hoops902
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 22, 2010 13:21:29 GMT -5
Posts: 11,978
|
Post by hoops902 on Mar 31, 2020 9:59:21 GMT -5
I've been working from home for a week. PROS No commute costs, no wear-tear Saving 90 minutes a day on commuting time Less stress because my commute is on heavy traffic Saving money because there's no impulse buying at the cafeteria at work Get more accomplished because no interruptions except the occasional phone call or message CONS Cat going crazy with happiness to have me all day. She tries to play, get petted, served food, tries to jump on the monitor so I will pay her attention. Isolation Not getting dressed, putting on make-up and perfume to go out Talking to people Miss my coworkers I don't have the appropriate set-up, only one monitor, using the kitchen table and kitchen chair Not moving enough. At work I would take a walk at lunch time, had the bathroom further away from my desk Overall, I think I would love to keep working from home. The cons can be solved. Furthermore, I plan to have a very serious conversation with my manager about this possibility when things go back to normal If I get approved to 1 or 2 days a week (very likely) I will set up a double monitor and a comfortable desk and chair. If I get approved to work from home permanently (chances are slim to none) I would move from this areaNot to go bursting your bubble since the chances are slim to none to begin with...but there are employers who allow people to work from home permanently but won't support them leaving the area. For some employers it is part of their business continuity program that people can work from home but must be within X miles of a physical office location, or X miles from their primary location.
|
|
swamp
Community Leader
Don't be a fool. Call me!
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 16:03:22 GMT -5
Posts: 45,309
|
Post by swamp on Mar 31, 2020 10:03:30 GMT -5
I'm working from work.
I hate it.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Apr 26, 2024 3:41:43 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2020 10:06:24 GMT -5
Working at home so far has been an absolute nightmare. Between dealing with the kids and having so many distractions, I feel like I get half the amount of work done that I usually do. While I do enjoy being able to wear pajamas, I feel like I’m much more productive in a healthy work environment. Nonetheless, I feel like this is all going to be a learning curve for me and I will get the hang of it soon. On the other hand, the technology I have at my house is nothing compared to what we have in the office. I have terrible internet speeds and my computer has been so slow. Having only one monitor to work from as opposed to my dual monitor system at work really cuts into my time. One of my colleagues was having the same problems as me and purchased this work from home setup check from Hello Tech: www.hellotech.com/tech-support/home-setupNow me and a few of my coworkers are all looking into doing the same. If we're in this for the long haul, I'd at least like to be a bit more comfortable.
|
|
ohmomto2boys
Well-Known Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 9:25:38 GMT -5
Posts: 1,008
|
Post by ohmomto2boys on Apr 2, 2020 10:11:58 GMT -5
Not a fan of working from home. Maybe because DH is here too. I am going to office a couple days a week because there are somethings I cannot complete at home. Thankfully there are only a handful of people in the building and my office is separate from others.
|
|
Lizard Queen
Senior Associate
103/2024
Joined: Jan 17, 2011 22:19:13 GMT -5
Posts: 14,659
|
Post by Lizard Queen on Apr 2, 2020 10:15:34 GMT -5
I'm using my laptop screen + a monitor bi already had. I had to work just from the laptop's 13" screen until I got an adapter, and it was so cumbersome trying to do some of my work. It's improved so much now that I have a second screen to use for copy/paste and comparison purposes, even if it's tiny.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Apr 26, 2024 3:41:43 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2020 10:35:34 GMT -5
I'm hating it more and more every day. Mainly because I have two kids that don't really get that they can't be bugging me constantly. Well..the 17 year old does for the most part...but the 9 year old besides having to ask questions about school work wants to tell me about a book he's reading, show me his art work, inform me about a trick he just pulled on his brother (there are many), and just generally narrates his entire life while sitting 10 feet away from me. He's also EXTREMELY sensitive, so if I get irritated and tell him he has to leave the room so I can work, he's crushed for hours.
|
|
|
Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Apr 2, 2020 11:42:27 GMT -5
Watching TD work from home is an interesting experience. I really try not to be around, as to avoid distracting him. Today is Thursday, and I suspect he has put in nearly 40 hours. He had a nearly 5 hour conference call Monday, and another 3.5 hour one Tuesday. Yesterday was 2 x 2 hour calls. How the he’ll does he get anything done? I really feel sorry for him having to listen to those people droning on and on.
