I Stopped Picking Up Job Calls on Weekends—Now HR Is Rethinking Their Policy

Finding a balance between remote and office-based work is challenging, as both options have their drawbacks. One of our readers, Lisa, preferred to work from home, but when her request was granted, not all of her colleagues were happy.

Lisa’s story:

Dear Bright Side,

I’ve been an accountant for two months at my new workplace. I asked my managers to work from home, so I could stay with my dog, who can get anxious if he feels lonely, but they refused my request. I was a bit disappointed, but I understand that they needed everyone at the office.

Until I started receiving work-related calls on weekends, when they asked me a few things urgently. I did it for the first two occasions, but on the third time, I refused and told my manager, “Sorry, but I’m not allowed to work from home.”

The next day, all coworkers received the same message, which stated, “You are fired from office duties.” However, it went on to explain that the company was moving to remote work, and the office hours will be more flexible, also meaning working in the evenings and occasionally at the weekends.

It was a shock for everyone, as this decision came out of the blue for most of my colleagues. Some of them are complaining about remote work and planning to push for a return to the office. Others have even blamed me for the shift, as they knew that I was complaining about the lack of a home office.

I didn’t want it this way, though. I just wanted to have the option of working from home, and not make it compulsory for everyone. Was I wrong to ask to work from home to balance the workload?

Thank you, Lisa, for sharing your story with us. Sounds like a drastic step from your company, but surely you were not the only reason behind their decision. More and more companies are choosing hybrid or remote work models that can benefit both the employers and the employees.

Benefits of working from home

• No commuting: You don’t have to spend hours travelling to and from your workplace, which also means you can start and finish work earlier.
• Better work-life balance: As you spend more time at home, you can pay more attention to your family. Without commuting, after finishing work, you’ll have more free time as well, which is a huge benefit.
• More comfortable work environment: You can forget about the fight for the best table at the office, and you can also switch on/off the air conditioning as you wish. What’s more, you can wear whatever you want, no need for suits and skirts, just don’t forget to change your PJs when you are on a video call.

Disadvantages of home office

• More distractions: Working from home is fine until you live alone. But if you share your home with your friends, family, and pets, you can get distracted easily. Try to create your own working space where no one can disturb you, and ask everyone to leave you in peace when you’re working.
• Limited communication: Great technical tools, like video calls, messaging, and email systems, can help in communicating with your colleagues. But they can’t replace an in-life coffee break, or private meetings when you can discuss everything.
• Loneliness: Without meeting people, working from home can get very monotonous, and people can get lonely. Working in a team can get more difficult; so, ideally, you can meet your colleagues once in a while to break the usual work-from-home circle.

And what do you think? Do you prefer working from home or at the office? Feel free to share your view with us. And if you’d like to read more about working from home, read our I’ve Been Working From Home for 3 Years, and Here Are 8 Big Mistakes I Wish I Had Avoided article.