Working From Home

[OgraAnDun]

certainly shown who the spongers are anyway

wantng dublin wages to work 2 hours a day from home 

frontliners didn't have this option, working every day as normal for minimal pay

leo and martin not helping either 

As much of a gobshite/WUM here as in the golf thread then.

[Tony Baloney]

I thought I'd hate going back into the office but it has been far better than WFH. I do one full day WFH, 2 full days in work and 2 days where I leave early afternoon to get home for the school bus run. Driving into work is a pain in the arse but I have a decent mix and being in work is far better craic than at home.

[imtommygunn]

certainly shown who the spongers are anyway

wantng dublin wages to work 2 hours a day from home 

frontliners didn't have this option, working every day as normal for minimal pay

leo and martin not helping either 

As much of a gobshite/WUM here as in the golf thread then.

Consistent in any "nordie" threads too.

[CiKe]

we look like we are staying by and large WFH. Far prefer it myself.

Do miss the craic a little bit but trying a few different things so that don't lose team spirit:

i) meetings start with 5 minute chit chat
ii) 30 mins set aside in everyone's agenda once every two weeks to have 3x10 minute random conversations
iii) using this app https://www.gather.town/ which if you're a smallish team (we're 20) is pretty good. the messaging side is sh*t but in terms of facilitating face to face with team members is pretty good.

[Milltown Row2]

we look like we are staying by and large WFH. Far prefer it myself.

Do miss the craic a little bit but trying a few different things so that don't lose team spirit:

i) meetings start with 5 minute chit chat
ii) 30 mins set aside in everyone's agenda once every two weeks to have 3x10 minute random conversations
iii) using this app https://www.gather.town/ which if you're a smallish team (we're 20) is pretty good. the messaging side is sh*t but in terms of facilitating face to face with team members is pretty good.

Hard to flirt though 

[thebigfella]

we look like we are staying by and large WFH. Far prefer it myself.

Do miss the craic a little bit but trying a few different things so that don't lose team spirit:

i) meetings start with 5 minute chit chat
ii) 30 mins set aside in everyone's agenda once every two weeks to have 3x10 minute random conversations
iii) using this app https://www.gather.town/ which if you're a smallish team (we're 20) is pretty good. the messaging side is sh*t but in terms of facilitating face to face with team members is pretty good.

Whether I'm in an office or wfh, this is an absolute no. Come prepared, start on time, stick to agenda and aim to finish early.

Starting with a casual chat has already switched the context which is completely unproductive.

[Average Score]

we look like we are staying by and large WFH. Far prefer it myself.

Do miss the craic a little bit but trying a few different things so that don't lose team spirit:

i) meetings start with 5 minute chit chat
ii) 30 mins set aside in everyone's agenda once every two weeks to have 3x10 minute random conversations
iii) using this app https://www.gather.town/ which if you're a smallish team (we're 20) is pretty good. the messaging side is sh*t but in terms of facilitating face to face with team members is pretty good.

Whether I'm in an office or wfh, this is an absolute no. Come prepared, start on time, stick to agenda and aim to finish early.

Starting with a casual chat has already switched the context which is completely unproductive.

You must be a joy to work with.

[Never beat the deeler]

we look like we are staying by and large WFH. Far prefer it myself.

Do miss the craic a little bit but trying a few different things so that don't lose team spirit:

i) meetings start with 5 minute chit chat
ii) 30 mins set aside in everyone's agenda once every two weeks to have 3x10 minute random conversations
iii) using this app https://www.gather.town/ which if you're a smallish team (we're 20) is pretty good. the messaging side is sh*t but in terms of facilitating face to face with team members is pretty good.

Whether I'm in an office or wfh, this is an absolute no. Come prepared, start on time, stick to agenda and aim to finish early.

Starting with a casual chat has already switched the context which is completely unproductive.

I suppose it depends on what you are doing. That approach will work in small companies/teams who are doing repetitive tasks and/or tasks that require little to no thought, where you can gather a small crew of like minded drones.

If you are in a large company / team you will find that people are, well, different and what is productive for some won't be productive for others.
If you are doing work that isn't repetitive, and requires some level of thought to keep it all together, then collaboration within the team is imperative.
Getting the balance between task-specific time, and catch-up time will make or break a busy day

[thebigfella]

we look like we are staying by and large WFH. Far prefer it myself.

Do miss the craic a little bit but trying a few different things so that don't lose team spirit:

i) meetings start with 5 minute chit chat
ii) 30 mins set aside in everyone's agenda once every two weeks to have 3x10 minute random conversations
iii) using this app https://www.gather.town/ which if you're a smallish team (we're 20) is pretty good. the messaging side is sh*t but in terms of facilitating face to face with team members is pretty good.

