What’s on your mind?

[rm5]

But my observation is that many people have a very difficult time working from home. They need to be in a dedicated work environment to be able to focus on work. The home environment simply is too distracting. Others simply want the strict separation between home life and work life that's possible when working at a business office.

I think working from home would be very challenging because of the distractions, especially the desire to constantly check social media. In fact, the thing that appeals to me about teaching is that technology isn't a distraction and that you're engaging with people (students).

You also have a good point about separating your work and home. I think this is very important. If you don't do this, then you're always checking your work email after hours, and just never seeming to take a break in general.

You also don't have to commute anywhere, which can be good if you live in a big city with lots of traffic (not an issue in either place I live, but definitely so in larger places).

And there are people who thrive in office settings. Contrary to the experience of some others in this thread, there are people who find they actually like their coworkers; actual friendships develop sometimes.....amazingly, coworkers sometimes fall in love snd get married (seriously, this does happen )

Somehow, my parents have managed to make tons of real friends through work. That's how my mom and dad met! So yes, it is indeed possible.

 

[Lioness~]

Agnes Keleti, oldest living Olympic gold medallist, dies at 103.

Agnes Keleti

Ágnes Keleti - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[EllieCat]

This happens a lot because I do have stinky feet.

 

[BotchQue]

But my observation is that many people have a very difficult time working from home. They need to be in a dedicated work environment to be able to focus on work. The home environment simply is too distracting. Others simply want the strict separation between home life and work life that's possible when working at a business office.

And there are people who thrive in office settings. Contrary to the experience of some others in this thread, there are people who find they actually like their coworkers; actual friendships develop sometimes.....amazingly, coworkers sometimes fall in love and get married (seriously, this does happen )

A lot of wisdom in these words.
Most of my career I enjoyed going into work (less so on cold/icy days), and the last ten years I hated my job so much, I learned to just let the hate/anger/frustration flow out the car window on my drive home; and I was able to mentally separate "job" and "home". It was a lifesaver those last ten years, don't know what would've happened had I been WFH...

 

[Apple fanboy]

I'm self-employed and have worked from a home office for a long time now. I wouldn't have it any other way.

But my observation is that many people have a very difficult time working from home. They need to be in a dedicated work environment to be able to focus on work. The home environment simply is too distracting. Others simply want the strict separation between home life and work life that's possible when working at a business office.

And there are people who thrive in office settings. Contrary to the experience of some others in this thread, there are people who find they actually like their coworkers; actual friendships develop sometimes.....amazingly, coworkers sometimes fall in love and get married (seriously, this does happen )


For me, working from a home office is best.

This certainly can be true. We’ve had people who prefer to go in 5 days a week because of either a lack of dedicated home working space or that’s their preference.

At home I don’t have any distractions. No pets of kids. Mrs AFB knows I’m working. Makes me tea throughout the day etc. So I get much more done.

Concentrating on figures all day and spending lots of £££, the last thing you want is interruptions and noise.

So when I’m in the office I listen to music through noise cancellation headphones. I’ve never been the sort of person that listens to music as I work. I prefer silence. But it’s the only way to concentrate when certain people are in the office.

I also try and choose the quietist days to go in. I know on those days I get less done.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I think working from home would be very challenging because of the distractions, especially the desire to constantly check social media. In fact, the thing that appeals to me about teaching is that technology isn't a distraction and that you're engaging with people (students).

You also have a good point about separating your work and home. I think this is very important. If you don't do this, then you're always checking your work email after hours, and just never seeming to take a break in general.

You also don't have to commute anywhere, which can be good if you live in a big city with lots of traffic (not an issue in either place I live, but definitely so in larger places).

Somehow, my parents have managed to make tons of real friends through work. That's how my mom and dad met! So yes, it is indeed possible.

I can assure you if you are the sort of person who struggles to not check social media, then where you sit makes no difference. Sat at home or in the office people do. Mostly the young people though.

As for the separation from home life, that’s not really to do with where you work. You are either the sort of person who checks your messages outside of hours or you are not.

For years I would work in the evenings trying to get more done. Often until the early hours. But now I don’t. My work life balance was wrong.

