I don't work from home everyday, just a few days a week. I sometimes have news on in the background. Sometimes I scan through HGTV shows, but I really only like the last 3 minutes reveal so not a huge time suck.

I do run to the grocery store and starbucks sometimes, but only once every few weeks (we have one car and DH often drives to work so not an option on most days anyway).

Right now I'm on DCUM before I jump on my next call. But I was responding to emails at 10 pm last night so it evens out. I feel like I can be very productive at the office or at home, and I can be very unproductive at the office or at home. It really is more about deadlines and preparation to me vs. needing to have someone watch over my shoulder. The leadership in my company are in different cities and my direct boss does not sit all that close to me anyway.

I can do easy thinks like start the laundry or dishwasher but I can't be away from my computer longer than a minute or two. As another PP pointed out, there's an assumption that you're screwing around if you aren't IMMEDIATELY available the second someone pings you and you are WFH. So no running errands or running out for coffee. My work day is very similar to when I worked in a traditional office environment. Don't get me wrong, it's still incredibly convenient to have 0 commute and to be able to do stuff like do the laundry (even if folding, sorting, etc has to wait until the evening) or do the dishes. But it's not some cushy, never actually doing work, life of leisure gig.

I multitask while on conference calls- chopping veggies or walking on the treadmill are mindless enough tasks that don’t interfere with my participation/attention. I also often manage to squeeze in a lunchtime exercise class. That said, my team is global, and I am frequently on calls beginning at 6 am, or trying to catch Australia before bed at 9 pm..... For me, the flexibility is worth it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's okay, your boss isn't listening. Be honest...

Nobody's cutting the grass, taking the kids to and from school, grocery shopping, etc? Sure...

Nope. My teen cuts the grass, kids take the bus, spouse grocery shops. I work.

Sorry to disappoint, OP. Just working while teleworking. With the time I save by not having to commute to the office, I do school drop off and pick up. During work hours I work, and actually save a lot of time by not having the constant stream of coworkers stopping by to chat that I had while in the office. I love the quiet and focus, but that works well for the kind of work I do. Telework ends up being quite efficient and productive in my case. If I have a medical appointment, I inform my boss, block it on my calendar and either take the time off or make it up.

I realize there may be some people taking advantage of telework, but I think that's the exception rather than the rule. Just my experience in talking with quite a few colleagues and friends. Telework works really well for me professionally and personally, and I'm going to keep being productive and trustworthy so that I can keep this arrangement going.

Anonymous wrote:I have cnn on in the background. And often have my cat in my lap for phone calls. I also listen to conference calls where I just need to listen and not participate when I’m out walking.

Sometimes I have to mute myself because my cat is purring too loudly. It's the best.

Anonymous wrote:It's okay, your boss isn't listening. Be honest...

Nobody's cutting the grass, taking the kids to and from school, grocery shopping, etc? Sure...

My boss is sort of the same as the other pp's boss. I think there are a lot of us with bosses that think just like you do - that WFH means slacking off - so they watch us like a hawk. In my world, there's no way i could be too far away from my computer because my boss will email me (more than usual and for things that are clearly only to check up on me) and if I don't respond within a minute or two, he calls to find out why and has a "gotcha" tone.

The irony is that when I'm in the office (like today) I can spend all day on DCUM, run errands in the city (be out of the office in the middle of the day) get my mani/pedi done, haircuts, whatever.... and my boss doesn't even notice. We only get one day per week for teleworking and our boss doesn't like it at all - and spends most of his day trying to catch anyone who is WFH slacking off (we each get a different telework day so the office isn't completely empty on Friday).

I'm sure there are those who have an office culture that lets WFH slack off - but I bet you get those types of people in every office. And because there's this misconception that teleworking is a day off, you have a lot of bosses who are like mine and the other pp's whose mission it is to catch you slacking.

So for me - my WFH day lets me wash and dry (not folding though) all the laundry since it's just a few minutes of throwing clothes in and out and since I'm home I can do several loads. I "log off" for lunch, but it has to be from 12-1 or my boss thinks I'm slacking and when I do that, I can do stuff around the house or grocery shop and put food away. But that's it. I love not having to get dressed up and not having a commute.

I do laundry (without folding it). That is about it. I am just happy to use the extra time I get from not commuting. For the rare time when I need to drive a kid or drop a car off, I inform my boss and make up the time at the end of the day.

Anonymous wrote:Oh you cushy feds who get to telework ... some of us work on systems that we can’t access at home.

Many feds do, also. Telework is more common in the private sector: I'm considering leaving my fed job for that reason.

Oh you cushy feds who get to telework ... some of us work on systems that we can’t access at home.

I drop off the kid but I do that when I’m going to the office too. On wfh days I have time to get a breakfast bagel. It has not been good for my waistline. Since I can drop off DS a full 45 min later, I use my commute time to wash the dishes or empty the dishwasher, flip the laundry, and put away the toys/make the beds. I have taken a conference call while in the bathroom but... it was kind of necessary and unavoidable. I’ve done groceries on my lunch hour, but I go to the big box store near my office over lunch sometimes, so I think that’s probably ok. I’ve also worked out at lunch, but that’s also acceptable in the office as well so I think it’s fine. Things I never do are childcare/keeping my kid home, doing errands or appointments that are not over lunch or without taking sick leave, or knock off early to pick up kid (unless I have taken leave). Overall the flexibility is great. My son has therapies 2x per week at 6 pm and it would be hard to make them if I had a daily commute.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know for a fact that at least 2 of my fed ftriends who wfh do all sort of things. Since they advertise running all these errands on their wfh days and having a little lunch party then as well. They’re good at what they do but it’s annoying.

Lunch party ?

I do this at my house. Usually on Fridays. I invited over all my friends who WFH on Fridays, and we grill some burgers and hang out for an hour or two.

Nurse my baby

Anonymous wrote:It's okay, your boss isn't listening. Be honest...

Nobody's cutting the grass, taking the kids to and from school, grocery shopping, etc? Sure...

No, you can see from the responses that people aren't, and every thread on this topic goes the same way. Why do you keep starting these threads, telework troll?

Anonymous wrote:It's okay, your boss isn't listening. Be honest...

Nobody's cutting the grass, taking the kids to and from school, grocery shopping, etc? Sure...

Nope. My teen cuts the grass, kids take the bus, spouse grocery shops. I work.

I don’t wear a bra.
I get dinner started while I’m on my last call.
I drink coffee nonstop all day.