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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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PhilOssophy

I have to say, and maybe I have a very understanding manager and team, but my workplace never rings me outside of work hours unless something cannot wait, which has been once in the last 15 months.
Most employers are the same I think.
(I forgot there was 1 person who was killing WFH!!!

)

The Student

Strumms wrote: »

Well, personally I’ve never had a week that involved 10 hours travel. I don’t know many, actually apart from one guy who’d spend an hour getting to work and back, it’s a pretty rare example...he thought it was going to be good for his finances going and buying a cheaper fix me upper with land in Leitrim.. 5 years later, 5 days of Edgesworthstown to Santry was raping his pocket, in an 05/06 Camry if my memory is right...

Raping his pockets, his time with family and sleep / wellbeing...

My last gig was on average 50 minutes total traveling per day and no motorways...

I have a two hour commute every day using the Luas. Trust me a two hour commute is not as unusual as you may think.

SeeMoreBut

The Student wrote: »

I have a two hour commute every day using the Luas. Trust me a two hour commute is not as unusual as you may think.

1 hour each way is very in Dublin and that's not going a million miles.

Vast majority of people would have at least 10 minute walk on either side of public transport.

40 minutes on bus/train/luas isn't hard to do

Dart from Bray to Tara Street is 45 mintes. Malahide/Howth 30

[Deleted User]

Ever notice how the WFO types tend to straight up lie through their teeth in these threads?

Strumms

Jim2007 wrote: »

I do not give out my private number. My work phone goes on at 8:00 and off at 17:00. Outside of those hours to leave the phone on requires a picket fee and an appropriate hour rate should I have to respond to a call.

The more you do, the more that is expected!

Not everybody will be given a work phone... also if it goes off and it’s off, a lot of employers will think not twice about ringing you at home...if they deem it’s important enough to and for them.

StupidLikeAFox

Strumms wrote: »

Not everybody will be given a work phone... also if it goes off and it’s off, a lot of employers will think not twice about ringing you at home...if they deem it’s important enough to and for them.

This is a bad employer problem, not a wfh problem

Strumms

Deleted User wrote: »

Ever notice how the WFO types tend to straight up lie through their teeth in these threads?

Not really ... what’s a WFO ‘type’... ahhh yes , someone who values separation of home, social and personal life away from their work life, People who value ‘going’ to work as opposed to work being ‘there’ all the time ? People who value not walking around their house / apartment and being surrounded by documentation, work PC, and assorted other reminders or what they do for a living,,, no thanks..

I’m the type of person who would ..

leave my work laptop in the locker IN work...

Turn my work mobile off as I leave my desk...

Have zero work documents, paraphernalia lying about at home...

Work just doesn’t enter my personal, family, social sphere in any way.. if you an employer and you need me on Saturday you’ll talk to me on Monday. Simple...

Strumms

StupidLikeAFox wrote: »

This is a bad employer problem, not a wfh problem

Both WILL go hand in hand.

Antares35

Strumms wrote: »

Not really ... what’s a WFO ‘type’... ahhh yes , someone who values separation of home, social and personal life away from their work life, People who value ‘going’ to work as opposed to work being ‘there’ all the time ? People who value not walking around their house / apartment and being surrounded by documentation, work PC, and assorted other reminders or what they do for a living,,, no thanks..

I’m the type of person who would ..

leave my work laptop in the locker IN work...

Turn my work mobile off as I leave my desk...

Have zero work documents, paraphernalia lying about at home...

Work just doesn’t enter my personal, family, social sphere in any way.. if you an employer and you need me on Saturday you’ll talk to me on Monday. Simple...

I'd hate to be in a job so soul destroying that the mere sight of my laptop at the weekend would upset me.

It's entirely possible to completely separate your job and personal life in a WFH setting, and if you can't manage that, then it isn't WFH that's your problem.

Antares35

Strumms wrote: »

Both WILL go hand in hand.

And yet... For thousands of people.... For well over a year.... They haven't

Backstreet Moyes

Strumms wrote: »

People who advocate wfh will be disappointed...