Whether I'm in an office or wfh, this is an absolute no. Come prepared, start on time, stick to agenda and aim to finish early.

Starting with a casual chat has already switched the context which is completely unproductive.

I suppose it depends on what you are doing. That approach will work in small companies/teamswho are doing repetitive tasks and/or tasks that require little to no thought, where you can gather a small crew of like minded drones.

If you are in a large company / team you will find that people are, well, different and what is productive for some won't be productive for others.
If you are doing work that isn't repetitive, and requires some level of thought to keep it all together, then collaboration within the team is imperative.
Getting the balance between task-specific time, and catch-up time will make or break a busy day

Sorry bullsh1t, it's actually the opposite way round too in large companies.

It's a meeting and timeboxed to get through an agenda. The amount of meetings I go to that could be done in half the time just because people can't stick to the agenda and focus is ridiculous. The agenda is there to put boundaries on the conversation and collaboration not stop it, otherwise everyone just ends up bikeshedding.

By all means waffle on after the meeting but never in the world of productivity has anyone recommended that meeting starts off topic or devotes a disproportionate amount of time to trivial matters. Just because the meeting is online the same principles apply. Similarly workshops should have a clear vision of what the tangible output is i.e. a design, decision, next steps etc.... otherwise people just fcuk around.

There is lack of skills in most workplaces at the moment on how to have more efficient meetings which ultimately results in far too many meetings. When you have to coach professional people on how to provide an agenda and why it's important, you have to question why these people are in the role.

[thebigfella]

we look like we are staying by and large WFH. Far prefer it myself.

Do miss the craic a little bit but trying a few different things so that don't lose team spirit:

i) meetings start with 5 minute chit chat
ii) 30 mins set aside in everyone's agenda once every two weeks to have 3x10 minute random conversations
iii) using this app https://www.gather.town/ which if you're a smallish team (we're 20) is pretty good. the messaging side is sh*t but in terms of facilitating face to face with team members is pretty good.

Whether I'm in an office or wfh, this is an absolute no. Come prepared, start on time, stick to agenda and aim to finish early.

Starting with a casual chat has already switched the context which is completely unproductive.

You must be a joy to work with.

I would say I am because I'm an advocate of less meetings and in order to do that, meetings need to be productive. Also fewer meetings means more actual time to get on with tasks, which in turn leads to less need to do overtime or work under pressure to meet deadlines.

There is a time and place for casual chats when working from home long term but starting a meeting off topic is completely counter intuitive to how to run a meeting.

[Never beat the deeler]

we look like we are staying by and large WFH. Far prefer it myself.

Do miss the craic a little bit but trying a few different things so that don't lose team spirit:

i) meetings start with 5 minute chit chat
ii) 30 mins set aside in everyone's agenda once every two weeks to have 3x10 minute random conversations
iii) using this app https://www.gather.town/ which if you're a smallish team (we're 20) is pretty good. the messaging side is sh*t but in terms of facilitating face to face with team members is pretty good.

Whether I'm in an office or wfh, this is an absolute no. Come prepared, start on time, stick to agenda and aim to finish early.

Starting with a casual chat has already switched the context which is completely unproductive.

I suppose it depends on what you are doing. That approach will work in small companies/teamswho are doing repetitive tasks and/or tasks that require little to no thought, where you can gather a small crew of like minded drones.

If you are in a large company / team you will find that people are, well, different and what is productive for some won't be productive for others.
If you are doing work that isn't repetitive, and requires some level of thought to keep it all together, then collaboration within the team is imperative.
Getting the balance between task-specific time, and catch-up time will make or break a busy day

Sorry bullsh1t, it's actually the opposite way round too in large companies.

It's a meeting and timeboxed to get through an agenda. The amount of meetings I go to that could be done in half the time just because people can't stick to the agenda and focus is ridiculous. The agenda is there to put boundaries on the conversation and collaboration not stop it, otherwise everyone just ends up bikeshedding.

By all means waffle on after the meeting but never in the world of productivity has anyone recommended that meeting starts off topic or devotes a disproportionate amount of time to trivial matters. Just because the meeting is online the same principles apply. Similarly workshops should have a clear vision of what the tangible output is i.e. a design, decision, next steps etc.... otherwise people just fcuk around.

There is lack of skills in most workplaces at the moment on how to have more efficient meetings which ultimately results in far too many meetings. When you have to coach professional people on how to provide an agenda and why it's important, you have to question why these people are in the role.

I totally mis-read that - understood it to mean the day starts with a 5 min chit chat. As you were

[Average Score]

we look like we are staying by and large WFH. Far prefer it myself.

