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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think no one will want to go back to work

203 replies

shamelesschocaholic · 24/05/2020 23:04

Just that really, a high percentage of people are either working from home or getting paid 80% + of their wages to stay at home.

Those working from home have no commute anymore and having spent several weeks working from home it’s not as hard as being at office especially as have to make compensations for fact looking after 2 kids. Those on furlough are literally on holiday. Call me cynical but I wonder how many of those shouting loudest not to lift lockdown are just enjoying being at home?

I don’t want to offend anyone, I’m sure this doesn’t apply to everyone but I bet it does to a lot. So come on peeps be honest!

OP posts:
ThePianist38 · 25/05/2020 09:37

I’m on 100% furlough pay and I’m dying to go back , there’s a certain amount of lazing about cleaning and tidying I can do and I’ve reached my limit about a week ago.

EmbarrassedUser · 25/05/2020 09:38

After this, my perfect would be 3 days at home and 2 in the office. Work have hinted that this may happen and DH’s work have been told that this is
What will definitely be happening so I’ve got my fingers crossed.

Fifipop185 · 25/05/2020 09:39

I don't want to go back to the office, I'm WFH and my employer is very flexible with when I work my hours. My DC aren't that little anymore and we are settled in a good routine. I am much less stressed and anxious without the daily grind and would love to stay WFH so I can do my youngest school run without relying on family to help. I miss my colleagues but we video call throughout the day so I don't feel at all detached from them.

WitchyMoo · 25/05/2020 09:40

I'd quite happily not go back , but we can't survive on dp's salary alone
I have to go back
I'm enjoying the 80% being paid for being at home
But I'm also getting fat and lazy in the process
I'll be last to go back tho as I'm hospitality sector

Kljnmw3459 · 25/05/2020 09:44

I want to go back to the office part of the week and wfh the rest of the time. My company already had provisions in place to enable it but for some reason until the pandemic it wasn't allowed in my department.

Kljnmw3459 · 25/05/2020 09:47

I work for a big Corp and finding space for the growing teams and meetings etc was always a struggle. So I suspect they're keen to allow wfh in the future with hot desks for the days when we're at the office. We could wfh full time if needed but some aspects of my job are definitely easier from the office.

Nosurveysneeded · 25/05/2020 09:52

I think there are a range of groups:

  1. The ones who want to go back to work (bored/scared for jobs etc)
  2. The ones that are being paid and enjoying being at home and so want it to continue.
  3. The fit and healthy scared that are being paid and want to stay home just in case they are the 0.000001% that might have a complication
  4. The ones that find 80% pay for doing nothing and no work related expenses mean not so bad off and no work stress
  5. The ones that have no childcare so have to stay home to look after children regardless of what they wish to do work wise
  6. WFH and find that they really enjoy it so want to continue

Probably missed some..

Dontforgetyourbrolly · 25/05/2020 09:55

My job is always WFH and I've been furloughed, redundancy looming. I would give anything to be back working.

Gwenhwyfar · 25/05/2020 10:09

"Probably missed some.."

Yes, you missed people who hate working from home. Not such a small group!

whensmynexthol1day · 25/05/2020 10:10

There are two separate things here though. I'm not sure why you think they are in the same bucket?

People working from home - why should they go back necessarily? Why is staying at home a bad thing? Loads of business are now looking at saving estate costs by encouraging more home working. For a lot of people they are more productive at home or at least will be when schools go back. And even where schools are back, they are not on full timetables so better to keep people close to home and schools otherwise they will spend all day travelling!

People in the furlough bucket- I cant imagine anyone not wanting to go back to full pay or preserve their job. I'm sure even for the most naive that they have got past the joy of a few weeks break and most people are now anxious to secure their job?

Gwenhwyfar · 25/05/2020 10:20

" Why is staying at home a bad thing?"

It's unhealthy in a lot of ways. It's bad for mental health to be at home alone and during lockdown it's all evening as well. The lack of chat in the office is bad for team morale - zoom meetings help but they're not the same. For those of us who live alone, conversation at the office is VERY important.

It's bad for physical health. If you walk or take public transport including a walk to work and usually walk around the office, you will become much more inactive working from home. It's also ergonomically very bad to be working at your dining table, and that's if you're lucky - I know someone working from his bed.

It's expensive - I now have to pay my own electricity and gas every day. I get that's compensated by a lack of commute for some people, but my commute wasn't that expensive and I enjoyed getting out of the house anyway. If WFH becomes more common, employees should be set up properly and compensated for additional expenses. Many people's home broadband is not as good as their work's and access to the work network is obviously harder.

