Workers have revealed the rogue behaviour they get up to while working from home, and it is every boss’s nightmare.
It has become clear in our post-pandemic times that working from home has been an expectation for many workers.
Naturally this has egged on conversations about productivity, trust and flexibility and so far, it seems like those who want the right to work from home are winning.
According to research from Finder, nearly 1 in 5 Aussies said their place of employment allows them to work remotely.
A separate Finder survey from 2022 found only a trivial number of Aussies (3 per cent) don’t enjoy working from home.
It is pretty obvious that Aussies love the lifestyle.
Just this week Australian workers won the right to dispute a refusal of flexible work request. It has become clear that working from home is very much the new normal, no matter what billionaire Elon Musk has to say about it.
So what are people getting up to in the safety of their own lairs? Well, they are doing more than just getting work done.
Some employees shave hours off their working days because they are away from the watchful eyes of their employers. Meanwhile, others admit it’s about being able to cook, clean and even date during work hours.
Sure, they are still getting work done, but the younger generations Millennials and Generation Z are also unashamedly making work suit their lifestyle needs.
What that looks like for everyone is completely different, but one thing is certain: when people are at home they definitely aren’t just working.
*Jordan shared that he likes to end his workday early when a social event calls. Of course, he is the one setting up the social arrangement but let’s not get too caught up in the details.
“I often book in drinks at 4pm and have my mates come over then, but I actually don’t finish until 5.30,” he shared.
Does anyone notice? “You have to look active on your chat. So I keep my laptop open and the sound all the way up.”
Not everyone is hosting soirees during their working day. In fact, some workers are using the time to keep fit.
*Aaron might be at work, but when he gets to do it from the safety of his home he uses the opportunity to bend it like Beckham.
“I sometimes practice my soccer or go for a jog,” he admitted.
For others it’s less about getting their steps in and far more about chowing down. *Gloria explained that she uses her work time to cook up a culinary masterpiece.
“I cook cakes, make three course meals for lovely dinner parties and sometimes I’ll even fit in a whole house clean,” she shared.
Meanwhile *Jessie uses work at home to give herself a chance to catch some extra rest, but she swears it makes her a better employee.
“I nap. It increases my productivity, and I get to have a little sleep. Honestly, it is a win for everyone,” she said.
*Nathan has used working from home as a chance to master the art of not working and instead is focused on getting ripped.
“I have an app called ‘wiggler’ that moves my mouse every few seconds so it looks like I’m active on group chats and then I go to the gym for 2 hours or have a long lunch.”
In comparison *Jenny uses the opportunity to become a multi-tasking Queen when she’s working from her lounge room and she can even recount a time when she truly outdid herself.
“I have vacuumed with a headset on while toting around a laptop listening to a live presentation. I’m on mute, of course,” she said.
*Kat sees working from home as a free fall of opportunities to pamper herself and getting on top of that never-ending domestic load.
“I boil stock from old chicken bones all day.”
It doesn’t end there.
“I also do hair, face treatments and endless washing and food prep,” *Joan admitted.
While *Alison said that she’s taken it one step further and headed out of the house to get herself pampered.
“I went to get my hair done at 2pm and took my laptop, but it just did not get opened.” She confessed.
For one savvy teacher, she’s worked out the art of doing less, not more, and has changed the way she teaches to create more work/life balance for herself.
“I keep setting group work for my students, and then while they do that, I can do housework or cook.”
Some single workers even find time to keep their love life bubbling over all while getting paid to do it.
“I think we’ve all had a midday sex session at some point during working from home,” *Mike shared.
While *Aaron revealed that he uses his lunch break as an opportunity to search for true love or at least temporary bliss.
“I hook up with guys during my lunch break, and sometimes it runs over time.”
Meanwhile *Leni reveals that she works from home on Fridays so she can get ready for hot dates.
“I take little breaks at a time to do each step. 20 minutes for a shower to shave my legs, 10 minutes to do my base makeup.
“I always do my eyes in the last 30 minutes of the shift because it’s usually pretty quiet, so I am ready to whiz out the door come 6.30,” she said.
It isn’t all romance and fun though. For some workers they use their working from home time to really let out their emotions.
“Sometimes I just run a bath and cry on my lunch break,” *Jake admitted.
Perhaps the most rogue habit of all comes from *Chase who shared that he dabbles in drugs when his boss can’t see him.
“I smoke bongs sometimes.”
So, here’s the big question: does all this mucking around with multi-tasking actually impact productivity?
Performance coach Vanessa Vershaw said: “Research has shown for a while that WFH actually enables higher performance outcomes overall. It’s a well-known fact that being comfortable and relaxed enables enhanced learning, unlocks creative thinking and enables mental recovery time to focus better on solving wicked problems.”
So is it okay to multitask?
“Letting your mind wander doing the cooking and cleaning actually boosts productivity in moderation. Giving your mind space to be still is a skill we don’t practice often enough and yet learning to do this can actually help to build skills of strategic foresight.”
She does draw the line at dating on the job though.
“Not sure how dating is helpful though, that’s probably more likely to add to the stress levels and diminish focus.”
Names have been changed to protect people’s privacy.