The Work From Home/Quarantine Thread

[Deleted User 89]

get happy endings and expense them

[pdub]

Thinking outside the box.

[ousdahl]

get happy endings and expense them

really lending a hand to gutter now!

[Deleted User 89]

get happy endings and expense them

really lending a hand to gutter now!

just not my own hand

[twocoach]

No.
I'm in agreement with TDub & Trad.
A large part of my being in agreement is that I don't enjoy paying $250 a month for internet and cable TV.
I suggest anyone and everyone who deals with Comcast take in to account that if they know they have you by the balls - they tend to squeeze them as hard as they can.

On another note.
I'm happy for people to respond with their opinion/s to what I am about to share.
I am extremely grateful to have been employed this past year. Obviously many people have been laid off.
Anyways, I had my "performance review". Not much to review this year.
Due to strict company compliance I am not supposed to publicly share my salary and compensation.
What I will say is that even though I have been extremely fortunate to still be employed, I am someone who has been impacted this past year in that my rent increased $300 a month, I have had to pay for all my meals (I usually don't pay for lunch at work), I have had a huge increase in my monthly electric (heating & air conditioning included), and other non-typical expenses as well as the usual/typical cost of living increases. Forgetting the rent increase, I figured it's cost me at least an extra $10,000 this past year just by being away from the office.
Sooooooo. Do I just say thank you to my employer and not campaign to be "reimbursed" per se or do I say something? Now of course they could (and should) rightfully respond - but you have done at least $10,000 LESS of work this past year so you need to shut up and be happy.

$800+ a month increase because they don't buy you lunch any more is a stretch. I am sure you can ask your employer to be reimbursed but I'd advise you to have alternate employment arranged before doing so. Good luck with that.

It's more than just lunch.
Here is the thing, our company is reimbursing people for I.T. "necessities" for working at home.
The problem is the amount of people who abuse it. Of course if you don't own a printer and you need to print work related documents - by all means the company should "supply" you with one at no cost to you but....
There have been numerous people who are "expensing" things such as new chairs, coffee makers, etc.
Where does it end?
For example, we have "wellness" benefits. Sure it's great to get reimbursed for things such as health club monthly dues but when it first became standard to expense your "wellness expenses" people were expensing things such as baby strollers (claiming they are "exercising" when they take their babies for walks). I was told by the head of our H.R. Department I am not using my wellness benefits and I should use them. Basically it's a monthly stipend.
When I explained I already own a bicycle, the health club in my building is free to residents, and there is really nothing I need to nor want to use the benefits for - I was then told I should get massages and expense them. Ok, but I didn't get massages before the wellness benefit program so I should now have the company reimburse me for something I never used/needed/wanted and I should take advantage of THEM (the company) for? I just feel that's morally wrong but the things that have cost me money for "working from home" - that's a different story and my current conundrum.

Sounds like you just need to have a conversation with your HR rep and if you don't like the answers provided to you, make a decision whether or not you can continue your employment with the company. We have to ask ourselves "is this a company that I want to work for if I receive this level of compensation in salary/benefits" every year so that's nothing new to the pandemic although the pandemic has certainly highlighted how valuable some benefits are and how worthless others are.

Personally, working from home have saved money in some areas (lower lunch expenses, waived monthly parking fees, decreased gas expenses, less mileage/wear and tear on my car, etc...) and increased expenses in others (had to buy my wife a laptop now that I am using the PCs in the office, increased wear and tear on home items due to me being home more, etc...). I have made no effort to quantify the net impact because it would be impossible to get an accurate number.

Hopefully you find a solution that works best for you and provides you the least amount of stress and concern.

[shindig]

I get more naps in working from home, but it definitely has started to wear me down being home all the time. No ETA on when we will go back (most likely it will be a combination of working from home a few days and in the office the rest), but probably not until late summer.

[ousdahl]

get happy endings and expense them

really lending a hand to gutter now!

just not my own hand

ohhh like a Dutch rudder?

