Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Not everyone works in offices

69 replies

Toomboom · 04/05/2020 18:18

I am getting annoyed by the media and news channels saying how social distance could work once we get out of lockdown. Everything seems to be showing offices and how they will be doing things, not sharing pens, putting screens up etc. Even watching BBC news they are only talking about people in offices and how it will work for them.

What about the rest of us that don't? There are thousands of us out there that won't be able to implement the 2 meter social distance rule, what about us? I work in a very busy school kitchen, there is no way we can social distance. What about people that work in the fast food trade, hairdressers, factory workers, other catering staff, hotels and anyone else that can't social distance easily?

I do wish that people would realise that there are many of us out there that don't work in offices 9-5. We need to know how to stay safe too.

OP posts:
lucysmam · 04/05/2020 18:50

I work in a school kitchen too. Thankfully, in that job, we can distance from each other (only 4 of us & I finish as a colleague comes in, so only 3 in at a time iyswim).

In my other job as school support staff...it's very interesting trying to keep distance with the 3yo nursery aged twins we have in atm. Can't see how it'll work well once all staff and classes are in tbh, and we're only a small school.

Suppose we'll see 🤷‍♀️

Yellredder · 04/05/2020 19:32

I'm peripatetic. Visiting people's offices. Dunno what they're gonna do with regards to that!

MrSheenandMe · 04/05/2020 19:54

I love the word peripatetic - one of my faves.

And YANBU - I agree - too much focus on middle class offices.

Peonyinbloom · 04/05/2020 20:28

Everything I’ve seen about it is showing factory workers etc, so I wouldn’t say it’s office focused only.

Heatherjayne1972 · 04/05/2020 21:03

I’m in dentistry
I cannot do my job from 2 metres away
Nor can my hairdresser friend. Or the chiropodist or the beautician / nail technician

Social distancing at work isn’t going to be possible for a great many of us

YeOldeTrout · 04/05/2020 22:26

I need a dentist...
My dad has had 6 weeks of horrible toothache & lockdown may not be lifted for another 4-6 weeks where he lives.
Hope you get back to work soon, Heather. :)

MrSheenandMe · 05/05/2020 09:38

I also need a dentist, and a hairdresser - (I was overdue just before lockdown and now I look like a cave man), - and a new bra -fitting, and my eyebrows drawn back in ( Grin ).

Iwalkinmyclothing · 05/05/2020 09:48

IDK OP. People seem to struggle with the idea that other people's lives are not the same as theirs. I work in a MH hospital, so not wfh, not furloughed, really fucking limited in how much we can employ 'social distancing' at work... I had the most ridiculous argument with a family member this weekend who said "no one should be working unless they can socially distance" and I asked how they would restrain an unwell patient who was set on seriously harming themselves whilst socially distancing and he just kept saying "if you can't socially distance you shouldn't be in work". I get it, people are worried, but all the problems and needs that were there before coronavirus are still here. They haven't gone away just because it's inconvenient to manage them right now.

Some cow on my local facebook was bitching that she can see into the playground of one of the local primaries and the member of staff supervising the key worker kids in wasn't 'making sure they stay 2m away from each other at all times'. No recognition of what the member of staff is doing- I'm sure they'd rather be wfh or furloughed or whatever with plenty of time to bitch about others on social media, ffs.

I'm really tired of people. People are so disappointing.

MiniChoc · 05/05/2020 14:13

I hear you, @Iwalkinmyclothing. So frustrating. Thanks for the work you're doing- I spent a few months as inpatient in a MH unit earlier this year and know there's no way they can socially distance. A lot of the time the close contact was really needed as part of my recovery.

MrsPear · 05/05/2020 15:25

Construction too. In particular the railways - you have to have a group for health and safety reasons.

