Anyone else that WFH and expecting to go back to the office next week?

[Primetoes]

Even though we all work from and it appears to be working quite well we have management that seem to think that working from home is some kind of easy street and they absolutely hate it, you can tell by their language.

From day one the message as been that as soon as we can we’ll be back in the office. Knowing them they’ll find a way to make Sunday’s announcement fit our circumstances and we’ll be expected to go back in, probably the next day or two.

I’m quite anxious at the thought as our offices are down long, narrow corridors, there’ll be no way we cannot not pass each other and of course toilets and kitchen will be shared.

Anyone else feel the same?

I would have thought those who can work from home will be expected to continue for as long as is necessary. Certainly until everyone else is safely back at work. Even if lockdown is eased it will be eased for those who don't have the choice first.

We’ve been told we might not return for years

Interested to know what sector this is?

We’ve always worked a day or so a week from home. And the organisation were pushing for more people to flexi work and wfh (to save on accommodation costs - local authority). We were discussing this earlier and came to the conclusion that it will probably be voluntary i.e. if kids still off or health concerns, stay wfh but if you want to be in the office, then there will be a rota, not hot desking and no more than 5 people in an office that usually seats 20. There are practical issues relating to site visits, which have currently been halted but which will have to resume at some point. Some folk use the pool cars to do site visits, so there are issues with those being sanitised between users.
Positives to come out of this will be that the management have realised how reliant we are on good IT and hopefully will up their woeful expenditure on effective hardware and software. Also there has been a realisation that people don’t shirk from home. We are doing pretty well considering. I’m actually working longer hours, partly through necessity because processes take a little longer from home, but partly because I’m not having to rush off and pick dc up from school or after school club and I’m not commuting. That’s kind of what I’ve found hardest % not having an effective and meaningful division between work life and home life.
I’m also fortunate in that only 1 dc still at primary and in need of supervision. Others are older and more self motivated.

As someone who manages a team of people I’d welcome being back in the office but recognise that won’t be for some time yet. We have daily video calls to keep in touch. Not to check up on people’s work as I’ve seen on some threads, more to keep them connected, working as a team. I’m worried about a couple of colleagues. They only appear by voice not image, largely due to dodgy WiFi but it’s so much harder to pick up on the nuances and be sure they’re ok. You can’t see what they’re not saying and so are limited in the support you can give.
Work wise, we’re all doing our best. It’s the emotional well being that worries me.

We’ve been told we might not return for years

It's been mentioned that wfh might be the norm for us until there's a vaccine

Unfortunately some firms only need the slightest bit of encouragement to get their staff back working. If the government says 'construction is important', they will send their workforce out onto sites with lots of great talk about PPE and maintaining social distancing, but the reality is lots of workers will have limited PPE, and feel pressured to work - with lots of cases of the 2m distance being breached.

I think staff can have both sets of feelings... wanting to get back on the road, or in the office, but also having fears. They aren't mutually exclusive feelings.

So much depends on individual companies and their attitudes, or even a specific manager's attitude. I can really see a lot of finger pointing at those who are considered 'work shy' for not coming in to the office, or being made to feel guilty for expressing genuine concern about safety.
If half a team are happy to go into the office and half are not - it doesn't take long for animosity to raise its ugly head.

Our headteacher thinks we will be back in some shape or form pretty soon.
Of course lots of us have been in since this all began to provide childcare for the children of key workers but we have low numbers.
He obviously doesn’t know anymore than anyone else, just has a feeling.
I’d like to just go back properly to avoid wfh with 3 dc under my feet! We are all expected to be working our usual hours and have been given plenty of work to be getting on with!
I’d be happy to go back, it has to happen at some point - ours isn’t a job that can be done from home without a massive rejig to the education system

It's a bit of a myth that schools 'closed' - they didn't. So many of them taking care of children still in less than ideal circumstances. Not easy to teach a mixed age range, with a different teachers than they are used to, in rather strange circumstances etc.

