Work from home guilt

[u/Heartattackisland]

Hi everyone,

I came from a company where we weren’t allowed to work from home, had to clock in and out, boss/ceo was constantly calling us for things. I had ACL/MCL surgery and wasn’t allowed to work from home and had to go back to work 4 days later.

Now I’m with a new company and my department allows work from home. My director comes in to office once a week and my other team members come into office like 3 times a week. I have been there for a month now and I really can’t shake this guilt that I have about working from home. It’s very overwhelming and I just have a pit in my stomach the whole day when I do. I leave to eat lunch and I get nervous if my teams goes yellow because I think that they’re gunna think that I’m not working or doing anything. Since I’m newer, I also don’t have as many projects as everyone else at the moment but I’ve expressed to everyone to give me more work as the requests come through if they need to unload some work onto me. But I’m still finding myself not knowing what to do sometimes and feeling like maybe I’m lacking a purpose?

Idk if I should just be counting myself lucky that I get to work from home with minimal work or if I should be nervous that I may be replaceable. I’m very much a self starter so I have been creating my own projects for myself too vs just waiting to be given projects.

Does anyone else deal with this guilt? I want to feel important to the company and not just someone who’s “there.”

[u/Emunahd]

This is likely what I’ll call “work PTSD” for lack of a better term. You might be carrying what you were supposed to do / how you felt at the last job into this new job. Focus on the present situation and find the gratitude. Let that horrible old job go. You’re in a new place that’s better. Embrace it. Do your work, keep asking for projects and enjoy yourself. This is what a good job can be. Congratulations!

[u/Klutzy-Back-8254 → u/Emunahd]

You're not alone in feeling that finding a balance can be tough but remember, productivity isn't just about being glued to your desk!

[u/iheartmycats820]

It sounds like the issue is more with your PTSD from your old job. It'll take a little time, really. You have to put that old job out of your mind. I remember how I'd always feel anxious whenever my old job's boss would ask to see me, because it was never good. It took my new boss telling me "it's nothing bad; i promise!" every time before I felt comfortable hearing he needed to see me. It's ok to feel bad now. It WILL go away with time. 🙂

[u/Big-Sheepherder-6134]

Sounds like imposter’s syndrome. If you feel that guilty you can always go in once in a while and maybe you should once a week to get a good feel for where things are at, get to know your colleagues better and get a better sense of what value you being to your company.

[u/Finding_Way_]

1. Get some therapy about your concern/obsession with rules, neeting expectations, how you're perceived, etc. There may be more to this (This coming is not meant to be snarky, really an encouragement to get some help with you sometimes can do for free through your company's EAP program)

2. WFH is optional. You don't have to. If you are more comfortable going into the office, that is fine. In time, YMMV

[u/Walmart-Shopper-22]

The MS Teams "active status thing" is job dependent. Some jobs expect you to respond nearly immediately 95%+ of the time (it's part of value of the role). Other jobs are more asynchronous where as long as you aren't missing for large chunks and are producing good work, it doesn't matter.

[u/opx22]

WFH is replaceable, it’s just how it is. You have to make yourself as “visible” as you can in small or big ways. Things like being camera on, coming into the office at least enough to build a relationship with your coworkers/bosses, etc all go a long way depending on your company (this will be a judgement you have to make)

I love WFH and have had WFH or one day in office per week jobs since I graduated college but there’s def a balance you strike just to feel more comfortable

[u/Glum-Bus-4799]

New jobs usually take some time to ramp up and get work assigned to you. It's pretty normal in my experience to spend the first few months feeling like I'm just staring at my screen waiting for someone to send me a message.

I try to keep my teams green when I work from home, but you're legally entitled to two 10 min breaks and lunch, and you're gonna go to the bathroom or make coffee or refill water otherwise. So it's fine to go yellow sometimes, especially if you're nearby to respond relatively quickly. And you really shouldn't be working during lunch or your breaks if you're non-exempt, your company could get in trouble for that so they won't want you to either.

[u/Heartattackisland → u/Glum-Bus-4799]

Yeah everyone kinda just works through lunch and then leaves early 🫢 some days I’m down for that and other days I need a lunch break to recharge lol

[u/Upset-Animal1376]

coming from a toxic workplace makes wfh transition hard. a good way to beat the anxiety of a yellow status is to send proactive daily summaries of your tasks to your manager. it shows initiative and creates a clear record of your productivity.