‘Work from home if at all possible’ yet managers are already planning to get us back in.

[Beenjuice]

Our team provides an email and phone service to customers who buy our products. We cleared out the office the day that boris announced lockdown, took all our gear home and apart from the little loss of service the day of the swap over have worked hard to keep the email responses dealt with and incoming phone calls answered.
We all thought we were doing as best a job as we possibly can - we know there’s been a small dip in the number of enquiries answered per day than usual but that’s due to the extra communication issues that working apart from one another brings.
Today we were given the heads up that it’s looking likely we’ll be back in the office from May 11th albeit spread apart. Apparently the dip in numbers of enquiries being sent has been noted by the powers that be above.
So what was the point of the last 4 weeks at home? A group of about 15 of us having to use the same office kitchen, loos, door handles, stair rails and other places.
So what’s changed? Why does the rule ‘work from home if you can’ no longer apply to us? And how can it be justified if we’ve just spent the past 4 weeks working from home! Our customers haven’t seen a drop in service just the number game from the people above.
AIBU?

The risks to people in an office if properly nanaged don't have to be that great. The risks of letting people WFH indefinitely to their mental health and physical well-being are greater.

There is no pressure on the company I work for from the govt nor any direction from them. We have been making plans to return people to work for the last fortnight because we are all office based and WFH is and can only be temporary for all the reasons I've previously mentioned. Those plans are likely to be implemented from mid-late May. A family member works for a local small business with 50 or so staff. They are returning some people to the office in 2 weeks, with others to follow on a weekly basis thereafter. Most companies are making plans of this nature now, as the logistics involved in social distancing etc mean it's a bit late to start planning it once the govt gives the green light.

If your job is to answer calls and emails, then your employer could absolutely make it possible for you to work from home. The company can take steps to improve technology and team communication. Bringing call center workers back to the office at this point is just being lazy and short-sighted.

There are no heath risks from wfh that can’t be counteracted with common sense, like taking the occasional walk. Stress levels also go down, people get sick less often, and they don’t have the expense and hassle
of commuting.

This is not about worrying about peoples MH problems if they work from home. Totally disingenous.
If someone in the office comes in with covid 19, others will catch it. They are sharing toilets, using the same kitchens, passing each other by.
This is about making sure you make maximum profit for your firm.

And people who choose to wfh all the time are happier in their jobs than people working in the office.
What makes wfh stressful at the moment is having no childcare and not being able to socialise outside of work.

Of course they shouldn't be getting you back into the office. You can work from home but many employers are cunts who couldn't give a fuck about their employees or the other people they could infect on their commute or in their families.

Serve them right if everyone got a 2 week sick note for 11th may for anxiety. See how that affects the numbers.

Go to the union. Would be good if you are a name that we would have heard of to get it anonymously out there on social media that they are planning to do this.

I wish people would stop brushing aside the serious drawbacks some people face from working at home just because it suits them.

Yes, there should be a happy medium between “everyone works from home” and “everybody must come into the office”; but that medium is going to be different for everyone and working from home is not the magic bullet for every situation that some people think it is.

Musculoskeletal issues and mental health spirals cannot be cured by going for an occasional walk, ffs.

We are working the way we are because it is the best option in the current crisis. It is only sensible and fair that companies want to plan for the time when the risk of COVID may end up being less than the risk of the company going under and everyone losing their jobs; or the risk of somebody attempting suicide or developing serious back issues.

You are not being unreasonable. Your management are making a values decision. The government have not been clear enough with their advice.

The people saying we all need to get it are clearly healthy people who are low risk. Think of how many friends and “normal” people our age with asthma/diabetes etc. These people will not fare well. Good to know who your mates are eh?

My work now talking about and planning for the majority of the workforce WFH until the end of the year if not longer

They reckon WFH where you can will remain in place until a vaccine is found

They're saying most of our offices are only accessible using lifts, toilets and kitchen facilities are too small to maintain social distancing

Which is definitely going to remain in some form for months yet.

