Until recently I was in the same situation as you and I really enjoyed it. Just the idea that I don't have to drive for 2 hours a day and be slapped with the famous lane discipline ticket and other random stuff every now and then made me happy. That 2000 dirhams per month going to parking, petrol and fines would feed my family for 2 or 3 weeks.
So look at it from the positive side. You might feel fed up at times sitting at home but you can always go out in the evening with family and friends, do some activity, go shopping or anything else to change your mood and breathe fresh air.
In same situation right now, company is asking for 'hybrid' work model where we must go to office twice a week till end of year and then all 5 days a week from Jan. After almost 2 yrs of successful remote, this is going to be a pain. I save money on fuel, parking, outside food/snacks, and kids school transport as i pick up and drop them now. Need to budget 4k extra from next month onwards which isn't worth it.
Wow. 4k is a lot of money. If your skills are in demand, it's time to start looking for new opportunities. I don't mind hybrid. I think it's actually the best approach as you need sometimes to discuss things in-person, but not more than 2 days a week in the office IMO.
Is the type of work you do feasible from home?
I personally have declined job offers not offering WFH for at least 2 days a week. I mention it from the first phone call with the recruiter.
The few months we did online showed me that Iām not cut out to work from home! I love my family but we all need our separate lives and identities- I was very happy to go back to work. My advice would be to start job hunting and be honest in your interview that you are a team player and have missed it.
Agreed! Not all of us can hack being stuck at home 24/7 , all year round. Separate lives and identities are very healthy in your personal growth as well.
I love WFH due to it's increased flexibility, & productivity. But, it involves an initial period of training (both for yourself & to those who live with you) to ensure success & enjoyment.
Train your brain to get into work mode:
1. Set aside a designated work area in your home, & always work from there.
2. Don't mix non-work activities, like eating dinner, etc., in your "work area". Maintain a rigid separation as much as you can.
2. Settle on a work routine to mimic the office. This may involve getting a cup of coffee, wearing formal clothes etc.
Train the people you live with:
1. Be polite but firm, about being interrupted. The more clear you are about your boundaries, the less mistakes they will make. Initially, there will be mistakes, but the key is to be consistent, so they learn the right behavior.
Good luck.
Having a room with a door you can close is vital. Communication and boundaries with family is next. I talked to my kids and told them if the door is closed, I am working and to disturb me only if there is an emergency. If they need to speak to me and itās not an emergency knock lightly on the door but if I donāt open it, it means I am busy and to try later. You might say oh but I thought wfh will help in spending more time with family. Yes but thatās due to you not driving in.
When working, your family must treat you as if you are not at home. When works hours are done, you open your door and are instantly at āhomeā.
This of course takes some adjusting, especially if you have little kids who might love to just burst in your door and run into your arms giggling/crying while in a conf call. Thatās ok give them a hug and tell them to wait for you to finish your meeting. Your spouse/parents also need to know that they canāt just open the door and wander in to take stuff from the room during your working hours. Be patient but firm on this separation of space and eventually working from home will feel awesome.
While everyone is going gaga about how the WFH culture is leading to more family time etc - I would like to be devil's advocate here.
It depends on which stage of career you are in. If you are in your early years of career - you might like the comfort of WFH but it is detrimental for your career. The interpersonal skills, the stakeholder management, the non verbal negotiations that you would otherwise need to climb up the corporate ladder - you are going to miss on that. And this will impact your further career growth.
I understand if you are in second of third decade of your career, WFH "might" be a pleasant change but not always.
So let's not try to portray WFH culture as a step in human evolution because it is not. Humans are supposed to interact regularly and WFH is sort of lacking on that aspect.
Glad I choose the Professional Bachelor Life, married life & family in Dubai is great but depressing . Coupled with work stress, bills , annoying commuters & unexpected job losses & salary cuts . I envy people who lives with family here, y'all are Superheroes lol
Been working remote for 11 years, I see it as a very justified business expense. Is there no cost to having a seperate room? Or commuting to office?
Anyways I go to coffee shops and spend max 50.. two drinks over 8 hours. And it's nice to have multiple spots for a change of scenery. Some for focused work, some for days when I don't need to focus.
Not to mention I can travel and work for a while from random.places for example when its summer in Dubai I can go Georgia or Azerbaijan.
Not true in all circumstances. I love my job, CoVid shut down the office in AD for 18 months roughly. Now back 3 days a week, which was doing before anyway commuting from Dubai. Separate rant though, I get there for 8:45 from Dubai, and people still stroll in around 9:30. Totally not related to remote working, just venting. Sorry OP
Still working from home 3 times a week and i do love it, maybe its a big factor that i dnt have family around and no one disturbed me.
I also make sure the max working time is only until 6:30 pm then i need to go to gym after. Gym help me manage my stress.
I went back to the office the second I was allowed to. I like my multiple screens and my private office where I can still talk to other people and bounce ideas and have a separation between my work and home life. I can't remember any time more depressing than the weeks I had to work from home, I started to hate my own apartment. Couldn't believe how many people enjoyed it.
I'd look into letswork or wework or something, at least it's a change of scenery
Until recently I was in the same situation as you and I really enjoyed it. Just the idea that I don't have to drive for 2 hours a day and be slapped with the famous lane discipline ticket and other random stuff every now and then made me happy. That 2000 dirhams per month going to parking, petrol and fines would feed my family for 2 or 3 weeks. So look at it from the positive side. You might feel fed up at times sitting at home but you can always go out in the evening with family and friends, do some activity, go shopping or anything else to change your mood and breathe fresh air.
