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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if you can work from home?

183 replies

5zeds · 03/03/2020 15:16

Given the spread of COVID 19, are you able to work from home and will you? Are your employers encouraging you to work from home or playing it down?

OP posts:
Hearthside · 03/03/2020 19:55

Nope community care assistant so definite no and not that worried tbf just going to have to ride it out .

lachy · 03/03/2020 19:55

I can, and do at least once a week. I work closely with colleagues from 4 other teams and the same applies to them.

We are fortunate that our organisation actively promotes WFH, so its not unusual to have Skype meetings/conference calls. We can still deliver anything business critical alongside other projects with minimal physical presence in an office.

Bunnyfuller · 03/03/2020 19:56

I can, although I would run out of work at some point, there’s a lot just needs face to face.

I work for the police and we haven’t even been issued hand gels....

Couple of posts on the intranet...first close by scare (custody). Some toilets only have one working tap. We have issue nitrile gloves, not sure where our supplies are in terms of stock. No masks.

Jane1727 · 03/03/2020 19:57

I can work from home if needed but do not feel there is a need to at the moment.

PoolsOfSunshineThroughTheGlass · 03/03/2020 20:04

I couldn't work from home (healthcare/ social work) and in fact could theoretically have to stay at work for the isolation period if anyone there had to be isolated (I do long shifts including on call on site). Whichever colleagues were working at the time would have to stay there and work the full isolation period unless they got ill in which case who knows - employer has thought of isolation but not employees becoming ill while working during isolation! Shock Sad

Luckily DH has an office job so can get home to the kids, and the kids are not tiny, but still, would be rubbish!

Passthecake30 · 03/03/2020 20:08

I wfh once or twice a week, could do more but it's not being encouraged atm. I imagine it might be, if central government suggest it (as I've read they may), as I work in local government, so they might want to be seen to conforming.

Glassmami · 03/03/2020 20:10

I don't work from home but I suppose if I could have access to team viewer I could technically work from home

Chillicheese123 · 03/03/2020 20:14

Absolutely no chance of working from home

Can’t deliver workshops to young people from home
And can’t run my food business from home either !

baubled · 03/03/2020 20:17

Fairly certain we'll be told to wfh if the government suggest it, I'm not sure what work I could actually do though because the events we plan for would also be cancelled!

Ludways · 03/03/2020 20:19

I can work from home and do from time to time, I prefer not to though. I will if the time comes.

Insideimsprinting · 03/03/2020 20:19

We can't sell petrol from home, neither can we fix cars. With hight fuel sales comes us handling high quantities of cash which can carry alsorts oof germs............
Ive been sneezed on, coughed on and had snot dripped on my counter, I've also had shit left all over our toilet.

I hope I don't catch it.... What are my chances if it becomes a problem near me........

Insideimsprinting · 03/03/2020 20:20

My hands already crack from constant washing, moisturiser makes money very greasy!

Original poster
5zeds · 03/03/2020 20:22

I think I’d be tempted to wear gloves and a mask @Insideimsprinting

OP posts:
HughGrantsHair · 03/03/2020 20:23

Nope, not unless the 30 pupils in my class come home with me

Carrie7469 · 03/03/2020 20:34

I'm civil service. Theoretically speed to WFH for a maximum of 3 days a week.

Doingtheboxerbeat · 03/03/2020 20:35

I have only skimmed the thread but I am really surprised that there are so jobs that you can do from home - it doesn't make sense to me. Is it possibley because there are at least 6 industrial estates, 2 miles in every direction from my house? They can't all be office workers /non customer service agents.

Carrie7469 · 03/03/2020 20:36

Allowed, not speed.
I normally WFH 2 days a week if I can. Nothing has been said about increasing WFH.

AnneElliott · 03/03/2020 20:37

Yes I can wfh and I do it normally 1 day per week. Meetings would have to move to skype, but pretty much anything that needs doing I can do at home.

Briefing Ministers might be harder - we'll have to teach them how to use Skype!

IndigoApple · 03/03/2020 20:39

Yes I will be able to if needed.

I and most of my colleagues all worked from home for about 3 days when we were snowed in during the 'beast from the east' a couple of years ago so have had a dry run!

The main problem is that we don't have electronic signatures yet which made it difficult to follow some of our procesdures. Most people don't have printers/scanners at home. But we do have Skype for meetings and instant messaging which helps.

AhoyMrBeaver · 03/03/2020 20:42

I can't. My entire job is interacting with people, so it would be impossible.

FruityWidow · 03/03/2020 20:44

Yes our entire company (+100 employees) all work from home and there is no office to go into. Some, but not all staff will meet for a few days at a time at the training events we organise all over the world which are all still going ahead.

Casino218 · 03/03/2020 20:51

Yes I can I'm afraid 😁

JoshArcherStoleMyTractor · 03/03/2020 20:53

I can work from home a bit but due to the nature of my industry have to be in the office to support/manage the practitioners who need face to face contact with our client group and it definitely wouldn't be appropriate to invite them to your home.

Sceptre86 · 03/03/2020 20:56

Nope, can't supply medicines from my home and no current plans to become an unlicensed drug dealer. I will be going into work unless I have to self isolate.

misscockerspaniel · 03/03/2020 21:00

I can't do my job from home, in fact, if I took my work home and got found out, I would end up in prison Grin