I still check my messages in the evening, but when I want to. I don’t have notifications from my work email or teams on my phone. Otherwise it would be going off 24/7 as I deal with suppliers around the world.

As for meeting your partner through work, good luck with that these days. I think the HR rules would make that very difficult now. Many work places have a no dating policy etc.

The work place has definitely changed since I started work. I’d say definitely not for the better.

 

[avro707]

Friend of mine went for what should have been routine heart surgery, ended up having a heart attack, was revived (thank heavens) and then ended up having a stroke.

Fortunately the doctors were able to save him. He is very private and didn't want anyone fussing over him. Terrible shock. He's still in care but able to walk short distances, to his favourite coffee shop (which is nearby).

The scary thing is that he was apparently quite fit, certainly did lots of long distance walking.

I think working from home would be very challenging because of the distractions, especially the desire to constantly check social media.

I do work from home sometimes, appreciate the silence, especially not hearing nearby workers from another team spending the first 30 minutes of the office-day talking about whatever happened on the reality TV show of the previous evening, and talking about it LOUDLY. Then when finished, off they went to get coffee for 15 minutes. Fortunately they've all moved on and their replacements are really excellent. But their departed predecessors use to drive me and some of my colleagues mad.

I've usually got enough work that I have no time to do anything but the work. I also don't much care for social media.

The biggest benefit of working from home is not spending 2.5 hours per day commuting to and from the office which is wasted time. I use that time now to work on my fitness, which also has a positive impact on my work.

As for meeting your partner through work, good luck with that these days. I think the HR rules would make that very difficult now. Many work places have a no dating policy etc.

I've not heard of that before, but I can see where it might be necessary if people can't keep appropriate separation between work and personal life, or if personal disputes boil over and affect the work environment.

There have been a few partners working together in some of companies I've been in, but they kept it very quiet and also didn't work directly together.

 

[Herdfan]

A fraternity brother of mine worked for the DOD at the Pentagon. When COVID hit, he went full remote. He and his wife had already purchased their retirement home in TN and since she was a nurse (very portable), they went ahead and "moved" there.

COVID ends and his immediate boss tells him he can stay in TN but it will be on his dime to attend quarterly meetings. He was fine with that until his boss's boss found out and decreed that all employees in his department come back to the office.

My friend simply handed in his resignation. Now he gets paid to consult on the project he was working on. From his home in TN. Companies/governments are stupid sometimes.

 

[VisceralRealist]

I think working from home makes more sense for those who, you know, own a home. If you're renting a studio apartment, you don't necessarily want to be cooped up there all day. I have a friend who had the option of working part-remote and he chose not to, in part because of the fact that he lives alone in a small one-bedroom apartment, but also because he lives ten minutes away from where he works. Working from home for me would depend on the kind of home I have (and whether I want to be there all day--I'd feel differently about a small apartment vs. an estate in the country), the kind of job I have, and how long the commute would be.

In either case, the option to work from home is often a luxury that many people don't have. You can't work from home if you work in the service industry, for example.

 

[Apple fanboy]

A fraternity brother of mine worked for the DOD at the Pentagon. When COVID hit, he went full remote. He and his wife had already purchased their retirement home in TN and since she was a nurse (very portable), they went ahead and "moved" there.

COVID ends and his immediate boss tells him he can stay in TN but it will be on his dime to attend quarterly meetings. He was fine with that until his boss's boss found out and decreed that all employees in his department come back to the office.

My friend simply handed in his resignation. Now he gets paid to consult on the project he was working on. From his home in TN. Companies/governments are stupid sometimes.

Sometimes? lol. Far too often it seems!

Here my mind is on an anniversary I’d rather not be thinking about, but that’s not how it works is it? Even after 9 years apparently.

At least I’ve blitzed my exercise rings for the day. Got out and grabbed some fresh air before the snow and freezing rain hits tonight.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I think working from home makes more sense for those who, you know, own a home. If you're renting a studio apartment, you don't necessarily want to be cooped up there all day. I have a friend who had the option of working remote and he chose not to, in part because of the fact that he lives alone in a small one-bedroom apartment, but also because he lives ten minutes away from where he works. Working from home for me would depend on the kind of home I have (and whether I want to be there all day), the kind of job I have, and how long the commute would be.

