what's the obsession with "getting back to the office!

[Bells3032]

I get some people want to return to the office and i think they should have a right to. but i don't get the obsession that we "MUST" return to the office. Honestly, my DH and I have both been working from home. I am a public sector, he's private. his office have just started return but don't seem to be enforcing it much and they've also announced their best two years of profit ever.

I get some people e.g. those doing passports or probate etc would be much easier in the office as access to paperwork but my job is 100% computer based and I am far more productive at home.

1. no long commute so less tired plus less likelihood of being late.
2. no "nattering" in the office
3. no time wondering round looking for a desk in the morning and ending up with an inappropriate desk space because we are short. I have a proper desk and chair at home so less back pain
4. no trying to find meeting rooms - just hop on zoom and there everyone is
5. no spending time queuing for the toilet etc
6. less sickness as people not picking up bugs on the trains etc
7. they can sell some real estate or not pay as much rent

What actually would be the benefit to me or my employers to me returning to office? What is with the obsession? Could someone explain to me WHY I should return to the office?

Probably a HUGE amount of your pension is linked up with commercial real estate!!
So all these people who say they don’t care, it will affect you

I agree with @Campervan69 at 16.49

I think it works well for self motivated middle-aged people. However we do possibly have a responsibility to the younger generation to give them support and a learning environment which only really happens face to face in the office.

Also most of our staff are less productive at home regardless of what they claim.

Lots of people use WFH as an excuse to shirk. I fully get that lots of people are more productive from home. I'm one of them. But many aren't, so companies need to get people back in the office. Plus it's a nightmare trying to train new staff or develop existing staff.

It’s a massive sea change in how society works that would probably have happened organically over time but has been forced quickly because of the pandemic.

So many pros.

So many cons.

To me the biggest problem is loss of team working and mentoring.

I think the government want people to return to the office as that way they spend more money on commuting and shopping, which all helps the economy.

I also feel that WFH might be quite isolating.

"Social Anxiety " is already at record levels.

I don't think that an insular society is a good thing.

I've heard some employers say it's because people work better in the office where they have a dedicated space to work etc. That's fine for people who don't have a quiet place at home and work better with company but it seems most employees work better at home.

Wearing heels and ties and being 'professional' when you can do the same thing at home in pjs seems ridiculous now. Obviously some roles need to be in person and in offices but those that don't should be continued at home. It's much safer there!

but it seems most employees work better at home.

@Antinerak How does it “seem” that? Because the evidence suggests WFH employees are far less productive, but believe they are more so.

@Antinerak

I've heard some employers say it's because people work better in the office where they have a dedicated space to work etc. That's fine for people who don't have a quiet place at home and work better with company but it seems most employees work better at home.

Wearing heels and ties and being 'professional' when you can do the same thing at home in pjs seems ridiculous now. Obviously some roles need to be in person and in offices but those that don't should be continued at home. It's much safer there!

Where are you getting that most employees work better at home? Have there been studies, it seems way too soon to be making jugements like that

Making the best of a global emergency isn't any kind of proof of the long term effectiveness of the country being run from bedrooms, dining room tables or garden sheds

Well a quick google shows lots of studies showing that productivity on average improving with wfh, surprising many employers

There are clearly cars where it won't help but to pretend it doesn't in the face of the evidence..

I started a new job in lockdown and have been wfh ever since. I've met my manager in person twice, and I've met my colleagues once.

Yes, technically I can do my job perfectly well remotely. But it is very hard to pick up on some of the Soft Intelligence that more experienced team members have. I feel I've missed out on a lot.

I can see that some experienced workers may not feel they need to go into the office, but it is very off-putting for new staff members. Teams meetings don't compensate for that.

Its time to get back in. We have lots saying “we dont want to”. Since when do they dictate where snd when they work?

They applied for an office based job in that very place and that us where they should be.

I’m always interested in the greater/lower productivity claims. Do people have standard measurements of productivity in their workplaces so they can objectively measure it?