Itoldyouiwasill · 05/05/2020 15:36

I think unless your job is relating to life or death it may cease to exist if it can not be performed from over 2 metros distance to another person.
If jobs carried on and the virus spread, more people will die and more people will start to make claims against employers.
So if you can't socially distance in a school kitchen then half the staff need to be made redundant. This, in turn would result in not as many children having a school lunch. Then this will need looking at again.
EG how important is it for every child to have an actual cooked lunch?
Could a child have a sandwich? etc etc
I think we need to star accepting that life has changed and our jobs most certainly will too.

technosausage · 05/05/2020 15:51

I work with vulnerable and sen children in a outdoor setting. It's a nightmare to try and maintain distancing, I've still had to break up fights, restrain children and remove tools from their mouths Confused
I guess for the ones of us that can't always maintain distancing just need to be as sensible as possible. We're keeping our groups small, disinfecting tools constantly and ridiculous amounts of hand washing.
Hugs though cause it's bloody hard Flowers

YouJustDoYou · 05/05/2020 15:54

I work in a nursery. Deffo not office related. Might not even have a job to go back to seeing as everyone seems to be being made redundant. Husband also possibly losing his job. I'd cry, but have cried too much right now, no tears left.

DateandTime · 05/05/2020 15:55

It will be like all the other guidance, to be applied "where possible".

None of it is intended to prevent individuals getting ill, just to slow the spread. So if most people can work in a socially distant way, that will be what is required.

Moondust001 · 05/05/2020 15:58

@Itoldyouiwasill

And there was me thinking the government can't manage this. Thank God you aren't in charge or nobody would have a job!

rosyribbon · 05/05/2020 16:03

@MrsPear
My husband does that exact job.
He has to rely on the honesty of the colleagues coming on shift to answer the questions that allow them on to site truthfully. If they dont work they don't get paid.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 05/05/2020 16:07

DHs job required himto spend several hours in a small, poorly ventilated room with two other people for a vital safety check a few weeks ago. Can't be done by one person, has to be done monthly at a minimum. They just had to trust the other two people were well.

People do need to have common sense at times... You can only reduce risk, not completely remove it.

Sarcelle · 05/05/2020 16:09

I work in an office, we hot desk. That will need to change. They will need to give everybody a fixed desk and put fewer desks in. However we only have enough desks for half of the organisation to be in at one time, so doing away with hot desking and observing 2 metres will mean only a quarter of the workforce could go in the office, and the desks would be theirs.

You still have to touch door handles (they are fire doors so cannot be propped open), taps, kettles, photocopiers. You have to use the same loos. We have unisex loos (don't get me started) and they are filthy despite cleaners best endeavours. So I would not think that social distancing will work in many modern day offices. Over the last few years firms have given up office space and squeezed people in less space. Now they are being asked to spread out and there isn't the room.

There are very few workplaces that will achieve social distancing.

Itoldyouiwasill · 05/05/2020 16:20

Moondust001 of course I'm not in charge you silly thing.
It's really very simple....
If a job can not be done without socially distancing and it is not life or death then it will need to cease as a job.
Yes this will result in redundancies but no-one chose this
How could anyone actually believe we could come out of this with all our jobs intact?!

eurochick · 05/05/2020 16:43

Do you really think that every job that cannot be done in a socially distanced way will cease to exist? You are somewhat divorced from reality. The government is desperate to get the economy back up and running. And even during lockdown people could go to work to do jobs that couldn't be done from home and just had to maintain social distance where possible.

Itoldyouiwasill · 05/05/2020 16:48

Euro
What do you think then?
If an employee can't socially distance and cant wear PPE, they won't be able to do their job as the job will be putting them at too much risk of contracting Corona virus. Employers won't want to pay out mega bucks to the families of dead employees in compensation and so will just get rid of the jobs in question.
Or am I missing something? What else could they do?

Itoldyouiwasill · 05/05/2020 16:50

Or is anyone here saying they would return to a job where they were not wearing PPE and were not able to socially distance?

DateandTime · 05/05/2020 16:52

"If a job can not be done without socially distancing and it is not life or death then it will need to cease as a job."

Ah, OK and we'll close the hospitals and the schools because there will be no tax revenue to pay for them.....

P1nkHeartLovesCake · 05/05/2020 16:53

Sometimes I read these threads and can’t believe we actually let some of you vote!

Cease to exist indeed 😂😂

Itoldyouiwasill · 05/05/2020 17:02

Pink
Would you return to a job where you were within 2 metres of a work colleague?
Would you allow your child to be within 2 metres of a teacher?