AIBU to complain about nobody wearing masks in office

[Lima1]

I work in an office with about 25 people, I am the only one who wears a mask around the office. Some of us have our own office including me and when I am in on my own I take off the mask but if someone enters I put it on and I also wear it around the communal areas.

Staff are in the canteen (small room) all not wearing masks nor social distancing. The corridors are tight so we have to walk right past each other.
A client came into the office this morning for a meeting and used our toilets. No one has cleaned them since she used them. The door handles, equipment is not being cleaned despite cleaning products being left beside them. I complained about this already and an email went around reminding people to do it but nothing changed.

My husband is temperature checked each morning, masks are mandatory in his place of work and doors, equipment is being regularly cleaned. He thinks our set up is mad.
I dont feel safe, AIBU to raise the matter again?

www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/offices-and-contact-centres
tells you what they should have done in terms of risk assessment and procedures.

www.gov.uk/check-how-to-return-to-work-safely
says who to raise things with if they're not taking it seriously.

We don't wear masks in our open plan office .. nor would I want o wear one for 8 hours a day..
Complain if you want but as it's not mandatory, I doubt you'll get far and your colleagues won't thank you.
Why don't you ask your employer about working from home?

Do you all really need to be in the office five days a week? If only a third of you were in at any one time then social distancing would be easier.

Yanbu to be concerned. It’s not about an individual decision by your employer to mandate masks or not (I agree with pps that wearing a mask all day is ott), but about it being clear that they aren’t bothering to address the risk.

Individual posters on this thread may not be worried about Covid, but employers thankfully have an obligation to take steps.

You should try working in a school OP - masks for teachers not allowed, zero social distancing. Luckily covid doesn't like schools and teachers all have a natural immunity conferred on them when they qualified! not

Masks aren’t compulsory in offices. If one of my colleagues asked me to wear one they’d get very short shrift!

These are the government guidelines for working safely in an office-based environment. Perhaps take a look at it and see where your workplace isn't complying, then raise it with line manager/HR/occupational health.

www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/offices-and-contact-centres

25 people is not a large office, so I do think you sound a bit overly concerned - unless you’re all cramped in together (which it doesn’t sound as if you are, if you have your own office) then it’s probably pretty low risk if ventilation is OK etc.

Your mask will protect others, not so much you. If no one else is wearing masks I wouldn’t bother, honestly.

If you’re cleaning, hand washing and distancing, then try not to worry.

We have to wear masks at work in all areas that the public can access but not in the office. My mask is on and off all day. If someone coughs I mask up immediately too.
What annoys me are the colleagues who actually jump if there is someone within 2m in the office or staff kitchen, they stop in a corridor wait for you back away. But they never wear a mask in the office? If they are that bothered why not mask up? They do wear a mask when it's mandatory so aren't exempt.

Masks aren’t compulsory in offices. If one of my colleagues asked me to wear one they’d get very short shrift!

Me too. I will absolutely not be wearing a mask at work. If that rule comes in then meh: I'm retiring until this shit is over!

I don't think you are being unreasonable. Especially the staff room. There have been several outbreaks in offices where I live.

At my workplace they are mandatory; if you are seen on CCTV not wearing one, especially in patient areas, you can and will be disciplined.

Yabu. Stop making up more rules.

OP, are you in the UK? You used the term bathroom, which made me wonder if you were maybe in the US.
If you are in the UK, it might help if we knew which area you were in, but wherever you are within the UK, your employer should have done a risk assessment beyond what happens if someone feels ill. Can you start by asking for that?

@Lima1

I know it won't help but you're not on your own with this. I'm 30 weeks pregnant, still working in the office where I can actually work from home with Directors that have 'trust issues' due to getting their fingers burnt by other employees in the past.

We share kitchen facilities and toilet facilities, we have contractors in daily (multiple may I add) that use all our facilities with no checks, no additional cleaning of the office.

I sat with my director 2 weeks ago to raise the issue of it not being taken seriously especially with me being 28 weeks (at the time) and in my third trimester and he pretty much said I won't be working from home as I've only got 10 weeks left at work and it's not feasible for the business.
All he's done is stopped people from entering our office... which they ignore.

You are not on your own, just keep yourself protected as much as possible.

That is shocking and incredibly irresponsible of your employer to not have a safe work environment. All the anti maskers on here are ignorant too, no wonder we are back in lockdown. Insist that your employer implements a policy of safety to include social distancing, cleaning, masks etc. Get support from your colleagues, I bet they feel just as unsafe and contact your union if you have one.

YABU. There is no requirement to wear masks in the office and cleaning the lots after every individual visit is impractical. I have had to travel u and down the country a lot lately and have used service station facilities, they generally don’t have somebody there constantly cleaning but I live to tell the tale.

I don’t know why you think somebody that tested negative should be self isolating.

Also you taking your mask off and putting it back on again, is pointless anyway. If you need to wear a mask, you should wear it in a similar way as you wear your knickers. No fiddling, no adjusting in public, no taking off and whipping back on when another person turns up.

I leave for work (on public transport at 7.30 and get home at 17.30) that's a hell of a long time to be wearing a mask. Yes I do slip it down when I feel it's not needed and put it back up when mandatory or not able to social distance. I slip my knickers off during the day when needed too (not past my knees though, just like the mask is still attached to my ears).
My employer is on the case where we are visible in the office, 'socially distance you two!' but does not take into account when we are at the 'coal-face' (where managers never venture) and have to sit next to another professional from a different organisation who is without a mask and is coughing or in a small room with others who can't for legal/technical reasons wear masks. That's what concerns me.

We social distance at work in the office but we don't wear masks.

Why didn’t you clean the toilet?!

@Lima1

Its not about masks being mandatory but about employers carrying out a risk assessment of the workplace which they are legally obliged to do. The guidelines are that where social distancing isn't possible, masks should be worn, this would obviously form part of the risk assessment. I dont think it is a big imposition to ask staff to use masks while using the communal areas - corridors, bathrooms, printers and canteen.

I have to leave my office to move files, use the printer and bathroom and pass by people in the corridors while doing this.

I clean the bathroom after I use it, I am sure others don't though. I clean the printers and door handles also.

Right, but you thinking it wouldn't be an imposition is still not any basis for complaint in itself. You can certainly raise the issue but you cant make them require masks. Which is why this isn't your most sensible approach, especially with someone who isn't going to be receptive. You'll get his back up and give him a legitimate reason to dismiss your complaint.

[quote Lima1]@redbushtea you are joking right? Of course there is evidence to show that masks make a difference. That is a moot argument as the evidence is so solid. Sure why do medical professionals wear mask at all if they make no difference?[/quote]
I keep seeing people compare medical professionals wearing masks in medical settings, and the kind of mask wearing going on general.

Whether or not the latter is useful, they aren't comparable, as people do not use masks in the way they are used in a medical setting.

I think YABU to expect much more from your office. I don't know anyone at an office wearing a mask, this all sounds a bit OTT. You can social distance yourself even if others aren't, make sure windows are open, wash your hands and don't touch your face. And walking quickly past someone in a corridor is fine if you're not stood chatting with them.

I don’t think yabu. I'm not in the UK and masks are not legally required in offices, but we all wear them when we are in communal areas and cannot social distance because we don’t want to take risks. Not that hard really. I’m surprised by some replies - no wonder the UK has such a high number of cases.

I'd be asking to see the risk assessment that they have performed to ensure a safe working environment under the new Covid guidelines. My biggest bugbear through all of this is the employers not taking it seriously and not allowing WFH or implementing safe working environments, throwing their employees to the wolves. It's a fucking joke and they need reporting to someone.