Topic: Work From Home - Thoughts, tips, tricks, etc.

[valuator]

I don't recall a thread dedicated to WFH, but I'm pretty sure a lot of us are working this way now.  I've been doing it full time since Sept 2023 when I switched employers.  Life has been busy, so I had been working in a makeshift workspace in my basement, but I've more recently found some time to get better organized and also take stock of what does and does not work for me in terms of being productive.

I "eat what I kill"...so no work, no pay.  That's pretty motivating in terms of procrastination or time wasting.    But I still appreciate the flexibility to run an errand at a better time (ie, I hit Costco after I drop the kids off in the morning 1-2 times a month), even if that means I catch up on some work after they're in bed.

Do you like WFH? What's your setup like? Would you ever go back to the office? Discuss!

[Great_Big_Abyss]

I couldn't do it.  I like going into my office too much.  I'm a social being, and like the camaraderie and face-to-face banter that I get at the office.  Helping that is a pretty good dose of corporate culture at my office, where the managers don't breathe down your neck, and people here are generally pretty happy.  We eat lunch together, do twice-a-day walks, etc. 

Plus, my office is only 5 minutes away from my house, and it's routine for me to duck out for 30 minutes every morning (I start work at 6:30) around 8 to go do the school/camp run with my daughter.  If I have time for lunch, and my family is home, I'll often go home for lunch, too.  So it's almost like I have all the benefits of working from home, and none of the downsides.

[PJungnitsch]

Pros and cons for me. I work three days in the office, 2 days at home. As mentioned the office is nice for the social aspect and to work together face to face

On the other hand working from home means no commute. I get up at 6.30 to beat the traffic, but it still can be a mess at times in Edmonton and in those -40 or freezing rain days it's gold to be home. And Teams has made remote communicating pretty easy

As far as tips go, I found it worth it to invest in a decent office chair and a dual monitor setup. Also a separate office room on a different floor from my wife, who works from home full time. She works in IT and they are in constant meetings, some pretty loud . I keep the same schedule as when I go to the office, work just starts and finishes a bit earlier

[bridgecity]

I worked from home for two years during Covid.  Overall, I didn't like it.  I found the lack of face to face social interaction affected my mental health and since I worked on projects, I found communication between team members suffered, regardless of technology.  I have the flexibility to work from home 50% of the time now, but I spend most days in the office.  I also found that with having the office at home I was spending much more time working, as it was too easy to just sneak away to get "a couple things done".  I started a new job last year, and luckily the work pressure has reduced and I'm not working nearly as much, so its easier to just leave work alone.

When at home, I found a dedicated work space with a similar setup to the office was key to being productive and efficient.  This also helped keep distractions to a minimum. 

[valuator]

Yeah, I have a colleague locally who joined the company around the same time as I did last summer/fall.  He was coming off a 4-5 year sting of WFH with his old employer, so he opted to rent an office that was vacant within the space of one of the company's other divisions.  So he's really not working with these folks, but at least he gets social interaction and some home/work separation.

Maybe I will find myself in a similar situation one day, but given I only earn what I bill, I was motivated to lower my overhead when just getting started.

[Jaeger]

Pros and cons for me. I work three days in the office, 2 days at home. As mentioned the office is nice for the social aspect and to work together face to face

On the other hand working from home means no commute. I get up at 6.30 to beat the traffic, but it still can be a mess at times in Edmonton and in those -40 or freezing rain days it's gold to be home. And Teams has made remote communicating pretty easy

As far as tips go, I found it worth it to invest in a decent office chair and a dual monitor setup. Also a separate office room on a different floor from my wife, who works from home full time. She works in IT and they are in constant meetings, some pretty loud . I keep the same schedule as when I go to the office, work just starts and finishes a bit earlier

Tell me you don't work in Toronto without telling me you don't work in Toronto.  6:30 won't do it.

