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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Government should advise 'work from home if you can' - plain common sense

129 replies

swabthenose · 19/09/2020 20:35

I'm not talking about furlough, or people who are unable to do their jobs from home. I'm talking about office jobs where people have successfully worked from home for months and months with no decrease (and some increase due to no commute) in productivity. Surely it's plain fucking common sense for the government to say 'work from home if you can' and stop encouraging people back to offices?!

All this talk of a lockdown except offices and schools - why offices?! Why is the government so determined to keep all the worker bees in the group working environment when it's not necessary? Yes I know, save the sandwich shops, but tbh if people are working from home then local businesses are going to get a boost instead AND the public transport will be less crowded. Home working at least part of the time is the future, and trying to swim against the tide during a global pandemic seems pretty dim even for our shitshow of a government.

OP posts:
catgirl1976 · 19/09/2020 20:55

YANBU at all. My job can be done from home and it’s been fine since March.

But now I have to go back in for “community spirit” and to boost the economy which given I don’t work near any shops or cafes or get a lunch break doesn’t actually apply in my case my working in the office has zero effect on (apart from maybe the petrol I use)

The will be zero point to any restrictions if we’ve got everyone back at work.

I think they should encourage everyone who can work from home to do so. Furlough should be extended for specific industries like hospitality if they close restaurants but not the full scale furlough we had before

But I don’t think it will happen sadly. At least not until it’s too late in terms of hospital admissions and deaths

ScrapThatThen · 19/09/2020 20:56

Yes lots of moves to get civil servants back in over the last few weeks, since Boris comments weeks ago, completely mistimed now with the rising rates.

Original poster
swabthenose · 19/09/2020 20:56

It just seems like the most basic thing, doesn't it? Work from home if you can? Not at all costs. Not at the expense of your work. Not if it's going to risk your jobs. Just if you can do your job just as easily from home (which SO many office workers can - especially now) then do it. Easy win.

OP posts:
Original poster
swabthenose · 19/09/2020 21:04

I'd love to know on what basis anyone thinks I'm being unreasonable. Genuinely. You can do your job safely and efficiently from home or put yourself and others at risk on public transport and in the office. Why on earth is the first option not the right thing to do?

Not only that, but the more parents you have WFH, the less it matters that your test and trace system is an absolute omnishambles and kids are having to isolate for days and days because a sibling had a temperature and can't get a test. At least with parents WFH you have less chance of these kids being put back into school while still symptomatic or within the isolation time because their parents can't get a test.

OP posts:
bestbefore · 19/09/2020 21:06

At what point should people go back then?

RevolutionRadio · 19/09/2020 21:08

YANBU.

I do feel for people whose businesses relied on alot of lunchtime trade though.

DilysMoon · 19/09/2020 21:09

Agree, makes no sense and is an easy restriction to introduce. It's got to be down to getting money flowing into city centres etc but I agree that money will be being redistributed to suburban towns. In my view this is a good thing but I guess the city landlords dont agree.

Griefmonster · 19/09/2020 21:09

@bestbefore maybe never? As OP says "if you can" . My DHs work is offering permanent WFH now.

Original poster
swabthenose · 19/09/2020 21:12

At what point should people go back then?

When they can work more effectively from the office than they can at home, and are as safe as they (and others in contact with them) are at home.

For many this will mean never. What's the problem with that?

And even if you do subscribe to the notion that everyone needs to get back to their office block desks at some point, I'd say that the 'when' answer really shouldn't be 'As we're heading into winter and flu season with rapidly rising numbers during a global pandemic' - wouldn't you?

OP posts:
Greydove28 · 19/09/2020 21:13

Yanbu op. Im wfh til at least spring and some of my colleagues permanently. Why take the risk of getting covid when you don't have to?

PinkLegoBrick · 19/09/2020 21:13

Completely agree OP.

SeasonallySnowyPeasant · 19/09/2020 21:13

YANBU. I don't know why I'm back in the office other than to make Pret money.

killerofmen · 19/09/2020 21:13

Yanbu. That's the message from my government.

SorrelBlackbeak · 19/09/2020 21:13

@bestbefore

At what point should people go back then?
How about when there's a track and trace system which works more than 40% of the time, and potentially infected people can get tests?
Anothermother3 · 19/09/2020 21:16

One of the London train drivers was saying How packed the carriages were this week. It’s completely nonsensical having people shoulder to shoulder on commuter trains. Perhaps they’re trying to keep people paying rail fares as well as keeping the sandwich shops going but they don’t want to say that.

DisappearingGirl · 19/09/2020 21:17

And even if you do subscribe to the notion that everyone needs to get back to their office block desks at some point, I'd say that the 'when' answer really shouldn't be 'As we're heading into winter and flu season with rapidly rising numbers during a global pandemic' - wouldn't you?

Spot on OP. YANBU.

Viciouslybashed · 19/09/2020 21:17

Seems like a sensible thing to me, going back because that's how things always used to be done is just pointless.

RJnomore1 · 19/09/2020 21:19

It’s still the guidance in scotland. One of the few logical things the Scottish government are still doing.

Lazypuppy · 19/09/2020 21:23

YABU.
Iam struggling working from home. I miss working with my team, and although in theory our work cam be done from home, things are getting missed that would normally get picked up in conversation. I certainly dont want to be wfh 5 days a week for ever, its lonely and terrible for my fitness levels/health

user186428036428936 · 19/09/2020 21:26

I agree with you, but it's fairly inevitable this thread will fill up with people who don't like WFH being very defensive.

icantstandhorridhenry · 19/09/2020 21:30

YANBU

my entire job I can do from home but my directors have trust issues. We're on an industrial estate so have no impact on the economy and I can't afford to pop to the local shopping for lunch anyway!

And I'm preggers so I don't fancy being out with all this COVID malarkey going about anyway!

Companies could save thousands on rent on buildings if they let office staff work from home!

GetRid · 19/09/2020 21:32

Fully agree - if Boris wants to avoid a second lockdown, this should be one of the things at the top of his list.

Starlightstarbright1 · 19/09/2020 21:34

Makes perfect sense op...

The news i sae there was a barber , in whitehall,complaining his lack of business..Whilst I can have sympathies for the barber men are still getting their hair done just else where.

I would alsothin many people have realised how much money they can save not buying a takeaway lunch everyday.

Petitmum · 19/09/2020 21:34

The gov advice in Wales has remained work from home if you can. Dh has been told his dept will be working from home until 31 march at least.

cologne4711 · 19/09/2020 21:36

YANBU, the government should never have put pressure on people to return to offices.

Although I don't think trains and offices are the driver of the new infections, but it can't hurt to reduce risk where you can.