Working From Home

Did everyone catch last night’s announcement from Bo Jo?

He’s suggested that everyone should go back to working from home where possible.

For anyone that is working from home at the moment, what are your thoughts on the situation? Do you prefer to work from home?

And has anyone looked into/ applied for the work from home tax relief?

I didn’t enjoy working from home and I had 2 days in the office last week (this week off work).

I finally got used to working from home and don’t mine it now but much prefer to be in the office.

I applied for the standard £6 a week from lockdown until I went into the office last week.

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There needs to be a balance. 2 days WFH and 3 days in the office in my humble opinion. There are pros and const to both. Didn’t know about this tax relief - looking into it, thanks.

Yeah, nice to have a bit of variety. I know a few people that are just going into the office one day a week now - seems to be working quite well for them.

:raised_hands::raised_hands:

What is this?

It was mentioned on the Money Saving Expert newsletter a couple of weeks ago :blush:

You could apply for more than the minimum but the basic is no questions asked basically.

A colleague managed to claim for printer, desk, electricity increase etc… but not a spare monitor.

Wonder why that was rejected?

Did you go through your company, or apply on the GOV website?

It wasn’t me but they did submit it. I think it’s likely deemed as not essential to working from home and something a company should bare the cost of rather than the government. I agree.

I just did the flat £6 a week which went through fine. I can’t imagine the electricity cost me anything more than an extra £2 or so and for some of lockdown my better half was stuck abroad so I was saving energy too!

Personally I have been enjoying WFH.
I’ve got my gaming setup tailored to everything I need which I also use for work now.

I find it easier to focus on complex tasks as haven’t got people in the office interrupting me anymore.
However, I do miss seeing my colleagues, the general banter around the office, and the after work events! :frowning:

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Sounds like you’ve got a great setup!

Holograms could be the second coming of Zoom… and companies could pay big bucks for them. WeWork is already charging $2.5K for holograms to be displayed on one standard HoloPod. Holograms could offer the best of both worlds in a hybrid future: the flexibility to WFH, paired with the bonding benefits of an in-office experience.”

Thoughts??

A recent article in The Economist asks which day of the week is best to work from home…

They question if Monday and Friday is too suspicious? If WFH on Tuesday and Thursday is too awkward? Or if Wednesday is good for breaking up the week?

LinkedIn then created this poll…

If you had to split your time between home and the office, which days would you prefer to stay at home?

I’m kind of into alternating days like Tuesday and Thursday (or Monday, Wednesday and Friday). I like the fact you get something different each day.

You selected Monday?

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Yeah, I selected Monday, but I quite like the alternating day’s idea as you’ve said - would break the week up quite nicely! I guess really it should be based around what type of work you have to do on what days - and where you’re likely to do that work the best?

@joeperris no context brits has to be one of the best accounts on Twitter :joy:

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I find that meetings that I would need to attend in person normally fall on a Tuesday or Wednesday, although there be more virtual options in the future. Also, people travelling between offices tend to visit on those days. They are also the busiest in the office and on my commute.

My ideal would be Monday, Thursday and Friday at home to suit this. My greengrocers only delivers on a Friday and they would work best for me going to watch football in terms of being able to wake up later the next day and still start at the same time with no commute.

It’s pretty amazing to be able to pick and choose based on what makes the rest of your life easier :clap:

What’s the policy where you work? Are they letting you pick and choose which days to go in?

It depends on the part of the business you work in but I will basically just need to agree it with my manager. Pre pandemic people could work at home 1 day a week, which you just needed to check with your manager. You could do it on different days each week.
Now the policy is being as flexible as possible whilst suiting the business need. For example, those doing a late shift will be able to do it from home because of concerns about public transport and safety.

That sounds like a good policy!

I thought this was an interesting article - a think tank is calling for companies to cover half of all commuter costs when ‘work from home’ restrictions end.

Too much, or a reasonable request?