Lived Experience Forum

[florencefifty]

I honestly thought I would hate working from home, and it does have its drawbacks, but in some situations, it makes life so much easier.

Recently my work has made it mandatory to come into the office at least once a week, especially on team meeting days (Friday).

Not to be a princess, but recently I have been starting work at 8:00AM. To be ready to work at 8:00AM, I basically have to wake up at 5:30AM... in the middle of winter.

Please no. It's MUCH easier to work from home in that situation.

My manager did have a little word to me because I didn't come in AT ALL this week, but next week I have more manageable hours, starting at 9:00AM 😅. 

Working from home also means I'm close to my local café LOL.

I am not going to be one of those people who preaches about it, but it's definitely nice to have the option.

[Sirius]

Hi, @florencefifty my name is Sirius, one of the peer support workers here at SANE, it's nice to e-meet you. 😊

I can definitely relate to your current experience - it's so chilly early in the morning right now! Working from home has sooooo many advantages, and after quite some time working this way, it becomes really challenging to switch gears and move back into the way things were pre covid (even if this is only slowly being reintroduced).

It sounds like your workplace might be moving to a hybrid style of working, did I understand that correctly? I'd like to acknowledge that it's really great to also hear that you were able to speak with your manager and discuss what you were finding difficult about now needing to work in the office again. In my experience of dealing with big lifestyle changes like this, I try to pre-plan and organise myself as much as possible the night before so everything runs smoothly the next day. Do you think you'd be able to put any steps in place to ensure you're able to arrive to work as cool as a cucumber? I truly hope being able to start at 9am makes the commute to work all the more manageable for you. 

Sirius✨

[chibam]

Personally, I loathe the idea of working from home, and I really hate this new post-corona trend of it becoming so commonplace. It's really undermined what little hope I had left for the future, because now even getting a job isn't a reliable means of getting a place to spend your days, and a lifestyle that isn't bound to a computer (although to be fair, even pre-corona there were far too many jobs that bound their employees to a computer).

IMO, the whole reason for having a job is that it gets you away from the house, and gives you the chance to spend your days hanging out (in real life!) with a family of coworkers. But if jobs can't reliably give us that any more, what's the point?

I get what your saying about the hassle and discomfort of getting up at 5.30 in this horrid weather. I would certainly have to steel myself to do that! But, I would gladly make a big effort if I had something in my life worth making an effort for, you know? Shortsighted people will tell you that there's something comfortable about being snuggled-up under a doona at 5.30 in the morning. But I've never been comfortable being curled up in an empty bed, knowing that, when it is time to get up, I'll only be getting up (yet again) to an empty life.

I reflect back on my school days, which took place in a very cold area of the country in winter. And despite the nuisance of those early wake-ups, I was so much better off in those days, because I had somewhere to go, people to hang out with when I got there, and a role to play.

Give me a real-life job on the worksite with mates any day; I'm fed up with being stuck at home behind a computer.

[Sirius]

Hi @chibam,

I hear you, you raise a really valid point and disadvantage to working from home. Especially for those out there already feeling socially isolated or those that may be more extroverted who crave the social comradery in the office environment with their colleagues. It can be really difficult to endure living and working in the same space day in and day out. Have you found yourself feeling more disconnected from your work colleagues since having to work from home? Or is it more just being able to occupy a different social space(s) to break up your day? I don't know if it's any consolation but in my opinion, I truly don't believe every workplace will forever remain working from home or even a hybrid model. The more society steadfastly pushes to return to a pre covid world, I think things will slowly follow suit. I hope you can find some solace in this. 🙂

On the flip side, just to add a different perspective, my experience of working from home has been positive. Not having to deal with the sensory overload of riding into work on a crowded train or bus, and then into a busy office, with lots of loud sounds and overbearing fragrances and the never-ending anxiety has been quite relieving. It's actually enabled me to work more effectively and build better relationships with my colleagues in a way/space where I was much more comfortable communicating.

I guess some people do find working from home or even the hybrid work model as a better work-life balance fit, and that's something maybe a lot of people weren't as aware of up until the pandemic hit and some people prefer this the way they were. Maybe it's just a matter of horses for courses? 

Sirius✨

[Delicatessen]

I like both working from home and going into the office. My office is in bushland surroundings. It’s very beautiful and my desk has a large window. It’s also just a 25 min drive rather than the hassles I used to have working in the CBD.

[Hope2Recovery]

Hi @florencefifty  

I can relate, I agree having that option is good. I have been working from home for the past 3 years, and it's been great. I saved a lot of time on travel and money. Working from home I have been more productive, with no distractions and more time to focus. Recently I've received an email from my company advising workers to slowly get used to going back to the office. I was like What! I have a good thing going here, working hard doing my work. But I had no choice but to go to the office once a week. Slowly getting used to it, I realised I missed having coffee with my work colleagues it was nice to catch up with them all and get out of the house. I think it's nice to have the best of both worlds, working from home and going to the office once a week, I don't actually mind it, gives me more opportunity to socialise a bit more. All the best, take care.