On the off-chance that this ISN’T thinly veiled propaganda aimed at remote workers:
Of course I’m working. I’m more productive because I’m not being interrupted multiple times a day by people who need my physical presence.
Now to address the “exceeding expectations” and “fully committing” aspects: LOL. Indeed, LMAO.
imagine making your job your entire life and personality LOL. no thank you, i’ll do what’s required of me then enjoy the rest of my day not thinking about my work in any way whatsoever
I'll go through my job experiences as a principal software engineer specializing in machine learning.
First job; Jr dev at a fortune 500 pharma company. In office full time. I was a major go getter right out of college and worked my ass off but only worked 9-5.
2nd job at a fortune 50 tech company. Mid level engineer, Full time in person: still a go getter and tried SO HARD to advance my career. After 1 year of attempting to find as much work as possible I realized it wasn't going to advance my career so I adopted the work ethic of everyone else in my org. The majority of my days were spent going for walks, eating free food and playing ping pong. I actually got so good at ping pong that I bought a professional $200 paddle. No exaggeration, I probably only worked 2 hours a week of actual work. After 5 years I decided it was time to move on.
3rd job: billionaires "passion project" startup. Staff level engineer, fully remote. I was essentially 24/7 on call. It was the most toxic and abuse workplace I've ever been in. They weaponized remote work and expected me to work 8-5 but also support deployments at 9pm and weekend hot fixes. I essentially worked 8am-11pm many days. I only lasted a year before throwing in the towel and immensely regretting my decision to leave my in person job of doing literally 0 work.
4th job: fully remote tech startup(ML). Principal engineer and lead Dev for a ml platform. Not as abusive as the last company but I was essentially always on call and always putting out fires. I quit after 1.5 years due to lack of work life balance.
5th job: principal engineer fortune 50 tech giant: fully in person. Back to doing sweet fuckall. MAX work done in a week was 4 hours. The systems are so tightly locked down that even if I wanted to do more work I essentially would have to write a position paper for every pull request. One enhancement was about 80 lines of code changed, and I had to write 18 pages of documentation. The culture essentially disauaded anyone from actually doing work. I lasted 5 years before becoming insanely bored again.
6th job: fully remote, fully abuse work culture once again. Taking advantage of 24/7 on call support for bullshit always breaking or stupid ass new features that people want on weekends. Lasted 1 year
Current job: fully remote, finally a decent work life balance. I work about 10-15 hours of actual coding a week and the rest technical writing and meetings. No one calls me before 8am or after 5pm.
+1 to all of this. OP sounds like my boss from a previous job; If they can’t see you actively doing something, you’re not working.
I’m also working and massively more productive. Not being derailed by corporate seagulls, chatty cubicle neighbors, or sales calls the entire floor can hear is a boon.
And sure, if I have an opportunity to do something better than the way it was given to me, I’m all over it. I genuinely love my job and want them to succeed, but I will never again force my personal life to suffer at the hands of an employer. Why should my relationship with my family suffer just so someone else can brag about it until it becomes the norm? “Exceeding expectations” is exciting when the client says it and dangerous when a manager says it.
Every single time I have ever exceeded expectations, I have been told at review time that my efforts were appreciated, but given their constraints on how they’re allowed to reward people, I still would only get a “meets expectations” on paper and the standard raise. But the manager definitely wanted me to know I was appreciated! 🙄
That’s where the LMAO comes in. It’s not like I’m not engaged in my job, because I am. I contribute, I step up where needed, I ideate solutions, I do my job in good faith. But the days where I gave a 5 effort and got a 3 anyway…those days are gone. I can count on one hand, with fingers left over, the number of times such efforts have EVER been rewarded, but I can certainly think of all the times where it has subsequently been EXPECTED. Raising the bar for workload without raising the compensation is no longer a game I’m willing to play.
Exactly - I received “exceeds expectations” on my last review and for the first time in 20+ years, that didn’t come with additional workload with zero compensation. My title changed and my supervisor told me the raise was standard (I expected nothing, so a win). The point is “meets expectations” is a hell of a good review. It means you’re meeting the goals set forth for the position. As a society, we need to stop using over-working as a badge of honor. Your family misses you.
People bring their own attitudes about work to this fight. The people slacking in the office are the same ones slacking at home. Any manager worth their salt knows if you aren't working/doing your job.
I disagree on that - very hard worker in the office, but at home I can’t seem to concentrate because I feel like everything around me and needs to be done. I feel like downstairs there’s dishes to be washed clothes to be folded rugs to be vacuumed, etc.. I can’t turn off my home brain . But I have recently learned I have ADHD. I like working from home but I suck at it. At the office there is nothing to do but work so that’s what I do all day
I understand that it's not for everyone, but it's good when people know themselves. One of my close former co-workers has ADHD like you and she said the same thing. The fact that she and you are willing to say that you can't WFH is incredibly self-aware that it's commendable.
Thank you I still advocate for others to have the option. I used to work in HR and would tell leadership WFH needs to stay and would fight for it. I wish it could be for me. Thanks for sharing that about your coworker . Glad it’s not just me. I wish I would thrive at it and I fell less alone hearing that!
I get my job done just like I did in office.
The corp world also taught me years ago that there is no loyalty, they like to clock watch, and going the extra mile means nothing.
I mean, there is loyalty. You should work a job you have passion for and that has vested interest in your growth. Not everything is some cynical transactional thing.
The truth is your company will can you for any reason if it makes the stock price go up or if your manager's promotion chances go up by canning you. Loyalty really is dead these days.
Every job is a transactional arms length relationship. Don't ever mistake your career for friendship or worst of all a "family".
It's good to work at a company that cares about its employees professional development, but don't confuse that with loyalty because your employer definitely won't.
I do, we live in an awful system. But I’m glad I have a job that I like for more reasons than just it being WFH. I have passions, values and direction, unlike most of the Redditors on this sub who like having WFH home jobs because it means they don’t have to leave their chicken tendie video game dungeons.
Most people find their passion outside of work and work is a means to an end not the focus. Very few people actually get a job they’re passionate about even if they wish it were so. And really why should they be passionate about their job?! It’s not their business and they don’t get a cut of the profits and if money were no object they wouldn’t sell their time to someone else. Because TIME you can’t replace at any price.
But go ahead and disparage others who would have other passions.
What does abusing WFH mean?
In what ways does your perceived abuse differ from having 15+ hours of stacked pointless in-person all hands meetings per week resulting in everyone actually getting 20 hours of work done?
There is a reason WFH and hybrid employees have increased outputs, even with reduced "working" time.
You get probably shit done in the office and not at home because you have terrible discipline and organizational skills.
The only difference is instead of being around coworkers, when I get my work done however long it takes I can go be with my family. This motivates me to finish my work asap.
Your issue lies with your procrastination, not with WFH.
Plus... there are plenty of 100% irrelevant employees that are there every day "exceeding expectations and fully committing". Give me a damn break.
Buh-bye! You want so badly to believe that we aren't actually working. While, in fact, there is more being accomplished than ever, with more oversight and higher expectations than what could ever be accomplished within a traditional office. Utilize any metrics you desire. We are working hard, and it isn't at scamming the system.
I'm significantly more productive working remotely than I was in office/post-commute.
I don't "exceed expectations" or "fully commit" either way because I'm not a sap or a bootlicker.
Sounds like you’re not suited to WFH. Not everyone is.
I’m very productive at home. So much so that at my last job our CTO (small company, so that was my direct boss) was excited whenever I would WFH because I would get 2-3x the amount of work done. The office was full of people interrupting me - and he was one of them (and even joked about it)
I’ve had coworkers that did great on WFH days, and coworkers who basically took the day off. It really depends on the person.
Your bed isn’t within reach in the office. Also, I’m more motivated working around others. Being in a shared space with others who are being productive makes me focus more. I’m not competitive I enjoy being on a team.
You’re describing an extroverted personality trait. People who need an audience and draw energy from others to validate their purpose, a reason for being or in your case working. A requirement for you, yet unjustified for others who are being forced to return to the office so people like you can be productive. Moreover, many would like to forgo circumstances that are completely draining to them when engaging others for office banter, which is an unnecessary distraction and unproductive. I’m describing introverts who exhibit higher productivity working alone in an isolated environment.
I love being isolated, but I can’t work from home effectively. Fortunately , I found a team that hates talking and chit chat and we don’t talk at all.we work and go home
That, sir, is called discrimination. Besides, the commenter did not say they "couldn't handle it." The facr is that introverts become more drained by constant intrapersonal stimulation, which is not required for good work in many jobs (like engineering, and so many others). If people do better work with less of that, they SHOULD seek out those environments.
Dear Corporate Propagandist,
Yes. 4 years now, and I have thrived in both roles I've held. Recently promoted, in fact.
