Who is looking at increased wfh long term?

[jorgeous]

Hello all,

The plan at both mine & DHs company was to go in on a rota basis from September. This is still going to happen but far less frequently than we anticipated eg 4 days a month in the office. Plus it's completely voluntary. Companies are making noises about this becoming the norm, reducing HQ space & competitors are acting similar & some have made the switch.
There are lots of benefits to wfh although I do like the social aspect of the office. However because we are not allowed meetings of more than 2 people, gyms, canteens, coffee stations etc are all closed very few are coming back so there is little social aspect.
If this is the norm we really need to rethink our home environment & have a proper office for both of us.
I feel a little sad tbh, anyone else in the same boat?

We’re looking at doing a few days per week in the office on a Rota, it doesn’t hugely affect me as the dept in work in (HR) is typically a small one with no social prospects. I’m also glad to be saving the money on travel.

So are you going to go in?

We have saved quite a considerable amount but then I do worry about the effect on ancillary workers & the fact jobs are so intertwined. Having said that we used the savings on home improvements & a UK holiday so the money is still going into the economy.

My son has gone back into office now for 2 days per week. Whilst it was ok to work from home, he felt some things took too long, far too many silly emails that wouldn’t happen if he was in the office. Out of 40 staff, only about 12 have gone back, despite MD asking them to consider coming back. They have large office space and have put a lot of time and effort making it as safe as possible, but they won’t even go in and see how it is. The staff that have been furloughed are starting to return though.

All of my team have had their contracts changed to WFH. I have a full office set up in a spare bedroom with a desk, office chair, PC with 2 widescreen monitors, keyboard, mouse, headset and softphone software. It is much nicer than the office I was on with its arctic aircon.

@Mindymomo I agree some things are much quicker in person.

@Ginfordinner is your company keeping their office space?

Wfh until at least Jan 2021 and probably until sept 2021. Feel really sad about it.

I don't think we'll be back in this year. After that probably moving to a mix of home and office working which will be great. I am keen to get back in some form but am really enjoying being at home too.

I’m going to the office for approx 4 days a month only, DH for 2 days a week so it’s time for a home office for us.

I don’t think this will be the trend longer term, no.

There will certainly be more wfh, but when we get a better handle on this and the fear subsides a bit, the drive to get people back to the office a few days a week will start.

I don’t see many companies giving up their office space entirely.

I’m in a similar position to @Ginfordinner.
All staff compulsory working from home for ever. All offices are permanently closed. No in-person meetings ever.

I don’t see many companies giving up their office space entirely.

I don't see that either but I do see a shrinking of it & from a cynical point of view the longer this goes on & the more companies realise how much they save they won't be so keen to spend that again.

I don’t think we’ll be back until January but even then on a rota basis. My partner has started to go back one day a week. It would be handy if we could coordinate so I’m at home while he’s at work and vice versa (due to space!)

Me. I’ve just set up a home office.

I struggle with husband respecting boundaries when I wfh. We both have demanding jobs. He is works out of home.

It’s like I should still be on hand to help at home/with toddler while I’m working :(

However, I just can’t imagine being permanently based back in office ever again!

I work in a GP surgery in a non clinical role and they have not said anything about going back. As they are not seeing most patients f2f in the longer term (more efficient they say) then no reason for me to see them at the surgery either. I can still do community visits.

I would love it if this was long term as DS has ASD and I really struggle with appropriate child care after school.

wow @daisypond that's quite a shift. How do you feel about it?

Personally I would like maybe 2 days in the office for the social side but obvs that isn't there now. We have been told we still have to do meetings over teams/zoom when in the office hence why few see the point of going in.

@JacobReesMogadishu that's a long time!

@Twickerhun we just don't really have the space if it's long term so will likely need to move.

It's quite hard being around DH so much! 🤣 @Patienceisvirtuous not helpful for you! I'm p/t so that has been the saving grace with small dc.

I do feel with more of a designated office it will be easier to keep the boundaries of work/home as they have become a little blurred.

@Ginfordinner is your company keeping their office space?

No. The lease runs out this weekend. We were under consultation regarding moving to another site (much further away) when lockdown happened. When "normality" returns we will mostly work from home, but turn up on site for either one or two days a week.

The lockdown showed that our team can work from home very successfully, which meant that staff who would have had a very long drive to work are no longer looking for work elsewhere. But they are happy to do the journey now and again.

I'm not back until January at the earliest and then it will be on a phased or rota basis as it stands.

Our office is open for those that want / need to go in but I work mostly with our regional offices anyway so there is no need for me to go in.

I'm very happy with the RTO measures that are in place. I'm not keen to get a tube and train at the moment.

Same for me. Rota from September for those who want to be in the office, long term WFH envisioned for many.

It suits me tbh. I miss lots about the office, but I have a long commute and used to be out of the house from 7.30am to 7.30pm even when I could leave work at 6. I’m pregnant so won’t be returning to the office at all til after mat leave, but when I do return it will really suit me to do maybe 2 days per week in the office and the rest from home, with my husband planning to do the same. That way we will be able to do tea, bath and bed with our baby. That wouldn’t have been possible before with our working pattern and commute.

@niceupthedance i had a non f2f GP appointment which was fine although I don't think they are suitable for all patients though tbh

@jorgeous

I don’t see many companies giving up their office space entirely.

I don't see that either but I do see a shrinking of it & from a cynical point of view the longer this goes on & the more companies realise how much they save they won't be so keen to spend that again.

It depends on how customer service and productivity suffers in the longer term. When covid is over, customers will vote with their feet and companies will be staring at their figures again. It's a lot bigger question than how much a company saves on property costs if its losing customers due to poor customer service.

@Ginfordinner yes both are companies were impressed with productivity although we did wfh sometimes before so not a completely new concept.

I'm not keen to get a tube and train at the moment.

We are in the city so the tube is a big concern plus DCs school have cancelled all after school activities & wraparound care so I'm not sure what we would have done if we had to go straight back.

We’re starting to have people back now - I did one day this week and it felt wonderful to be back. I can’t focus at home and my commute isn’t long so the wfh benefits are not really there for me. I manage a large team and agree that there will be more home working in the future but the shift won’t be quite as big as people are currently anticipating. And at some point I am going to have to re-enforce the rule that unless it’s an emergency, home working is not allowed without childcare.

It helps that we now have the best team ever who all take their responsibilities seriously. The bad apples who needed micromanaging have either left or been made redundant.