In either case, the option to work from home is often a luxury that many people don't have. You can't work from home if you work in the service industry, for example.

Depends on what you do in the service industry, but I get your point. WFH is here to stay at least in part for some.

Less cars on the roads is good for those that have to commute as well as the planet. I’d go 100% if I could. But my company has different rules for different people. Some full remote. Some full in person. Some on either 2 or 3 days.

We are very consistent!

 

[rm5]

Friend of mine went for what should have been routine heart surgery, ended up having a heart attack, was revived (thank heavens) and then ended up having a stroke.

Fortunately the doctors were able to save him. He is very private and didn't want anyone fussing over him. Terrible shock. He's still in care but able to walk short distances, to his favourite coffee shop (which is nearby).

The scary thing is that he was apparently quite fit, certainly did lots of long distance walking.

This is so sad, and yes, shocking. I am glad he is recovering.

The same thing happened a few months ago to a friend of my dad's, who unfortunately passed away. He was probably the most physically fit person I knew.

Gosh, any of this stuff can happen to anyone at any time, no matter how old you are.

I do work from home sometimes, appreciate the silence, especially not hearing nearby workers from another team spending the first 30 minutes of the office-day talking about whatever happened on the reality TV show of the previous evening, and talking about it LOUDLY. Then when finished, off they went to get coffee for 15 minutes. Fortunately they've all moved on and their replacements are really excellent. But their departed predecessors use to drive me and some of my colleagues mad.

I've usually got enough work that I have no time to do anything but the work. I also don't much care for social media.

The biggest benefit of working from home is not spending 2.5 hours per day commuting to and from the office which is wasted time. I use that time now to work on my fitness, which also has a positive impact on my work.

That sounds awful! Don't think I could stand that for one minute. And also 2.5 hours per day of commute is a lot, so I completely understand.

 

[rm5]

When I worked for a production company, I worked from home. However, I didn't mind it because it was not full-time. And the job itself was excellent (have not had that good of a job since). We also didn't have any Zoom calls or anything. All the work was pretty self-explanatory, and I rarely needed any sort of help. When I did, I'd send an email--no instant messaging. The work itself was also very diverse. Some days, I'd have clips to go through and check for anomalies, and others I'd be editing a documentary. Or editing audio, or color grading. Everything. Anyway, I really liked it. Haven't had anything like that since, which makes me realize how insanely lucky I was to get that job, especially at my age. I did it for nearly a year.

 

[VisceralRealist]

I think those of us who were in school during the pandemic and experienced the sham of "distance learning" got burned out on Zoom calls and communicating with people through a screen. Just being able to take classes in person is something I greatly appreciate. Of course, some people I know who work in person still have to do plenty of Zoom calls because some of their colleagues work from home. There may be no avoiding that!

 

[Apple fanboy]

I think those of us who were in school during the pandemic and experienced the sham of "distance learning" got burned out on Zoom calls and communicating with people through a screen. Just being able to take classes in person is something I greatly appreciate. Of course, some people I know who work in person still have to do plenty of Zoom calls because some of their colleagues work from home. There may be no avoiding that!

Depends if you are a people person. I’m not. So yes we did a lot of Teams calls during the pandemic but also before and since. With the company and suppliers around the world it’s part of the modern work practice.

That said I only use my camera if the other person does.

Just like I never make personal calls with a camera. The person I’m talking to knows what I look like. I don’t even have a webcam at home. I have no need for one.

 

[rm5]

I think those of us who were in school during the pandemic and experienced the sham of "distance learning" got burned out on Zoom calls and communicating with people through a screen. Just being able to take classes in person is something I greatly appreciate. Of course, some people I know who work in person still have to do plenty of Zoom calls because some of their colleagues work from home. There may be no avoiding that!

Oh my god, online school was SO AWFUL!!

 

[goldmac2006]

Oh my god, online school was SO AWFUL!!