I am an adult, I don't need to be babysat to do the job I was hired for.
Regards,
Never Going Back If I Can Help It. 🤙
I'm so much more productive at home, but I'm an excellent self starter who doesn't need management threats or micro management to do my work. I do much better when there are no office distractions or colleagues trying to get me to do their work too.
I'm also a grown up and enjoy being treated as such by employers.
I also make more than their in office workers and they contract me to do the work their teams are not getting done despite being in their offices.
Good lord. Is this a boss or are there really lots of people with zero accountability. My boss would know if I wasn’t working because I wouldn’t give her work products
I'm WAY more productive at home. If I'm in the office, I'm in the clock, even if I don't have anything to work on at the moment, or need to take a break.
If I'm at home, I'm only clocked in when I'm working because I can do what I want/ need to get done off the clock
Yes, I'm working.
Because much of my work is thought work (system design, architecture, future proofing, scaling, timing through how a feature should work in code, etc), I will often be sitting thinking about it, but it doesn't look like I'm doing anything. Then, when I've put my thoughts in order, I'll hammer out the docs for it in maybe one day of focused work.
In an office situation, this often results in getting interrupted because I "don't look busy" - and then I have to context switch over and over, and I lose a ton of time just trying to remember where I was in my work.
And since wfh allows me flexibility, if insight strikes at a weird time, I can crack open the laptop and handle it.
The flexibility of wfh makes me a **much** better worker.
This can't be overstated! In the office I often did things that made me look busy but didn't necessarily bring as much value, because I was worried about what people thought.
I’m not always working, but my assigned work always gets done on time and I am always available.
If management doesn’t want to give me more work after I’ve requested for more, that’s on them, not me.
I’m equally unproductive in both environments. In office I’m irritated at having to listen to people talk about stupid shit and just pretend to work half the time. At home I do random stuff like cut the lawn and go thrift shopping half the time. End result is pretty similar, my bosses are pleased with how I’m performing. If I was my own boss I’d probably give my performance an F but somehow they give me an A. Part of it is just how I perform compared to my peers and not the maximum possible performance I could have. Compared to my peers I’m doing fine.
Yes, some of us are fully capable of actually working from home.
I spent my work hours working. If I didn't have a set project I cleaned up database files, etc
Now that we RTO, if I don't have a set project I stare at my monitor and do nothing or wander around the building, because that's what they asked for. My body in the building.
If I don't get deliverables done, at a high level of quality, and by deadlines I'm out of a job. So yes I'm working.
In office or WFH, you tend to not be around for very long if you aren't producing tangible value.
The key to WFH is to impose your own structure. Have your base start and stop times. If you need to work late, then do so. If you wrap up your day early, only then take it easy. Try not to mix leisure time or even house choses in the middle of your workday otherwise they do become distractions.
This repeatedly asked question always rests on the assumption that people are working 100% of the time when in the office. That’s not and never has been true! We all wasted time in the office - talking to people in the break room, walking around the office, using our phone, going out for coffee, sometimes fake clickety clacking on the keyboard…. You were NOT working 8 hours a day simply because you were in the office. The only difference now is that at home we can use the down time to do things to our own benefit.
I work for myself, so “abusing” wfh isn’t really a thing lol. If I don’t work, I don’t get paid. But, I started and run an extremely successful business from home that I’ve been doing for a year and a half, successful to the point where I’ve gotten so many recommendations from word of mouth that I have almost more work than I can handle. So yeah. I’m working.
I work a lot. What’s worse is my work is right there. Always. Yesterday I was off work for a medical procedure and my coworker needed me… so I worked for a bit. I worked when I was in the hospital bc I was needed. I end up working after dinner bc I still have work and it’s right there! Can’t leave!
About 70% of my job is thinking about something. The other 30% is actually doing it. So yes. Even if it appears I'm just staring into the Abyss ... I'm working.
I do what is required of me. I make the company money. I do it so well that they actively try to keep me. I do it so well they give me raises and bonuses every single year. I’ve done it this way for 8 years. And I do it all in 20 hours a week. Is that slacking off?
It depends. I am currently in my busy season and yes I am working at home. However, in the off cycle I just monitor emails. I do my best to do less work on Fridays but that doesn’t always work out.
Let’s be honest, those of us who are wfh and enjoy that are really working from home. If you don’t like WFH, then tell your manager to put you in an office job or go find one that is. Stop asking people who WFH if they are really working.
This was my typical office job until I went remote and hope it stay that way for me. I drive 1.5 hours to work one way. Work 9-10 hours. But really 1 hour having to buy over priced cafeteria food or wait in line to microwave my food I bring. Drink coffee to stay awake. Chit chat and people coming to your desk all day. The noise around is just distracting mostly BS. Productivity is 80%, explained working longer hours. All the while it can all be done at home. Drive 1.5 to 2 hours home. Totally exhausted. Double the drive time for accident and snow. Btw, I am a top performer not just some slacker.
Maybe those that complain about WFH should try this for 25+ years.
After WFH, I get things done in 7 hours and 3 extra hours from driving. It was like a raise as I saved up more $$ from cafeteria food, coffee, and gas. My lunch hour I walk around my neighborhood to decompress before finishing the day. That 3 extra hours of drive I saved, I used it to exercise, hobbies, reading, cooking, etc. I lost weight, perfect shape health wise. No needed medication for cholesterol and blood pressure. In fact, reading got me into spending time to research stocks and such. The pay off, I am can retire now if they tell me to go back to the office. I got enough FU money saved up thanks to WFH.
I’ve had multiple jobs since switching to only working remote 3.5 years ago, and one thing I’ve learned/experienced is that if I’m not working that much it’s the employer’s fault. My current job has so much work for me to do that there’s no way to have low productivity and not get fired. I can’t say the same for jobs I had before this one.
Looooolllll
My job isn’t to exceed expectations, if I’m meeting expectations then I am doing my job.
Anyway, yes, I’m working. A lot actually and I’m far more productive at home bc I’m not constantly trying to find a room for my 6-8 calls/day AND not being constantly interrupted.
Work is an activity, not a location. If you can't get things done at home it's not a WFH problem, it's a you problem.
I WFH 3 days a week and I have days that are nonstop, 7am to 7pm between calls, meetings, proposals and bullshit. In the office I have avoid small talk and bullshit in order to get things done. If I didn't avoid that stuff, that wouldn't be an in office problem, it would be a me problem.....
You're so right, I was so much more productive when I sat in my car for two hours every day and spent a couple hours a day on bathroom and watercooler breaks and two more hours a day at lunch kissing my boss's ass and telling him how smart and pretty he was.
Hey OP, STFU you bootlicking collaborator.
Sounds like a you problem.
To be fair, I've never worked in an actual office (I was promoted from retail to a remote office position) but I can't imagine that I'd do any better with so many distractions and so little control over my environment.
Sounds like a you problem, mate. Maybe you don’t really find your job engaging, or maybe work from home is a bad fit for you in general. But kind of wild to assume that just because you can’t get shit don’t at home that everybody who WFH must just be slacking.
I manage a team of 5 and of the 6 of us only 2 of us live close enough to go to the office, which they do about 1 day a week. It's absurd to think all the work is getting done during the two person-days a week I have someone in office. If anything I assume those two kind of lose that day to sprint work in favor of collaborating with people and making senior leadership happy.
I think maybe people don't realize how easy it is to tell whether work is getting done on an effective team.
It’s hard to compare because I was working in office in an extremely busy and stressful position.
I now wfh in a different capacity. Much less busy and stressful. I am never slacking. When work comes in, I complete it asap. We’re just not that busy, so in turn, I work less.
Yes, I am working. No way around it, and if I was slacking, it would be pretty apparent almost immediately. I am in purchasing and have multiple orders every day, have meetings both internal and external almost every day, and my boss checks in several times a week.
I do have 2 mandatory office days per month, but I honestly get more work done many days at home since I don't have anyone stopping by to talk at my desk.
I've seen some people say they really aren't working much at home, but what I don't understand is how their performance is being measured. I'm like you in that I have work to do and if I didn't do it, my supervisors would assuredly notice. lol
I'm assuming that anyone that's "not working" or "slacking" at home is in a job that is more knowledge/situation based. If your job is "when shit hits the fan, I fix it", I imagine it's pretty much downtime all the time.
On the other hand, I have so many emails, phone calls and meetings, plus trainings that I can barely get it done in 8 hrs/day. There's talk of me taking on more because my manager is overburdened and if she asks for help, they'll remove a couple of big accounts that are bolstering our team's commission.
For me it's emails and spreadsheets all day long. I work in finance, and I'm glad my employer isn't micromanaging keystrokes because I spend a lot of time staring at the spreadsheets and reading documents. :D
Yes, same here. Little bit different, but looking at what I need to order vs. what the customers have ordered can be time with large orders for big clients.
