The WFH Thread

[Mark H.]

21 minutes ago, Brandon said:

Indoor water parks everywhere across North America ;D  

I'd assume many buildings can be converted into condos or other kinds of spaces.     In the States they are slowly finding ways to fill out all of the dead malls they have now.  I'm sure the same can be done with office buildings.  

Some real nice condos on Waterfront drive - not that far from downtown.

[Brandon]

10 minutes ago, Mark H. said:

Some real nice condos on Waterfront drive - not that far from downtown.

I've been to a few and they are nice,  the only unfortunate is the extremely high crime in the area.  

[GCn20]

7 hours ago, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:

Yes, I heard you. That's why I conceded the point, because we are not dscussing the same thing.

Gotcha..my bad

4 hours ago, Brandon said:

Indoor water parks everywhere across North America ;D  

I'd assume many buildings can be converted into condos or other kinds of spaces.     In the States they are slowly finding ways to fill out all of the dead malls they have now.  I'm sure the same can be done with office buildings.  

No doubt. 

[SpeedFlex27]

i never could work from home. I'd hate it.

Edited July 4, 2023 by SpeedFlex27

[Tracker]

11 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

i never could work from home. I'd hate it.

Too much sexual harassment?

[JCon]

25 minutes ago, Tracker said:

Too much sexual harassment?

Not enough!

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

18 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

i never could work from home. I'd hate it.

Me too, I could never WFH, I know myself too well- my productivity would drop to 17%

Edited July 4, 2023 by Wanna-B-Fanboy

[Tracker]

32 minutes ago, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:

Me too, I could never WFH, I know myself too well- my productivity for drop to 17%

Soooo...would a 1% drop be noticeable?

[Brandon]

30 minutes ago, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:

Me too, I could never WFH, I know myself too well- my productivity for drop to 17%

With most people at first it is like a vacation where people chill and slack,  but eventually the novelty wears off and for most of the people I spoke with they became far more productive.   The work life balance is so much better that instead of sitting in a cubicle slowly watching time pass by,  they are far more motivated to do actually work since they have far more energy and better mental health.  

 

 

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

39 minutes ago, Brandon said:

With most people at first it is like a vacation where people chill and slack,  but eventually the novelty wears off and for most of the people I spoke with they became far more productive.   The work life balance is so much better that instead of sitting in a cubicle slowly watching time pass by,  they are far more motivated to do actually work since they have far more energy and better mental health.  

 

 

I was talking from personal experience and self awareness... I am sure there are many that would be much more productive WFH, I am just not one of those people.

[GCJenks]

I myself work a hybrid schedule, depending on the task that needs doing. That being said, 4 of the 5 teams I support aren’t local so I am never local to them unless I travel so it doesn’t really matter where I am. If I’m punching numbers on spread sheets and doing statistical analysis home is more productive, collaborative tasks often in office is better.

In my mind WFH needs to be treated like going to the office, dressed for work, breaks as per the office. I always start when I would normally leave and finish when I get home so they get at least an extra hour from me those days too.

My wife is a Fed civil servant, working an Ottawa based job and works harder and does more from home than she ever did in the office.

[WildPath]

2 hours ago, GCJenks said:

In my mind WFH needs to be treated like going to the office, dressed for work, breaks as per the office. I always start when I would normally leave and finish when I get home so they get at least an extra hour from me those days too.

I did it for a few years and I think this is good advice. I found it really easy to work too much and basically extend the amount of time I am working, rather than having a smaller period where I am more focused. Having a proper home office that doesn't need to be used for anything else would be good too.

[SpeedFlex27]

7 hours ago, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:

Me too, I could never WFH, I know myself too well- my productivity would drop to 17%

Too many distractions at home. I don't have the self discipline to concentrate just on work. My home is my security. I don't want my bosses thinking it's okay to phone me at home. I also need a destination to go to in the morning as well as to interact with my co workers. I'd be miserable & unproductive. .