We do in my team but I know it’s far from universal.

They would just advertise, fill the jobs and replace you. Everyone is replaceable

They wouldn’t. We are short staffed and unable to recruit due to a lack or people qualified in our profession. That’s one of the reasons we have a lot of say and control over it.

Its difficult to get hold of a lot of “colleagues “ (different department to me) and their phone just rings and rings.

Ive asked a few for an alternative number as the never seem to answer even though their teams status say they are available, and they say “oh popped to put the washing on/popped to the shop blah blah”

I guess they all use the paperclip holding down the insert key trick.

People complain yo us they cant get hold of other departments. Seriously fucking those of us working in the office off

''It's all about the money. Coffee shops, office / commercial building rent, the high street. A lot of Tory donors and members have their fingers in the sort of pies that require us (Joe Public) to spend money a lot of us can't even afford. Of course they'll dress it up as anything else but this is what it comes down to.''

This

Do no Labour donors own businesses?

I love WFH and think hybrid is the way forward, and offices who insist on a 5 day week are being a bit draconian, as long as work is being done.

That said I do think it's unfair on junior or new staff who now have no natural opportunity to learn by osmosis because longtime staff now barely go in at all. There's a balance to be struck with WFH, I think.

But, in general, this is the way that (a lot of) jobs were going before the pandemic. I had 3 colleagues leave my workplace in 2019, all of whom were to a home based role (I work in IT). IMHO It is just an evolutionary path that we were on anyway - the pandemic just accelerated this.

Yes, it is perfectly evident that WFH doesn't apply to all jobs, but if you are in a role which quite evidently can be done just as well at home, without the commuting time, cost or pollution and with the added bonus of being able to focus in a quiet room rather than a noisy distracting open plan space, then demanding otherwise (by the employer, the government or anyone) is just a specious argument.

I think it depends on the type of work you do & if journey set up at home is conducive to home working.

I have worked through the pandemic going into the office on a rota basis. We now have a hybrid system eg tomorrow I will do first few hours at home doing admin & then the rest of the day on visits. I prefer it this way as I'm too easily distracted in the office & I prefer being sat in the kitchen with the radio on whilst I work, I'm much more productive & the cats love it as they like having me at their beckon & call!

Also, plenty of people can indeed call some shots on this front. Companies will go to great lengths to keep real talent and will factor that into their WFH decisions.

Great, so let's all blackmail employers who for the most part have had a fucking dreadful two years having to make horrendous decisions in the midst of a pandemic.

People on here claim they are more productive working from home but most people I've spoken to have noticed a chronic drop in customer service and responsiveness. It's impossible to be just as productive while slobbing about in pyjamas with the tv on in the background.

Slobbish around with the tv on is not what I call wfh

Sounds like demotivated staff there

being able to focus in a quiet room rather than a noisy distracting open plan space

Which assumes that homes can easily convert to offices which isn’t very fair on the other people living in them.

@midgedude of course they will be demotivated. There is literally nothing to motivate them.

People forget what it’s like being in an office, they really do. Nothing beats real life discussion and bouncing ideas off each other in person,

People think they are more productive but quite simply most are not. I say this as an owner of a business.

People on here claim they are more productive working from home but most people I've spoken to have noticed a chronic drop in customer service and responsiveness.

It’s not a huge secret that a lot of companies shed staff early and haven’t replaced them, and have blamed the resulting impact on customer service on Covid.

There is also aforementioned poor management, which definitely exists. But do you blame the system (wfh exposes demotivated/poorly performing staff and poor people management skills) or tackle the issues it has exposed?

My expertise isn’t in customer service, and a lot of our customer contact team requested to be in the first wave back in the office as they thought it was better for their work. Their KPIs held up during the pandemic, though.

My own team bloody smashed it against all our targets and productivity measures, despite having some of our most useful tools taken away from us. Not true for all, but I’m confident in my statements about our productivity and the productivity of all but one individual, who is being managed appropriately.