What about office workers who can work from home ?

[Melabela10]

The guidelines is that if you can work from home you should continue to do so for foreseeable future.

I work from home ( normally office based ) now and potentially don’t need to go to the office and wonder how Long this will continue ?

Perhaps employer will introduce some sort of shifts and staggering times once we go back but when we actually go back to the office ?

[Gronky]

That's probably a question best answered by your employer

[BacklashStarts]

Fucking ages, I think. I’m not expecting to be back in the office until mid autumn or maybe next year. Until it’s under control those of us they can keep off the streets and transport will he kept at home. Our big boss said we’ll be last to go back. It sucks but makes sense.

[Snaleandthewhail]

I can’t imagine I’ll be back in the office this calendar year. Risk assessment by our H&S office is going to be stay at hone as long as possible surely

[inwood]

We have officially been told we can WFH if we want to until January. There are plans to reopen offices in a 'safe' way but most of us have no need to be in the office at all. There is no change to our official guidance since Boris' speech and we are all at home for the forseeable although some site visits will be allowed if people are happy to do so, there is no pressure on anyone to do this.

[MyVisionsComeFromSoup]

I'm going to be advising our staff that our office risk assessment is to stay WFH. We will be putting in more hand sanitisers, and having a policy of wiping desks/keyboards for anyone who is actually in the office, and giving staff allocated days they can come in if they want, so that if they do, then they're split up (everyone has their own desk).

But basically, WFH is the only thing that we can do to make us a COVID 19 Secure workplace, as we can't change the space any more than we currently have/have planned to. Smallish physical space makes it impossible to have everyone 2m apart at all times.

Not sure though if we're now obliged to do assessments of their home working conditions, and provide chairs/computers etc though.

[2kool4skool]

Not sure though if we're now obliged to do assessments of their home working conditions, and provide chairs/computers etc though.

Let's hope this inst the start of opportunistic employees demanding all sorts

[VanCleefArpels]

@2kool4skool my sons employer has provided a budget per person so they can set up their home office in a safe and comfortable way. He has “bought” the same chair he has in the office, a stand for his laptop and a bigger screen. His employer was very concerned about this aspect of people working st home as it is likely to carry on for many months.

[ProfessorRadcliffeEmerson]

2kool, that seems a pretty unpleasant starting point. Employees can't be expected to work all day every day perched on their beds with a laptop. My employer also provides a budget for homeworking kit. I haven't claimed anything myself as I'm already well set up, but have ordered various things for members of my team as I hold the budget. Most of them have asked for chairs and/or laptop risers - hardly outrageous requests.

[Peggysgettingcrazy]

We order dse equipment like we would at work.

Put to the ops question, our company is expected to be still wfh at Christmas.

[AGoodYearfortheRoses]

I was under the impression we should wfh as long as we could if it was practical and in my job it is but my employers seem determined to get us back in as soon as they can although tbf they are putting safety measures in place.

[mindutopia]

My understanding of the guidance is that everyone who must go to work and can't work from home is actively encouraged to go to work. Everyone else who can work from home is still encouraged to stay at home. Not a whole lot has changed. Intentionally so, because it means a few people who should have gone in (because they can't work from home) will and a few people who shouldn't go in because they can easily work from home, will also go in. That will be enough to see if there is a rise in the R before schools potentially go back next month. Everyone else who can work from home should continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

My employer has told us that we should not expect to be allowed back in the office before July at the very earliest.

[mindutopia]

For the record, I am putting plans in place so that I can complete all my work from home through probably Christmas. I'm adapting my processes so everything can be done remotely (I work in clinical research, but not in a lab, in data analysis). My teaching will likely be online in the autumn. There really won't be a need for me to go in and I can't see why I would, though I do miss my work colleagues and just actually going to work.

[BarbaraofSeville]

2kool4skool

What, like space to work effectively, on equipment that doesn't leave the employee at the risk of permanent disability?

Poor posture while working at a desk is a recognised health and safety risk, hence why we have the display screen equipment regulations.

I've brought my laptop, extra screen, riser, chair, separate keyboard and mouse home from work and I'm fortunate that we have a spare room that I can set everything up in without getting in the way. We've been told that it will be months before we can go back to the office, which is why we've been encouraged to set things up properly at home, rather than do the 'laptop on the bed' as laptops aren't intended for full time use on their own.

People who can WFH because that's an easy thing to do, it reduces the risk of transmission in offices and reduces demand on public transport and the roads, which is something that needs to happen to keep things moving and not be overcrowded.

[Melabela10]

There is no update from employer since Boris spoke out on Sunday, there was a message sent weeks ago stating that they will provide safe working environment and they will follow official guidelines. I work in a very large open plan office in london so they will probably send us to the office about the same time others will do.

I would really love to know as I would need to invest in a good office chair and some other equipment if this continues...I have a feeling we won’

[BarbaraofSeville]

Not sure though if we're now obliged to do assessments of their home working conditions, and provide chairs/computers

I would say that you are. Your employer may have a home working policy anyway and in that it should address the health and safety aspects.

Ours has two levels, one for full time home workers, which is quite detailed and includes a training programme for setting everything up properly and one for occasional home working, which is less in depth, because it recognises that you only do it one day a week or whatever.

[Melabela10]

Although we can work from home our department heads are not fond of this in general ( during non - Covid times ) so I wonder if this will reflect in and we will be sent to the office in shifts in July....can’t think of going back on packed tunes during rush hour

[BarbaraofSeville]

If you've been successfully working from home throughout lockdown, you fall into the 'if you can work from home you should' group.

If you work in a London office, it needs to be considered that many people will need to travel on public transport to get there, which is something that should be avoided.

[AmyFl]

The document released by the government yesterday said everyone who can work from home, should work from home for the "foreseeable future". So this is the default for this group, for the time. Managers should not be expecting staff back in that are able to work from home and they certainly shouldn't have put a date on it.