I don’t want to go back to the office

[Dontmakemegoback2office]

Certainly not most days. I’m enjoying the improved work/ life balance and I can do my job perfectly well at home. Meetings, research, reports, emails. The lot.

I’m angry at the thought of being forced back on to that horrible commute for no reason other than cannon fodder for the city centre economy. Just no.

AIBU?

I agree, it's unfair to expect us back just to keep buying overpriced coffee and lunch. Business have to adapt.

My workplace has approached this well, when we return we will be offered options of wfh part of the time, all of the time or be in the office full time as they know it is not a one size suits all issue. However it seems so far that most will opt for a mix of wfh and time in the office, me included.

I have been way more productive at home even with 3dc home full time
Something doesn't sound right there at all. How can you work better with three kids? If that is the case, something is going very wrong with the work that was taking place in the office and changes should definitely be implemented.

Let's be realistic, the reason why many managers are not keen on it is because whereas some are genuinely dedicated to the job, in front of their computer and on the phone as they would in the office, but many are not, and do the strict minimum.

It can mean managers having to micromanage to another level and that is a waste of time for them. That and having to confront and evidence that someone is only spending 4h on the job rather than 8, that's the main reason employers want people back. Unfair for those who are genuinely more productive.

Hard for managers. I like home working and so do my team but we are under pressure to return politically, so that we are seen as available and providing a face to face service despite managing remotely. I have to persuade my staff that we can't really argue against being in if it's safe, when I privately feel as they do...

We (civil service department) are never going back full time to the office. They’ve realised how much money they can save. The fixed desks are becoming hot desking hubs where you book a desk by the hour. At the moment, I’m going in one day a week.

@cologne4711

Any keyworker would be a knob calling themselves cannon fodder even at the height of the CV crisis.

Unless they don't know what it actually refers to.

Also now people have had a taste of wfh they see it as a right almost “ but I like having lunch with my kids”, “ I can hang the washing out”. Your employers didn’t sign up for this. WFH was merely a temporary response to an unprecedented situation. If it’s not in your contract you’ll need to go back if your employer instructs you too. Too many people take the piss when wfh and try and save on childcare costs, not fully engaged, difficult to get hold of.

Too many people take the piss when wfh and try and save on childcare costs, not fully engaged, difficult to get hold of.

As a matter of interest, what are you basing this claim on? Verified studies in various industries, personal experience?

I agree. People will spend locally. Who wants to go on crowded public transport now? I usually work 3 days but hoping to go in 1 day a week and wfh for 2. Also the difference in traffic had to be good environmentally.

London was the epicentre of the virus for this reason
and Borris wants people to go back and create the conditions for another epicentre:(

The reality is though, surely, that most people do not have dedicated office space at home. Wherever you are set up you have to deal with others in the house passing by/through, kids wanting attention, cats, dogs, telephone going off in other rooms, hoovering, washing machines, next door cutting the grass etc etc etc.

The best interruption DH had on a call recently was a colleagues 92 year old mum coming in to ask why he was talking to his computer! She wouldn't leave, so he had to. DD had a very distressing call when a conference leader left her baby crying in the background for 20 minutes, it upset everyone on the call.

Having thought about this a little more today, I think if employers are honest with themselves, even if they are micro-managers who want everyone back where they can keep an eye on them they are going to struggle to accommodate everyone anyway. It will depend on the size of the office, layout, etc but I would have thought it would be difficult to have everyone in at once, so most people are going to continue to work from home at least some of the time.

I had a job where there were rows of three desks in a sort of bench layout, with dividers to the next three. I don't think you could have more than two people on each set of six these days, and they didn't have enough desks anyway as they assumed some home working.

The job after that was a bit different as it was one office with 10 desks and they weren't all used, so you could have probably spaced people out and windows opened and there was a meeting room.

DH has his own office so will be ok if he needs to go back, he would quite like to go back once a week or fortnight.

My employer had been trying to get out of a very expensive office comeplex for a while, around 75% of staff will now work from home on a permanent basis. I’ll be largely working from home with 1/2 contact days per month.

I only live a fortyish minute walk from work, so no commute etc for me to consider, but it will be nice for my son who will spend far less time in wrap around care. Now I just have to survive the summer holidays without any childcare.

The childcare issue is a red herring because in normal times you would have reliable childcare and school. Of course, what happens in September is anyone's guess.

As for the 92 mother wandering around, I would return to the office as soon as I could.

There's no one size fits all model, employers need to be flexible and sensible.

92 year old mother.

Too many people take the piss when wfh and try and save on childcare costs, not fully engaged, difficult to get hold of

Evidence?

Any keyworker would be a knob calling themselves cannon fodder even at the height of the CV crisis. Unless they don't know what it actually refers to

It's a turn of phrase and there is no need for people to take everything so literally.

what happens to all these empty office spaces in city centres and peripheral areas

Boris wants to turn them into flats.

having to confront and evidence that someone is only spending 4h on the job rather than 8, that's the main reason employers want people back. Unfair for those who are genuinely more productive

The person who takes 4 hours to get the job done is more productive than the person taking 8.

WFH is great if you have the space to effectively WFH. If you live in a shared house or a one bed flat with a partner, it's a total nightmare. It's also a lot easier if you're established in your career and have already developed relationships with your colleagues. If you're at all junior and need to learn by watching others, or are a new employee who needs to lay roots, WFH is isolating and counterproductive.

I think WFH is a great option for some, but it's very disadvantageous for others. For reasons of fairness offices need to stay around, even if that's in combination with flexibility around WFH.

I think whether people can work from home is a hugely important question. It could significantly improve the way our society is set up, from decreasing pollution from emissions, improving mental health, opening up oppurtunities to those who may not have been able to factor in a commute and their personal set up e.g. increasing opportunity for women, and potentially solving childcare issues if WFH is coupled with flexibility. And building a society that works for both introverts and extroverts by having smaller space for those who prefer contact.

If you can't manage staff remotely, you need to rethink your methods.

I work for a local authority and unfortunately have a micro manager who really isn’t happy with her workforce working from home, luckily, people higher up the food chain have taken that decision from her. However, she has taken micro managing to the next level! It’s looking like we will be back in the office on a 3 weekly rotation, which I’m fine with, but she doesn’t think this is suitable as ‘people can do what they want at home’. I know I’ve been just as productive, if not more so, as have my colleagues. It’s true what they say about middle management in councils etc!

My sector loses over half working women after dc. It means companies are full of 20 to 30 year old women and men. If you’re older and stay you feel more out of it and old by comparison.

The biggest problem is late working times and long hours meaning no nursery or nanny up until bedtime.

It was changing a bit, I had a female MD who left for nursery run, but this kind of flexibility will accelerate it and change it for the better.

I think there will be big changes after this. I am lucky enough to have my commute to London paid and used to go 2-3 times a week (I am based in the NW). I am hoping that level won't be needed in the future when they see the travel expenses reduce so drastically and 99% of the work continuing fine. Some events will no doubt need to be face to face but not on the level as before.