When you work from home, are you able to go on long runs or walks?

[Anonymous]

I can do a lot of work from my phone. I have Teams on my phone and can monitor chats during my runs/walks.

My laptop also isn't locked down and I have caffeine running on it to keep me active on Teams for the days I want to nap for an hour or so.

I have about 4-5 hours worth of work to do daily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm encountering a ton more working prime people on the trails and routes I run during the day. These aren't normal stay at home moms pushing strollers. As someone who does not work remote, I don't understand how a job provides the flexibility to randomly go run or walk for an hour or two.

Do you just have to have phone access and you're kind of free to do whatever you want?

I understand doing some extra chores round the house, since your home office is right there. Or even picking up kids from school, as you can whip out a laptop in the car if needed. But being miles away from a computer, just having your phone and maybe Apple Watch, plus being all sweaty, seems risky.

You again?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I take 30 minute walks. Once in a while I'll take an hour long walk but I'd put that in my calendar.

Why do you assume others aren’t managing their time?

[Anonymous]

On a given day I might be working anytime between 7:30am and 11pm. I might also be taking a break and doing something else at any point between these two times. No one at work complains about me going for a run at 10am because I am responsive when something comes up at 8pm.

[Anonymous]

DH and I both WFH and our jobs are fairly demanding in terms of hours required. Here are some scenarios that have happened to at least one of us in the last 4 years across several employers:
1. Flexible start time + walk before or after work.
2. Walk during lunch.
3. Had to get on early morning and late evening calls, so take the "overtime" out of the middle of the day.
4. Already billed allowable hours for the day or week and can't bill more until tomorrow.
5. Employer gives X hours a week for physical activity (common in military).
6. Employer doesn't care where you are between scheduled meetings.
7. Employer closed early, either on purpose or due to IT mishap.
8. Can listen to a call or training while walking.
9. Took day off for other reason, was able to squeeze in a walk.

And that's just for people who are employed in regular full-time situations -- a lot of "working age" people in this area SAH or work part time / flexible gigs. I know several people in healthcare who cobble together contractor positions so they can work the hours they want to. To say nothing of pre-school teachers, therapists, and the self-employed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm encountering a ton more working prime people on the trails and routes I run during the day. These aren't normal stay at home moms pushing strollers. As someone who does not work remote, I don't understand how a job provides the flexibility to randomly go run or walk for an hour or two.

Do you just have to have phone access and you're kind of free to do whatever you want?

I understand doing some extra chores round the house, since your home office is right there. Or even picking up kids from school, as you can whip out a laptop in the car if needed. But being miles away from a computer, just having your phone and maybe Apple Watch, plus being all sweaty, seems risky.

The same way you’re doing all these things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Besides the hour for lunch that some workers get regardless of their work location, a lot of people who WFH are saving 30, 60, 90 minutes one-way not commuting and so instead of commuting 7:30-8:30 am they might starting their workday at 7:30am and then take an hour off later. Or if they used to have to leave their office at 4:30 or 5:00 pm, now they might take an hour out of the day to exercise but then work until 6pm. MYOB.

It’s this. For me WFH saves about 2.5 hours I can use for other things. Sometimes I start extra early (7 AM) and go on a run in the afternoon.

[Anonymous]

If OP isn’t working remote then how do they have time to monitor all their neighbors activities during the workday?

[Anonymous]

Report it to the IG OP.

Lol.

Listen, many people in this area work for employers who allow people to take time off during the day for things like working out. In fact, it is even part of many federal agencies workforce policies. You too can have wellness hours as a perk if you work for those agencies.

Additionally, should you find that you’re interested in pursuing a graduate degree and busting your butt for 15+ years in the workforce? You might find an employer in the private sector who isn’t watching the clock because you are too valuable for that.

[Anonymous]

Mid day flex for the win.

[Anonymous]

I shift my 9am start time to 8:30 and take 1.5 hrs. at lunch (12-1:30) It’s no inconvenience to others as colleagues vary lunchtime so it’s not unusual to find people unavailable between 11:30-1:30. I run errands or get out for a bit and then buckle back down for the afternoon.

[Anonymous]

I go to the nearby YMCA and swim at lunch. I can swim 2k and be back home within a hour, including a shower. That's my lunch. I eat during working.

I also walk dog at least twice during the working day. I have phone in case I need to be on a Teams call.

I get my work done and am well compensated for it.

[Anonymous]

I know almost zero women in my UMC neighborhood work full time. So plenty of time for working out on days off or before/after work. I also know some SAHDs and of course moms who are free while kids are in school. I know doctors who have weird hours so sometimes are off during the day. ER doc neighbor does 3 shifts per week. Both my husband and I work in person most days, but if we WFH, we work when we want. As long as the work gets done, I can go for a 3 hour run Friday and then finish my work on Saturday. My husband works 12 hour days but can spend an hour working out at lunch. Neither of us is in meetings or on zoom every day.

[Anonymous]

Some people are judged by the quality of their work and not when where and how it gets done. I actually feel grateful for this aspect of my job after reading this post.

[Anonymous]

The commute is the hour we get back! So we exercise outside.