If employers were mandated to allow employees to WFH unless there was a clear reason to need someone physically in a workplace

Every business needs other businesses to survive. Its the knock on effect that people don't think about. Taking offices out of the playing field massively reflects on so many other trades.

No office means no cleaning, maintenance, security staff. No need for electricians and plumbers, carpet fitters or decorators. No use for these people means less work for banks, accountants, insurers, vehicle sales, workwear suppliers etc.

A permanent workspace at home needs to be declared to your home insurance, mortgage provider and legally requires to be registered as a business premise. Your home needs to legally be as per your employers insurers require, possibly to the extent of putting in fire doors, fire separations should it go that far.

"Everyone should have the choice by law".

Give me strength.

Your employer can choose where to require you to work. You can choose whether or not to work for them on their terms.

An employee who thinks they should have a legal right to decide where they work? Good GOD no.

That might be your experience, but it isn’t mine or that of most of the juniors I supervise and mentor. Yes, I’m senior and I’d quite like not to have to go into he office, but I’m also not an arsehole and recognise my presence as a senior in the business means others are leaning from me. I know his as they tell me so, and that is also how I learnt when I was junior so I have first hand experience.

You don’t want to be forced to work from home, but it’s not a one size fits all thing. Employers can set what they want, and if people don’t like the offer they can leave and the employer will change.

I find it ironic you are ranting about how people shouldn’t be forced to go in whilst trying to impose what ou think is best on everyone else.

Some people learn that way. As you say, people have different learning styles.

Do you agree that everyone is entitled to a working environment that suits them?

Nah. I fucking HATE working from home.

It's my home, I don't want work invading my space.

Who paid for the ruin to the carpet from a wheeled office chair? Who paid the increased heating and lighting? Who paid for my having to sign up to fibre to get a workable signal? Who paid for the laptop stand and the 4-way usb?

I did. The £6 a month was barely a drop in ocean compared to what I spent to make it work. We didn't get a financial boost or help for all that kind of stuff.

But you want everyone to do what want?

I have made the move in the opposite direction - used to WFH, now I've taken an office. I am far more productive and happy.

Though TBH i bet your team are glad you WHF! 😏

Another thing to consider is that there is often an assumption that everyone, particularly young people, are completely comfortable being 'online'. However, that's not necessarily true.
Lots of young people feel uncomfortable in online meetings and don't feel confident in contributing.

They were constantly having to reboot for some reason. 🙄

I've nothing against wfh myself (I wfh 3 days a week) but some people absolutely do take the piss and to pretend that everyone is more productive at home is a big fat lie.

Ah yes the laptop issues. It was only when I challenged one of my direct reports that I was going to the head of IT to find out why her laptop kept breaking even after she supposedly had them look at it multiple times that it magically worked and hasn’t broken since. Funny that…

She was on the WFH thread earlier where she was becoming increasingly rude about other people and directly to them.

I’m not sure what kind of job you have sorry but I am upper management and even I am still developing, it’s continual, and to do so I need to be around my peers and colleagues from different departments. It helps me become better at my job, I wouldn’t be able to just live inside my own head. Some jobs are stand alone, static and have zero development but most industries involve a degree of development in terms of adapting to new ways of working, being around other people and picking up skills is completely underrated. Also identifying problems is easier and faster if you are physically around other people

And it makes many much more productive. I am much more productive in the office than at home as you can speak to people and get things done

When at home you need to wait for them to be available online/answer an email/pick up a phone. In the office you can just turn to them and ask them a question and get on with your day

So yes there are times when wfh is good and productive and times when the office is. That is why hybrid is the preferred option

Probably because you're talking such utter guff it's rotting my brain.

I can see why you don't thrive in an office and you're clearly just spoiling for a fight and angry and the world.

*they are

Maybe the London allowance should be stopped for those who work from home?
They could be taxed more and that money goes to help pay for essential services who for obvious can not work from home.
Not everyone can work from home.
They are usually on lower salaries as we know from the pandemic we can't do without them.

The opposite is also true. WFH makes some people less productive. Someone in my team used to vanish for ages making out they had "laptop issues" they ended up getting sacked.

It's what they actually want. The learning from being around people is nonsense. Office work happens in your head and on your desktop. Happy clappy "sparking ideas" is yank nonsense.

You're wrong. Really, really wrong.
I research and teach career development for a living.
There's a HUGE issue with young people not learning skills required to be successful in the workplace.
Collaboration, communication, team work ..... there are all important and are more challenging if you are isolated and only interacting through a screen.

Yeah let me guess. You’re not doing that well in a very average career and just want to bitch about being made to actually do some work

Just had this discussion today, there are some roles that lend well to WFH and I have facilitated one or 2, but the majority of the staff I have nothing but concerns about the impact on the business and staff if we agreed for more people to work from home. Isolation and not feeling part of a team was the number one complaint from those who worked remotely over the past few years and it has been endlessly frustrating to try to get them to understand it is the remote working causing this feeling of disconnect.

The other issue is people in HR facing roles, it just doesn’t work, you need eye contact with people, face to face conversations that don’t have to be scheduled by teams. It is really bad for development of more junior team members. I could if I wanted to work from home a lot more than I do (I barely do anymore) as I just found it caused more problems than it solved, for me it would be to make my life easier - doesn’t mean it would make anyone else’s life easier

Depends what industry you work in, surely?

Except I doubt you would survive in mine if you’re so dumb as to not understand that.

Or that you’ve had the right to apply for flex for many years pre pandemic. Which has been so beneficial for so many women.

I'm saying everyone should have the choice by law.

WFH is not the best solution for many businesses. And that should be for the employer to decide.

If you want a wfh job, go out and find one. They do exist, but they aren't right for everyone.

I mean try have you ever tried not making hating people and leaving your house your entire personality. You might be happier.

It is funny how net zero is the most important ONLY important thing but when this really easy solution pops up it's all no... The Thursday night quiz!

Why are you assuming it's all about socialising after work?
That's not what people are talking about.