It will simply become lfw, live for work...

You’ll be making the spaghetti al forno ricetta 7pm and yapping to the other half kids then some schmuck boss will be ringing just after a ‘quick opinion’ on an email or something that transpired that day... the fûck would I blur that line and give them an ‘IN’ into my personal life, space and that of my loved ones. Fûck em....you won’t be earning a cent more then say 100 quid extra per month for power or internet expenses...

Why would your employer start calling you outside of work because you are working from home?

Unless you are in the office at 7pm I am not sure what difference working from home would be as if your boss is calling you after work now he has been doing it before.

I very much doubt many bosses started asking for an employees phone number to chat at 7pm because they are no longer in the office after half 5.

Based on the fact you wouldn't let this happen means it's it's some bizarre fantasy in your head.

Again not sure what way other people's Internet works but I have a fix amount that I was paying when working in the office and I am still paying that amount now.

Power costs have gone up a small bit but nowhere near 100.

Again I assume just exaggerating made up numbers pulled from your head.

irelandrover

Deleted User wrote: »

Ever notice how the WFO types tend to straight up lie through their teeth in these threads?

THis is a very bizarre statement. Just because you dont agree with something doesnt make it a lie. Who is straight up lying?

irelandrover

Strumms wrote: »

Work just doesn’t enter my personal, family, social sphere in any way.. if you an employer and you need me on Saturday you’ll talk to me on Monday. Simple...

Surely this stays the same when you WFH. You even get to control it more as you can just shut the laptop and turn off the phone at 5. No chance of someone calling by your desk last minute.

Strumms

Antares35 wrote: »

I'd hate to be in a job so soul destroying that the mere sight of my laptop at the weekend would upset me.

It's entirely possible to completely separate your job and personal life in a WFH setting, and if you can't manage that, then it isn't WFH that's your problem.

Upset ? I don’t think anybody spoke about being upset

Possible, perhaps, I just wouldn’t want to make the effort.. leave the office, job done, switch off, till the next day .

Strumms

irelandrover wrote: »

Surely this stays the same when you WFH. You even get to control it more as you can just shut the laptop and turn off the phone at 5. No chance of someone calling by your desk last minute.

Somebody calls by my desk at 5 it’s “ send me an email and we’ll catch up on Monday “

irelandrover

Strumms wrote: »

Somebody calls by my desk at 5 it’s “ send me an email and we’ll catch up on Monday “

and how does that change with WFH. You just don't answer your phone. there isn't even a need to screen calls as you just turn off your work phone at 5.

SeeMoreBut

How many of the WFO did go to the pub after work on a Friday or social events during the week would be the same ones who say they leave work when they leave the building.

Bar a couple when I finish work that's my contact with them until next day I sign in.

I WFH and you wouldn't find one piece of documentation of work on my desk. All soft copy.

[Deleted User]

Wheels are in motion lads. Remote working isn't the future. It's happening right now.

It's a pointless discussion at this stage, hence the constant need for lying to keep it going.

Strumms

irelandrover wrote: »

and how does that change with WFH. You just don't answer your phone. there isn't even a need to screen calls as you just turn off your work phone at 5.

If your boss has your mobile, personal mobile ? “ sorry, just checking if... “. Their mindset will be blurred by your home no longer being your personal space 100%... you and it and your time there partly belongs to them, that’s how they’ll see it.

ineedeuro

Deleted User wrote: »

Wheels are in motion lads. Remote working isn't the future. It's happening right now.

It's a pointless discussion at this stage, hence the constant need for lying to keep it going.

WFH started in early 2000's.....surprised this thread is actually still going. Seems to be going in circles now.....

Strumms

Deleted User wrote: »

Wheels are in motion lads. Remote working isn't the future. It's happening right now.

It's a pointless discussion at this stage, hence the constant need for lying to keep it going.

Well for a pointless discussion you’ve said quite a bit...

