You've heard of the cost-of-living crisis, now get ready for the cost-of-working crisis

[SerendipityJane]

www.theregister.com/2022/09/22/cost_of_working/

We all must have experienced the deepening cost-of-living crisis first hand by now. But according to new research, there is a cost-of-working crisis too as employers insist staff return to the office.

...

The people who can least afford the surge in petrol prices etc have already been impacted by this. Lower income groups are most likely to work shifts, manual, service and retail jobs that were never compatible with working from home.

If the cleaners, carers, shop assistants etc. can manage it on their shitty wages am sure the paper pushers can manage it too.

As we head into winter I find myself trying to work out whether the cost of petrol will be higher than the extra heating needed in the house. Depressing (and I’m lucky enough to afford either option without too much worry). I have to be in three days a week now and have spent on new work clothes to accommodate.

The time cost is also a huge factor for me. With young DC and both working full time, 90 minute commute time a day plus more time spent on clothes, hair, make up, packing bags, prepping lunches. It’s absolutely mad that what was completely normal in March 2020 feels so desperately pointless now.

I second this.

Add teachers and nursery staff here too.

Cost of working isn’t just petrol prices and extends to home heating and probably other factors. To describe someone as a pen pusher is offensive and stupid given lots of admin jobs don’t get much over minimum wage.

« Pen pusher » 🙄 sounds like someone has a chip on their shoulder.

The cost of working crisis is largely artificial, though, if it’s mostly driven by people who work in jobs which were always traditionally permanently office-based who made the assumption that WFH, which was always going to be a temporary measure for many, would apply to them forever and started rearranging their finances accordingly.

The time is a important point, because if the time can be spent earning additional money, that does make a difference.

I used to walk to work, which had showers. If I ditched the gym and ran to work - £25/month saved.

And if you travel by train but can manage a side job on the train - another variable.

There's no one-size answer.

It’s not necessarily that simple. People working in retail etc tend to have much shorter and therefore cheaper commutes than people working in more specialist roles. My annual rail season ticket is just shy of £6k but I do a specialist job that can’t be done in other places and I can’t afford to live in London where my office is but there is work for cleaners, carers retail etc everywhere.

Plus all the trades, electricians, carpenters, kitchen fitters etc. I should think those that can work from home are far less than those who need to go out to work…

and nurses and care workers too

I'm glad I WFH full time. Saves a fortune in petrol etc. That's not a nice description btw.

Tell me about it. New clean air zone here adding £9 a day to cost of commute.

And no, there is no public transport option. Current only addl plan is to add a 30 min cycle ride to a one hour car journey, which does not fill me with wet weather winter joy.

isn't it good for the environment to have more wfh?

Lots of firms in London have shrunk their work spaces though and do plan to stick with a hybrid model b

They can’t manage it though. That’s the point

Agree with this!

£2 a day to heat my home office or £60.80/day to travel to the London office, type on the same laptop, have the same video conference conversations etc etc.

No contest as far as I am concerned.

Thankfully my boss has reached the same conclusion, so we all wfh four days a week. He only pays for a Regus-type room rather than a full office and we are all much happier. Good for the planet too. And business is flourishing.

My office cleaner's rent is higher than my mortgage (in London zone 3). She pays £1400 for rent and my mortgage is £1020. She also lives in zone 5 so her commute costs more than mine. She somehow manages; by taking the tube to zone 2 and then taking the bus. It is apparently cheaper.She is also a single mum and has a son to pay for.

There is probably no reason why the rest of us can say that we can't afford to go into the workplace when she can.

It must depend on relative costs. Eg can you get to work cheaply v increase heating bills if you wfh

Yes, it is an issue with younger lawyers too. 3 days commuting is much less expensive than 5, but many have a "home" which is a tiny room. We live in outer London and it takes at least an hour door to door (usually about that time so that is 2 hours extra a day with no pay of course to travel in).

Some law firms have moved to 3 days must be in the office rather than the 5 always forced on me years ago.

However some people cannot be at home for all kinds of reason - eg the baby is there with whoever looks after it for starters!

Yikes. I thought I had it bad with my 1-2hr journey each way - costs a fortune in time and money. A clean air charge on top would probably make me throw in the towel.

Yeah, any job that involves paperwork or admin is useless and a cushy number. Not real work at all.

Seriously, does this shit sound good in your head?