Not working while teleworking

[Anonymous]

I'm an attorney at a government agency so much of my work is deadline driven - i.e., file X motion by Y date. So if I screw around during the day, I will end up making up somehow during my own personal time because it takes a certain amount of time/hours to do the work. That said, I probably coast a little more toward the end of the day and will just have my phone with me to answer any emails that come in but try to start winding down then. However, I also start work earlier too because I don't commute. When I was at the office, I would definitely still be in front of my computer working at the very end of the day but would typically get into work a little later. In all, I think it's a wash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much do you screw around when you are WFH?

OP- How much do you screw around when you are working at the office?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Less than I screw around at the office

Me too.

I feel chained to my laptop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I screw around a lot, but get all my work done on time. Taking a nap here shortly.

I just indulged in a mid-afternoon bath. Heaven!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think my work to screwing around ratio is pretty much the same whether I’m in the office or at home. I take small breaks throughout the day to exercise or do a random errand, but I work more hours total from home since there’s no commute time and I don’t take a lunch hour. My company fully supports WFH and it is understood that people step away from their desks occasionally to do non-work related stuff.

Pretty much summed up my answer. As long as my work is getting done, and we are making meetings, they don’t care what we do. In the office or at home.


What’s the difference between taking a break to watch a 10 min video on YouTube at home, or spending 10 mins at a water cooler with Bob talking about sports or the weather?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I screw around a lot, but get all my work done on time. Taking a nap here shortly.

I just indulged in a mid-afternoon bath. Heaven!

Same. I also exercise during the workday. Do chores (laundry, cook dinner) and run errands (grocery, get massages or nails done). This week I am sorting through my kid's spring and summer clothes and will buy new stuff. Next week I will return what doesn't fit.

Or I also chat with my DH throughout the days (probably 2-3, 20 min calls) and typically spend at least 45 minutes talking to an elderly aunt once a day.

I love WFH!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I screw around a lot, but get all my work done on time. Taking a nap here shortly.

I just indulged in a mid-afternoon bath. Heaven!

Same. I also exercise during the workday. Do chores (laundry, cook dinner) and run errands (grocery, get massages or nails done). This week I am sorting through my kid's spring and summer clothes and will buy new stuff. Next week I will return what doesn't fit.

Or I also chat with my DH throughout the days (probably 2-3, 20 min calls) and typically spend at least 45 minutes talking to an elderly aunt once a day.

I love WFH!

Good grief. Are you putting in at least 40 hours of work in though?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I screw around a lot, but get all my work done on time. Taking a nap here shortly.

I just indulged in a mid-afternoon bath. Heaven!

Same. I also exercise during the workday. Do chores (laundry, cook dinner) and run errands (grocery, get massages or nails done). This week I am sorting through my kid's spring and summer clothes and will buy new stuff. Next week I will return what doesn't fit.

Or I also chat with my DH throughout the days (probably 2-3, 20 min calls) and typically spend at least 45 minutes talking to an elderly aunt once a day.

I love WFH!

Good grief. Are you putting in at least 40 hours of work in though?

Why is this the assumption? I have had 1 job that I ever had 40 hours of time dedicated to working. I spend at least 3 hours of every day bullshitting at the coffee bar, talking about non-work related stuff, and playing on the computer.

[Anonymous]

Pretty sure if you’re in an office/white collar job, you aren’t hardly actually working 40 hours per week. Let’s be real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pretty sure if you’re in an office/white collar job, you aren’t hardly actually working 40 hours per week. Let’s be real.

This. 40 hours is pretty arbitrary honestly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty sure if you’re in an office/white collar job, you aren’t hardly actually working 40 hours per week. Let’s be real.

This. 40 hours is pretty arbitrary honestly.

If 40 hours mattered, no one would be salaried. It’s amazing how slow people work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I screw around a lot, but get all my work done on time. Taking a nap here shortly.

+1, but I'm realizing I chat and go get coffee a lot at the office. So maybe same-same?

[Anonymous]

I do 1-3 hours of actual work most days.

Beyond that, I take naps, watch my programs, play with my dogs, play with my kids, run errands, exercise. I do just enough to keep my clients happy enough; I’m sufficiently senior that I can tell most colleagues to kick rocks, I’m busy, I’ll help them when I can.

To be fair, this isn’t all that different from how I operated when everyone was in the office. It was slightly more challenging to screw around as much, but I also could just travel a lot and tell everyone “I’m in NY” or “I’m in London”… I’d maybe take a lunch meeting, then drinks or a dinner. But no actual work.

Overall, productivity may be up a very slight tick; but my family life and mental health are better, carbon footprint down.

[Anonymous]

I kind of hate that you all who barely work almost certainly get paid way more than me (non-lawyer fed).

I have always needed to warm up and build momentum first thing in the morning. WFH it tends to take a bit longer to get into the bigger tasks most days because I dont focus as well before others are out of the house. But I feel like I'm just intensely focused after that because there are no distractions and I'm very, very careful about accounting my time, e.g. if my mandatory unpaid break is 40 minutes instead of 30 I will make up those 10 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I kind of hate that you all who barely work almost certainly get paid way more than me (non-lawyer fed).

I have always needed to warm up and build momentum first thing in the morning. WFH it tends to take a bit longer to get into the bigger tasks most days because I dont focus as well before others are out of the house. But I feel like I'm just intensely focused after that because there are no distractions and I'm very, very careful about accounting my time, e.g. if my mandatory unpaid break is 40 minutes instead of 30 I will make up those 10 minutes.

Did you go to Catholic school? Lighten up.