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AIBU?

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Original poster

Working from home

52 replies

alwaysfiltered · 22/09/2020 18:33

I'm after a little perspective from the outside.

We are an office of 18; 12 of us could do our jobs from home. Most people were chomping at the bit to come back in so when we reopened I said (I'm CEO) the option was entirely theirs.

17 people came back FT; 2 split work between WFH and the office and one is WFH full time.

Following today's announcement I called a meeting and asked the people who technically can WFH to do that. 3 are happy to full time, the rest have said they find they are more productive at home and as a group got quite upset. A few have approached me independently saying they emphatically don't want to WFH due to anxiety. I have asked them to email me any concerns they have.

What do I do? I don't want to break any guidelines and the office is as Covid safe as we can make it but really it's never going to be bulletproof is it. The three that are happy are now going to WFH but I'm quite lost what to do from here.

It may be relevant to note the team is all under 35 in a creative industry, they openly say they enjoy the social aspect of work and motivate each other

OP posts:
dontlikebeards · 22/09/2020 19:01

Can they work in the office on a rota basis so there is only a handful of people in the office at once?

Ceilingfan · 22/09/2020 19:04

I think in the office on a rota/skeletal basis could work, but ultimately, as CEO you need to make a decision, around the new covid guidelines.

BlackberrySky · 22/09/2020 19:10

Are they taking public transport to the office? If so, then that is also a factor in your decision. If they can walk/cycle then perhaps they could come in more often than if they are on public transport

OoohTheStatsDontLie · 22/09/2020 19:12

You are vulnerable in two areas. If you go against government guidelines and people caught covid in your workplace as a result, and suffered any long term effects, they could still sue you even though they asked to come in the office, and you would struggle to defend this since you had knowingly broken guidelines.

Secondly if some of your staff are suffering anxiety and you don't do anything to address this then you could be sued for contributing to their stress and anxiety if they had to say give up work because of it.

I think the safest course of action would be to go through the root causes of their anxiety with them and see what you could do to support them. Eg team 'socials' over video conf, walking and talking phone chats, team charity challenges, etc if the problem is just social. Providing support in the form of company counselling helpline, or contribution towards counselling or mindfulness sessions or something. And then review if this is not having any impact.

Choosingmyring · 22/09/2020 19:14

Could you do week on week off?

timeforanew · 22/09/2020 19:15

My company does a rota - never more than x people in the office, people book days in. People who have to come in are in as much as necessary, the rest picks on average a day per week from the leftover places.

Dee1975 · 22/09/2020 19:16

Can you just offer both? Wfh if you want, come in if you want ....?

CookieDoughKid · 22/09/2020 19:16

My company is reasserting Unless you have a business critical role that you can only do on premise, then all needs to work from home. They are coming down on that hard.

Fatted · 22/09/2020 19:18

I'd also say do a rota and split between home and the office.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 22/09/2020 19:19

There is a worth to office based if it aids with mental health.

Agree a safe maximum in the office at any one time. Set up an Outlook calendar for the office with slots.

Toughtips · 22/09/2020 19:20

Our work place was doing a rota but now it's work from home if in continued contact with kids or if sheilding before. Then a small bubble on rota.

OuiOuiKitty · 22/09/2020 19:21

A lot of people prefer to work from home. Is there something about the way that your company is implementing it that is making people anxious about it? To have so little take up would to me suggest that there is something making people hesitant.

Frazzled13 · 22/09/2020 19:22

My office (large multinational) are reinstating their policy they had when lockdown first lifted of those with “business or personal needs” can come into the office. That includes anyone who can’t wfh well for any reason. There is a booking system so it’s never too crowded.
The guidance is wfh if you can so if people are telling you they have mental health issues wfh then I think that’s covered isn’t it?

hammeringinmyhead · 22/09/2020 19:27

If lots of them are younger they may be in house or flat shares, working from their bedrooms. I must admit I am a bit confused on what "WFH if you can" means. Physically equipped to and can access everything you need, or is "can" and "can't" covered by mental health?