[sdoyel]

I get more naps in working from home, but it definitely has started to wear me down being home all the time. No ETA on when we will go back (most likely it will be a combination of working from home a few days and in the office the rest), but probably not until late summer.

Same (minus the naps). Youngest son turned 1 yesterday. Pandemic Baby. Another son who turned 5 in January. Love being home with my boys, but at the same time it’s been exhausting...

[twocoach]

I get more naps in working from home, but it definitely has started to wear me down being home all the time. No ETA on when we will go back (most likely it will be a combination of working from home a few days and in the office the rest), but probably not until late summer.

Same (minus the naps). Youngest son turned 1 yesterday. Pandemic Baby. Another son who turned 5 in January. Love being home with my boys, but at the same time it’s been exhausting...

All of life is more exhausting now. I can't remember the last weekend that arrived where I didn't say "man, that was a long week". Trying to find the silver lining where I can but life is very heavy these days. I feel guilty being so stressed out because so many have it so much worse but it's been a really hard slog the last few months.

[Deleted User 89]

i can echo that sentiment

[jfish26]

I get more naps in working from home, but it definitely has started to wear me down being home all the time. No ETA on when we will go back (most likely it will be a combination of working from home a few days and in the office the rest), but probably not until late summer.

Same (minus the naps). Youngest son turned 1 yesterday. Pandemic Baby. Another son who turned 5 in January. Love being home with my boys, but at the same time it’s been exhausting...

All of life is more exhausting now. I can't remember the last weekend that arrived where I didn't say "man, that was a long week". Trying to find the silver lining where I can but life is very heavy these days. I feel guilty being so stressed out because so many have it so much worse but it's been a really hard slog the last few months.

I find it increasingly hard to do the little things that will take 15-30 minutes, you just need to fucking do them. Job, housework, whatever.

[shindig]

I echo that statement jfish. Sometimes just doing laundry or taking the dog for a walk seem more exhausting and being home all the time, you'd think my house would always be clean, but just dusting and cleaning have started to take a backseat.

It's almost like, who cares if the house is dusty, nobody is here besides my boxer and I. Winter is always tough as well. The endless cloudy, cold days can get to you, but Spring is just around the corner.

[shindig]

I get more naps in working from home, but it definitely has started to wear me down being home all the time. No ETA on when we will go back (most likely it will be a combination of working from home a few days and in the office the rest), but probably not until late summer.

Same (minus the naps). Youngest son turned 1 yesterday. Pandemic Baby. Another son who turned 5 in January. Love being home with my boys, but at the same time it’s been exhausting...

Congrats on the youngest. My neighbor has 2 young kids (2 and 4) and he takes them to daycare M-F and then goes home and works. Said he just couldn't get any work done with 2 small kids. His wife works at a dialalisis center, so she obviously can't work from home.

[Deleted User 289]

The company I work for has been fantastic during the work from home / quarantine.
Extremely compassionate and generous in many ways. Including but not limited to nice bonuses at Christmas time and again on March 15th.
I didn't realize today is National Employee Appreciation Day.
I guess the company felt the need to do something so they gave us Amazon gift cards.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the gesture but it's for an amount that can't really buy you much.
I have decided to be a bigger douche than I already am and went ahead and bought toilet paper with it.
I figured I should do as such because now I can tell people I literally used the gift card to wipe my ass with it.

[NewtonHawk11]

You are a strange human.

[jhawks99]

Looking a gift horse in the arse.

[jhawks99]

Working from home on a fairly busy Monday.
We are getting new tile put down in the bathrooms and entry way.
1st they are taking up the ugly vinyl flooring. Lots of hammering and scraping.
The dust/smoke from one of the circular saws set off the fire alarms.
Good times while on a conference call.

[ousdahl]

is anyone buying the new floor dust as an excuse for the fire alarms, or do they all think you burned your quesadilla?

[jhawks99]

Smoke alarm is pretty much going on constantly now. I'm starting to like it.
It's got a good beat.
I can dance to it, Dick.
I give it an 8.

[ousdahl]