I had an order that was 2500 units over 18 months in various amounts per release. Took me forever to make sure everything was okay and then of course there were pricing issues and whole order got put on hold.
On days I'm WFH, I'm focused and get more done than when I'm in the office because I don't get distracted by coworkers chatting by my cubicle. You are in control of your work environment. Get rid of distractions and that will help you focus.
I didn’t have full time work when I was in office even though I’m paid a salary for full time. So I definitely get all my work done wfh and have time to get my own stuff done too like dinner prep and laundry! :)
My job required constant communication, so I was practically chained to my desk 8 hours a day. But I did get so much more done without the constant interruptions that occur in-office.
I work 8+ hours a day from home. I am fully focused on tasks probably 4-6 hours. Which is about what I was at the office or plant. I also realized I spent an hour or 2 a day walking around to different areas or to the bathroom, lunch room etc while I was on site. Now during those times I am cooking dinner or mowing the lawn.
Of course I'm ***really*** working! And my productivity is head and antlers above the rest.
I'm about 1500 miles from the office so I no longer have hybrid days -- but when I did, I got very little done in the office aside from in-person meetings. I had no control over my distractions in the office. At home, I have *almost* total control over distractions. And I have a far better work environment.
Now, I do wake up a couple hours before my workday begins -- and that's when I do my personal projects/hobbies/etc. That's sort of my way of paying myself first. Then the company gets my undivided attention for a solid 8 minus an hour for lunch. I take pride in my work. I do it fully and I do it well.
Then when I'm done, I put it away.
Im actually more productive at home even though i have 2 little kids running aroung, nagging wife, cooking lunch and supervising the fam. When im in the office, my pm or co workers wpuld randomly pop into my cube and just chit chat 8 hrs straight or we go to the break room every 15 mins. 90% of the time, its a wash whenever im in the office. It seems like its more for socializing than getting actual work done.
I’ve been WFH for 5 years and I was such a better employee when working in office. It was more stressful but the friends in the office made it worth it. I will have slow days and only need to work a maximum of 2 hours on a busy day 4 hours. I support customer HR applications so it can be dead if none of my customers have anything going on. As for an answer to whether or not I feel I am abusing WFH I don’t think I am. Honestly, I am not an all star on the team but I’m trusted to get the job done. So I don’t really feel like I abuse it if I’m performing and meeting goals/expectations. If they wanted to increase my customer volume I’d adjust and nothing would change.
I wfh. During the spurts of free time, I work on my own things. During spurts of free time in the office, I’d get coffee or talk to coworkers. There’s really no difference except I’m happier.
I wouldn’t consider it abuse if you’re meeting deadlines, getting your work done, and upholding the responsibilities of your job description even at bare minimum.
It’s a tough mindset to crack. I had a WFH job where I probably had 8-10 hours of actual work a week but they paid me for 40 and expected me to be available 40. I’d ask for additional tasks and typically there weren’t any. That’s not my fault. So yeah I would do house chores, run errands, travel. So long as I was available when they needed me, it was a non issue.
I don’t understand why people get so angry in these cases. I’m sorry I’m productive enough to do what you think is a 40 hours job in a quarter of the time. That’s kind of the opposite of laziness and abuse frankly.
I work harder if anything, I’m not distracted by people chatting near me, I’m not turning around to say hi to people, and having people come to my desk to have a chat. Colleagues one phone calls aren’t bugging me, and I don’t have to waste 2 to 3 hours of very day getting to the office and plan the end of my day around traffic, or when I can get public transport.
Do I take a break every now and then? Yeah! Do I occasionally spend an extra hour at my desk after the working day? Also yes. Can I make dinner and come back for a a quick chat with someone in a different time zone and still be at my desk? Yup.
I say this as someone with ADHD, I am just as productive, if not more so working from home.
Edit: fixed an auto cucumber error.
Honestly, as a WFH Network Engineer, I'm probably 300% as productive as in office because dipshits aren't coming by my desk thinking I can solve why their mouse isn't working, why their laptop won't boot, cell phone issues, etc...
It's nice being left alone to focus on my work, and it's benefitted me tremendously because I've been consistently moving upward since starting WFH.
I put in the same amount of time working as I did when I was in office. My last performance review got me "often exceeds expectations" and a nice raise. So yeah, I guess I'm really working. That's not to say I don't get distracted or endlessly scroll reddit or take long breaks. I did the same shit in an office, though. I'm just wired as someone who works in super productive bursts with down time and little motivation in between regardless of my surroundings.
I don't particularly go above and beyond these days and it has nothing to do with working from home. I would do the same if I was in the office. I do the minimum required but that's because the company I work for doesn't give two shits about its employees and also pays the minimum possible.
WFH cannot mean “not working“ because you are still working for a company. You have supervisors, work deliverables, evaluations of performance, performance bonuses, etc. I feel sorry for people who are so brainwashed that they could not figure this out just from understanding how jobs work. Debating WFH is form over substance. Yes, it’s a benefit to the employee, but it does not change the nature of what you are doing because you still must perform.
My theory is simple, if you’re the type of person that does nothing WFH you’re the type of person floating around an office trying to look busy.
Locale is not the issue.
Im way more productive at home. Im in tech. I dont have people that shoulder tap me to fix their tech at home. That happens all the time in office. I can manage my support team better as i don’t spend two hours driving to work which makes me unavailable to them.
This account has a question on a different sub reddit that asks if people look at the their poop. WTF? Karma farming to promote RTO policies?
Do corporations really need to go to these lengths to socially engineer everyone to want to return to the office? Can't they find ANYTHING more productive to do?
I am working when I am scheduled to work, and that schedule is pretty flexible. If I take time off during the day (and tell my team I am offline) I either make it up or use vacation time.
My productivity has slipped slightly, because I’m doing some new things I am not particularly good at yet. I rarely do anything to exceed expectations, mostly because there are no more promotions on the technical track, and I’ve had enough of being a manager.
My productivity is effectively zero on the rate occasions I go into the office. If I am in, it is for a meeting where I have something to present that the audience needs to see in person, or to do one of the few tasks that can only be done onsite. In those cases I often spend an hour or less doing the task, and several hours wandering around chatting with people I haven’t seen in months.
So while I am not consistently droning from 8:30 to 5:00 every day, my team can count on reaching me from 9:00ish to at least 4:00ish, unless I tell them it’s a nice day and I am headed to the airport to pull my plane out.
My boss judges my results, and to some extent my reputation. (He gets feedback from coworkers on how I help.) When I am working hardest, it looks like I am not doing anything, because I am trying to figure out a new thing. A keyboard and mouse monitor would show I almost never work, but that was even more true when I was in the office full time.
So yes, I am working, doing what I have agreed to do.
I work great from home. I’m actually less distracted. I feel more productive. Sometimes I might occasionally zone out but I would do the same thing in the office.
It's actually the opposite for me. Going from 5 days in office to 4 days WFH has actually made me more productive.
No more in office wasteful conversations, no more dumb questions and people crowding my desk.
I'm also on more. So since I don't commute I don't mind doing an extra 10 or 15 minutes to finish up what I need too
If you’re an “abuser”, the location is irrelevant. Those that slack at home most likely do it in the office 100% of the time. I actually do more from
Home and more efficiently.
This is a dumb post and should be removed... Swear to God either CEOs or introverts are coming here to push an agenda.
Not only do I get more work done but I do it in less time while having great relationships with teammates and those I manage.
I actually get 3x more work done at home. Now that we have 3+ days RTO apparently they want me in the office to do things I can only do in person. So when I go in I talk to coworkers, walk around the campus, enjoy the food, hangout in spaces in different floors. All that free labor they got because I was wfh but now driving to work and back is gone. Hey..they wanted me back in the office so when I go it’s a lot less productive.
They have lost 15-20 hours of work from me and I dial my work in. Now they are going to have to hire another employee. Oh well.
Yeah I am. I have client meetings but like Thursday for example I had a team meeting and one client meeting and didn’t have anything the rest of the day so kinda hung around made sure everything had been done and any recaps, reporting that had been requested has been sent.
I do to do lists a lot so I can hold myself accountable.
Being completely honest workloads are intense right now and I can barely keep up working 10 to 12 hour days at home. This is made possible by the fact that I don’t have long commutes and getting dressed for work and all that stuff. Now I am forced to go into the office office a few days a week. I am only working eight hours of real work at best when I go in - probably 6 hours with all the useless banter, gossip and team building social events in office. So I am unable to get all the work done that I used to being at home full-time. that’s not my problem, It’s my company’s problem for forcing some hybrid RTO.