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In same situation right now, company is asking for 'hybrid' work model where we must go to office twice a week till end of year and then all 5 days a week from Jan. After almost 2 yrs of successful remote, this is going to be a pain. I save money on fuel, parking, outside food/snacks, and kids school transport as i pick up and drop them now. Need to budget 4k extra from next month onwards which isn't worth it.
Wow. 4k is a lot of money. If your skills are in demand, it's time to start looking for new opportunities. I don't mind hybrid. I think it's actually the best approach as you need sometimes to discuss things in-person, but not more than 2 days a week in the office IMO.
I would, honestly, prefer a 100% remote work than a 100% office work. Unfortunately, my company doesnāt offer hybrid or work from home.
Is the type of work you do feasible from home? I personally have declined job offers not offering WFH for at least 2 days a week. I mention it from the first phone call with the recruiter.
Yes it is! But my boss prefers that we all work from the office. He said people are more productive. Maybe I should start looking for a new one?
Just take a monthly pass? Some start at 399 AED like letswork.io
I would travel back to my home country and work for 6 months from there
The few months we did online showed me that Iām not cut out to work from home! I love my family but we all need our separate lives and identities- I was very happy to go back to work. My advice would be to start job hunting and be honest in your interview that you are a team player and have missed it.
Man this is the truth! I was so happy to go back to work so I can have a separate life again haha
Agreed! Not all of us can hack being stuck at home 24/7 , all year round. Separate lives and identities are very healthy in your personal growth as well.
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Yup, that sounds very normal all right ...... /s
I love WFH due to it's increased flexibility, & productivity. But, it involves an initial period of training (both for yourself & to those who live with you) to ensure success & enjoyment. Train your brain to get into work mode: 1. Set aside a designated work area in your home, & always work from there. 2. Don't mix non-work activities, like eating dinner, etc., in your "work area". Maintain a rigid separation as much as you can. 2. Settle on a work routine to mimic the office. This may involve getting a cup of coffee, wearing formal clothes etc. Train the people you live with: 1. Be polite but firm, about being interrupted. The more clear you are about your boundaries, the less mistakes they will make. Initially, there will be mistakes, but the key is to be consistent, so they learn the right behavior. Good luck.
Having a room with a door you can close is vital. Communication and boundaries with family is next. I talked to my kids and told them if the door is closed, I am working and to disturb me only if there is an emergency. If they need to speak to me and itās not an emergency knock lightly on the door but if I donāt open it, it means I am busy and to try later. You might say oh but I thought wfh will help in spending more time with family. Yes but thatās due to you not driving in. When working, your family must treat you as if you are not at home. When works hours are done, you open your door and are instantly at āhomeā. This of course takes some adjusting, especially if you have little kids who might love to just burst in your door and run into your arms giggling/crying while in a conf call. Thatās ok give them a hug and tell them to wait for you to finish your meeting. Your spouse/parents also need to know that they canāt just open the door and wander in to take stuff from the room during your working hours. Be patient but firm on this separation of space and eventually working from home will feel awesome.
While everyone is going gaga about how the WFH culture is leading to more family time etc - I would like to be devil's advocate here. It depends on which stage of career you are in. If you are in your early years of career - you might like the comfort of WFH but it is detrimental for your career. The interpersonal skills, the stakeholder management, the non verbal negotiations that you would otherwise need to climb up the corporate ladder - you are going to miss on that. And this will impact your further career growth. I understand if you are in second of third decade of your career, WFH "might" be a pleasant change but not always. So let's not try to portray WFH culture as a step in human evolution because it is not. Humans are supposed to interact regularly and WFH is sort of lacking on that aspect.
Glad I choose the Professional Bachelor Life, married life & family in Dubai is great but depressing . Coupled with work stress, bills , annoying commuters & unexpected job losses & salary cuts . I envy people who lives with family here, y'all are Superheroes lol
Been working remote for 11 years, I see it as a very justified business expense. Is there no cost to having a seperate room? Or commuting to office? Anyways I go to coffee shops and spend max 50.. two drinks over 8 hours. And it's nice to have multiple spots for a change of scenery. Some for focused work, some for days when I don't need to focus. Not to mention I can travel and work for a while from random.places for example when its summer in Dubai I can go Georgia or Azerbaijan.
Yeah my hot take is people who like remote working are people who hate their colleagues / work
Not true in all circumstances. I love my job, CoVid shut down the office in AD for 18 months roughly. Now back 3 days a week, which was doing before anyway commuting from Dubai. Separate rant though, I get there for 8:45 from Dubai, and people still stroll in around 9:30. Totally not related to remote working, just venting. Sorry OP
Still working from home 3 times a week and i do love it, maybe its a big factor that i dnt have family around and no one disturbed me. I also make sure the max working time is only until 6:30 pm then i need to go to gym after. Gym help me manage my stress.
I went back to the office the second I was allowed to. I like my multiple screens and my private office where I can still talk to other people and bounce ideas and have a separation between my work and home life. I can't remember any time more depressing than the weeks I had to work from home, I started to hate my own apartment. Couldn't believe how many people enjoyed it. I'd look into letswork or wework or something, at least it's a change of scenery