To think that COVID has accelerated something that was going to happen anyway?

[malificent7]

In terms of working from home/ distant learning/ high speed internet etc.

I would far rather the kids were socialising in school as it is vital for development but ai u to think that the advent of digital technology has meant more will work from home anyway in the future.
I don't think online schools are a good idea but online offices could be....save on commutes theregore fossil fuels etc.
Just speculating really although it makes me sad to think technology is coming between face to face interaction.

Aibu*

I think it has sped up the decline of physical shops

Builders
Drivers
Warehouse packers
Gardeners
Hairdressers
Hotel and restaurant staff
Supermarket staff
Manufacturing staff
Farmers

Avery small proportion of jobs will become remote
but most of the world will carry on

Doctors
Nurses
Carers
Dentists
Teachers / TAs
Nursery staff
Bin men

I think it has sped up the development of more flexible working as all those jobs which "couldn't be done from home" now can be so there is a precedent there when people request working from home either all of the time or some of the time.

I think it has shown that remote learning for children is not ideal however I would hope that it has shown it can work in the short term (e.g., temporary school closures due to broken boiler, children absent but not unwell, homework, etc)

I hope so, will really open up more job opportunities up for disabled people.

@Mumofsend

I think it has sped up the decline of physical shops

But LOTS of staff are working in warehouses and packing centres and delivery depots to make the home shopping work

let alone the folks working in illegal sweatshops producing clothes

of the slave labour growing the cotton

I am not sure that it will save on fossil fuels, isn't there a greater fuel economy heating one office than heating several houses?

I’m NHS office based and our boss will have us back in full time ASAP despite other departments going full or part time home based permanently. Some employees will reap the benefits of WFH longer term but it will depend on employers culture and levels of trust in their employees.

Yes, I agree. Obviously apart from the stopping all our freedoms.
It's the leisure that has been greatly impacted, and no rest, besides making Jack a dull boy, is not good for our mental health.
We need recreation to recreat our balance.
Can you guess my Pg subject?

Apparently 40% of doctors (GP) appointments are now conducted on line. Makes you think...

When I started my new job in October 2019 I had to travel 7 hours, over 100 miles just to show them my ID because it "could only be done in person"! Of course the current new starters have to scan and send their ID and then videocall to show it next to their face!
I was livid when I heard!

Remote working technology has been available for a long time, but a lot of managers don't trust their staff, they haven't wanted to use it, they haven't tried to learn remote management techniques.

Corona virus has forced them to change the their attitude and the accountants have realised just how much they can save in office space, reduced travel, car allowances, commuting loans etc.

In the future, companies who continue to offer flexible working will attract the best people. If other companies want to attract the best, they will have to change too.

Good for the environment, congestion, people's work/life balance. It's the one benefit I think Covid could bring.

I think it has sped up the decline of high street shopping and pushed companies into thinking about travel, WFH, etc.

I don't think many businesses will change that drastically moving forwards. People are realising how much work does get done if you're within range of someone to ask a quick question, how much the chatter when making tea, having a fag break, etc. is more useful then previously thought and that, ultimately, we\re social animals and need the interaction.

I agree with Mintjulia that the best employers will learn from this and take a flexible approach.

I'm teaching from home which is not good for anyone concerned, but I must say that the lack of commute and flexibility has been one good thing about it and if I did a different job, I would be interested to have WFH day or two each week.

@ListeningQuietly

Doctors Nurses Carers Dentists Teachers / TAs Nursery staff Bin men

Most of these are already remote ATM.

NoOne
Most of these are already remote ATM.
HOGWASH
Hospital doctors and nurses
Care home staff
Dentistry
Nursery staff
Bin Men
ARE NOT REMOTE WORKING

Mintjulia
OFFICE jobs may be remote
but Bricklaying does not work through a screen

@Keepithidden

Apparently 40% of doctors (GP) appointments are now conducted on line. Makes you think...

I've thought for a while that a GP-triage referral service would really help speed up the process of getting to the right person, if you weren't limited to your local GP.

Selecting a few symptoms online could get you directly to a GP with a specialism who could refer you on to an in person appointment or arrange a referral (or you could opt for that directly).

I think employers of office based work will find themselves competing to offer decent WFH packages.

Online bin collecting

I think it has shown that many things can be done online. The days of flying to meetings for a couple of hours may be over. But I don't think we will all be sitting at home all the time. Hopefully flexible working might become the norm in some industries.

I'm hopeful the encouragement to go to school/work while ill might change.

Of those jobs that are office based there are advantages to wfh, but also disadvantages to business, with evidence of lack of creativity and innovation. I've been working from home since March and managing people remotely is hard! I can't wait to be back in the office, probably with still two days wfh, but at least to be able to sort some things out face to face rather than over skype/teams etc.
In terms of climate impacts, it depends.... Saving on the commute, but more electricity and heat use by people in separate homes than in a single office. Net impact could actually be worse.

Our office staff have been told in no uncertain terms that once it is deemed safe to go back, then we will all be back. The company has had a couple of issues with staff not being where they should be at certain times and it’s spiralled from there.

Yes, I think you are right OP. In my industry (fintech) it's massively accelerated it.

I think you’re right, certainly for some sectors I think it’ll become the norm going forward.

I was watching a piece about US tech companies who’ve been ahead of the curve in many ways, giving employees pay cuts, if they chose to be based in cheaper cities and work remotely. I’m not sure I’d be happy with that. There was a guy living on a 1970’s airstream trailer on a patch of land he bought, in the middle of nowhere.

Equally I’m not sure what will happen to our cities if a large percentage of commercial office space is no longer needed.

I agree. I also think the ensuing recession was waiting to happen one way or another - a recession usually comes roughly every 10 years as part of the normal cycle.