He says things are taking longer at home as it is not easy to access everything he needs. He has taken over the entire dining room table and the massage table I use for doing my PT at home. Drowning in paper.
|
|
movingforward
Junior Associate
Joined: Sept 15, 2011 12:48:31 GMT -5
Posts: 8,358
|
Post by movingforward on Apr 2, 2020 11:55:37 GMT -5
I am wondering how many people are going to be filing for divorce once this thing ends (half kidding). Seriously though, a lot of people I have spoken with on the phone are going a bit nutty already. Both adults are either trying to work from home, or one is out of work and the other is trying to get stuff done. The kids are home all day, and some parents have been asked to home school. So they are not only trying to get work done but also home school their kids. One friend told me yesterday that she had completely given up trying to home school her 2nd grader. My guess is a lot of kids are going to be way behind when school starts back. This is also proof to me that everyone is not qualified to home school their children, but that is a topic for another day...
|
|
jerseygirl
Senior Member
Joined: May 13, 2018 7:43:08 GMT -5
Posts: 4,768
|
Post by jerseygirl on Apr 2, 2020 12:16:41 GMT -5
With my consulting work comes a lot of very long telecons. The mute button is your friend, just keep on mute and do whatever ( laundry, continue computer work etc) Just keep an ear on listening for your name or needed response If a telecon goes on for more than an hour it’s just mostly people nattering away and not really achieving anything
|
|
saveinla
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 2:00:29 GMT -5
Posts: 5,222
|
Post by saveinla on Apr 2, 2020 12:29:05 GMT -5
I'm hating it more and more every day. Mainly because I have two kids that don't really get that they can't be bugging me constantly. Well..the 17 year old does for the most part...but the 9 year old besides having to ask questions about school work wants to tell me about a book he's reading, show me his art work, inform me about a trick he just pulled on his brother (there are many), and just generally narrates his entire life while sitting 10 feet away from me. He's also EXTREMELY sensitive, so if I get irritated and tell him he has to leave the room so I can work, he's crushed for hours. Can you give him some chores or homework or something to keep him occupied for an hour or two and not disturb you? He must be happy to be seeing so much of you and just wants to share everything.
|
|
debthaven
Senior Associate
Joined: Apr 7, 2015 15:26:39 GMT -5
Posts: 10,328
|
Post by debthaven on Apr 2, 2020 16:51:42 GMT -5
I'm liking it much less than I thought I would. I have my full-time teaching schedule, but now it's on Zoom.
Yes Zoom works well and it's very easy to use, but teaching online for 6-7h a day is FAR more tiring than in-person classes. And yes I do use the breakout rooms.
It saves me 1.5h per day commuting time, but now I also have to scan a bunch of docs that I used to just hand out, I send out more emails than before, and any time anything is due, I have to answer WAY more emails than before (and I already had plenty).
I also have some foreign students who are "stranded" here. They feel alone, they email me, how can I not respond and make sure they're OK?
This said, I can wear sweatpants (I sit, so nobody can see my bottom half. I wear nice tops and nice sweatpants LOL.) I was looking forward to not having to wear a bra but I didn't feel comfortable doing that so I wear one anyway.
However, once this is over, I would LOVE to teach online a half-day or even a full day per week. But four full days?! Not so much.
I also miss my colleagues. Yes we're in touch by email/text/phone/Teams but obviously it's not the same, and when I spend 7h on Zoom teaching, getting a text or email or message on Teams is frankly the LAST thing I want to deal with.
|
|
debthaven
Senior Associate
Joined: Apr 7, 2015 15:26:39 GMT -5
Posts: 10,328
|
Post by debthaven on Apr 2, 2020 17:07:26 GMT -5
By the way ... everyone here is posting about having to work from home. I was astonished to learn (from a friend/colleague who teaches auditing and accounting) that some people refuse!!! Not many, I'm sure. But SOME do, because my friend was pissed off about having to take over a man's classes because (as he told the school) "he doesn't teach online, he only teaches in person."