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

20 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Too many distractions at home. I don't have the self discipline to concentrate just on work. My home is my security. I don't want my bosses thinking it's okay to phone me at home. I also need a destination to go to in the morning as well as to interact with my co workers. I'd be miserable & unproductive. .

I am the same way.

[GCJenks]

For sure having a dedicated work space is a must have. One of the reasons our current house works for us is the number of bedrooms/ office spaces we have. In my much younger days I was not disciplined enough to do it but now I get much more done from home vs in a shared office with up to 3 others and constant traffic in and out.

 

[JCon]

My experience has been mixed. I only worked from home a couple of times pre-pandemic, even though my position allows for that flexibility. 

I was home 100% until May last year and now work a blended schedule. 

I split my workload between things that are best done in the office and those that are better done at home. I appreciate the social interaction when I'm in the office and find I'm much more active. But, home allows me to work uninterrupted and saves me money. 

With everything, it depends upon the type of work and how it's organized. 

[SpeedFlex27]

My son's wife in Seattle works 100% from home & loves it. She's in her early 30's so she doesn't have the same habits & beliefs older workers have. Older workers probably have a harder time with self discipline working alone in a home office environment. They have no kids yet. Once the kiddies start coming then how do you work totally uninterrupted dealing with crying or sick kids? That's a challenge the'll both have to face in the future.

[JCon]

3 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

My son's wife in Seattle works 100% from home & loves it. She's in her early 30's so she doesn't have the same habits & beliefs older workers have. Older workers probably have a harder time with self discipline working alone in a home office environment. They have no kids yet. Once the kiddies start coming then how do you work totally uninterrupted dealing with crying or sick kids? That's a challenge the'll both have to face in the future.

You need childcare, just like if you were in the office. 

[SpeedFlex27]

2 minutes ago, JCon said:

You need childcare, just like if you were in the office. 

Some people will try to do both. I have no idea what child care in the US costs. I'm sure it's not cheap. 

[JCon]

3 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Some people will try to do both. I have no idea what child care in the US costs. I'm sure it's not cheap. 

I know some that try to do that. It never works, unless your hours are flexible. 

Some around my workplace have tried but it's obvious and it's not sustainable. 

[SpeedFlex27]

9 minutes ago, JCon said:

I know some that try to do that. It never works, unless your hours are flexible. 

Some around my workplace have tried but it's obvious and it's not sustainable. 

It was great when our oldest got to Grade 6/7 & looked after our youngest after school until we got home from work. He walked him to & from school as the two schools were very close. Our oldestwas very responsible kid at the time & really looked out for his younger brother.  He didn't like it at the time but that's part of being a family. Everyone pitched in. We saved a ton of money on child care which was a relief.

Edited July 5, 2023 by SpeedFlex27

[Brandon]

35 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Some people will try to do both. I have no idea what child care in the US costs. I'm sure it's not cheap. 

Also 1 year maternity leave in Canada compared to... basically 2 weeks in the States.  I'm sure it's not cheap.   

Once the kids are 5 ish or so then it's far easier to WFH with kids around. 

[Tracker]

3 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

My son's wife in Seattle works 100% from home & loves it. She's in her early 30's so she doesn't have the same habits & beliefs older workers have. Older workers probably have a harder time with self discipline working alone in a home office environment. They have no kids yet. Once the kiddies start coming then how do you work totally uninterrupted dealing with crying or sick kids? That's a challenge the'll both have to face in the future.

Mistress Elvira can teach discipline.

[17to85]

17 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Some people will try to do both. I have no idea what child care in the US costs. I'm sure it's not cheap. 

Lot of companies/institutions make it clear up front you don't work from home with kids around.

My company is less uptight about that. Their whole thing is as long as the work is getting done they don't care how you do it. 

Working from home with kids is a pain and I'd never try and do it full time. Once in a while when they're sick sure, but they crater productivity when they're little.