Do miss the craic a little bit but trying a few different things so that don't lose team spirit:

i) meetings start with 5 minute chit chat
ii) 30 mins set aside in everyone's agenda once every two weeks to have 3x10 minute random conversations
iii) using this app https://www.gather.town/ which if you're a smallish team (we're 20) is pretty good. the messaging side is sh*t but in terms of facilitating face to face with team members is pretty good.

Whether I'm in an office or wfh, this is an absolute no. Come prepared, start on time, stick to agenda and aim to finish early.

Starting with a casual chat has already switched the context which is completely unproductive.

You must be a joy to work with.

I would say I am because I'm an advocate of less meetings and in order to do that, meetings need to be productive. Also fewer meetings means more actual time to get on with tasks, which in turn leads to less need to do overtime or work under pressure to meet deadlines.

There is a time and place for casual chats when working from home long term but starting a meeting off topic is completely counter intuitive to how to run a meeting.

So in an era of folk increasingly isolated, being mandated to work from home for 2 years or now choosing to do so due to expensive fuel costs, you would prohibit folk from saying hello how's it going, you well etc. prior to a meeting starting.  Surely this would help moral especially chatting to folk you once sat with for years but now never see, in fact I am now thinking you are on the windup as I just noticed you also would prohibit this from an office meeting, what happens here 12 people wander in say absolutely nothing to one another and then the "leader" says item 1........, you are taking the piss.

As for the bit in bold to help your productivity can Mick ring Bob for 40 minutes and chat about Liverpool match last night - that ok!

[CiKe]

we look like we are staying by and large WFH. Far prefer it myself.

Do miss the craic a little bit but trying a few different things so that don't lose team spirit:

i) meetings start with 5 minute chit chat
ii) 30 mins set aside in everyone's agenda once every two weeks to have 3x10 minute random conversations
iii) using this app https://www.gather.town/ which if you're a smallish team (we're 20) is pretty good. the messaging side is sh*t but in terms of facilitating face to face with team members is pretty good.

Whether I'm in an office or wfh, this is an absolute no. Come prepared, start on time, stick to agenda and aim to finish early.

Starting with a casual chat has already switched the context which is completely unproductive.

You must be a joy to work with.

I would say I am because I'm an advocate of less meetings and in order to do that, meetings need to be productive. Also fewer meetings means more actual time to get on with tasks, which in turn leads to less need to do overtime or work under pressure to meet deadlines.

There is a time and place for casual chats when working from home long term but starting a meeting off topic is completely counter intuitive to how to run a meeting.

This was my initial take as well, our meetings used drive me crazy, people arriving late, then chit chat, often no agenda etc. However we have seen that employees are screaming out for better communication and a bit more social interaction, but definitively do not want to go back to the office.

In a remote first environment I think it is hard for there to be too much communication and it's important to have an idea of how people are actually feeling. I've actually noticed that our meetings are now better run, if you arrive late you miss the chit-chat and we start on schedule. Requires slight mental adjustment to say ok, that 12:00 meeting, the real stuff is at 12:05 but the adaptation is surprisingly quick.

We really work hard to keep our meetings to a minimum, if you are in one of these places where there are constant meetings, hard to see how it could work. If that isn't the case, my advice would be to try it before you completely shut the door.

[Average Score]

I am glad I don't work with you two! Work to live FFS not the other way around.

[thebigfella]

Lets deal with these one by one.

So in an era of folk increasingly isolated, being mandated to work from home for 2 years or now choosing to do so due to expensive fuel costs, you would prohibit folk from saying hello how's it going, you well etc. prior to a meeting starting.

Where did I say that. Starting with 5 mins non related chat is mandating context switching and impairs focus.

Surely this would help moral especially chatting to folk you once sat with for years but now never see,

Conversely if "social moral building" session were mandated, would people accept that they start with 5 mins of actual work? 

in fact I am now thinking you are on the windup as I just noticed you also would prohibit this from an office meeting, what happens here 12 people wander in say absolutely nothing to one another and then the "leader" says item 1........, you are taking the piss.

Again where have I said 12 people say nothing to each other. Mandating 12 people start talking among themselves for 5 mins is a complete no.

As for the bit in bold to help your productivity can Mick ring Bob for 40 minutes and chat about Liverpool match last night - that ok!

Mick can go round to Bob's and suck him off while watching videos of Kenny Daliglish to help productivity for all I care. As long as the work is done to agreed deadlines and to an acceptable quality.

As a professional they would be expected to be self organised, plus have the ability to manage their own workloads. If they want to spend 40 mins extra every day at work because they were discussing Liverpool, then that is their prerogative.