And since this is foremost a money site, I was astounded that anyone would be willing to give up their income for a semester. Because by refusing to teach online, he basically quit.
Also, I was amazed at how reactive my school was. Macron announced the school closings at 8pm on a Thurs. By midnight I had an email from the pedagogical center telling me that since I was scheduled to teach on Mon morning, I was signed up for a webinar on Fri to teach me how to use Zoom. They did those webinars all week, 4X a day.
|
|
MN-Investor
Well-Known Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 22:22:44 GMT -5
Posts: 1,937
|
Post by MN-Investor on Apr 2, 2020 17:14:01 GMT -5
I chuckled when I saw that companies were switching to mandating that employees work from home. My husband worked in sales for a division of MegaCorp. The company had offices throughout the US and many of the sales people worked from offices at home, often miles from the nearest corporate office. Since the sales folks did a lot of traveling and communicating via cellphones and email, that worked great for everyone. UNTIL a VP happened to stop by one of the offices and was surprised to not find the local sales rep in the office. Moreover, he was appalled to find out that the sales rep barely ever came into the office. "Enough of that!" the VP decreed. From here in out, all sales folks had to work from corporate offices, even if they lived an hour away! Well, so much for that now. My sweetie only went into the office if he needed to in his last few years of working. He loved it. Moreover, that made the transition to retirement easier.
|
|
Empire the P.A.
Well-Known Member
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 18:12:03 GMT -5
Posts: 1,501
|
Post by Empire the P.A. on Apr 2, 2020 18:11:27 GMT -5
I have to go to headquarters tomorrow and pick up a laptop. I am not looking forward to going into that building. It will probably be a second hand beat up machine too. But after the day I had today trying to work off the job cell phone, I really need access to my work files.
|
|
chiver78
Administrator
Current Events Admin
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 13:04:45 GMT -5
Posts: 38,510
|
Post by chiver78 on Apr 2, 2020 19:11:59 GMT -5
we had a big full organization call this morning, to talk about the mechanics of WFH indefinitely. some questions were posed about more flexibility once this all passes, and seemed to be received well. we talked about legit HR policies about being able to take weird breaks over the day as long as your work was still getting done, but being clear and blocking out that time as unavailable - which is what I do when I take the pups out to tire them out. they also lifted an advance notice requirement to use vacation time. that's a nice gesture.
besides that, though - there was a scientific presentation on a new product being developed. it accompanied a request to pass along an info line for patients to find out more. my company is developing a plasma therapy for COVID-19. I has no idea til this morning. that made my day.
|
|
mathsplosion
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 27, 2018 14:31:55 GMT -5
Posts: 104
|
Post by mathsplosion on Apr 2, 2020 19:32:32 GMT -5
I don't. I'm a teacher and I like to see my students. I make videos for every lesson so I don't have to be online all the time, but it's challenging to make sure I include all of the information I think they might need. Because everything is online, I'm staring at my screen a lot more and that just makes everything a little harder. My students wish they were back in class so they can ask questions throughout the lesson and also get more one-on-one help as we go along. I also have to draw some boundaries about when I will stop working for the day and when my office hours are.
I'm very glad that I have the ability to work from home, though. And glad we aren't just stalling out waiting for the time we can return to school. I have a great office set-up and the tools I need to be able to do this.
|
|
movingforward
Junior Associate
Joined: Sept 15, 2011 12:48:31 GMT -5
Posts: 8,358
|
Post by movingforward on Apr 3, 2020 8:43:59 GMT -5
Well, after 2 weeks of working from home I will say I officially hate it.
