‘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?

Caught*

@Hobbesmanc

Absolutely agree. Outputs will be reduced and WFH is an attractive solution and has worked where it needed to.

People, that are able to, should return to work, the country needs to move again. Construction is working, vets are now accepting overdue vaccines appointments, stores are slowly beginning to open and the NHS has capacity to manage should there be a spike in infection rates.

It isnt about choices and that WFH is to be the norm. If employers need their workforce back, then they have a right to expect this.

@Jojobar I have done remote risk assessments for employees wfh. It is not hard.
And anyone whose staff can wfh but are being asked to return to the office should have a risk assessment done. Ask to see it and take a copy.

@BakedCam My vet is doing urgent appointments only and is largely wfh only coming in for operations. I know because I have spoken to him over the phone.

@jojobar 'As for H&S, an employer's duty extends to your home environment if you are working temporarily from home.'

The HSE have stated that normal guidelines for homeworking e.g. DSE (computer) equipment do not apply during this current time simply because it is temporary. This is mostly to reduce the headache for companies having to suddenly provide desks/chairs etc when it's largely impossible to get things delivered. Normal H&S rules aren't applying to homeworking right now.

And I have a builder coming today to do urgent work. His firm are only doing small jobs where a single worker can do the work. If it needs two of them they are not taking the work.
This will be just like before lock down where responsible firms have much stricter practices than the government ask for.
And in my area there are still newsagents, the chip shop and takeaways closed. I am amazed that anyone thinks all pubs and restaurants are suddenly going to be open and viable.
We had over 800 deaths in the last 24 hours from covid 19. We realy do seem to be aiming to be top of deaths from covid 19 in the world.

Seems like there is a big group who has enjoyed lockdown and is looking for any reason to avoid life getting back to normal, no matter how slowly

@Polowithoutahole Thanks I did not know that.

The issue isn't carrying out assessments remotely, it is acting on the outputs.

If an employee has no desk/table to work at, no properly adjusted chair, a small laptop screen rather than a large monitor, that is a significant risk to their health which the employer would then be on notice of.

I'm sure it would be suggested well why doesn't the employer buy them all desks/chairs/PCs for home use? Leaving aside the cost of such provision which would be enormous if you think large companies have hundreds or even thousands of staff working like this, what of those people who have no room for those items?

That's why people who are not vulnerable or shielded but are working in a way which is not H&S compliant, should return to the office as soon as their employers can arrange for them to safely do so.

@cantory

Veterinary surgeons have been informed by the RCVS they're allowed to accept appointments for overdue vaccines from yesterday. This is to limit spread of disease. I'd like my dog to be vaccinated as he is overdue.

Now, if your animsl isnt due a vaccine, then it is likely that you would only receive an appointment for an emergency.

Or are you expecting special treatment from your vet too?

Polo - yes, those guidelines don't apply because the situation is temporary. When that statement was made the expectation was we'd be returning in May.

Posters on this thread are talking about WFH indefinitely, which I'd argue takes it outside the realms of temporary and exposes the employers to risk. Hence why many companies are looking at returning people to the office starting with those who want to go back, and those whose workstations are unsuitable.

Remarkably, for someone shielding, @cantory has a builder going round.

Wealth before health. Our team have busted a gut to make it work and because the ‘numbers’ have been affected then we have to expose ourselves to a higher risk.

That's business. Their sole reason for being is to make as much money as they can from providing something.

I once took a job that when I started I learnt was to replace a member of the team who was dying. Poor bloke wasn't even dead at that point but they had replaced him without a second thought.

@Jojobar - I take your points, but I feel a lot of these issues can be ironed out easily (e.g. dropped calls due to technical issues) and shouldn't be used by employers to discourage WFH where it's feasible. My employer is FCA-regulated and our processes are being done the same way as they would be in the office. Calls are still recorded, staff carry out the same security checks as always, complaints are handled the same way other than being unable to send letters by post. It actually makes no difference whether line managers are sat at a desk a few feet away or WFH.

As for another poster's comments about 'low-life' people with 'their grubby hands out for money', give me a fucking break, are you IDS?