[Jaeger]

We've been on various forms of wfh since Covid.  Presently at 3 days a week. 2 would be plenty for me - still get interact with my colleagues on a regular basis, but don't have to waste 2 hours a day commmuting the rest of the time. I wouldn't want to return to 100 percent home or office ever again.

[Gurgie]

I've been at home since COVID, so March 2020, been into an office a total of 2 times since then. And switched jobs 3 times 2 times during that timeframe.

I love the flexibility and starting early so I can end my day early. As for a home office, I move around the house, currently at the dining room table watching it rain out the front window. Most of the time I can do most of my work on my laptop, occasionally when I need a second screen I go into one of the kids rooms (they each have a desk & monitor) and use that. Bella & I have been discussing creating an office space downstairs where we created a games room for the kids a few years back. The space is never used as the kids usually just game in their rooms, or not at all, so we're looking at selling the sectional that's there & is brand new & then setting up 2 desks for us to use. Bella works from home Monday's & Friday's, and possibly another day here or there occasionally.

Since I'm never in one place for too long, I don't really build any strong relationships with any of my colleagues (which is fine with me), so I don't feel the need to go in to socialize and like that. Plus I'm so active with my hobbies that I'm out socializing 3 - 5 times a week at a minimum right now, so lots of interaction with people I want to hang out with 

[valuator]

I'm thinking about blocking my calendar for the mornings this week and just doing "core" client work...non-urgent calls/emails will be afternoon tasks, etc.  Despite being fairly motivated to getting work done and invoiced (so I get paid), I feel like I'm losing some efficiency doing things a little scatterbrained (and of course mixing in a trip to the grocery store or a sink of dishes).  I'm going to try it this week and see how it goes.  I'm pretty good at cranking out my client work when I can stay "in the zone" so to speak....

[Fobroader]

Wife's been at home for 4 days a week since that virus of unknown origin. She loves it. She'll go into the field to check on her foremen or to have a meeting with a developer or City of Edmonton or whatever, but she is a huge fan. Of course, she's a cheep date, all she needed was a computer tray to hold her laptop, keyboard, mouse and coffee cup. Just find somewhere where you can be productive and give 'er.

[valuator]

Got inspired by some Reddit threads and finally got around to getting serious about cable management.  Bought some trays to mount under my desk, one to hold my surge protector and one for my docking station.  Also a vertical stand for my laptop when it's in clamshell mode, and put my two monitors on adjustable monitor arms.  Now the only visible cable is the cord from the surge protector to the wall.  Desk is totally clean, wireless mouse and keyboard, now it's easier to wipe it down regularly. 

[Hannibalsmith]

Got inspired by some Reddit threads and finally got around to getting serious about cable management.  Bought some trays to mount under my desk, one to hold my surge protector and one for my docking station.  Also a vertical stand for my laptop when it's in clamshell mode, and put my two monitors on adjustable monitor arms.  Now the only visible cable is the cord from the surge protector to the wall.  Desk is totally clean, wireless mouse and keyboard, now it's easier to wipe it down regularly.

A clean, tidy space is a must for an office. Congrats. Cable management is key. I even taped some cables under my wood desk (built it myself) so that they’re not dangling.

[Firm]

I did 2.5 years 100% from home when Covid hit, and then we were 2 days in the office, 3 at home. When I moved south last year we're 3 days in the office and 2 at home, but the work culture being a bit different down here, a lot of people are going in 4-5 days a week regardless. I usually do 4 days in the office. It's a easy commute, and I like the people in the office, for the most part, so it's a pleasant place to be. Plus, being 'new' it's nice to have people around you can ask questions and bounce ideas off without having to bug someone on Teams.

That said, WFH does work quite well, tech like Teams can make it really effective and convenient. For me it's all about having a quiet space where the wife and kids are not a distraction. I've always had a dedicated 'office' room in the house, and I've got a bunch of automotive art and whatnot on the walls. I have a nice vintage wood 'mad men' style desk and big comfy button back leather chair. Dual monitor setup is key for the type of work I do, and a good reliable laser printer/scanner is also important so that doesn't become a slow down on the fair occasions you need to print or scan something. I try to stick to the same schedule too with things like coffee, lunch, etc.

