Office attendance

[TheOneWithOfficerGoodBody]

Hi, just wondering what the actual position is. Office based job, can work from home but definitely not as efficiently. Construction industry so skeleton staff have been in the office, all spaced out over several floors. Covid procedures in place. I am due to return next week once and can do rotational weeks i.e. one week on one week off but have been advised that from 31st March everyone is allowed to be back in the office full time. I thought Government Guidance said office staff were to work from home was 21st June. I just wondered whether I was incorrect, I assume I probably am! I’m not too worried as the office does seem safe and as I said all the procedures are in place, just wondering if other offices were planning on doing the same thing?

I have been working throughout the last year in the office. Our company has taken measures for safely. I have my own cubicle, but the job is shift, so someone else in the seat before and after my shift. We take time to clean between shifts on hand-off, I have my own mouse and keyboard stored in my locker, as well as pens, stapler etc. I feel quite safe. We all need to wear a mask as soon as we are away from our cubicle.

The only worry was at the beginning when certain people would still lean over to chat, or forget to put on their mask when going to the photocopier. It took a few reminders to a certain few, but things are fine now.

Your country is doing better than ours for vaccination; we cannot expect ours until late summer for my age group. Just be cautious, wash hands, etc.

I think the guidance was always that WFH should be implemented where possible. Any company has been able to have its employees working in situ if it considers it necessary/appropriate.

The latest advice is to work at home if you can, but it’s only advice not legally. When you return to the office I expect it will become clearer what is expected. My son works in an office, where they are very spaced out, have screens etc., and is very happy that the office is made as secure as they possibly can. Some of his colleagues haven’t been in all year and when the suggestion of returning to work in the office has been made, most have just carried on working at home.

Work from home if you can continues until 21 June is what I read on government guidance. @TheOneWithOfficerGoodBody you are correct. I think you should point this out even if your wishes are being accommodated for.

My employer sent us to wfh before the national lockdown last year and we were due back in September with Covid security measures in place, doing two days a week to keep numbers in the office down. Then the govt said you should work from home if you could so we never returned. No sign of us going back yet.