To think that the government guidance isn’t to WFH now...

[Ethelfleda]

Our employer has been completely silent for months on the topic of us returning to offices. And before that, they stated they were always going to follow government guidance etc... fine.

They said back in June (I think it was) they had had ‘identified those with a need to go in to office’
They didn’t state what the criteria for this was and I was certainly never asked if I needed to. Again fine, wasn’t so much of an issue back then.

Fast forward to the past few weeks and I have been REALLY struggling with it. Productivity dropping, mental health failing (and I don’t use that term lightly) and have desperate for some updates. Last week, I spoke to the facilities manager who seemed really surprised that I wasn’t told I could go in. He said I needed to clear it with my line manager but I could go in as much I want to (whilst observing rules etc)

Asked my line manager for ‘permission’ and I got the third degree - had to explain how low I was feeling etc and he kind of scoffed and said ‘the guidance is still to WFH you know’ and ‘the board have been very clear on this’ and ‘I can’t have a barrage of people asking me to go back in to office’
Then went on to say how he had been going back to his office for a while as he ‘needs the peace and quiet’ (he works in a different part of the country to me) but went on to say ‘don’t worry I will give you permission’

So I checked. And the guidance isn’t to WFH anymore... it’s to ‘work safely’ and employers and supposed to be keeping in touch with their WFH employees... AIBU to be pissed off at my manager’s attitude?? And the company in general for keeping us in the dark?

I always take silence to mean I’m not BU

Yes. They should have kept you informed.

I’m fed up with it to OP and my work place have just released that we won’t be back in our office til JANUARY!

I do think they should have kept staff updates on this. However, I can see why they don’t want a barrage of people returning to the office in case of a spike. Also, I should imagine a lot of people won’t want to return to the office.

Your manager is an absolute power tripping tool of epic proportions.

I have senior managers who are equally tool like, extolling the need for everyone to work from home, while their enjoying a nice quiet socially distanced office.

See also, managers whose partner is on furlough and therefore have no childcare responsibilities, managers forgetting that my very real telepathic skills work in an office environment ( where I hear everything 3rd hand ) are non fucking existent WFH. And managers who complain bitterly about massive workloads and hours, but neglect to pass work on.

They can all get in the sea!!

I think I would love a go at WFH. Had to go in to work throughout all of this and feel a bit jealous of people who have been able to stay home.

It’s only back to the office if it’s covid safe. Both DH and my work offices are still closed. I think mine is planned to be open at 50% in October. So 1/2 the staff will have to volunteer to wfh full time still. The idea is you will get a week in the office at least for ease of desk allocation.

I am a line manager and no one in my team has asked to be the first ones back btw. I hear there are only a handful who asked to be back out of about 200 in our office. You are a minority and I can see why your line manager can’t understand. You need to find something else for your mental health.

There’s a lot of work to be done to make offices COVID safe so some employers don’t see the point. However I also know a number of organisations who have allowed people to return where it was a “well-being” issue, exactly how you have described in your post. Any reasonable employer should be thinking of the health and well-being of their staff and allow them to return if necessary and can be done safely.

Government guidance seems to be encouraging people to go back to the workplace. Ironic that organisations headed by people who advise SAGE have buildings closed an not intending to open before next year.
Yet the govt are still 'following the science'?
Possibly - but keeping very quiet that"the science" is now economics rather than epidemiology.

It's returning to Covid safe offices. Ours can only operate at 30% capacity apparently. I think they are now looking at people who specifically want to return (which isn't me at the moment, I'm fine where I am for now) but it doesn't sound like it's going to be easy for those who want to go back in. I'm wondering if most of our office will ever stop wfh.

No word here either OP and I’m struggling. There is still so much uncertainty and one of the reasons here is at least we are healthy and can continue to WTF and an outbreak in the office is a risk they don’t want to take when we can work efficiently at home.

Our office used to have 1000 in, over 4 floors and now apparently they can only fit 4 in per team so about 8 per floor, because the layout of desks is back to back to back.

I'm not sure what the criteria is for people to go into work, but I joined back at work from mat leave in all of this and none of my accounts work, so I've been in limbo for months. If that's not criteria to be asked to go back in I don't know what is.

I agree that the office needs to be Covid safe... but ours is! As soon as I got the green light they sent me all the info on working safely - they have one way systems in place, all the correct markings, hand sanitizer and state that you need to wipe down your equipment before and after use. If they hadn’t done the work to bring the office up to scratch yet then I could completely understand - but they have!

I just wish employers would do as the guidelines state and consult with their employees about it! I bet if they opened it up to everyone who is based in my building, the majority would want to stay WFH. And so they should be able to - I think it would be totally unfair to force people in....

However, this also makes it easier for social distancing if hardly anyone wants to go in! Give people the choice!!

*You need to find something else for your mental health

No I don’t. As I said, I’ve been told I can go back in.

If they had said no and that the office isn’t safe yet then I would have found an alternative arrangement.

But the fact that they haven’t even given anyone a date does not make that easy. If they’d released info saying we would be back in Sept for example, I would have just struggled on for another few weeks. If they said next Spring - I would have tried to come up with something more permanent. But they haven’t told us anything.

Your employer should have kept you informed. Sounds like your line manager is a bit of a .

I'm still WFH but only because I'm the only shielding person and also if I go back there isn't enough room for me! It's ok but I live alone and I miss my colleagues.. not sure how long it will go on for. We can't wear masks so have to keep the 2m distancing (I think..) hence no room for me

Timeforabiscuit do you work for the same company as me??

Sounds like really bad communication from your work/team leader. Our offices opened in July for those that need to work in the office on a first come first saved basis. The "need" categories include mental health and productivity just as equally as client meetings. We can only have about 25% capacity but actually only 2 people have been in out of 20 so far

And it is perfectly reasonable to think that your MH will benefit from working in the office. DH's conduct during lockdown led us to the brink of divorce. My MH will be improved if we aren't closely sharing space 24/7.

Also I have grads in my team who have been working on their beds for months and are now going to work in cafes where there are at least tables available. They are nearly at the office at that point, and somewhere with a higher covid risk as more public.

Not everyone has a safe and suitable WFH area and they should be allowed back to the office if it helps MH.

I really like wfh before thus, and fit the first months. But since we were all told it would be wfh until ‘at least January’ I’m not really happy anymore. I miss the banter, the overheard conversations and information sharing. I used to be so in the ball as I picked up on everything going on. Now I only know ‘my bit’ and will start to drop balls (as a lot if the stuff I was good at was catching the oh shit plates just before they hit the deck, due to chatting with randoms by the kitchen or printer or whatever). We can book a desk for mental health reasons but as no one else is in, that won’t exactly help for office chit chat.

I’m dreading the winter. Barely leave the house on work days as it is as I’m too busy, will be even harder in the cold dark wet months. I’m gaining weight which makes me even more miserable and only way to curb it will be to massively cut meals which makes me even grumpier.

I hear you op, and sounds like your manager is a dick with no thought of how other people might be feeling.