WFH is fine for those who want it because of caring responsibilities or because they live very far from work, but it would be awful for it to be forced on employees if employers start seeing it as a way of paying lower rent.

OntheWaves40 · 25/05/2020 10:22

Totally agree. So many people at home furloughed and ain’t even trying to help out just happy to sit home and watch the shit storm.

Darbs76 · 25/05/2020 10:23

I’m working at home, throughout - I’ve been to the office 3 times. Most of my colleagues can’t wait to get back to normal. We do up to 2 days a week at home anyway. No-one wants to work at home full time that I know

MissCalamity · 25/05/2020 10:28

My DP has been furloughed, but his place of work still remained open with a skeleton staff.
DP is climbing the walls, but because we have no childcare (and I am still going to work) it's defaulted to him. He can't wait to go back to work.

LudaMusser · 25/05/2020 10:42

I'm about to enter my tenth week off work and recently received a letter telling me I'll be off for another four weeks after that

I can see why people at work are annoyed with those on furlough. My company are paying 20% too so I'm on my normal salary but I'm looking after DD fourteen months old so it's not just me dossing around laying outside in the sun

Our biggest customer just went into liquidation who makes up a good fifth of our sales so I'm quite concerned for the future

I miss the structure of work and may go back part time if allowed whilst if furlough. HR are looking into it, supposedly Gov have said it's allowed under certain circumstances?

PuppyMonkey · 25/05/2020 10:54

I feel quite lucky to have been furloughed having only started a new job at the end of January. My feelings of luck have to be balanced with my feelings of utter despair at the likelihood my job will no longer exist because of the severe downturn in business due to lockdown. I assume once my employer is asked to contribute the 25% towards the furloughing, he’ll get rid of me - I haven’t even completed my 3 months probation so why would a struggling business keep the likes of me on?

So, I will be quite delighted if I’m asked to go back to work tbf.

Thisisworsethananticpated · 25/05/2020 10:55

It’s OK in March April May
Might pall a bit in January !

Animum2 · 25/05/2020 11:11

Our company is classed as an essential business and apart from the parents who are WFH there's a few that are still going to work, also we've been made to take 10 days of our annual leave in May, which many are not happy about

buildingbridge · 25/05/2020 11:25

Yes and some parents that I know of told me that they are planning to awns their kids back in September because they hate the morning school runs.

MinesAPintOfTea · 25/05/2020 11:27

What's been missed are those of us in challenging home situations. If I go into the office, I don't have DH throwing things from stress at lunchtime.

But I bet my colleagues think I'm selfish for wanting to go back.

FrogFairy · 25/05/2020 11:38

I have never WFH before and I am really enjoying it. My regular job is public facing and I loved it but now if I had the chance to change to a permanent WFH role I would jump at it.

I live alone so don’t have to juggle childcare and home education, I can just imagine how difficult that must be.

newyearnoeu · 25/05/2020 11:45

Furloughed - I agree. my neighbour has specifically said this, and I would feel exactly the same if it was me = work for full price or do nothing for 80% (which when you include the reduced tax, NI, student loan repayments, pension etc. actually works out more like 90% net income) - I quite like my job but would always chose not to do it if I could!

WFH - disagree, our office closed early so I have been WFH for ten weeks now already. I am SO BORED and can't wait to go back. However I doubt this will be 'properly' until september/christmas. I don't have a commute though, so have neither saved nor lost money in WFH (other than the small costs of charging laptop, work phone, etc)., it's literally the social side that I'm missing. It's quite a stressful job and as good as my team and managers have been it's much harder asking for help or having a moan to debrief over skype than it would be face to face. Usually I spend at least one or two days out of the office too so being stuck inside the same four walls is annoying!

SuncreamInTheWinter · 25/05/2020 11:52

My neighbours are doing my head in while I try to work from home. Shouting and cheering between gardens. None of them work at all (even pre covid) are are having a jolly - a loud one.

I don't want them to be miserable but just acknowledging it is fucking annoying. I would rather be at work where I have my own office in school

happyandsingle · 25/05/2020 12:09

I'm better of financially on furlough I've saved and am actually out of my overdraft for the first time in over a year so no real incentive to go back.I used to get really bad migraines but not had any since I stopped work so now realise the cause of them was probably my job.

PafLeChien · 25/05/2020 13:18

Waxonwaxoff0
you are a grown up, you should be able to get on with your work without someone breathing down your neck. I get it, that's why I mainly have to go to the office, to babysit. People like you are trouble makers.

There are things like phone and internet to communicate these days.

Get a hobby and a social life, that's not what the office is for.