I also think how you present yourself on screen is important, especially in a larger corporate setting, if you're on screen in a sloppy t-shirt, your camera angle sucks, poor lighting, etc, it doesn't help to build the professional presence that you need. Same goes for keeping your camera off all the time....Dress decently, at least the top half, and play around with the camera angle, lighting and all that to make sure you look decent. If you're speaking, look into the camera, my tendency is to look at the screen because that's where the other faces are, but looking into the camera makes you appear more focused and engaged to those on the other side of the screen....It's silly, but small things like that do go a long way to building the impression that you make with people when you're remote.     

[Patrick_D1]

We're hybrid with "2+" office days, i.e. 2 minimum for all staff with more expected when necessary - ex.: if an all-hands falls on a Wednesday, but you're not usually in that day, make yourself available. I still end up coming in on average 4 days per week, with Friday typically being my only day at home.

I'm in a privileged situation in that my ~35 min commute is basically all country roads with minimal traffic. During the Covid WFH era I really missed this decompression time and had more trouble with work-life balance... when I am in the office and put my laptop in the bag, it generally stays there. If I'm set up from my home office it's not uncommon to find myself sending a few extra emails after dinner, or later in the evening when the kids are in bed.

In terms of working from home, the important points have all been covered here. Namely, focus on achieving equivalent (or even superior!) comfort and ergonomics vs. the office, and ensure you're showing up as you would in person - i.e. look good on camera and be present. My lens might be skewed as a fairly young executive with a fast-moving career track, but this has been what I've found.

[Slow_lane]

I am old school. I am sure many here will not share my opinion on this.

Back when I was managing people one of my staff kept suggesting he could work from home. It was a hard no from me.

I am not a believer in working from home. I was a dedicated employee that usually went above and beyond what a salaried employee should do. However if you had put me in a home setting with all its distractions I think I would have done very poorly. I would have been constantly pulled away / distracted doing anything & everything but work.

I think the only jobs that should be done from home are those jobs that are easily quantifiable. Those functions where you can easily and accurately measure productivity.

I think working from home benefits the employee but it is to the detriment of the employer. I simply do not think you get the same bang for the buck out of someone working from home.

Additionally I think going into the office and interacting with fellow employees is healthy and beneficial. There is the social aspect. It can develop bonds and friendships. It creates a team atmosphere and I think would help instill loyalty. In my experience employees learn from each other so their skills are constantly enhanced.

I think during COVID the whole work from home thing was embraced (because it had to be). But now it is time to get back the reality.


 

[WP v3.32]

I've known people doing work from home since the 90s (retired now).  For some jobs it's totally fine and obviously for some it doesn't work.

There's a wide range of reasons why one or the other could be good or bad.  Not everyone working from home is lazy, proof, I'm typing this from the office. 

[rrocket]

I am old school. I am sure many here will not share my opinion on this.

Back when I was managing people one of my staff kept suggesting he could work from home. It was a hard no from me.

I am not a believer in working from home. I was a dedicated employee that usually went above and beyond what a salaried employee should do. However if you had put me in a home setting with all its distractions I think I would have done very poorly. I would have been constantly pulled away / distracted doing anything & everything but work.

I think the only jobs that should be done from home are those jobs that are easily quantifiable. Those functions where you can easily and accurately measure productivity.

I think working from home benefits the employee but it is to the detriment of the employer. I simply do not think you get the same bang for the buck out of someone working from home.

Additionally I think going into the office and interacting with fellow employees is healthy and beneficial. There is the social aspect. It can develop bonds and friendships. It creates a team atmosphere and I think would help instill loyalty. In my experience employees learn from each other so their skills are constantly enhanced.

