‘Be honest’: Mum’s working from home confession divides opinion

A remote worker has sparked controversy in a parenting forum after revealing her “real” WFH routine — and not everyone is impressed.

A mum caused controversy online after confessing how lackadaisical her job from home can be, spending company time on shopping and holiday activities instead of working.

Posting on parenting forum, Mumsnet, she asked, “Be honest … what do you really do if working from home?”

“I often have a bath at lunchtime. Go to shops. Clean. Last Friday watched a Christmas film in the background in bed while doing some online training. Made a pie,” she posted.

Not everyone was thrilled, with some even scolding her for her lax approach to work, the New York Post reports.

“Working from home means you should be … working (from home),” one user criticised. “What you’re describing is skiving from home.”

However, the woman justifies her slow days with the counterargument that she has very late days and sometimes has to work on weekends.

“So, I think it balances out,” she said.

The woman’s laid back approach to working from home sparked a debate. Picture: iStock

At a time when more and more workers are being nudged back into their offices, others commented that they’re milking WFH for all it is worth.

Several enjoy that they can seamlessly swap from doing spreadsheets to spreading sheets for laundry.

“Depending on the type of meeting I am in, I occasionally fold laundry. We have whole-company calls that need to be listened to, but I can fold laundry while I listen!” one commented, adding that they also take a lunch break occasionally.

“I work harder than at the office,” another added, confessing that they also do laundry loads and can duck out at lunch “for a run”.

Another claimed they use what would have been commute time “to get house stuff done right before and after work”.

She said she often takes a bath at lunchtime. Picture: iStock

Some defend working from home and say it is a more conducive environment for success.

“I found that if I knuckled down I could get the bulk of my work done in a much shorter time than if I was in the office,” another user commented.

“No distractions or people wanting to talk to you.”

Others, however, say their jobs keep them busy enough that there is little difference when logging on remotely.

“If I was away too long from my laptop, people would notice,” one posted, saying they do quick tasks like taking out their garbage.

“Also, I would not get as much work done.”

And some are fortunate to have “cool” bosses who let personal time on the job slide.

“We can go to the hairdressers or the gym, etc in work time,” another commented.

“We just need to get our work done.”

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and has been republished with permission.