Paranoid bosses think that working from home (WFH) is a big skive. Their employees could be doing anything, or maybe, not doing anything. Conversely, if you are visible, they have control. Or so they think.

The reality is the complete opposite. Despite what those old fashioned bosses might think, it’s always been easier to hide in plain sight.

Thankfully, the world has changed. Showing up is no longer enough. Skivers can’t hide at their desks anymore.

Office Culture – Be Here and Be Busy

Offices, and some bosses, foster a certain culture. You have to put the hours in. Get in early, stay late. In many cases, you’re expected to get in well before your contracted hours. If you want to impress, you get in before the boss arrives. In offices, your attendance lets people know you’re committed – what you do there, well that is secondary.

It’s a culture that embraces skivers, bums on seats, box tickers. If you’re seen to be busy, your stock will soar! What you’re actually doing doesn’t really matter. What works best for you, what gets the best results, well that isn’t important at all.

In the Office, if You’re Late, You’re Lazy

Are you an early bird or a night owl? It shouldn’t matter, but it always has.

Offices have always been prejudiced against night-owls, they’re unfairly seen as lazy. In reality, however, offices just aren’t aligned with night owl physiology. It’s like trying to force square pegs into round holes, not ideal for either party.

Also, there are sprinters and marathon runners. Sprinters like short, sharp bursts of extreme productivity, followed by fallow time to recharge. Offices don’t like that; they’re not set up for sprinters.

The real-world needs all sorts of people. A team is like an engine – you don’t want all your pistons firing at the same time.

At Home, You Can Work When it Works for You

Working from home gives you the freedom to be yourself. It doesn’t matter if you’re an early bird or a night owl, a sprinter, or a marathon runner. What matters is productivity. Everyone can thrive in this new world because you can work when it works for you.

Sure, there’ll be times when you need to join a meeting or head to an office. There’ll be crunch project times when everyone needs to rally together and put in the hard yards. Your grafters aren’t going to mind those purposeful, planned or pressing activities – not even the night-owls or sprinters.

This is the Time for Grafters

You’re a beautiful and unique snowflake individual, not a cog in a leaky machine. You’re a grafter, but you’ve also got a life. Nowadays, that’s ok. You can shift things around and get your stuff done.

It’s not ok though, for the skivers. You know, the ones who spend their days opening and closing spreadsheets, or sat in the bogs playing games on their phones.

They’ve had their day. People just don’t care anymore. They may sit at their desks but they don’t get anything done. They just collect their appearance money and give little back in return. Well, no more, the skiver’s time is up!

Why Skivers Have Nowhere Left to Hide

New normal bosses don’t care about clocking in and clocking out, about how long you spend looking at your screen. What matters, is what you deliver, what you contribute.

You can smash work out in double-quick time, you like to work in the evening, you like to spread your effort throughout the day? Fill your boots. Working from home will work for you if you get your stuff done.

This is the time for grafters, skivers have nowhere left to hide.