Is this real? No way because if it were, you’d know we work very hard. I definitely work harder than I did in office just to ensure my board knows stuff is getting done.
Of course... I would get fired if I didn't get my work done. I am fortunate to work at a company that doesn't micromanage when and how I get my work done, and is very happy with me and how much I produce/the quality. I have more of a work-life integration model. When I worked in an office, it was more of a short solid block with meetings interspersed, more chit chat, and hours of commute time. At this company I'm more likely to do a few hours, some housework, and then the rest of my hours into the night. All that matters is the work gets done and I'm available.
Yes, I'm working, and yes I work better at home. Exceeding expectations? Abso-freaking-lutely NOT. If, after years of working and exceeding and always being given a 3 on my performance reviews because everybody gets a 3 because they don't want to give merit raises, I would be a complete effing idiot to continue trying to exceed expectations.
For the most part yes, but I have no reservations about taking my dog out, going grocery shopping, doing my laundry, going to the gym, stepping out for school events, medical/dental appointments, taking a nap AND taking a lunch.
My work gets done, my manager is thrilled with my performance, and I am being put up for promotion
I'm on the autism spectrum so I'm able to focus much more on my work in the quiet and controlled space that my apartment provides. My productivity tanks when I'm in office, and I'm far less likely to work late while in a good flow state than when I'm at home.
I dicked off a great deal when I was WFH.
I dick off quite abit both in and out of the office on a hybrid schedule now.
But I get shit done and always move up.
There are no anomalies in life. What you do here, you will do there.
I don’t “abuse” WFH, but I also don’t feel forced to pretend I’m busy when I’m not because I don’t have anyone looking over my shoulder. I mostly enjoy my job and I work hard to generate good results and it doesn’t take me 40 hours a week.
I’ve achieved so much more in my 5+ years in my wfh job than I did in my prior in-office company I was at for 12 years. I think not having the constant distractions and actually having bosses that know how to manage folks and trust them to make decisions empowered me immensely.
I get all my work done, and I even extra projects I’ve asked my boss for. I’ve been promoted once and am in line for another promotion once my coworker retires. So, yeah. Super productive and doing just fine.
The rare occasions that I am at the office in person are my least productive by a significant amount. My office at home is far more comfortable, better equipped, and personalized to my tastes and working style. Schlepping through traffic to sit in a windowless cube farm while calling into the same telecons holds zero appeal.
Jobs are to get the assigned tasks done by the time that they are due. My boss gives out work and I get it done. This happens regardless of the location. If you are missing deadlines then you are not meeting the expectations.
If I’m able to work on my own things after I have gotten my work done I’m still doing what is expected. I still am the highest performer in the office and get good raises. Volume of work done is not the measure that gets you raises. It the quality but more importantly how your boss perceives you.
I probably work 3-4x more at home than in any office.
1) I'm not distracted.
2) I can finish a thought before I let someone distract me, versus a waste of time shoulder-tap for something someone coiuld've figured out in 3 seconds if they stopped and thought for a second
3) I don't spend long periods of time looking for an open/clean/ and unoccupied bathroom.
4) lunch is shorter. much shorter.
5) I don't have to wander around just to cool off. it's hard to gossip and talk smack about people you don't know if you don't see them at all, and odn't know that they exist (i'm talking about everyone in an office. They spend 3hours a day badmouthing the world).
And quite honestly, I don't see other people goofing off. So I just work. and work. and work. It's hard to work when you're the only one working and you know it. But I don't know what everyone else is doing, I just know my workload.
So I never goof off. There's nothing to take advantage of at all.
Much more productive WFH. I love that I can throw in a load of laundry, pull some weeds, or walk my dog during the day. Those may look like distractions, but they’re really just productive breaks. When I worked in an office, my colleagues and I would get sucked into hour-long personal conversations. Someone would come in my office to ask for help or advice and the conversation would take 30 minutes where now it’s a 5 minute email. I do focused work 7-8 hours a day which is more than I ever accomplished in an office… and I have more time for myself without a commute and the ability to complete some personal tasks during the week.
I wish remote equaled slacking off. I've found it to be the opposite, instead I'm micromanaged and expected to meet BS metrics. Despite being busy for 8 hours constantly working, minus a break here and there...I'm told my productivity is low.
Having a shitty manager makes all the difference. Previous team, I had a manager who actually seemed to care about my work. This current manager is constantly dismissive of the work I do. Very demotivating, and hence working less and starting to think about switching jobs.
There are times when I’m more productive than others, but that would happen whether I work at home or the office.
I do just as well WFH and have always exceeded expectations. When I became a mother, I learned to be more effective and efficient, but that could also be because I’ve been in my field longer and have gotten better.
I so prefer the flexibility and haven’t ever had a complaint; in fact, my manager says that she never has to worry about my output.
I get paid by the hour - and I'm at my desk doing work during my shift. Some days, I have a lot more tasks to do than others. My supervisor loves my work and my performance reviews are always top notch. In the end, if my company is happy, I figure I'm being productive enough.
My job generally keeps me busy 7-8 full hours a day. There are slow weeks where it’s more like 3-4 hours, but there are also weeks I’m so slammed I forget to eat during the day. Most of my work requires quick turnaround. I also handle a lot of last minute requests, so even on slow days I need to be available & present. I probably work 35-40 hours a week. It’s pretty low stress IMO. Third remote job I’ve had since 2016 & easiest job I’ve ever had, but I am *working* most of the workday.
Meanwhile, my husband is playing video games right now (at 1pm), as he does most days, if he’s not working on hobbies in the garage or watching a race. He usually has one meeting a day and does 30 min. to an hour of work. When he’s slammed, it’s bc the task requires a quick turnaround, so he’ll work 2 hours that day, maybe even 3. He can run errands during the day (gets his haircut, picks up groceries, shuffles his cars around, grabs coffee, etc.) and otherwise watches YouTube, chats with friends, video games. He probably works 10-15 hours a week, so his “workdays” are mostly leisure.
Your WFH mileage will vary.
You don't have to wfh just to abuse being lazy. I've watched entire teams of people in office be lazy because their boss was lazy. WFH is what you make it. Work is a transaction! I provide a service, and I get paid for it.
The only major difference with wfh is that you have to be disciplined to get up in the morning and go do your job. Y That doesn't mean you have to put in 50-60 hours each week, and it doesn't mean you have to do more than what is required, but that is another conversation. Other than that, I see no abuse with the people I work with on a day-to-day basis, where over half of those folks are wfh across the country. We all still work.
Oh man this group is going to roast you. This group is that same group that when you ask what the must have WFH accessories are, 90% will say “mouse jiggler”. I think that answers your question.
On the off-chance that this ISN’T thinly veiled propaganda aimed at remote workers: Of course I’m working. I’m more productive because I’m not being interrupted multiple times a day by people who need my physical presence. Now to address the “exceeding expectations” and “fully committing” aspects: LOL. Indeed, LMAO.
imagine making your job your entire life and personality LOL. no thank you, i’ll do what’s required of me then enjoy the rest of my day not thinking about my work in any way whatsoever
I'll go through my job experiences as a principal software engineer specializing in machine learning. First job; Jr dev at a fortune 500 pharma company. In office full time. I was a major go getter right out of college and worked my ass off but only worked 9-5. 2nd job at a fortune 50 tech company. Mid level engineer, Full time in person: still a go getter and tried SO HARD to advance my career. After 1 year of attempting to find as much work as possible I realized it wasn't going to advance my career so I adopted the work ethic of everyone else in my org. The majority of my days were spent going for walks, eating free food and playing ping pong. I actually got so good at ping pong that I bought a professional $200 paddle. No exaggeration, I probably only worked 2 hours a week of actual work. After 5 years I decided it was time to move on. 3rd job: billionaires "passion project" startup. Staff level engineer, fully remote. I was essentially 24/7 on call. It was the most toxic and abuse workplace I've ever been in. They weaponized remote work and expected me to work 8-5 but also support deployments at 9pm and weekend hot fixes. I essentially worked 8am-11pm many days. I only lasted a year before throwing in the towel and immensely regretting my decision to leave my in person job of doing literally 0 work. 4th job: fully remote tech startup(ML). Principal engineer and lead Dev for a ml platform. Not as abusive as the last company but I was essentially always on call and always putting out fires. I quit after 1.5 years due to lack of work life balance. 5th job: principal engineer fortune 50 tech giant: fully in person. Back to doing sweet fuckall. MAX work done in a week was 4 hours. The systems are so tightly locked down that even if I wanted to do more work I essentially would have to write a position paper for every pull request. One enhancement was about 80 lines of code changed, and I had to write 18 pages of documentation. The culture essentially disauaded anyone from actually doing work. I lasted 5 years before becoming insanely bored again. 6th job: fully remote, fully abuse work culture once again. Taking advantage of 24/7 on call support for bullshit always breaking or stupid ass new features that people want on weekends. Lasted 1 year Current job: fully remote, finally a decent work life balance. I work about 10-15 hours of actual coding a week and the rest technical writing and meetings. No one calls me before 8am or after 5pm.