|
|
Tennesseer
Member Emeritus
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 21:58:42 GMT -5
Posts: 63,436
|
Post by Tennesseer on Apr 3, 2020 8:55:46 GMT -5
I'm hating it more and more every day. Mainly because I have two kids that don't really get that they can't be bugging me constantly. Well..the 17 year old does for the most part...but the 9 year old besides having to ask questions about school work wants to tell me about a book he's reading, show me his art work, inform me about a trick he just pulled on his brother (there are many), and just generally narrates his entire life while sitting 10 feet away from me. He's also EXTREMELY sensitive, so if I get irritated and tell him he has to leave the room so I can work, he's crushed for hours. In years to come, remembering your 9 year old during this time will bring a smile to your face.
|
|
Tennesseer
Member Emeritus
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 21:58:42 GMT -5
Posts: 63,436
|
Post by Tennesseer on Apr 3, 2020 9:00:17 GMT -5
I don't. I'm a teacher and I like to see my students. I make videos for every lesson so I don't have to be online all the time, but it's challenging to make sure I include all of the information I think they might need. Because everything is online, I'm staring at my screen a lot more and that just makes everything a little harder. My students wish they were back in class so they can ask questions throughout the lesson and also get more one-on-one help as we go along. I also have to draw some boundaries about when I will stop working for the day and when my office hours are. I'm very glad that I have the ability to work from home, though. And glad we aren't just stalling out waiting for the time we can return to school. I have a great office set-up and the tools I need to be able to do this. Out of curiosity, are you able to give your students tests while learning on-line?
|
|
jeffreymo
Familiar Member
Joined: Jan 21, 2011 12:32:17 GMT -5
Posts: 968
|
Post by jeffreymo on Apr 3, 2020 9:07:08 GMT -5
After 3 weeks I’ll say it would be better if the kids were in school. Also at one of our first company-wide zoom meetings it was mentioned by the strategy leader that the coronavirus has accelerated some of the strategies that were on the road map, namely more remote work. So by the end of this we’re all going to be experts and very efficient so it might not make sense anymore for us to be in the office every day.
|
|
Cookies Galore
Senior Associate
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 18:08:13 GMT -5
Posts: 10,731
|
Post by Cookies Galore on Apr 3, 2020 9:28:25 GMT -5
Today is three weeks working from home. One more month! One more month!
Excuse me while I go cry into my coffee.
|
|
NastyWoman
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 20:50:37 GMT -5
Posts: 14,350
|
Post by NastyWoman on Apr 3, 2020 9:50:50 GMT -5
Today is three weeks working from home. One more month! One more month! ^^^ That's me. And I just hope it is only one more month... There are a few things I like with WFH such as the commute and my newly acquired lunch time pals: First of all my COMMUTE! And then I am using my unlimited international calling plan to call one of my siblings everyday (I have six so plenty to choose from). We hang out for 45 minutes and shoot the breeze. Reminisce a little compare our situations across the continents, talk about plans for after etc. No face to face contact with other people but we are closer than before. and of course there is (and this needs repeating) my COMMUTE.
I dislike the no direct contact with my colleagues and how it makes my work ever so much more difficult. I have always known that part of how I get to the bottom of what is going on comes from reading body language. I guides me when people are asking the wrong questions to get the answer they need, even when they didn't think that way themselves. Now it takes multiple tries to get to where they need to be. And I miss the coffee klatsch in the breakroom. All those different lives, different experiences, etc.
So, even though I hate my commute, I'll be happy to be back in my office.
|
|
daisylu
Junior Associate
Enter your message here...
Joined: Dec 27, 2010 6:04:42 GMT -5
Posts: 6,805
|
Post by daisylu on Apr 3, 2020 10:01:07 GMT -5
Having been at it for 3 weeks, I enjoy it more than I dislike it. Not something I would want to do 365/days, but half the week would be ideal. I would probably feel differently if I had to deal with kids too, though.