Plus the commute, all of our offices are city centre and none have parking so nearly 100% of the workforce use public transport for commuting

I think people who can easily WFH (like you) should continue to do so for the foreseeable. We shouldn’t rush people back into the workplace. If we suddenly lift lockdown and open everywhere up, there will inevitably be a second peak. Has to be an extremely slow return to ‘normal’.

"kill people" means kill the over 65s .
meanwhile people who WANT to work are not working... because they have been told not to work.

it was an enormous arrogance of the Government (but well played) to assume that the whole UK economy could work from home hence no effect on the UK economy... and anyone who could not work from home just needs to suck it up key worker or not (whatever key worker means).

Lets face it - the number of mumsnet horrible nasty threads about

"go out "

"Oh my God do NOT go out"

"how very dare you fail to social distance me in the supermarket" etc

• is enough to make Boris Johnson very comfortable in his (breathless) BBC address.

Not looking forward to being shoe horned into an office over the summer with air con circulating germs everywhere.

Did you think you'd be wfh until a vaccine was found?

Try not to worry. My SIL went back on Monday. She was furious with her company too. But she rang on Monday to say that she was really impressed with the measures put in place to keep them safe. Surely your employer will have made changes to allow for social distancing?

There are no heath risks from wfh that can’t be counteracted with common sense, like taking the occasional walk. Stress levels also go down, people get sick less often, and they don’t have the expense and hassle
of commuting

That’s a massive generalisation. Some of us find working from home lonely & isolating & would be much happier & mentally healthier being in the office. My commute is a short tube trip followed by a walk / run through the London parks, then after work I usually go to my yoga studio or meet up with friends. I’m not working from home a day longer than I realistically have to.

I'm curious as to whether employers will be liable if they fail to provide appropriate measures to keep employees 'safe'?

We live in a no win no fee society and I can imagine a whole new revenue stream will appear on the back of this.

I think you need to calm down and look to see what measures are put in place, you’ve already said you’ll be spread apart.

But yes op, ultimately businesses need to go back. I’d assume management can see something you can’t, from speed of response to problem resolution and customer satisfaction.

Wealth before health, it’s a balancing act, to keep employment up and businesses afloat whilst living with and managing the disease.

Dyrne exactly - this is where my employers are coming from.

People can't be expected to do a full time desk based job working perched on the edge of their bed, or on a sofa with a laptop on their knees for months.

Even working at the kitchen table isn't ideal in anything other than the short term unless you've got a proper office chair too. Some people don't have a table though, nor room for one. And for those in shared houses, or living with a number of adult family members where multiple people are trying to work from home there are additional issues.

One of my colleagues doesn't have broadband, and a dongle provided doesn't work due to lack of network at their (remote) location. We have others who due to their living conditions have no where they can securely work. All are quite despondent at being unable to work, and keen to return to the office as soon as possible. I am sure many companies will have individuals in similar positions...what's the solution? Build an extension for those people with nowhere currently to work?! They do need to be allowed to return IF the employer can ensure the workplace is as safe as possible and social distancing observed.

I'm curious as to whether employers will be liable if they fail to provide appropriate measures to keep employees 'safe'?

Firstly no one is in forced labour in this country, you have a choice whether to work or not. Personal responsibility is a thing. Secondly the death rate is likely one percent, and it is lower or higher depending on where you fall in the population, thirdly proving where you caught it is nigh on impossible. From the supermarket, the commute, family?

So no, there will be no revenue stream.

@rawlikesushi Why not? Predicted to be end of the year.
If someone has covid 19 you are supposed to clean the bathroom every time they use it. At work you will be sharing toilets with possibly infected people. People saying this is okay don't understand transmission routes.
If everyone goes back and people get infected and die, there was no point in lock down.

People can't be expected to do a full time desk based job working perched on the edge of their bed, or on a sofa with a laptop on their knees for months.

It's the huge difference between people who choose to work from home and people who are doing it because they have to.

@Bluntness100 Yes health and safety law applies. If I catch covid 19 at work I am suing my employer.

@KillerofMen

The virus is going to be with us for quite a while yet. We can't hide from it forever.

In terms of any employers liability claims, you could argue that allowing people to continue to work from home where they have no proper workspace, or are unable to do so safely or securely, is a breach of duty - and exposes them to greater risk.