[Misc] Does WFH (working from home) reduce productivity?

[Eric the meek]

There's no one size fits all. We're all different.

We can all quote studies supporting our own particular agenda.

But anyone who claims that WFH reduces productivity (or the opposite), is entrenched in their own beliefs.

I've been retired for 9 years. Before I retired, WFH was beginning to be a thing. Some people took the piss; others didn't. Personally, I found it didn't really work for me, as I knew I had any number of distractions and reasons not to do work. But there were times when I WFH and I did indeed get down to the task.

There may be a danger on this thread, of contributors judging others by their own (low, or imagined / projected) high standards. Just a suggestion.

Edit: keep an eye out for the virtue signallers. Who are they trying to convince? The OP is equally blinkered.

 

[clapham_gull]

I feel absolutely certain it does. People seem to try to get away with as much as they can, as a result producing inferior work and missing deadlines.

It's a nice idea as it allows people to save time and money, as well as businesses on office spaces - but in reality, people are usually going to prioritise their private lives over work wherever possible, by doing as little as possible when unwatched.

Thoughts?

Gold plated bollocks.

I'm massively increased my productivity since working at home and am working right now. I work with people around the globe and am quite happily on call 7 days till late if I need to be.

It's allowed us all to connect in way we never could when working in a office that you had to travel into every day. Ever worked with colleagues in Australia ?

I can also go to the supermarket at lunchtime and have a coffee in my high street.

I now work with companies who don't bother to have an office at all. Obviously depends on the industry and culture but it works for many of us.

Are you Rees Mogg ? I claim my £5.

 

[Bodian]

Gold plated bollocks.

I'm massively increased my productivity since working at home and am working right now. I work with people around the globe and am quite happily on call 7 days till late if I need to be.

It's allowed us all to connect in way we never could when working in a office that you had to travel into every day. Ever worked with colleagues in Australia ?

I can also go to the supermarket at lunchtime and have a coffee in my high street.

I now work with companies who don't bother to have an office at all. Obviously depends on the industry and culture but it works for many of us.

Are you Rees Mogg ? I claim my £5.

I guess that's what the OP is on about!! Checking NSC is the one thing I do find harder to do in the office....

 

[Napper]

100% this for me when I was working. Commuting time was spent mostly working, not reading the newspaper or pissing about on my ipad on the train. I still got up before 6am, and was usually working by 6.15. Apart from the ‘in office’ day being much shorter, it was punctuated with hours wasted having those ‘have you got 5 minutes ?’ chats that people passing by your office want (which are never, ever 5 minutes), having coffee, talking about anything and everything BUT work etc etc etc which don’t happen when you’re out of sight. I was massively more productive working from home and as all my direct reports were spread from Vancouver/Mexico City to Hong Kong it made no difference where I was most of the time.

Do hope you are self employed otherwise that balance is wrong earning money for someone else outside what they pay you for

 

[Doonhamer7]

As an extrovert - I get my buzz and energy from being around and interacting with people - so I’m in 9 days out of 10. I expect most who like 100% wfh are more likely to have introvert personality preference

 

[clapham_gull]

I guess that's what the OP is on about!! Checking NSC is the one thing I do find harder to do in the office....

Running complex processes on numerous files and waiting for the result, posting on NSC and watching the repair shop.

I'm a machine and can only do that at home.

 

[HalfaSeatOn]

All head phones and zoom meetings at their office desks. Might as well have worked from home but had to follow attendance mantra ’to be in the office‘.

 

[Bodian]

Running complex processes on numerous files and waiting for the result, posting on NSC and watching the repair shop.

I'm a machine and can only do that at home.

We have moved all our stuff to Teams, and access it through OneDrive - whether we are in the office, or at home. The time waiting for things to 'synch' is when I make sure I'm up-to-date with the world of NSC!

 

[Perry's Tracksuit Bottoms]

I used to get so little done in the office, but I do miss the endless tea breaks and chatter that stopped me from working. Now it's just me and the cat, and the cat can't tell me what he thought of last night's TV even though he watched it with me.

 

[clapham_gull]

We have moved all our stuff to Teams, and access it through OneDrive - whether we are in the office, or at home. The time waiting for things to 'synch' is when I make sure I'm up-to-date with the world of NSC!

It's 23:16 mate.

 

[Bodian]

It's 23:16 mate.

Ah yes - I do also look at NSC when I'm not at work....

 

[kevo]

There have been a lot of studies on this and from what I remember they all pretty much concluded it increases productivity.

 

[Giraffe]

Depends on the person. Much like working in an office there will always be slackers who take the mick.

 

[clapham_gull]

Depends on the person. Much like working in an office there will always be slackers who take the mick.

I found the office like that too, so it's encouraging you have embraced home working.

 

[Easy 10]

I work hybrid - Mon, Tue and Thu in the office, Weds and Fri at home. I tend to absolutely CANE it at the start of the week to hopefully give me an easier ride when I've got a couple of days at home. I'm always available, everything gets done and I'm always on top of things. I use my time far more efficiently, and can enjoy a trip to the deli and a sneaky lunchtime pint. Works perfectly.

 

[Pevenseagull]

For an appropriate task for WFH, I would get more done in 5 hours at home than 7 hours in an office and 3 hours commuting.

 

[Eeyore]

I've found that in the three years I have worked from home my hours have been less regulated. It has made work part of my life generally as opposed to a separate component. I can play Spotify, have the Test match on, go for walks, yet I'm still likely do more hours than when I was in the office. This is because they are spread over the week. And I'm literally available 24/7 to team members. I'll often be planning things for work on a Saturday and Sunday whilst listening to the footie. I would never have done that before. It comes from the work computer being next to the home PC.

Some of my best work is done in the small hours. It's often commented about folk seeing emails sent at 2am in the morning. 'That'll be our Ian then' It helps that I love my job though. Which is always a determining factor to attitude

 

[Albion my Albion]

I was going to say something but I have to leave to drive to work where I probably won't be very productive.

 

[Hotchilidog]

In answer to the OP, No. My office is in Dartford I work at home, I can get loads more done and be more available at home. Not all jobs are suited for wfh but for those that are you can be more productive.

 

[dsr-burnley]

I dare say it works better for companies with an interest in making profit than it does for public bodies. There are no doubt other reasons why HMRC is so appalling at present, but listening to a tax inspector talking to her child when she ought to be talking to me, is not good.

I'm sure that anyone who claims WFH is good because it saves on childcare, isn't doing WFH as they should be.