It was hard to deal with but the good thing is that the classes weren’t too long as it minuses the break times we would have on campus and if the teacher calls in sick or has to go to a conference we don’t get a sub unless if it’s long term. Instead class gets canceled.

2020 was also the windiest year so internet cut offs were very common.

 

[Apple fanboy]

School was SO AWFUL!!

Fixed that for you! 😀
I hated school. Left at 15.

 

[rm5]

Fixed that for you! 😀
I hated school. Left at 15.

School was not great, I will admit, especially elementary and middle school. College is wonderful.

 

[diggy33]

Walking our dog today and my wife says to me ‘Doesn’t her shadow look like a muppet bouncing when she walks?’…and now that’s all I see!!!

 

[Apple fanboy]

School was not great, I will admit, especially elementary and middle school. College is wonderful.

Glad it's working out for you. We are all different. Once I started earning full time wages it was hard to go back to full time education, plus some other complications at the time.

I've done okay with my 'career' given my education level. Also when I left school things were very different. I used a computer for about 2 hours in one maths lesson whilst at school. It just wasn't available the rest of the time. We had a Commodore Vic 20 growing up, but that was mostly used for playing games (loaded from a tape cassette mostly).

How times have changed.

 

[rm5]

Depends if you are a people person. I’m not. So yes we did a lot of Teams calls during the pandemic but also before and since. With the company and suppliers around the world it’s part of the modern work practice.

That said I only use my camera if the other person does.

Just like I never make personal calls with a camera. The person I’m talking to knows what I look like. I don’t even have a webcam at home. I have no need for one.

Often during online school I was the only one to have my camera on. I'd just make it so I couldn't see myself so I wouldn't be distracted by that.

I don't like FaceTime, either. Or any other method of video calling. If I could have my way, I'd just not talk at all. But if someone wants to FaceTime me, that's fine. I just do it somewhat reluctantly. I much prefer texting.

 

[mollyc]

I think online school experiences varied wildly. My kids were in elementary/middle school (6 & 8th grade) and our public school had a very poor response to having to move online. We have almost 50,000 students in one district and there just wasn't anyway to equitably teach that many students, especially when a lot of them had no access to computers at home until the school system could deploy them. It was absolutely awful. I think colleges would have been much better prepared, and the students more adept, to change gears to online school. It was a lot to ask a sixth grader to sit in front of a computer in that way all day long. We moved our kids to private school (and were fortunate enough to be able to do so) and they thrived there.

 

[rm5]

I think online school experiences varied wildly. My kids were in elementary/middle school (6 & 8th grade) and our public school had a very poor response to having to move online. We have almost 50,000 students in one district and there just wasn't anyway to equitably teach that many students, especially when a lot of them had no access to computers at home until the school system could deploy them. It was absolutely awful. I think colleges would have been much better prepared, and the students more adept, to change gears to online school. It was a lot to ask a sixth grader to sit in front of a computer in that way all day long. We moved our kids to private school (and were fortunate enough to be able to do so) and they thrived there.

That was the issue here, too. I was fortunate enough to attend a private school (in high school - was in public special ed in elementary/middle) and they were very prepared. They issued laptops to those who didn't have them immediately when the school went remote. No clue how the district held special education classes during the pandemic, must have been an absolute nightmare for that especially. I can't imagine having to do that online. Or any other related activity, like physical therapy. Was already hard enough in person.

My mom didn't start working for the district until 2022 (worked for the university during COVID), so I don't think she was involved with the district's troubles at all during the pandemic.

 

[EllieCat]

I think online school experiences varied wildly. My kids were in elementary/middle school (6 & 8th grade) and our public school had a very poor response to having to move online. We have almost 50,000 students in one district and there just wasn't anyway to equitably teach that many students, especially when a lot of them had no access to computers at home until the school system could deploy them. It was absolutely awful. I think colleges would have been much better prepared, and the students more adept, to change gears to online school. It was a lot to ask a sixth grader to sit in front of a computer in that way all day long. We moved our kids to private school (and were fortunate enough to be able to do so) and they thrived there.

That’s what they ask me in private school to do. Sit in front of a computer and do work.