Nigel Farage calls for an end to working from home

I felt this in my soul. So tired of them all.

We don’t have anywhere near as many desk or parking provision for that matter. Plus I think that implying that someone is more productive in the office on the assumption that they would otherwise be dossing around at home, reflects really badly on the employer. It’s a wonder that anyone would actually want to work for the public sector if Reform get in.

If they stopped spending on useless things like SEND (which is like climate change to reform) then councils would be awash with cash.

It'll be another wedge issue he's dug up as a way of speaking to his base.

As you observe, many are either retired or work in the kinds of roles that don't allow working from home. The mentality of, 'If I can't have/didn't have the thing, no one needs or should be able to have the thing' is strong.

Local councils don't have the money for that.

I wasn't focusing on any single issue.

Unusually, there don't seem to be a large number of Reform supporters on this thread. There are usually loads when Reform gets a mention.

That's because rather than being a whingefest of how bad everybody else is, this is a stone cold idea (rare from Reform).

You can see why they don't really encourage thinking. It doesn't end well for them.

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.

There is a divide between the haves and have-nots, those who can’t wfh often feel jealous of those who can.

If wfh ended then I’d simply exit the workplace - I couldn’t work and commute and manage the kids and home. I do a demanding and skilful job but I need flexibility

I do t think he's forced every American back into an office has he? He's always changing his mind and forgetting things.

He may only be 61 but the way he drinks and smokes - he'll die soon... ;-)

Which is fine if it's not dictating what everyone does.

But what this thread is Farage suggesting about is dictating everyone working from offices.

Not a debate on the positives or negatives of WFH, but forcing office based working for all.

Incidentally, not many people seem to mention the time-shifting aspect of WFH.
Which means your "9-5" can actually be "8-12" and "7pm-11pm".

Again a boon for parents.

I can only think it appeals to the "pull the ladder up" generation. Don't give two fucks about anyone else as long as they are comfortable or those that are unable to wfh and want everyone else to be as miserable as them

That's a large proportion of Reform voters, isn't it? He's playing to his audience. They are miserable, and want to blame everyone else and make sure they're all miserable, too.

The only businesses who are going to pay any attention to this are those backed by Reform money; or who are already questioning remote working for whatever reason. Neither is where you want to be anyway.

They could do. I wouldn't stay in any job that forced me to work from the office for 5 days a week. Those days are long gone for me. People worked from home before COVID and in my field there were WFH jobs before that. I would find a fully remote contract, it the bear minimum days in an office.

I'm certainly not voting for that racist prat in the next election.

You can't turn back the clock. In a lot of professions, WFH is expected now as a perk.

Unusually, there don't seem to be a large number of Reform supporters on this thread. There are usually loads when Reform gets a mention.
I know a few Reform supporters and none of them work from home.
They are either retired or they work in a factory setting or are plumbers/engineers (just my personal experience).
So I doubt it will sway many away from voting for them as the policies that really appeal to their voting core will not be affected by this.
I wonder is there a working from home and voting Reform sector of people?
(I work from home)

Proverb. plus ça change. (literally) The more it changes, the more it's the same thing (sometimes loosely translated as the more things change, the more they stay the same). Although the outward appearance may change, fundamentals are constant.

So you could see it like you see it. Thanks for expanding. I also don’t think my response was a bad one to that phrase.

In my industry (Architecture) things have changed exponentially in the last 50 years!!

How do I know this? From office chat and the wisdom of the oldies imparted. It does sound lovely 😅 quite jealous at times!

That’s a bit harsh. People are in different situations and career stages. Younger people might have rubbish set ups at home and appreciate the office more.

Not everyone, usually these threads are 50/50 and there’s no point in telling people they’re wrong over preferring wfh or not.

He’s a Luddite speaking to other Luddites who don’t accept that society is changing significantly. Automation, computerisation, now “AI”. Whole industries and jobs will disappear and new ones will appear over the next decade. The use of public spaces and town and city centres and buildings will alter thanks to the change in employment, shopping and leisure habits.

There’s too many variables for anyone to predict with certainty where it’s going - it could be great, it could be apocalyptic. In the UK it will probably end up middling as most things do these days. We don’t have the kind of society that encouraged the Victorian Industrial Revolution any more because we have laws regarding exploitation of people and the environment.

God that man is a fucking twat!

Once again, if ol' Nige gets his way they will have to buy more space then. From his mates. At inflated prices.

during Covid my husband had some of his staff begging to go back to the office. They’re classed as essential workers so he opened up the office for those who wanted to. A lot did and i definitely wouldn’t say the people who took the offer where lazy, they are the most productive. The lazier workers did stay at home though & after Covid he had a more relaxed attitude & allowed people to remote work. Well he’s had to recall some back into the office because they kept rescheduling meetings to fit round school runs (clients complained) he phoned someone to find they where in the gym & said I’ll catch up the time in the evening. He never logged back into his computer from 3.45pm. A woman never answered her phone and called everyone back, again meaning clients were calling the office as they could never reach her. (He nearly lost a customer over this as they were fuming). Not everyone takes the piss but some really did. He will consider remote learning for those who believes genuinely won’t mess around and will negotiate that in appraisals. But he as a business owner isn’t keen on it.

Well employers can’t have it both ways.

If you bring people back to the office say 3 days then they will work those hours on those days and no more.

The only reason for a company to do this is if the feel they are not getting enough productivity in the wfh days.

There is a trend whereby the wfh parents of young children go quiet in the afternoons. I think in some cases they don’t have childcare. They might log on at 7pm again but it’s up to the company to decide if this is effective and productive working. If not then back to the office, if it works well then leave as is

No, that’s not my issue - why did you think it was?

But even if loneliness was someone’s reason to not want to WFH, I’d say that’s more than fair enough and companies do have to be aware of it.

There are reasons people give for not wanting to be in the office that aren’t work/office issues, for example childcare and commuting time/costs, and they are seemingly accepted.

How is he going to mandate this? Half of my friends now wfh full time because they companies got rid of their offices. There is literally no where for them to work, other than home. Because their companies realised it was much more profitable and the workforce was performing at home.