To refuse to go back to the office

[tillytalks]

I’m currently on mat leave and due back to work on the 15th March.

I work in an office with 12 other people.
At present everyone is in the office.

There is no reason why people can’t work from
home, and I’m pretty sure the reason is that management are the type that wouldn’t trust staff to work at home.
It’s a family run business and the owners are quite precious.

I’m really careful, I don’t mix, I follow the rules to the letter.

I’m 34, have mild asthma and I also have a high BMI (more than 30 but less than 40)
I’m working out and eating well so I’m hoping this will reduce.

Even still, I just don’t feel comfortable sitting in an office all day with 12 other people.
The office isn’t big. It’s a long room, and although we can distance, I feel like it would still be crowded.

I know that I wouldn’t be given any preferential treatment to work from home, but I haven’t asked so can’t be too sure.

I’ll be working 3 days per week and my son (who will be 13m) will be in a nursery.

I’m also aware that my son being in nursery puts me at risk which is something else I’ve been thinking over.

AIBU to not want to return?

@Puzzledandpissedoff

OP said she's vulnerable due to her weight and asthma, but is still sending her kid to nursery, so is prepared to take that risk

Actually OP's been very clear that she's not at all comfortable with sending DS into nursery. Again we can't know if this would apply to her too, but many employers, based on long experience of seeing the "arrangements" disappear once a WFH agreement was in place, might well expect this to be just one more case

And the answer to "what happens to the work which can't be done from home?" is quite simple - they often expect those who are in the workplace to take the extra load, as the many threads from those expected to do exactly that show

Precisely. As I said, we’ve had admin staff suggest they be enabled to work from home by making the nurses that are in anyway do the paperwork.

I can see how the circumstances @TitsOot4Xmas described would lead to disbelief and friction amongst staff regarding colleagues working from home and offloading to those who have no choice. But some workplaces have zero contact with the public and no conflict around anyone needing to physically sit in an office, yet expectations from employers to keep bums on office chairs is seen as as high priority. Regulations around this need to be much tighter. Genuine essential workers don't need to share public transport with people who can do the exact same job from a desk at home.

[quote tillytalks]@Pawpatrollers2021

I’d anonymously report them to the council of where the office is based.

But if they’ve got measures in place (distancing)
then what would or could the council even do?
They aren’t breaking the law, are they?[/quote]
Do they have hand sanitizer? Have guidance on cleaning the loo/door handles etc? It’s not all about the distancing. Other indiscretions can make them not Covid safe.

@Sethy38

BMI 30 you have just tipped in to obesity

BMI 39 you are on the verge of being morbidly obese

It's irrelevant.

Her job can be done from home & the current law is, if it can be, it should be.

Not let 'the petty dictators' decide not to allow it

Her job can be done from home & the current law is, if it can be, it should be.

Again, should, not must.

And it’s only the OP’s opinion that you’ve heard. There is never only one side to the story.

@Seychelles98

So after the very long drip feed the OP's BMI is most likely nearer to 40 than to 30! Now we can see why she's reluctant to go back to the office as that BMI poses a serious risk if she contracts Covid...

@tillytalks why didn't you tell us that a few hundred posts ago?!

@Seychelles98

Who said my BMI is closer to 40?

All I said was above 30 but lower than 40.
If it was closer to 40 why wouldn’t I have said 35-40.

I’m telling you I’m in the category of obese which is between 30-40. I don’t need to specify on here what my exact BMI is.

"Her job can be done from home & the current law is, if it can be, it should be."

But that is not for each employee to unilaterally decide. OP's employer obvious has a completely different opinion on that.

I don't think much will be gained by PPs picking over OP's posts. She is a new mum anxious about returning from maternity leave to office. Cut her some slack.

She has had some good advice on what issues might be and advised would be best talking to her union and / Acas where she can be more open about details of her daily work to discuss properly, before talking to HR or employer bearer her March return date.

Hopefully some of us have reassured her that whilst there is always risk, there are millions of workers in similar position to her, in group 6. None of us know how this new variant will turn out and how Lockdown3 will go. This is 3 months too early. The government is already talking about tightening up rules...
regardless of what OP achieves with work, DS will have to go to nursery whether she wfh or goes into office as op a lesser said she can't do her job with toddler to look after at same time.

I don't think any PP promising or telling her it will go either way, should be doing so , as a) is too early to predict b) we don't know her job role, tasks nor employer's reasoning.

Cutting someone slack is different to platitudes & inaccurate advice some posters have offered

Not all office based work can be done from home. I can’t work from home, it’s just not possible. All my company have to go in to the office full time. It’s crap but there’s no alternative. If we don’t, then the company doesn’t survive.

@rawlikesushi

"Her job can be done from home & the current law is, if it can be, it should be."

But that is not for each employee to unilaterally decide. OP's employer obvious has a completely different opinion on that.

They don't necessarily have a different opinion on that . Some employers don't want people to work and regardless of whether the job can be done from home. OP will know better than randomers on the Internet.

OP will know better than randomers on the Internet not necessarily
Op concedes she’s anxious and wants to be at home. I’d question her objectivity

@HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee

OP will know better than randomers on the Internet not necessarily Op concedes she’s anxious and wants to be at home. I’d question her objectivity

I would question your objectivity if you think anyone shouldn't feel anxious about going into an office at the moment. The new variant is very infectious.

The new variant is very infectious yes it is
But that in itself doesn’t mean that op takes a unilateral decision to not return to work
She needs to liaise with employer and consult her union,if she’s a member. Have a COVID workplace assessment ask what measures are in place

@HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee

Cutting someone slack is different to platitudes & inaccurate advice some posters have offered

You missed the point of my post!!!

I was saying exactly that! WE can't give her accurate reliable advice, she needs to get clear advice from union acas etc... based on exact details of her workplace and role.

My 'Cut her some slack' comment was clearly referring to PPs picking over "just how high OP's BMI might be" etc and potentially ending up sounding harsh, when this is a new mum facing shortly returning to work after maternity leave during quite a scary time. Whether she has a case or not for BU or NBU is unclear, but she does deserve some understanding

@HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee

The new variant is very infectious yes it is But that in itself doesn’t mean that op takes a unilateral decision to not return to work She needs to liaise with employer and consult her union,if she’s a member. Have a COVID workplace assessment ask what measures are in place

Obviously the first thing to do would be to liaise with the employer and consult her union. I certainly haven't said otherwise and neither has anyone else.

Could you ask for a sabbatical if you're too scared of going into work?

I’m in the office. Have listened to other coworkers openly bitch about other members of staff all day long all with the managers blessing, then make barbed comments as I wouldn’t rise to the bait. Absolutely unprofessional and combined with having homeschooled three kids whilst working, recovering from long covid, and constant uncertainty and negativity everywhere from the papers to family, so many friends struggling and in worrying situations I made the decision that I will be wfh from now on. Good luck OP

Aaand now I’ve killed a thread too