In the office, there are days where I am interrupted every 10 minutes - so I am actually getting a lot more done. Both work and home stuff.
|
|
mathsplosion
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 27, 2018 14:31:55 GMT -5
Posts: 104
|
Post by mathsplosion on Apr 3, 2020 10:09:17 GMT -5
Out of curiosity, are you able to give your students tests while learning on-line? Kind of...it's more like take-home quizzes and tests. Open book/notes. I could find a way that would give the students a more "authentic" test with time restrictions, etc., but that's not what I'm going for. Right now, their lives are crazy. So is mine. I want them to keep learning. Do I have to accept that they might cheat? Yes, but that's on them. When I've given take-home tests before, I've had to accept that risk. Most of the time, the students do their best without obvious cheating. My son's chemistry teacher is making them take tests while they are on Zoom. The test gets sent out right before the start of class. They have a time limit and have to leave their video and audio on. I'm not a fan, but that's what his teacher wants.
|
|
Tiny
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 29, 2010 21:22:34 GMT -5
Posts: 13,365
|
Post by Tiny on Apr 3, 2020 10:13:40 GMT -5
It's been 3 weeks, and I would like to have some time in the office. I'm terrible at being social with people when we are all together and now that I'm home I'm even worse. I have no reason to talk to my coworkers other than to say "hi! how you doing?" and atleast when we are in the office meeting/passing by face to face I manage to get in some social interaction and hear some of the stuff about what's going on in the office (with work and with other people). Working from home means I've got nothing. I don't know how people do the thing where they find out all about someone else's life with out putting off the other person. (I have coworkers who know the names of the kids of the cleaning people for example. ) I never figured out how to 'gossip'. So, I'm still in the camp of "I'd like to work from home one (or two)days a week - but I can't wait to go back to the office". We're having a "virtual happy hour" tonight - so maybe I'll hear more about what's going on with the rest of my coworkers and my employer.
|
|
Tennesseer
Member Emeritus
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 21:58:42 GMT -5
Posts: 63,436
|
Post by Tennesseer on Apr 3, 2020 10:20:06 GMT -5
Out of curiosity, are you able to give your students tests while learning on-line? Kind of...it's more like take-home quizzes and tests. Open book/notes. I could find a way that would give the students a more "authentic" test with time restrictions, etc., but that's not what I'm going for. Right now, their lives are crazy. So is mine. I want them to keep learning. Do I have to accept that they might cheat? Yes, but that's on them. When I've given take-home tests before, I've had to accept that risk. Most of the time, the students do their best without obvious cheating. My son's chemistry teacher is making them take tests while they are on Zoom. The test gets sent out right before the start of class. They have a time limit and have to leave their video and audio on. I'm not a fan, but that's what his teacher wants. Understandable (how you handle your students). Thank you for your reply.
|
|
movingforward
Junior Associate
Joined: Sept 15, 2011 12:48:31 GMT -5
Posts: 8,358
|
Post by movingforward on Apr 3, 2020 12:02:07 GMT -5
Ugh...just had mass confusion about something with one of my staff, which I really don't think would have happened had we been in the office.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Apr 26, 2024 3:41:43 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2020 13:06:12 GMT -5
My obnoxious coworkers are doing conference calls on speaker and the cleaning crew forgot to empty my garbage last night...again.
|
|
happyhoix
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Oct 7, 2011 7:22:42 GMT -5
Posts: 20,882
|
Post by happyhoix on Apr 3, 2020 18:11:55 GMT -5
I had to get a printer/scanner, and then, when it got here, had to set it up myself. I am 60 years old. In HS, the most advance piece of equipment we had was a glorified electric typewriter. In collage, I had to do Fortran using cards that you had to punch patterns on with machine, and you were royally screwed if you dropped the whole box and got them out of order. That makes me practically a dinosaur, and modern electronics are like cavemen navigating a hand held calculator.
Amazingly, got the printer working and linked to the wi fi network just fine, but took me 1 hour and 45 minutes to get a scanned document from the scanner to my home lap top to an outside vendor. Home lap top came very close to being ejected through the window. I'm too old for technology. I miss my IT guy so much.
|
|
ners
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 23, 2010 16:21:18 GMT -5
Posts: 6,487
|
Post by ners on Apr 3, 2020 18:25:55 GMT -5
I am liking it less and less.
I work in one person office and often feel left out of what is going on. Now I feel even more isolated.
Keep making typing errors.
Trying to see my computer at work on my laptop is difficult.
|
|