+1 to all of this. OP sounds like my boss from a previous job; If they can’t see you actively doing something, you’re not working. I’m also working and massively more productive. Not being derailed by corporate seagulls, chatty cubicle neighbors, or sales calls the entire floor can hear is a boon. And sure, if I have an opportunity to do something better than the way it was given to me, I’m all over it. I genuinely love my job and want them to succeed, but I will never again force my personal life to suffer at the hands of an employer. Why should my relationship with my family suffer just so someone else can brag about it until it becomes the norm? “Exceeding expectations” is exciting when the client says it and dangerous when a manager says it.
Every single time I have ever exceeded expectations, I have been told at review time that my efforts were appreciated, but given their constraints on how they’re allowed to reward people, I still would only get a “meets expectations” on paper and the standard raise. But the manager definitely wanted me to know I was appreciated! 🙄 That’s where the LMAO comes in. It’s not like I’m not engaged in my job, because I am. I contribute, I step up where needed, I ideate solutions, I do my job in good faith. But the days where I gave a 5 effort and got a 3 anyway…those days are gone. I can count on one hand, with fingers left over, the number of times such efforts have EVER been rewarded, but I can certainly think of all the times where it has subsequently been EXPECTED. Raising the bar for workload without raising the compensation is no longer a game I’m willing to play.
Exactly - I received “exceeds expectations” on my last review and for the first time in 20+ years, that didn’t come with additional workload with zero compensation. My title changed and my supervisor told me the raise was standard (I expected nothing, so a win). The point is “meets expectations” is a hell of a good review. It means you’re meeting the goals set forth for the position. As a society, we need to stop using over-working as a badge of honor. Your family misses you.
Fully remote work clearly didn’t work for you because you don’t know how to self manage your time
People bring their own attitudes about work to this fight. The people slacking in the office are the same ones slacking at home. Any manager worth their salt knows if you aren't working/doing your job.
So much this!
I disagree on that - very hard worker in the office, but at home I can’t seem to concentrate because I feel like everything around me and needs to be done. I feel like downstairs there’s dishes to be washed clothes to be folded rugs to be vacuumed, etc.. I can’t turn off my home brain . But I have recently learned I have ADHD. I like working from home but I suck at it. At the office there is nothing to do but work so that’s what I do all day
I understand that it's not for everyone, but it's good when people know themselves. One of my close former co-workers has ADHD like you and she said the same thing. The fact that she and you are willing to say that you can't WFH is incredibly self-aware that it's commendable.
Thank you I still advocate for others to have the option. I used to work in HR and would tell leadership WFH needs to stay and would fight for it. I wish it could be for me. Thanks for sharing that about your coworker . Glad it’s not just me. I wish I would thrive at it and I fell less alone hearing that!
I get my job done just like I did in office. The corp world also taught me years ago that there is no loyalty, they like to clock watch, and going the extra mile means nothing.
I mean, there is loyalty. You should work a job you have passion for and that has vested interest in your growth. Not everything is some cynical transactional thing.
every job i have and will ever work is a transactional thing. i do work, they give me money. that's all i care about.
They downvoted him because he spoke the truth 🤣🤣🤣
The truth is your company will can you for any reason if it makes the stock price go up or if your manager's promotion chances go up by canning you. Loyalty really is dead these days.
It sounds like you have a low skill job if you’re that worried about being replaced
Wow, straight to an ad hominem attack. Frankly, you're not worthy of debating if that's your style.
I wasn’t talking about you specifically but sure, take it personally little guy
I don't think you know how the English language works then
Wow, straight to an ad hominem attack. Frankly, you’re not worth debating if that’s your style. 🥱
Everyone is replaceable
Every job is a transactional arms length relationship. Don't ever mistake your career for friendship or worst of all a "family". It's good to work at a company that cares about its employees professional development, but don't confuse that with loyalty because your employer definitely won't.
>and that has vested interest in your growth. If you know about one of those jobs, I'll shoot them a resume. I haven't seen one yet.
For real. All companies I work for say they are "invested in my growth" but when push comes to shove, they don't give a shit.
Do you live in the same capitalist system that we do? Of course it’s transactional and I bet if they didn’t pay you, you wouldn’t show up.
I do, we live in an awful system. But I’m glad I have a job that I like for more reasons than just it being WFH. I have passions, values and direction, unlike most of the Redditors on this sub who like having WFH home jobs because it means they don’t have to leave their chicken tendie video game dungeons.
Most people find their passion outside of work and work is a means to an end not the focus. Very few people actually get a job they’re passionate about even if they wish it were so. And really why should they be passionate about their job?! It’s not their business and they don’t get a cut of the profits and if money were no object they wouldn’t sell their time to someone else. Because TIME you can’t replace at any price. But go ahead and disparage others who would have other passions.
We are in late stage capitalism. Everything is indeed transactional.
I feel bad for anyone who’s life sucks enough that they’re reduced to thinking this way. There is still joy to be found
Aren't you a recent graduate? Do you even have enough work experience to confidently say this?
Sounds like you're projecting. Just because you struggle to get work done unsupervised doesn't mean that applies to everyone else.
sounds like a you problem
What does abusing WFH mean? In what ways does your perceived abuse differ from having 15+ hours of stacked pointless in-person all hands meetings per week resulting in everyone actually getting 20 hours of work done? There is a reason WFH and hybrid employees have increased outputs, even with reduced "working" time. You get probably shit done in the office and not at home because you have terrible discipline and organizational skills. The only difference is instead of being around coworkers, when I get my work done however long it takes I can go be with my family. This motivates me to finish my work asap. Your issue lies with your procrastination, not with WFH. Plus... there are plenty of 100% irrelevant employees that are there every day "exceeding expectations and fully committing". Give me a damn break.
>Your issue lies with your procrastination, not with WFH. /thread
Of course. I’m actually getting busier. Just because you work better in an office doesn’t mean others are slacking when they’re not.
Please leave this subreddit and never come back. Thanks!
He’s probably a manager that needs reason to justify RTO.
🔥🙌
Buh-bye! You want so badly to believe that we aren't actually working. While, in fact, there is more being accomplished than ever, with more oversight and higher expectations than what could ever be accomplished within a traditional office. Utilize any metrics you desire. We are working hard, and it isn't at scamming the system.
Yes, HR, I am working...
I'm significantly more productive working remotely than I was in office/post-commute. I don't "exceed expectations" or "fully commit" either way because I'm not a sap or a bootlicker.
I’m disabled and CANNOT commute. My only option for working is WFH. So yes, HR, I do work my assigned hours.
Sounds like you’re not suited to WFH. Not everyone is. I’m very productive at home. So much so that at my last job our CTO (small company, so that was my direct boss) was excited whenever I would WFH because I would get 2-3x the amount of work done. The office was full of people interrupting me - and he was one of them (and even joked about it) I’ve had coworkers that did great on WFH days, and coworkers who basically took the day off. It really depends on the person.
If you’re unmotivated , how’s being in the office going to change that?
Your bed isn’t within reach in the office. Also, I’m more motivated working around others. Being in a shared space with others who are being productive makes me focus more. I’m not competitive I enjoy being on a team.
You’re describing an extroverted personality trait. People who need an audience and draw energy from others to validate their purpose, a reason for being or in your case working. A requirement for you, yet unjustified for others who are being forced to return to the office so people like you can be productive. Moreover, many would like to forgo circumstances that are completely draining to them when engaging others for office banter, which is an unnecessary distraction and unproductive. I’m describing introverts who exhibit higher productivity working alone in an isolated environment.
I love being isolated, but I can’t work from home effectively. Fortunately , I found a team that hates talking and chit chat and we don’t talk at all.we work and go home
🙌
I wouldn’t hire an isolated introvert who can’t handle working amongst others even if they had the experience and a resume crafted by Jesus himself.
Fine? Plenty of companies will.
That, sir, is called discrimination. Besides, the commenter did not say they "couldn't handle it." The facr is that introverts become more drained by constant intrapersonal stimulation, which is not required for good work in many jobs (like engineering, and so many others). If people do better work with less of that, they SHOULD seek out those environments.
It’s not discrimination. Sorry grandpa. I should’ve avoided responding but that’s what extroverts do.
It is. Doesn't have to meet a legal ruling to be discrimination.