Our offices are all currently shut. No date for reopening. Planning now for how that could work. All WFH if they can a the mo

I was working from home, our bosses are using the excuse that we are key workers and have made us go back, reality is the business is closing and they want us there to close the building, this week myself and my co worker gave been emptying cupboards and offices and throwing stuff in a skip. Really unsafe, some of the others are not social distancing so my pal and I have practically barricaded ourselves in our office. Boss has said if we dont go to work they could furlough us and that may impact our redundancy pay and pension. Basically putting us at risk just to close the building

@VerticalHorizon it’s teaching - but not as we know it!
Yes it’s a bit of a myth, our school has been open every day since the country went into its own made up version of lock down.
With the exception of weekends we have been open for the Easter holidays and bank holidays.
We just can’t socially distance from the children. It’s actually impossible.

"Routine outpatient appointments and possibly also day surgeries will be allowed to resume"

Day surgeries have been going ahead in some areas

I meant in all areas.

DS had an outpatient appointment that was cancelled at the start of lockdown, this week he was sent out a new appointment for later this month. I'm waiting for a day surgery and my cancelled pre-op has been rebooked for two weeks time.

I've also noticed that messages on our local councils website have changed from "stay home, stay safe" to "stay two metres, stay safe".

I work in manufacturing too - I'm an accountant so maybe in a similar role to you?

My company put in the social distancing recommendations back in March as soon as the direction was announced.

For me, I wasn't able to work at 100% from home. I needed access to paper files I needed to speak to colleagues. We needed to collaborate with every department more than ever. I know other businesses are able to do this remotely, and it's something that I, personally would like to change. But this is how it is right now.

My own personal opinion is that you can't really work effectively as an accountant of a small company if you're not physically there. But anyway, I don't have to work remotely anyway as my company put the socially distancing measures in place.

God I don't half waffle. This is why I'm an accountant rather than, say, an English teacher

And I know you didn't ask this, but one thing I will say to you is this. Literally every client I've spoken to, - honestly every single one - has all said the same thing. They are now realising who is important to the business. Whether that be through furlougihg employees or letting staff work from home on less than 100%. I can tell you now every single day since the end of March I've had the same conversation with so many people.

I had a phonecall to say someone in my department has died of covid, after the company were slow on the ball with letting people work from home, and there have been an increase in confirmed cases in our office so I would be very surprised if they'd call any one working from home back in after having to deal with a workplace bereavement as well as many staff hospitalised.
Most people are fit and healthy, but it's logistically impossible to social distance.

Google and Facebook today announced their staff can work from homw until the end of the year.

*home

I work in the public sector and my team have been told not to expect to come back at all!

My company were slow off the mark around letting people work from home - the directors eventually backed down when departmental heads took the lead and started telling staff to take the kit they needed and go home.

Ive heard that some staff are going back in next week to start marking the floor up at 2m intervals so clearly there will be a push towards people going back ASAP.

Our building is too small for the number of people we have working there. People are almost sitting on top of each other - I have no idea how they will be able to enforce any form of distancing, but it seems that they are going to damn well give it a try.

Its frustrating because the company is a digital/IT firm and we can all work remotely. Unfortunately we have quite draconian presenteeism focussed senior leaders.

My company is looking into plans to get people back in the office but at heavily reduced numbers so presumably using a Rota system. They are looking at toilets, kitchenx, printers, cafes etc as well as desks & taking into account caring responsibilities so I do feel like it will be a well thought out plan when it finally does land. We
We are a pharmacy chain though so I wouldn't expect anything less.

What happens to people who have crappy home working set ups? I’ve seen loads of people on video calls working from a cramped corner of the bedroom, or hunched over a kitchen table with others around.

I can't see the admin/finance staff at my GP surgery going back for several months. We may be asked to go occasionally but the less contact with the clinicians the better.

We've heard rumours they are opening one office in London but it won't be ours . They can't expect us all to cram onto tubes/trains next week. Plus i have no childcare.