@BakedCam Yes because my roof is leaking. I can't live in a house with rain coming through to the living room every time it rains. It is an emergency situation. And the builder is not coming inside. Or do you think I should just live with that for months?

@bakedcam I spoke to the vet yesterday who is wfh. They did strict measures long before lock down. I wonder if they will do vaccinations or continue to limit what they do? Vets understand infection control.

@jojobar I'd agree that we could well be heading into the realms of non-temporary but I'd expect the HSE to make that call based on government guidelines on their plan for the nation, not employers making that decision themselves.

@Jojobar You do know a lot of people are vulnerable?

I would expect that any relaxation would suggest that those who have been work from home should stay there

It has impact on travel and such as well as risks in the office

Well when do you think you should be returning to work?

Cantory, that was bullshit you posted about me, I actually think we should have locked down and did so at the right time, I’ve posted that many a fine, and I’ve never attacked frightened teachers,
🤣

Seems I’ve hit a nerve, which has caused you to attack, which is odd, because I specifically stated people like you should be protected as you’re in the shielded group. However there is absolutely no doubt that some people are hugely benefiting from this lock down and want it to continue for that reason and that reason only and then dress it up as fear.. There is no way round that fact.

No, @cantory life should absolutely go on and you've just proved that it does.

@cantory Vets are accepting overdue vaccines and yes, they do understand infection control. Hence the advisory from their governing body. Just as B&Q were advised they could open with social distancing measures as is the case for Greggs and other retailers.

I don't think for a nano second anybody thinks that the most vulnerable with compromised immune and respiratory systems shouldn't be protected. That wasn't the OP's question. Her opening post was asking if her employer was BU about their workforce returning to work because performance levels had dropped with the workforce working from home.

She has not stated she was shielding. Just that she felt it was an unreasonable request. Do you accept this?

Your builder is still working - people need to get back to work. We need to begin to move. The fit and healthy should return to work. I'm lost with what your argument is now. You've drifted wildly from the original point.

With regards to health and safety at work, it is not just the employer's responsibility to adhere to legislation. It is also the employee's responsibility. With social distancing measures and firm handwashing routines, sharing a bathroom or kitchen with colleagues is no more a risk than going to a local supermarket and nipping to the loo in there.

People, that are able to, should return to work, the country needs to move again. Construction is working, vets are now accepting overdue vaccines appointments, stores are slowly beginning to open and the NHS has capacity to manage should there be a spike in infection rates.

Aside from vets accepting dogs for vaccinations, none of those things stopped in the first place. DH is in construction and never stopped working. Shops like B&Q and Homebase never needed to close. Takeaways like McDonald's and KFC could've remained open but chose to close anyway.

Nothing has changed since the beginning of lockdown in that respect.

So the vet advice was just for vaccinations? My vet has moved to only urgent treatment and is giving phone advice first. So already doing more than the law requires. And lots of places round me that were allowed to stay open have closed. The chip shop is still closed as is the newsagents and some take aways. The fruit and veg shop is home delivery only, you are not allowed to visit the shop although legally this is allowed.
Builders were always able to work but the firm I am using is only taking small jobs that 1 person can do and I am only getting the work done because it is an emergency and is done outside on the roof. Hardly getting a decorator in. But I have seen builders building houses since the start of lock down
Yes B and Q and McDonalds were always able to stay open and chose to close.
This is the only time I can ever remember when multiple private companies are doing stricter health and safety measures than they are required to do.

This is the only time I can ever remember when multiple private companies are doing stricter health and safety measures than they are required to do

On this I’d agree with you totally. Many companies shut down when they did not have to, and by 7 may will have been closed for nearly two months. The cost to the tax payer of them doing so is literally billions every single day, because they are furloughing staff and claiming grants where possible.

Now many of them are saying ok, that’s enough, we need to get back or we will not be able to ever come back because our competitors will have returned and if we stay out of the game, we will never get back into it.

It is the right decision and government advice doesn’t need to change for them to reopen, because government advice was never for them to shut in the first place.