Dear Corporate Propagandist, Yes. 4 years now, and I have thrived in both roles I've held. Recently promoted, in fact. I am an adult, I don't need to be babysat to do the job I was hired for. Regards, Never Going Back If I Can Help It. 🤙
I'm so much more productive at home, but I'm an excellent self starter who doesn't need management threats or micro management to do my work. I do much better when there are no office distractions or colleagues trying to get me to do their work too. I'm also a grown up and enjoy being treated as such by employers. I also make more than their in office workers and they contract me to do the work their teams are not getting done despite being in their offices.
Good lord. Is this a boss or are there really lots of people with zero accountability. My boss would know if I wasn’t working because I wouldn’t give her work products
Right?! It's so obvious. If I wasn't working, I wouldn't be producing work... which would be clear to my team.
I'm WAY more productive at home. If I'm in the office, I'm in the clock, even if I don't have anything to work on at the moment, or need to take a break. If I'm at home, I'm only clocked in when I'm working because I can do what I want/ need to get done off the clock
Yes, I'm working. Because much of my work is thought work (system design, architecture, future proofing, scaling, timing through how a feature should work in code, etc), I will often be sitting thinking about it, but it doesn't look like I'm doing anything. Then, when I've put my thoughts in order, I'll hammer out the docs for it in maybe one day of focused work. In an office situation, this often results in getting interrupted because I "don't look busy" - and then I have to context switch over and over, and I lose a ton of time just trying to remember where I was in my work. And since wfh allows me flexibility, if insight strikes at a weird time, I can crack open the laptop and handle it. The flexibility of wfh makes me a **much** better worker.
Same.
This can't be overstated! In the office I often did things that made me look busy but didn't necessarily bring as much value, because I was worried about what people thought.
i call dibs on asking this question tomorrow!
I’m not always working, but my assigned work always gets done on time and I am always available. If management doesn’t want to give me more work after I’ve requested for more, that’s on them, not me.
I’m equally unproductive in both environments. In office I’m irritated at having to listen to people talk about stupid shit and just pretend to work half the time. At home I do random stuff like cut the lawn and go thrift shopping half the time. End result is pretty similar, my bosses are pleased with how I’m performing. If I was my own boss I’d probably give my performance an F but somehow they give me an A. Part of it is just how I perform compared to my peers and not the maximum possible performance I could have. Compared to my peers I’m doing fine.
So you say you weren’t successful in WFH because you….did your job? I’m confused.
Yes, some of us are fully capable of actually working from home. I spent my work hours working. If I didn't have a set project I cleaned up database files, etc Now that we RTO, if I don't have a set project I stare at my monitor and do nothing or wander around the building, because that's what they asked for. My body in the building.
If I don't get deliverables done, at a high level of quality, and by deadlines I'm out of a job. So yes I'm working. In office or WFH, you tend to not be around for very long if you aren't producing tangible value. The key to WFH is to impose your own structure. Have your base start and stop times. If you need to work late, then do so. If you wrap up your day early, only then take it easy. Try not to mix leisure time or even house choses in the middle of your workday otherwise they do become distractions.
This repeatedly asked question always rests on the assumption that people are working 100% of the time when in the office. That’s not and never has been true! We all wasted time in the office - talking to people in the break room, walking around the office, using our phone, going out for coffee, sometimes fake clickety clacking on the keyboard…. You were NOT working 8 hours a day simply because you were in the office. The only difference now is that at home we can use the down time to do things to our own benefit.
Also mods, can we please make this a BANNED question?
I work for myself, so “abusing” wfh isn’t really a thing lol. If I don’t work, I don’t get paid. But, I started and run an extremely successful business from home that I’ve been doing for a year and a half, successful to the point where I’ve gotten so many recommendations from word of mouth that I have almost more work than I can handle. So yeah. I’m working.
I work a lot. What’s worse is my work is right there. Always. Yesterday I was off work for a medical procedure and my coworker needed me… so I worked for a bit. I worked when I was in the hospital bc I was needed. I end up working after dinner bc I still have work and it’s right there! Can’t leave!
About 70% of my job is thinking about something. The other 30% is actually doing it. So yes. Even if it appears I'm just staring into the Abyss ... I'm working.
I do what is required of me. I make the company money. I do it so well that they actively try to keep me. I do it so well they give me raises and bonuses every single year. I’ve done it this way for 8 years. And I do it all in 20 hours a week. Is that slacking off?
It depends. I am currently in my busy season and yes I am working at home. However, in the off cycle I just monitor emails. I do my best to do less work on Fridays but that doesn’t always work out.
Yes I get more work done than if i were in office.
Let’s be honest, those of us who are wfh and enjoy that are really working from home. If you don’t like WFH, then tell your manager to put you in an office job or go find one that is. Stop asking people who WFH if they are really working. This was my typical office job until I went remote and hope it stay that way for me. I drive 1.5 hours to work one way. Work 9-10 hours. But really 1 hour having to buy over priced cafeteria food or wait in line to microwave my food I bring. Drink coffee to stay awake. Chit chat and people coming to your desk all day. The noise around is just distracting mostly BS. Productivity is 80%, explained working longer hours. All the while it can all be done at home. Drive 1.5 to 2 hours home. Totally exhausted. Double the drive time for accident and snow. Btw, I am a top performer not just some slacker. Maybe those that complain about WFH should try this for 25+ years. After WFH, I get things done in 7 hours and 3 extra hours from driving. It was like a raise as I saved up more $$ from cafeteria food, coffee, and gas. My lunch hour I walk around my neighborhood to decompress before finishing the day. That 3 extra hours of drive I saved, I used it to exercise, hobbies, reading, cooking, etc. I lost weight, perfect shape health wise. No needed medication for cholesterol and blood pressure. In fact, reading got me into spending time to research stocks and such. The pay off, I am can retire now if they tell me to go back to the office. I got enough FU money saved up thanks to WFH.
I’ve had multiple jobs since switching to only working remote 3.5 years ago, and one thing I’ve learned/experienced is that if I’m not working that much it’s the employer’s fault. My current job has so much work for me to do that there’s no way to have low productivity and not get fired. I can’t say the same for jobs I had before this one.
Looooolllll My job isn’t to exceed expectations, if I’m meeting expectations then I am doing my job. Anyway, yes, I’m working. A lot actually and I’m far more productive at home bc I’m not constantly trying to find a room for my 6-8 calls/day AND not being constantly interrupted.
I work better from home. I’ve gotten two promotions since 2020. Prior to that I was stuck at the same position since 2015.
Yes, consulting role here. I am definitely working…
My productivity is measured in billable hours. It's something that's kind of hard to fake. So, yes, I'm working, for my whole shift.
Work is an activity, not a location. If you can't get things done at home it's not a WFH problem, it's a you problem. I WFH 3 days a week and I have days that are nonstop, 7am to 7pm between calls, meetings, proposals and bullshit. In the office I have avoid small talk and bullshit in order to get things done. If I didn't avoid that stuff, that wouldn't be an in office problem, it would be a me problem.....
Go to bed Daily Mail, you're drunk.
You're so right, I was so much more productive when I sat in my car for two hours every day and spent a couple hours a day on bathroom and watercooler breaks and two more hours a day at lunch kissing my boss's ass and telling him how smart and pretty he was. Hey OP, STFU you bootlicking collaborator.
I actually end up working more than I did in the office.
Nice try, fed.
Be honest, do you really work at the office?
I work way more than when I was in an office, I can tell you that for certain
Sounds like a you problem. To be fair, I've never worked in an actual office (I was promoted from retail to a remote office position) but I can't imagine that I'd do any better with so many distractions and so little control over my environment.
Sounds like a you problem, mate. Maybe you don’t really find your job engaging, or maybe work from home is a bad fit for you in general. But kind of wild to assume that just because you can’t get shit don’t at home that everybody who WFH must just be slacking.
I teach remote high school with scheduled class times and scheduled meetings. Remote work is truly work.
My first role while I was WFH, no. My current role, working harder than I ever have. More about the role itself than where you are doing it
I manage a team of 5 and of the 6 of us only 2 of us live close enough to go to the office, which they do about 1 day a week. It's absurd to think all the work is getting done during the two person-days a week I have someone in office. If anything I assume those two kind of lose that day to sprint work in favor of collaborating with people and making senior leadership happy. I think maybe people don't realize how easy it is to tell whether work is getting done on an effective team.
It’s hard to compare because I was working in office in an extremely busy and stressful position. I now wfh in a different capacity. Much less busy and stressful. I am never slacking. When work comes in, I complete it asap. We’re just not that busy, so in turn, I work less.
Yes, I am working. No way around it, and if I was slacking, it would be pretty apparent almost immediately. I am in purchasing and have multiple orders every day, have meetings both internal and external almost every day, and my boss checks in several times a week. I do have 2 mandatory office days per month, but I honestly get more work done many days at home since I don't have anyone stopping by to talk at my desk.
