jesus wept, I should immediately rock out and buy a car, straight out of college with no license? Your also assuming parking was available, which it often wasn't. What has an average (of a Pan European study) got to do with individuals? Or specific personal examples that I and others were providing. Personal circumstance mean not everyone is flexible to move home or job, or always work within a reasonable commutable distance. What on earth has that study go to do my personal circumstances at the time, or those of others now? Really shouldn't need to be explained. You should pay closer attention to the posts/examples being provided, I clearly stated "when i first..".

[Deleted User]

More people should commute by bike, been doing it years (pandemic aside) and best thing I ever bought. Bike has paid for itself about 5 times over in saved fuel/transport tickets.

Answering the question in the OP - my employer is expecting us back in the office once they open. We can apply to permanently WFH if we want so that option exists, personally I am not going to take it straight away and will go back to the office for a while at least. Probably do a day or two at home.

[Deleted User]

givyjoe wrote: »

Jesus wept, I should immediately rock out and buy a car, straight out of college with no license? Your also assuming parking was available, which it often wasn't. What has an average (of a Pan European study) got to do with individuals? Or specific personal examples that I and others were providing. Personal circumstance mean not everyone is flexible to move home or job, or always work within a reasonable commutable distance. What on earth has that study go to do my personal circumstances at the time, or those of others now? Really shouldn't need to be explained. You should pay closer attention to the posts/examples being provided, I clearly stated "when i first..".

You can bring a horse to water but you can't make him change his opinion.

There are a few people on this thread whose opinions are not for changing. Some perfect examples:

"Get a job nearer your home"
"Just buy a car!"
"Then don't have kids"

All reasonable, helpful suggestions, just not based in the realities of most people.

[Deleted User]

Google extending the Treasury building to accommodate another 600 staff.

Offices going nowhere.

dkav9

Google also have 3 (I think) separate office buildings with umpteen facilities for staff, solely for the purpose of keeping their staff in as long as possible

The actions of one employer does not signal that everybody will be back.

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