Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
However, warm body being in a chair means you are available to do work; if you are not getting work done, it's your manager's fault for not assigning you enough work. As soon as I step foot in that office, my time belongs to the company paying me for it, then when I step out it becomes mine again.
Isn't the entire idea behind salaried work that you're being paid for results and not hours put in?
Quote:
...I'm saying that it's proof that people don't work as hard/well/efficiently from home as they do in the office.
Some people.
Quote:
It's the complicated stuff that requires meetings and planning and teamwork and that's the stuff they just fall flat on at home.
Guess it depends on the organization. My immediate team is spread across 3 hours worth of time zones, with other stakeholders in Asia and Europe. Driving to the office to make Zoom calls really is rather silly. Although personally I go in one day a week, as do most of the local people in our vertical, I consider it mostly symbolic.
Thank you for proving how much more productive employees are in the office than at home. When you were in the office you worked 40 hours at one job, and at home you work so little for each employer that you're capable of carrying two jobs and still not working more than 40 hours.
We caught a guy doing this at our company; it was obvious because he kept missing deadlines. We fired him and also found out the other company fired him in the same week.
I've been covered up the last two days. I've been remote for going on three years now. There's no way I could do this. Here's my week so far.
We semi-outsource support of a critical system to a third party integrator/reseller. This company sells/supports a suite of software developed by another company. They're a consulting group. I'm responsible for the "herding of the cats," as far as change control and controlling what they do/working with the business unit, but they're supposed to be more technical than I am. Typically, they've delivered quality work.
I had a change scheduled for last Thursday evening. I told my manager and my backup to keep an eye out, report any issues to our vendor that day. Crickets on Friday.
I come in on Monday, and immediately notice issues with the work the vendor did. There was an email notification that had a hyperlink on it that said "click here," but the vendor forgot to put the URL behind it. They also changed the originating email box without anyone's request - they used a different variable than what was originally used, and the new variable had a different value, so people were getting the notification from a different email address on top of the dead link.
Fine - crap happens, but forgetting to put the actual URL behind the hyperlink is beyond sloppy work. I always validate that in emails I send. Yesterday, they were supposed to correct the problem, but put in a different link that sent people who had valid access to the website per their job title to a "no access allowed" page. They could navigate around that with one-click, but it cause needless questions and alarm from more sloppy vendor work.
I've had to file two emergency change controls in two days. I look like an idiot, though it's largely out of my control. Based on my job title, I don't have the access to even validate what the vendor introduces into production.
I can't do two jobs with garbage like this going on. This break/fix stuff is on top of project work that is supposed to be my priority.
I am one to agree that people who WFH probably indulge in more personal activities and down time during supposed "work hours" than in the office. In the office, we had to account for our hours, and if we had to leave early for a doctor appointment, we had to make up the time. We were considered salaried but obligated to put in a total of 40 hours which is what our salary was based on. If we needed to leave 2 hours early, that was fine but we had to cover the 2 hours somehow on our hours sheet. We couldn't just put 38 hours on our work hour sheet. We had to either use 2 hours of PTO or make up the time. But at home, no one is really monitoring this. People who are salaried are working basically whatever hours they want to work.
I am one to agree that people who WFH probably indulge in more personal activities and down time during supposed "work hours" than in the office. In the office, we had to account for our hours, and if we had to leave early for a doctor appointment, we had to make up the time. We were considered salaried but obligated to put in a total of 40 hours which is what our salary was based on. If we needed to leave 2 hours early, that was fine but we had to cover the 2 hours somehow on our hours sheet. We couldn't just put 38 hours on our work hour sheet. We had to either use 2 hours of PTO or make up the time. But at home, no one is really monitoring this. People who are salaried are working basically whatever hours they want to work.
Is this happening at your employer?
Business's have different polices some are more strict like what you describe some require salary employees to work min of 50-60 hours a week. It might be different even between managers my past manager he required a discussion with him before we were allowed to take time off after 14-16 hour day. While most of the time he approved "Comp Time" after a long day he made it such a hassle with the meeting most just came into work the next day they would get 55-60 hours a week for salary employees. I remember one meeting where he got angry someone didn't answer a cell phone on the weekend who was out of town left their work phone at home. He said "Your salary employees you are to carry your phone at all times". Everyone agreed no one really changed their ways we just gave an excuse didn't hear it ringing. Never understood that idea we had a on call rotation. He was an insecure person.
He was demoted and moved to a different department no one knows exactly why. I suspect a co-worker he was micromanaging said something to upper management. My current manager he is laid back allows us to just put it on a common calendar take off for a few hours here and there we don't bother with the making up the long hour days.