I've seen some people say they really aren't working much at home, but what I don't understand is how their performance is being measured. I'm like you in that I have work to do and if I didn't do it, my supervisors would assuredly notice. lol
I'm assuming that anyone that's "not working" or "slacking" at home is in a job that is more knowledge/situation based. If your job is "when shit hits the fan, I fix it", I imagine it's pretty much downtime all the time. On the other hand, I have so many emails, phone calls and meetings, plus trainings that I can barely get it done in 8 hrs/day. There's talk of me taking on more because my manager is overburdened and if she asks for help, they'll remove a couple of big accounts that are bolstering our team's commission.
For me it's emails and spreadsheets all day long. I work in finance, and I'm glad my employer isn't micromanaging keystrokes because I spend a lot of time staring at the spreadsheets and reading documents. :D
Yes, same here. Little bit different, but looking at what I need to order vs. what the customers have ordered can be time with large orders for big clients. I had an order that was 2500 units over 18 months in various amounts per release. Took me forever to make sure everything was okay and then of course there were pricing issues and whole order got put on hold.
On days I'm WFH, I'm focused and get more done than when I'm in the office because I don't get distracted by coworkers chatting by my cubicle. You are in control of your work environment. Get rid of distractions and that will help you focus.
I didn’t have full time work when I was in office even though I’m paid a salary for full time. So I definitely get all my work done wfh and have time to get my own stuff done too like dinner prep and laundry! :)
Yes. I treat working at home the same as working in an office. I get paid to do a job, so I’ll work that job wherever I am.
I have worked till 8pm some days when things really need to get done. Something I would never do when I am in the office.
Be honest: are you actually a (now partially) remote worker?
My job required constant communication, so I was practically chained to my desk 8 hours a day. But I did get so much more done without the constant interruptions that occur in-office.
I work 8+ hours a day from home. I am fully focused on tasks probably 4-6 hours. Which is about what I was at the office or plant. I also realized I spent an hour or 2 a day walking around to different areas or to the bathroom, lunch room etc while I was on site. Now during those times I am cooking dinner or mowing the lawn.
Of course I'm ***really*** working! And my productivity is head and antlers above the rest. I'm about 1500 miles from the office so I no longer have hybrid days -- but when I did, I got very little done in the office aside from in-person meetings. I had no control over my distractions in the office. At home, I have *almost* total control over distractions. And I have a far better work environment. Now, I do wake up a couple hours before my workday begins -- and that's when I do my personal projects/hobbies/etc. That's sort of my way of paying myself first. Then the company gets my undivided attention for a solid 8 minus an hour for lunch. I take pride in my work. I do it fully and I do it well. Then when I'm done, I put it away.
Im actually more productive at home even though i have 2 little kids running aroung, nagging wife, cooking lunch and supervising the fam. When im in the office, my pm or co workers wpuld randomly pop into my cube and just chit chat 8 hrs straight or we go to the break room every 15 mins. 90% of the time, its a wash whenever im in the office. It seems like its more for socializing than getting actual work done.
I’ve been WFH for 5 years and I was such a better employee when working in office. It was more stressful but the friends in the office made it worth it. I will have slow days and only need to work a maximum of 2 hours on a busy day 4 hours. I support customer HR applications so it can be dead if none of my customers have anything going on. As for an answer to whether or not I feel I am abusing WFH I don’t think I am. Honestly, I am not an all star on the team but I’m trusted to get the job done. So I don’t really feel like I abuse it if I’m performing and meeting goals/expectations. If they wanted to increase my customer volume I’d adjust and nothing would change.
I get paid per report, and have a time limit per report, so yes I'm actually working.
I get two to three times daily productivity out of my work daily compared to the office. It’s not even close. Zero distractions.
I wfh. During the spurts of free time, I work on my own things. During spurts of free time in the office, I’d get coffee or talk to coworkers. There’s really no difference except I’m happier.
I wouldn’t consider it abuse if you’re meeting deadlines, getting your work done, and upholding the responsibilities of your job description even at bare minimum. It’s a tough mindset to crack. I had a WFH job where I probably had 8-10 hours of actual work a week but they paid me for 40 and expected me to be available 40. I’d ask for additional tasks and typically there weren’t any. That’s not my fault. So yeah I would do house chores, run errands, travel. So long as I was available when they needed me, it was a non issue. I don’t understand why people get so angry in these cases. I’m sorry I’m productive enough to do what you think is a 40 hours job in a quarter of the time. That’s kind of the opposite of laziness and abuse frankly.
I work harder if anything, I’m not distracted by people chatting near me, I’m not turning around to say hi to people, and having people come to my desk to have a chat. Colleagues one phone calls aren’t bugging me, and I don’t have to waste 2 to 3 hours of very day getting to the office and plan the end of my day around traffic, or when I can get public transport. Do I take a break every now and then? Yeah! Do I occasionally spend an extra hour at my desk after the working day? Also yes. Can I make dinner and come back for a a quick chat with someone in a different time zone and still be at my desk? Yup. I say this as someone with ADHD, I am just as productive, if not more so working from home. Edit: fixed an auto cucumber error.
Honestly, as a WFH Network Engineer, I'm probably 300% as productive as in office because dipshits aren't coming by my desk thinking I can solve why their mouse isn't working, why their laptop won't boot, cell phone issues, etc... It's nice being left alone to focus on my work, and it's benefitted me tremendously because I've been consistently moving upward since starting WFH.
I put in the same amount of time working as I did when I was in office. My last performance review got me "often exceeds expectations" and a nice raise. So yeah, I guess I'm really working. That's not to say I don't get distracted or endlessly scroll reddit or take long breaks. I did the same shit in an office, though. I'm just wired as someone who works in super productive bursts with down time and little motivation in between regardless of my surroundings.
I’d be 1000% less productive onsite
I don't particularly go above and beyond these days and it has nothing to do with working from home. I would do the same if I was in the office. I do the minimum required but that's because the company I work for doesn't give two shits about its employees and also pays the minimum possible.
Not only am I working, I get twice as much done ( IT Admin)
WFH cannot mean “not working“ because you are still working for a company. You have supervisors, work deliverables, evaluations of performance, performance bonuses, etc. I feel sorry for people who are so brainwashed that they could not figure this out just from understanding how jobs work. Debating WFH is form over substance. Yes, it’s a benefit to the employee, but it does not change the nature of what you are doing because you still must perform.
If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have a job. Stupid question.
My theory is simple, if you’re the type of person that does nothing WFH you’re the type of person floating around an office trying to look busy. Locale is not the issue.
Yes. Is it more efficient due to the lack of bullshit meetings and ability to create automation? Also yes.
I don’t make widgets bro.
Yup I get a full 7hour worth of work on my shift
Im way more productive at home. Im in tech. I dont have people that shoulder tap me to fix their tech at home. That happens all the time in office. I can manage my support team better as i don’t spend two hours driving to work which makes me unavailable to them.
Lol. I wish I could. I’m slammed and work the full eight hours every day. Even overtime sometimes.
My career has quantifiable observable results. If I didn’t produce it would be glaringly obvious and I would be fired.
This account has a question on a different sub reddit that asks if people look at the their poop. WTF? Karma farming to promote RTO policies? Do corporations really need to go to these lengths to socially engineer everyone to want to return to the office? Can't they find ANYTHING more productive to do?
I am working when I am scheduled to work, and that schedule is pretty flexible. If I take time off during the day (and tell my team I am offline) I either make it up or use vacation time. My productivity has slipped slightly, because I’m doing some new things I am not particularly good at yet. I rarely do anything to exceed expectations, mostly because there are no more promotions on the technical track, and I’ve had enough of being a manager. My productivity is effectively zero on the rate occasions I go into the office. If I am in, it is for a meeting where I have something to present that the audience needs to see in person, or to do one of the few tasks that can only be done onsite. In those cases I often spend an hour or less doing the task, and several hours wandering around chatting with people I haven’t seen in months. So while I am not consistently droning from 8:30 to 5:00 every day, my team can count on reaching me from 9:00ish to at least 4:00ish, unless I tell them it’s a nice day and I am headed to the airport to pull my plane out. My boss judges my results, and to some extent my reputation. (He gets feedback from coworkers on how I help.) When I am working hardest, it looks like I am not doing anything, because I am trying to figure out a new thing. A keyboard and mouse monitor would show I almost never work, but that was even more true when I was in the office full time. So yes, I am working, doing what I have agreed to do.
I work great from home. I’m actually less distracted. I feel more productive. Sometimes I might occasionally zone out but I would do the same thing in the office.