Post covid there will be a kickback

irelandrover

Strumms wrote: »

If your boss has your mobile, personal mobile ? “ sorry, just checking if... “. Their mindset will be blurred by your home no longer being your personal space 100%... you and it and your time there partly belongs to them, that’s how they’ll see it.

But that isn't changed by WFH. That's your boss being an idiot.

Strumms

irelandrover wrote: »

But that isn't changed by WFH. That's your boss being an idiot.

Which wfh enables more of...

I want boundary’s between work and home / social

Antares35

Strumms wrote: »

Upset ? I don’t think anybody spoke about being upset

Possible, perhaps, I just wouldn’t want to make the effort.. leave the office, job done, switch off, till the next day .

Make the effort to what? Not log on to your work laptop? Is it really that difficult?

Job done, switch off, till the next day. Very same except, oh yes that's right, not bookended by a commute.

See the Luas has caused disruption again today

Antares35

irelandrover wrote: »

and how does that change with WFH. You just don't answer your phone. there isn't even a need to screen calls as you just turn off your work phone at 5.

Maybe they call to the door.

completedit

I personally think we'll go back to the previous way for a while but it will eventually come back by the end of the decade. All the powers that be want people back in offices; it's good for commerce, it's good for owners of capital, it's good for organisational structure, it's good for cities. Too many stand to lose out too much for it to be embraced whole heartedly. What you'll see, imo, is the most sought after people being able to call the shots but the more middle rung will have to tow the line. Eventually though it will reach a critical mass where more and more demand that they be able to WFH.

irelandrover

Personally if you are close enough to the office i think it will go back to 100% office based. It wont be worth having a home office in the house for 2 days a week. A hybrid system with fixed days in the office is the worst of all worlds.

WFH will be a perk that people look for.

What these threads have shown me is there are a lot of bad companies out there, and a lot of people with terrible work/life balances.

DubDani

Very interesting discussion and makes me realize that I actually work for a great employer (American multinational) who are supportive of changes in the work environment.

In our company a large portion of European and American employees were already WFH full time before the pandemic, so there hasn't really been any big change for many of us.

I personally have been WFH for the last 10 years, but am fully setup for it, with a separate multi-screen office in my house. UK and Irish employees who haven't worked from home before have already been told that they won't be asked to go back if they don't want to. Subsequently several of my English colleagues have moved out of the expensive South East England commuter belt into more affordable areas or built home offices in the garden etc.

I think the interesting part if the shift in WFH in countries where it usually isn't part of the culture, like India or Mexico. We have a fairly big operation in INDIA and a lot of my Indian colleagues have since the beginning of COVID moved back to their home cities, often several hours travel from our Indian office. And it actually works very well for them. I am aware of several people who have said they will not be moving back and quit unless they can continue to WFH. A lot of those guys are quite experienced and there is no way we would want to loose them. So if India loosens up on WFH it is possible that ultimately more jobs could go those countries, even when the financial savings are not as big anymore as they might have been 10 or 15 years ago (i.e. some of our experienced Indian colleagues already earn more then the average Irish office employee).

Strumms

Antares35 wrote: »

Make the effort to what? Not log on to your work laptop? Is it really that difficult?

Job done, switch off, till the next day. Very same except, oh yes that's right, not bookended by a commute.

See the Luas has caused disruption again today

Not difficult unless your boss contacts you wanting you too, which from time to time is likely with the lines blurred.

Never needed to rely on the Luas thankfully. Just driven to most of my work.

Antares35

Strumms wrote: »

Not difficult unless your boss contacts you wanting you too, which from time to time is likely with the lines blurred.

Never needed to rely on the Luas thankfully. Just driven to most of my work.

Ok so it's gone from not wanting to see your laptop because it's a reminder of what you do for a living to having to power it up because your boss contacts you. Amazing the amount of people who don't seem to have the word "no" in their vocabulary.

I too drove to work, after putting up with the Luas shenanigans for too long. My commute was still an hour. Those ten hours a week are more valuable to me now, whether they were previously spent on a tram or in a car.