Sakura7 · 22/09/2020 19:29

@OuiOuiKitty

A lot of people prefer to work from home. Is there something about the way that your company is implementing it that is making people anxious about it? To have so little take up would to me suggest that there is something making people hesitant.
This. It's actually really unusual for so many staff members to be against WFH, in most companies the struggle is to get more of it, not less. Maybe ask what they need in terms of support to make them more comfortable.

I think it would be a bad idea to go against the guidance, as there's a risk you could have an outbreak in your office.

LilyLongJohn · 22/09/2020 19:36

Can you start to implement more video calls. We now have a weekly team meeting, all done via teams, and also a 'fun' hour where we do a quiz, or the boss does a family fortune, weakest link type game. We've even done bingo and people have done a 'talent' hour where we've been taught yoga etc. It all helps to feel a lot less isolated.

All our meetings are now done with video, and not just telephones without video

SaltyAndFresh · 22/09/2020 19:39

Tell them there are many people unable to work from home who'd happily have their jobs.

dollypartonscoat · 22/09/2020 19:40

@LilyLongJohn that sounds horrific Grin

tigger001 · 22/09/2020 19:41

I think the WFH message is also about the means of transport people are taking to work, jammed tubes, trams, trains, buses, so it's not just your office itself.

Sadly, I would explain the guideline are for all, could you do more zoom meetings if they need that Interaction from people in work ?

ConcernedAboutWarrington · 22/09/2020 19:48

They should WFH if they physically can.

Anyone who feels that they can't or doesn't want to, should discuss with you the reasons why on a case-by-case basis. If it is for MH reasons, I would request an occupational health assessment into the extent of the impact of WFH and go from there. I think for anyone not to WFH, you need to have a good (documented) reason why for the reasons that PPs have set out.

Someone 'preferring' to work from the office is NOT the same as someone who has a MH difficulty which is alleviated by working in the office.

Disfordarkchocolate · 22/09/2020 20:03

These are guidelines not tramlines. Discus people concerns, document reasons why people want to be in the office and make informed decisions. It sounds like some sort of rota would be possible.

Make sure you aren't risking a key team ie finance all being ill at once though.

LimaFoxtrotCharlie · 22/09/2020 20:10

WFH is lonely, isolating & boring. I’m not at all surprised that your staff would prefer to go into the office instead of imprisoning themselves in their homes.
These are guidelines only so you should take your staff’s preferences into account, as well as other sensible factors like use of public transport if appropriate

Ideasplease322 · 22/09/2020 20:16

Could you point to where is says people should work from home if they physically can? I haven’t seen the use of the works physically in any of the reporting.

I know a number of people who are struggling with working from home.

I live alone and six months with limited human contact has been tough. Weeks could go by when I only speak to people over the phone. Video chats are not the same.

My work did risk assessments and has allowed a limited number of people to return to work, if they were struggling being at home.

LilyLongJohn · 22/09/2020 20:18

@dollypartonscoat it can be Grin

Original poster
alwaysfiltered · 22/09/2020 20:35

@OuiOuiKitty I tried everything to make the process as smooth as possible last time and we actually started working from home two weeks before advised as I wanted to make sure everyone was safe. I have spoken to the managers and they said the feedback seems to be based more around how much people value colleagues. It's quite a tight knit office with most of the team now friends out of work.

No one uses public transport to get to the office. They are all either within walking distance or drive in.

I don't want to do anything wrong, but equally, I don't want people to have increased levels of anxiety. We had one particularly bad case during lockdown that we referred to private counselling in order to offer support.

I do think the mental health implications are underrated but also I don't want to do anything 'wrong'. The guideline of 'if you can' is too vague.

I thought about a week on week off rota system. The only downfall I can see is the computers. I don't want anyone to have to use their own equipment and they all have rather large IMacs so not something you can pick up and wander home with. Hot dealing isn't an option as we have been advised it's against guidelines.

OP posts:
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