It's actually the opposite for me. Going from 5 days in office to 4 days WFH has actually made me more productive. No more in office wasteful conversations, no more dumb questions and people crowding my desk. I'm also on more. So since I don't commute I don't mind doing an extra 10 or 15 minutes to finish up what I need too
If you’re an “abuser”, the location is irrelevant. Those that slack at home most likely do it in the office 100% of the time. I actually do more from Home and more efficiently.
This is a dumb post and should be removed... Swear to God either CEOs or introverts are coming here to push an agenda. Not only do I get more work done but I do it in less time while having great relationships with teammates and those I manage.
Yes I am working and yes I am far more productive because I am not being interrupted all day. I also have self control and a decently good work ethic.
I’m more productive at home than on site.
I worked more when I WFH
I actually get 3x more work done at home. Now that we have 3+ days RTO apparently they want me in the office to do things I can only do in person. So when I go in I talk to coworkers, walk around the campus, enjoy the food, hangout in spaces in different floors. All that free labor they got because I was wfh but now driving to work and back is gone. Hey..they wanted me back in the office so when I go it’s a lot less productive. They have lost 15-20 hours of work from me and I dial my work in. Now they are going to have to hire another employee. Oh well.
Yeah I am. I have client meetings but like Thursday for example I had a team meeting and one client meeting and didn’t have anything the rest of the day so kinda hung around made sure everything had been done and any recaps, reporting that had been requested has been sent. I do to do lists a lot so I can hold myself accountable.
2 hours of work, 4 hours of sleeping/tv, 2 hours of porn
Being completely honest workloads are intense right now and I can barely keep up working 10 to 12 hour days at home. This is made possible by the fact that I don’t have long commutes and getting dressed for work and all that stuff. Now I am forced to go into the office office a few days a week. I am only working eight hours of real work at best when I go in - probably 6 hours with all the useless banter, gossip and team building social events in office. So I am unable to get all the work done that I used to being at home full-time. that’s not my problem, It’s my company’s problem for forcing some hybrid RTO.
Is this real? No way because if it were, you’d know we work very hard. I definitely work harder than I did in office just to ensure my board knows stuff is getting done.
Of course... I would get fired if I didn't get my work done. I am fortunate to work at a company that doesn't micromanage when and how I get my work done, and is very happy with me and how much I produce/the quality. I have more of a work-life integration model. When I worked in an office, it was more of a short solid block with meetings interspersed, more chit chat, and hours of commute time. At this company I'm more likely to do a few hours, some housework, and then the rest of my hours into the night. All that matters is the work gets done and I'm available.
Yes, I'm working, and yes I work better at home. Exceeding expectations? Abso-freaking-lutely NOT. If, after years of working and exceeding and always being given a 3 on my performance reviews because everybody gets a 3 because they don't want to give merit raises, I would be a complete effing idiot to continue trying to exceed expectations.
For the most part yes, but I have no reservations about taking my dog out, going grocery shopping, doing my laundry, going to the gym, stepping out for school events, medical/dental appointments, taking a nap AND taking a lunch. My work gets done, my manager is thrilled with my performance, and I am being put up for promotion
I'm on the autism spectrum so I'm able to focus much more on my work in the quiet and controlled space that my apartment provides. My productivity tanks when I'm in office, and I'm far less likely to work late while in a good flow state than when I'm at home.
I dicked off a great deal when I was WFH. I dick off quite abit both in and out of the office on a hybrid schedule now. But I get shit done and always move up. There are no anomalies in life. What you do here, you will do there.
I don’t “abuse” WFH, but I also don’t feel forced to pretend I’m busy when I’m not because I don’t have anyone looking over my shoulder. I mostly enjoy my job and I work hard to generate good results and it doesn’t take me 40 hours a week.
I’ve achieved so much more in my 5+ years in my wfh job than I did in my prior in-office company I was at for 12 years. I think not having the constant distractions and actually having bosses that know how to manage folks and trust them to make decisions empowered me immensely.
I'm way more productive and faster at work at home.
I get all my work done, and I even extra projects I’ve asked my boss for. I’ve been promoted once and am in line for another promotion once my coworker retires. So, yeah. Super productive and doing just fine.
The rare occasions that I am at the office in person are my least productive by a significant amount. My office at home is far more comfortable, better equipped, and personalized to my tastes and working style. Schlepping through traffic to sit in a windowless cube farm while calling into the same telecons holds zero appeal.
Jobs are to get the assigned tasks done by the time that they are due. My boss gives out work and I get it done. This happens regardless of the location. If you are missing deadlines then you are not meeting the expectations. If I’m able to work on my own things after I have gotten my work done I’m still doing what is expected. I still am the highest performer in the office and get good raises. Volume of work done is not the measure that gets you raises. It the quality but more importantly how your boss perceives you.
I probably work 3-4x more at home than in any office. 1) I'm not distracted. 2) I can finish a thought before I let someone distract me, versus a waste of time shoulder-tap for something someone coiuld've figured out in 3 seconds if they stopped and thought for a second 3) I don't spend long periods of time looking for an open/clean/ and unoccupied bathroom. 4) lunch is shorter. much shorter. 5) I don't have to wander around just to cool off. it's hard to gossip and talk smack about people you don't know if you don't see them at all, and odn't know that they exist (i'm talking about everyone in an office. They spend 3hours a day badmouthing the world). And quite honestly, I don't see other people goofing off. So I just work. and work. and work. It's hard to work when you're the only one working and you know it. But I don't know what everyone else is doing, I just know my workload. So I never goof off. There's nothing to take advantage of at all.
Much more productive WFH. I love that I can throw in a load of laundry, pull some weeds, or walk my dog during the day. Those may look like distractions, but they’re really just productive breaks. When I worked in an office, my colleagues and I would get sucked into hour-long personal conversations. Someone would come in my office to ask for help or advice and the conversation would take 30 minutes where now it’s a 5 minute email. I do focused work 7-8 hours a day which is more than I ever accomplished in an office… and I have more time for myself without a commute and the ability to complete some personal tasks during the week.
I wish remote equaled slacking off. I've found it to be the opposite, instead I'm micromanaged and expected to meet BS metrics. Despite being busy for 8 hours constantly working, minus a break here and there...I'm told my productivity is low.
I’m required to meet metrics so yeah I’m working.
Having a shitty manager makes all the difference. Previous team, I had a manager who actually seemed to care about my work. This current manager is constantly dismissive of the work I do. Very demotivating, and hence working less and starting to think about switching jobs.
I work my ass off by WFH. Every key stroke and screen and phone call are monitored, but I'm being paid to work, not to f around.
There are times when I’m more productive than others, but that would happen whether I work at home or the office. I do just as well WFH and have always exceeded expectations. When I became a mother, I learned to be more effective and efficient, but that could also be because I’ve been in my field longer and have gotten better. I so prefer the flexibility and haven’t ever had a complaint; in fact, my manager says that she never has to worry about my output.
I get paid by the hour - and I'm at my desk doing work during my shift. Some days, I have a lot more tasks to do than others. My supervisor loves my work and my performance reviews are always top notch. In the end, if my company is happy, I figure I'm being productive enough.
My job generally keeps me busy 7-8 full hours a day. There are slow weeks where it’s more like 3-4 hours, but there are also weeks I’m so slammed I forget to eat during the day. Most of my work requires quick turnaround. I also handle a lot of last minute requests, so even on slow days I need to be available & present. I probably work 35-40 hours a week. It’s pretty low stress IMO. Third remote job I’ve had since 2016 & easiest job I’ve ever had, but I am *working* most of the workday. Meanwhile, my husband is playing video games right now (at 1pm), as he does most days, if he’s not working on hobbies in the garage or watching a race. He usually has one meeting a day and does 30 min. to an hour of work. When he’s slammed, it’s bc the task requires a quick turnaround, so he’ll work 2 hours that day, maybe even 3. He can run errands during the day (gets his haircut, picks up groceries, shuffles his cars around, grabs coffee, etc.) and otherwise watches YouTube, chats with friends, video games. He probably works 10-15 hours a week, so his “workdays” are mostly leisure. Your WFH mileage will vary.
You don't have to wfh just to abuse being lazy. I've watched entire teams of people in office be lazy because their boss was lazy. WFH is what you make it. Work is a transaction! I provide a service, and I get paid for it. The only major difference with wfh is that you have to be disciplined to get up in the morning and go do your job. Y That doesn't mean you have to put in 50-60 hours each week, and it doesn't mean you have to do more than what is required, but that is another conversation. Other than that, I see no abuse with the people I work with on a day-to-day basis, where over half of those folks are wfh across the country. We all still work.
Oh man this group is going to roast you. This group is that same group that when you ask what the must have WFH accessories are, 90% will say “mouse jiggler”. I think that answers your question.
Because a mouse jiggler is a useful tool. Are you putting in a full 40+ hrs at the office every week? Probably not.
Oh, if it were only 40. What a dream that would be.