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?

But @daisypond the future of all jobs shifting abroad or to AI is another conversation. My point was payroll functions are already outsourced in the UK & abroad.

@daisypond

Some accountants in London still get paid very well. Yes, at the moment. But at some point there won’t be a need for a “London” accountant. Or a “Glasgow” accountant. It’ll be done abroad.

Several insurance companies tried this with their call centres and outsourced to India, resulting in customers voting with their feet. They had to do a u turn and bring the call centres back to the UK.

Several insurance companies tried this with their call centres and outsourced to India, resulting in customers voting with their feet. They had to do a u turn and bring the call centres back to the UK.

The poster isn't talking about call centres though. She's talking about acountants.

I’m an accountant for a global consultancy firm. I’m based in London but pre Covid travelled to clients mainly in the Far East and Europe. We are currently all wfh with the option to continue to do so. We’re busy with no jobs at risk.

My employer is closing down three of their regional offices and keeping just two open as sort of hubs in case anyone needs to have a meeting or needs copying/printing.

I am very happy about this as I love WFH and am glad we are now able to continue this full time going forwards.

I never spent money near my office ever, so the only additional expense for me was petrol.

@Parker231

I’m an accountant for a global consultancy firm. I’m based in London but pre Covid travelled to clients mainly in the Far East and Europe. We are currently all wfh with the option to continue to do so. We’re busy with no jobs at risk.

Yet.

I started working in an office for the first time in November. Huge, open plan with hot-desking. I hated it. It was sterile, stale, draining, and the opportunities to naturally interact with others (when you're not trying to do something else e.g. walk to the toilet) were very limited, and my team was nice but not especially social, which was a first for me.

I much prefer working from home as I can take breaks that are actually rejuvenating rather than just shoveling food in my mouth or making conversation when I'd rather have time to myself. I don't have to worry about running for a train to make it to after-school care on time, or worry if gran can't pick up our son, etc.

95% of my job can be done remotely, employer is supportive of continued home-working, and I'm not missing out socially at work. So yes, I will hopefully be able to continue to do most of my hours from home

Iced- I’ve worked there 20 years without any redundancies. We work where our clients need us - I’ve spent a lot of time in Singapore and some of the larger European hubs as they have a growing economy.
Pre Covid DH and I were moving in Canada. Once things settle to whatever the new normal is, the move will be back on and I’ll transfer to working in Quebec.

why are some posters like @IcedPurple almost taking glee in the fact that people's jobs may be at risk & they just don't know it yet. I'm sure @Parker231 has a better understanding of her role & company than @IcedPurple does

not sure why some was in bold!

@looperb

why are some posters like *@IcedPurple* almost taking glee in the fact that people's jobs may be at risk & they just don't know it yet. I'm sure *@Parker231 has a better understanding of her role & company than *@IcedPurple** does

I'm not 'taking glee' in anything and I'm not claiming to know the circumstances of individual's jobs. Just saying that it might be a bit complacent to assume that because there haven't been any redundancies 5 months into our current situation, that means there never will be.

If WFH is just as efficient as going into the office, as many here insist, then employers may well ask themselves why they are employing someone in high-wage Britain when they could get someone from Poland or Hungary to do the job equally well for much less money. Not saying it will definitely happen, and I hope it doesn't, but I think it's naive to not even consider the possibility.

But that's not what you said you replied to @Parker231s post with "yet"

@looperb

But that's not what you said you replied to *@Parker231s* post with "yet"

Well, it sort of is. Just because there have been no reduncancies 5 months into this WFH situation, you cannot assume that will continue to be the case.

So you are saying that you know @Parker231 individual circumstances better then she does as she was only talking about her own?

@looperb

So you are saying that you know *@Parker231* individual circumstances better then she does as she was only talking about her own?

No. I'm talking about the dangers of complacency. Lots of people are convinced that their jobs are safe. Lots of people later find out that they are not.

So you think @Parker231 is complacent?

@daisypond

Some accountants in London still get paid very well. Yes, at the moment. But at some point there won’t be a need for a “London” accountant. Or a “Glasgow” accountant. It’ll be done abroad.

Certain customer / client / supplier roles require a cultural fit to engage with others. Whilst it's possible the job could be outsourced to a low wage country it also needs a person who can engage in a similar cultural manner with others. Outsourcing to e.g. India doesn't always work as one other person commented about an outsourced call centre being brought back onshore.

@looperb

So you think *@Parker231* is complacent?

She may or may not be.

I'm not sure why you're getting fixated on one poster and ignoring my general point. If you think that a possible move to widespread, long-term WFH is absolutely guaranteed not to result in any jobs being outsourced to cheaper economies, and that simply pointing out this possibiity (and that's all I'm saying it is) is being 'gleeful' then I don't see the point in any futher discussion with you.

You didn't make your general pony until I challenged your response did you?

point not pony! 😆

* Parker231
I’m an accountant for a global consultancy firm. I’m based in London but pre Covid travelled to clients mainly in the Far East and Europe. We are currently all wfh with the option to continue to do so. We’re busy with no jobs at risk.*

Yet.

This is the response I called gleeful, all I can see is the word yet? Was I met to understand that "yet" actually meant "If you think that a possible move to widespread, long-term WFH is absolutely guaranteed not to result in any jobs being outsourced to cheaper economies, and that simply pointing out this possibiity"?

I don't see the point in any futher discussion with you.
Or do you mean if you're not prepared to be challenged on a point you give up? 😆

This is the response I called gleeful, all I can see is the word yet? Was I met to understand that "yet" actually meant "If you think that a possible move to widespread, long-term WFH is absolutely guaranteed not to result in any jobs being outsourced to cheaper economies, and that simply pointing out this possibiity"?

You've cut my response short, but yes, I did think people would understand that my point was that what is true now may not be true a year or 5 years from now. I didn't think that needed spelling out, but maybe I was wrong.

* I don't see the point in any futher discussion with you.
Or do you mean if you're not prepared to be challenged on a point you give up?*

Except you and your emoticons haven't really 'challenged' me. You simply accused me of being 'gleeful' and when I elaborated on my post you've just been droning on about nothing really. If you do want to actually challenge my point about the possibility of work being outsourced, by all means do so as I'd be very happy to be wrong on this. Otherwise, I don't really see the point.

Everyone has had weekly one to one calls to check on their well-being.

Oh god - we had those weekly calls. They were excruciating

@Aridane

Everyone has had weekly one to one calls to check on their well-being.

Oh god - we had those weekly calls. They were excruciating

Can't be worse than those 'Virtual cafe' or 'Virtual get-togethers' that some workplaces organise. The intentions are probably good but the result is thoroughly depressing.

Why? The feedback was very positive. The calls lasted less than five minutes and it gave everyone a chance to raise queries ie problems with their internet speed, needed an extra monitor, were fed up. We arranged for treats to be delivered on a regular basis - small things like a bunch of flowers or a box of cupcakes.