To be annoyed with this work email!

[silvertogold]

Today we received an email from our CEO. Long wholly type of email about blended working etc, throughout it mentioned the fact that we are all adopting a blended working pattern etc and that we should be empowered to do so, it went on about the negative impact of lockdown and how everyone's mental health suffered and how being back in the workplace has been a blessing for everyone involved.
Now I have 2 issues with this number 1. No one is being allowed to do blended working. We are all back at work full time except for the senior management team who are being allowed to make their own decisions.

1. They don't seem to appreciate that for a majority of their staff being back in the work place is affecting their mental health e.g my anxiety is through the roof.

Blended working sounds ideal and for my job absolutely workable but we are simply not being given this option! AIBU to have been annoyed with this idea that we are all so glad to be back and all have flexibility when it's only the very senior management team who have any?

I’d try lookitsme suggestion with a tone of delight that the policy has changed - I’m excited that we’ve changed tack on blended working, have we all committed to specific ways of implementing it or is it up to each team? Im happy to help on the logistics of the team roster, it will make a big difference- I know I’m not the only one happy about this!

And if he said no if they are a big firm I’d think about asking a friend to set up an anonymous email /Twitter account and sharing the hypocrisy. I’d photo the email on my phone and retype On my own pc if I did that as they can check all prints and outgoing emails if they re mad enough!

Being annoyd about this is a waste of energy. Part of a CEO’s job is spouting daft propaganda. You can’t take it too seriously.

I'd definitively take it up with them from an 'are you now saying we can all do blended working?' position.

@MintyMabel

Oh no, I forgot, our health, mental or physical doesn't count.

So we all have to go out to work because you have to?

Why don't we shut supermarkets if they're such a source of transmission?

Oh, because you need food.

Like I need services from office workers who are either furloughed or working from home. I haven't been able to get because from a customer's point of view WFH doesn't work.

Why not reply to the email and say "oh lovely, blended would be perfect for me... Who do I talk to about arranging this?"

Typical senior management double standards.

Happy to accept people who want to start early (eg to match in with bus times) but woe betide anyone who wants to leave a bit earlier to get to an appointment. Of course it's fine for senior managers to do this.

Our office is 'covid secure' so we should all come back in. Senior managers are happily ignoring the fact that people are sitting cheek by jowl with less than a metre walk space between rows of desks. Apparently a couple of bottles of hand gel and some wipes are all that is needed.

Unfortunately it is going to take flu season to start and mass absences from work either ill or waiting on test results to get senior managers to see sense.

Even then I can see our MD blaming individuals rather than seeing that it is the climate of fear he has created.