Nigel Farage calls for an end to working from home

Yep, never underestimate people's ability to be a dog in the manger.

It's Reform's whole shtick, isn't it - 'look, these people are getting something you're not and they're taking your stuff!'

Going against the grain as I think WFH is detrimental.

Since it's acceleration mental health issues have increased. Human contact is essential even for introverts.

People do get more done in the office, it eliminates skiving.

There will be career advancement more readily available for onsite employees.

When home and work is blurred you never switch off if WFH.

Yes fares and petrol cost but that is something that needs to be factored in when budgeting. Not sure why people complain about this when it has been the case for decades.

Location. Again, you choose to live in an area that is accessible for work. Whether that is driving range or train access. For a small number that includes walkable.

People who work from home do disappear to collects kids from school and go to the gym. Things you should do in your own time not your employers.

If someone wants to WFH they should set up their their own company or be totally freelance. I.e in charge of their own destiny.

He knows he's going to decimate welfare, so he doesn't give a shit.

It’s definitely to appeal to his dual core base of businesses wanting office space let and those upset someone, somewhere is getting a deal they are not.
I think it’s reminiscent of the fake/fantasy 1950’s Britain sold to get Brexit voters - where everyone has a lovely pint delivered and skips down flower verged roads happily (unworried by no equality or poor work conditions or even food rationing and nasty diseases of course)
Alternately, it’s linked to their ‘breeding’ ideals with more women forced out of the workplace- not good for couples who want to pay rent/mortgage of course but hey Ho.
Considering who is telling us to get into the workplace it would be laughable - if folk weren’t liable to fall for the con the second time around, which makes it scary.
Be interesting (as well as awful) to see what NF would deliver, and his excuses for not doing so and not turning up at Parliament very often.

I suspect there is a (large?) proportion of the workforce who if they could not work from home would not be able to work at all - does he really want to add to the benefits bill?

I wouldn't expect anything less of him to be honest. The man is a scourge.

Wfh not only supports work life balance for everyone, but it supports people with ND or mobility issues/ chronic health conditions to sustain work, helps people manage their childcare arrangements (by lessening commute not working while caring), allows people to focus on key tasks with more focus depending on their job type.

It's just dinosaur thinking of wanting to go back to "the good old days" of how we've always done things without thinking about who that actually benefits.

Really it's down to control and feeling the need to physically see an employee sitting at a desk to know that they're working because you lack the management skills to motivate and oversee your team effectively.

He can call all he likes it's got nothing to do with him. It's between then employer and the employee. It works very well for some employers, they have fewer overheads, need less expensive office space etc.
I have done both and I did get a lot more done at home, especially if I had to concentre on a specific piece of work. On the other hand I liked the interaction from being in the Office.
It sounds as though he has no idea what he is talking about .

Probably the reason he’s twice divorced

But that’s why hybrid works so well. Treat people as grown ups and let them work where they like on a day to day basis, but ensure you hold a few away days/in person workshops etc across the year so everyone gets at least some opportunities for face to face time.

I just didn’t agree with your reply to the pp which framed it as having no people to interact with outside work.

If tice lives there and wants to run our country that should be reason enough for people to be suspicious

Because they didn’t get to and they’re spiteful twats. They had to go out and graft all day and they think everyone should. That’s it.

As an academic I always loved working from home 2/3 days a week. Deep research is impossible to do in a noisy busy office and time commuting is time and money wasted. Being on my own has never bothered me but then I am a pretty self sufficient and disciplined person. I always treated it like being in the office and did not answer the door when I was supposed t be working - unless it was an expected delivery. Working at home is better for the environment too - all that traffic filling the roads at rush hour. So inefficient and polluting.

Don’t be naive. It’s a vote-winning tactic - like telling people that Brexit will enable us to regain control of our borders, create wealth and stop the influx of foreigners

But why do so many people, many who won’t even be working anymore care about others wfh?

What is the "pull the ladder up" generation? Aren't you being a bit ageist OP.

I'm 62, a single mum, working full time. I wfh between 2020 and 2024 and put in 9 hours a day. My boss was delighted with that. Now I work from the office but only because my role has changed and my commute is four miles rather than 64.

Different roles and different people suit different work modes. Every circumstance is different.

Farage would do well to remember that if he wants parents to work full time so they contribute lots of tax, then flexible working is essential.

The problem with Farage and his fans is they think everyone is like them. They’re knuckleheads who would take the piss wfh so assume everyone else is the same. They have a complete lack of imagination or curiosity around change and progress.

Of course.

But this isn't a thread about preferences or choices, it's a thread about Farage proposing no choices or preferences but WFH not being possible for people not self-employed.

And so people saying 'but WFH is hard for these people' are presumably agreeing the choice should be removed?' otherwise I don't understand why they're commenting with that POV.

Or they haven't understood the premise of the thread.

I don't like "work from gym". Signs everywhere saying "no mobiles"; but still, some people are taking business calls whilst working out.

Does that mean no more photos of Farage 'working' while in the pub with a pint at his PR team? Grand.
I wonder if he's even turned the heating on in his house at Clacton yet.

The guy is a tosser.

That said I do prefer working from home - but I work for myself and don’t hire anyone. So no one to fire me, no training people, no grievances or injustices here.

This sounds like you enjoy WFH yourself but don’t want others to have the ability to WFH.

From your other post it sounds like you want younger people to go in to the office keep ‘elder colleagues’ company.

It will be because some of his backers are losing money who own surplus office space. He works for capitalists, not us.

We have absolute proof that offices, especially open ones, destroy the opportunity to do deep quality work.

https://calnewport.com/open-offices-make-you-less-open/

Going into a distraction machine, rather than being at home able to shut people out, will make productivity worse, not better.

(I'm still voting for Reform)

Why are you policing me for not keeping to the topic when neither are you 😂😂 your first post on the thread is the fifth comment and you make your distain for office working very clear, but funnily enough no mention of Farage.

JUST to be clear, even though I’m miserable wfh, I have accepted that I will never work full time in an office again with my colleagues. My dream is for a properly hybrid job but I don’t even think I’ll get that ever. This is just working life now. I’m not rushing out to vote Reform in the hopes I’ll get my way lol.

I'm public sector and we were essential workers and there were a couple of employees who just didn't want to be at home with their kids so used the essential worker reason to keep their DC in school while they sat in an office with no-one else or one other because no-one else needed to be there and their workload was dramatically reduced because of covid restrictions.

Then complained about the lack of social interaction and wanted everyone to be forced into the office to make them feel better.

Or just didn't go into the office after a while but still kept their kids in school because they could.

The only string they have to their bow is immigration, and their obvious hatred for public sector workers. They don’t seem to have any other policy ideas.