In fact working at home I find I'm working 60 hours a week now I'm not nearly as tired as I was having to drive into the office and back. Lot of times I put in a few hours at night after 9pm so my mornings are easier. I can prepare for meetings not stressing to get things ready. It's all about a mindset old school 8-5pm 5 days is changing.
Right now employees can easily find another employer with 2% unemployment. If we have a recession things will change will employers still offer WFH?
I will happily enjoy my pre-covid lifestyle, including my short commute on back roads 5 days a week, with lots of opportunities to schmooze with the leaders. All while you decided you want to remain in covid-lockdown for the rest of your life.
Good for you. I love not seeing the butt lickers to the leaders and the socially awkward people that depend on strangers for attention.
I'm baffled how you can compare this to a COVID lockdown when I see friends I couldn't during work hours. Grab lunch, run errands and have the weekends to myself.
Thank you for proving how much more productive employees are in the office than at home. When you were in the office you worked 40 hours at one job, and at home you work so little for each employer that you're capable of carrying two jobs and still not working more than 40 hours.
We caught a guy doing this at our company; it was obvious because he kept missing deadlines. We fired him and also found out the other company fired him in the same week.
Maybe you're not following but I just proved more productivity at home vs the office. At the office with the interruptions from annoying people and senseless meetings. 40 hours during two jobs vs 60 doing one. No deadlines missed either.
So glad I don't deal with the goofy managers watching everything you do. Making more money than ever. It's like people like you don't like to see this. Ego trippers can EAD.
Last edited by deboinair; 06-30-2022 at 10:30 AM..
Isn't the entire idea behind salaried work that you're being paid for results and not hours put in?
Some people.
Guess it depends on the organization. My immediate team is spread across 3 hours worth of time zones, with other stakeholders in Asia and Europe. Driving to the office to make Zoom calls really is rather silly. Although personally I go in one day a week, as do most of the local people in our vertical, I consider it mostly symbolic.
Salaried work is still being paid by the hour, just with an implied promise of stability. You still could be furloughed for a day, or exhaust your paid leave and then time off becomes unpaid. Thus even with salary there is an unwritten hourly rate.
Do you have family at home most that I know say they really like WFH because they can be with their family instead of being away 80% of their lives. Most of the folks I know who prefer to work at the office don't have a family, or their spouse also works at the office. I know someone who found another job because he hated working from home he lived alone in an apartment.
I do not live with any family, but ironically, I have heard parents of young kids say they go to the office to escape them! I suppose anyone can try to come up with a reason for just about anything - whether it seems to make sense to others or not.
Good for you. I love not seeing the butt lickers to the leaders and the socially awkward people that depend on strangers for attention.
I'm baffled how you can compare this to a COVID lockdown when I see friends I couldn't during work hours. Grab lunch, run errands and have the weekends to myself.
It started out that way for those of us who did not WFH before the pandemic. Unexpectedly ordered to stay at home due to the virus. Thus it was simply part of the lockdown.
If you started WFH at the beginning of the pandemic and did not go back, at what point did it go from lockdown to non-lockdown, and who made the decision ?
Did your employer announce that you could return to work as soon as government issued stay at home orders expired?
Or did it just continue, like a lockdown that never ended?
I do not live with any family, but ironically, I have heard parents of young kids say they go to the office to escape them! I suppose anyone can try to come up with a reason for just about anything - whether it seems to make sense to others or not.
Most have a room setup as an office kids can be kept out while in meetings, or working. My old manager who just left to another WFH job he told me seeing his newborn grow up while working from home was a complete change in his life he was one who used to be against working from home before covid.
It's just my wife and I at home she retired early because of the money we save from WFH. I really like being able to take a break go swimming in my pool for 20 minutes. I also jump on a stationary bike in long meetings where I'm not talking. Ill never work in the office full time again. I can cook in my own kitchen at lunch I don't have to use office bathrooms that alone makes it so worth it. Not having to put up with people I dislike in person.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ncole1
It started out that way for those of us who did not WFH before the pandemic. Unexpectedly ordered to stay at home due to the virus. Thus it was simply part of the lockdown.
If you started WFH at the beginning of the pandemic and did not go back, at what point did it go from lockdown to non-lockdown, and who made the decision ?
Did your employer announce that you could return to work as soon as government issued stay at home orders expired?
Or did it just continue, like a lockdown that never ended?
Not sure what your talking about lockdown? Lockdown means you can only go to a grocery store and few other places to buy things that has nothing to do with employers. If your employer has decided to close their offices and go 100% WFH then that is 100% work from home nothing else. My employer converted offices to shared workspaces where one can go in the office if they like. If your employer shut down their offices and you don't like WFH find other employment.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