I think during COVID the whole work from home thing was embraced (because it had to be). But now it is time to get back the reality.

I had no choice to be on the floor every day...skilled trades.

But we did have a more than a couple of people from the office fired who were WFH and were caught doing other stuff during work hours.

[OliverD]

I am old school. I am sure many here will not share my opinion on this.

Back when I was managing people one of my staff kept suggesting he could work from home. It was a hard no from me.

I am not a believer in working from home. I was a dedicated employee that usually went above and beyond what a salaried employee should do. However if you had put me in a home setting with all its distractions I think I would have done very poorly. I would have been constantly pulled away / distracted doing anything & everything but work.

I think the only jobs that should be done from home are those jobs that are easily quantifiable. Those functions where you can easily and accurately measure productivity.

I think working from home benefits the employee but it is to the detriment of the employer. I simply do not think you get the same bang for the buck out of someone working from home.

Additionally I think going into the office and interacting with fellow employees is healthy and beneficial. There is the social aspect. It can develop bonds and friendships. It creates a team atmosphere and I think would help instill loyalty. In my experience employees learn from each other so their skills are constantly enhanced.

I think during COVID the whole work from home thing was embraced (because it had to be). But now it is time to get back the reality.

I think you're projecting your own situation onto others, and things are not nearly as cut and dry as you are portraying them.

[valuator]

I am old school. I am sure many here will not share my opinion on this.

Back when I was managing people one of my staff kept suggesting he could work from home. It was a hard no from me.

I am not a believer in working from home. I was a dedicated employee that usually went above and beyond what a salaried employee should do. However if you had put me in a home setting with all its distractions I think I would have done very poorly. I would have been constantly pulled away / distracted doing anything & everything but work.

I think the only jobs that should be done from home are those jobs that are easily quantifiable. Those functions where you can easily and accurately measure productivity.

I think working from home benefits the employee but it is to the detriment of the employer. I simply do not think you get the same bang for the buck out of someone working from home.

Additionally I think going into the office and interacting with fellow employees is healthy and beneficial. There is the social aspect. It can develop bonds and friendships. It creates a team atmosphere and I think would help instill loyalty. In my experience employees learn from each other so their skills are constantly enhanced.

I think during COVID the whole work from home thing was embraced (because it had to be). But now it is time to get back the reality.

I am 100% commission based.  No billing, no paycheque.

[Gurgie]

I am old school. I am sure many here will not share my opinion on this.

Back when I was managing people one of my staff kept suggesting he could work from home. It was a hard no from me.

I am not a believer in working from home. I was a dedicated employee that usually went above and beyond what a salaried employee should do. However if you had put me in a home setting with all its distractions I think I would have done very poorly. I would have been constantly pulled away / distracted doing anything & everything but work.

I think the only jobs that should be done from home are those jobs that are easily quantifiable. Those functions where you can easily and accurately measure productivity.

I think working from home benefits the employee but it is to the detriment of the employer. I simply do not think you get the same bang for the buck out of someone working from home.

Additionally I think going into the office and interacting with fellow employees is healthy and beneficial. There is the social aspect. It can develop bonds and friendships. It creates a team atmosphere and I think would help instill loyalty. In my experience employees learn from each other so their skills are constantly enhanced.

I think during COVID the whole work from home thing was embraced (because it had to be). But now it is time to get back the reality.

I am 100% commission based.  No billing, no paycheque.

I'm not commission based, but I'm only able to bill for the hours I work. I've always been upfront with whomever I'm contracted out to & only invoice for the hours worked. Working from home, I can complete tasks MUCH quicker than ever in an office setting with all the BS distractions. Plus I really don't give a flying about socializing with anyone I work with at this point in my life. They're clients as far as I'm concerned & not friends. I'm there to ensure deliverables are met & to utilize my experience & expertise for the client. The last thing I want to be a part of is a lousy pot-luck in the office, or baby shower


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