Employer says I must return to office

[Dishmatic]

I’m currently wfh. A lot of people at my company are in the office and have always been.

Last year I wrote to HR and requested to wfh due to a health condition which makes me vulnerable to Covid.
This was approved and i’ve been wfh since.

I have my Covid vaccine this week. I told my work colleague that I’d booked it and yesterday I had an email from work asking for a catch up about retuning to the office.

I spoke to them this morning and they’ve said that now I’m being vaccinated I will be expected to return to the “Covid secure” office.

I didn’t say anything on the phone but I’m really not happy to go back in.

There’s over 70 people in my office building.
14 in the room I work in!!

AIBU to not go back in due to risks?

If you're equally or more productive working from home then why are you doing even more hours than you do in the office?

And to endorse what a previous poster said - to protect staff - and the whole community, the country and given that one virus has now got everywher, the world!

My dsis is part of a vaccine monitoring program me and 4 weeks after her jab has a lovely healthy crop of antibodies. Which seems to translate into high proection against severe illness and death in the reports I have read.

(Getting my jab v soon simply on grounds of age, and I m so happy about it!!!)

mygenericusername

With respect, unless you are on the shielding list, Once you’ve had your vaccine you need to return to work. I’m not going to attack you over the fairness of you WFH while the rest of the office goes on. Someone will be along to do that in a minute.“

Believe the advice is that everyone who can can wfh until June. By which time hopefully OP will have had both vaccines.

People are being very specific and assuming that those who aren’t on the shielding list are clearly not that at risk, when in actual fact the shielding list is incredibly ambiguous.

I have a serious heart condition which didn’t put me on the shielding list, much to the surprise of my cardiac team, and I have been shielding on medical advice, and was left in no doubt as to what the outcome would be if I ended up with COVID. In fact I was offered a vaccination based on the presumption I am in fact CEV, as guided by my cardiology team.

The problem here though is that because some conditions still are that severe, others are not, and as such, those who are considered vulnerable but aren’t on the shielded list can range from those with serious illness to those who purely have an underlying condition which could present a higher risk.

Only the OP knows how severe her illness is. OP, I presume that you’ve taken medical advice on this? If not, then perhaps this is your next port of call.

I had my vaccine several weeks ago now, and actually I feel more confident in going out because in truth you can’t stay locked up forever.

Letsallscreamatthesistene

I think you can WFH until you've had the 2nd dose and waiting the 2 week (??) amount of time afterwards. As you're not on the shielding list im not sure how much of a leg you have to stand on after this.“

The leg to stand on is government guidance that everyone who can, should until June (21st?). If OP has been working effectively from home for a year, why would that suddenly not be possible?

Agree though, the more people who are fully vaccinated, ie two weeks clear of their second dose prior to returning to workplaces, the greater the benefit to everyone.

Only the OP knows how severe her illness is.

Equally the OP is young (with age always being the biggest risk factor) and has had her first dose.

At this moment, she’s probably safer than all the other people in the office, going in everyday.

The leg to stand on is government guidance that everyone who can, should until June (21st?). If OP has been working effectively from home for a year, why would that suddenly not be possible?

While I understand your point, perhaps being asked to return indicates OP isn't working from home as effectively as she thinks?

If she is regularly spending an hour or two more than she usually does each day, I don't know how she can claim to be more productive wfh. She should be very able to spend her normal hours on her workload rather than more. If her employer is seeing emails before and after her usual hours then perhaps they believe she is not working as effectively as she normally does and that is part of the reason for their decision to ask her to come back to the office now?

It probably hasn't escaped the attention of her co-workers in the office that now OPs vaccinated she is probably less at risk of covid than them - it makes it hard for employers to justify why she would continue to wfh when they are in.

Good idea to talk to her doctor about risk once vaccinated, as they may be able to reassure her.

People are being arseholes to you op, ignore it.

Talk to your employer and tell them your concerns. Tell them that you would feel safer going back after the second vaccine. I would put it all in writing too.

Could you asked for a phased return to help make it a bit easier? It's understandable it's going to make you nervous after all this time.

I think both sides are a bit Unreasonable.

The employer is unreasonable to expect everyone to be in the office in the middle of a pandemic unless they really can't wfh. Government advice is that everyone should work from home if they can. It would appear the employer is not following government advice.

However as you are not shielding I think it's unreasonable of you to stay at home when your colleagues all have to go in, especially now you've been vaccinated. If I were you I'd be trying to negotiate going in some days a week next month. Id also be wanting to be clear about all their 'covid-safe' measures, assuming there are some.

I think both sides are a bit Unreasonable.

How has the employer been unreasonable? They have allowed someone who isn't on the shielding list to work from home. Other colleagues who have been expected to go into the office might think they've been unreasonable, however.

Employer has not been unreasonable with respect to the OP however they have in expecting most staff to go to the office throughout when government advice was to wfh where possible. However difficult to be sure without knowing if all these people could have, in fact, been able to wfh.

Has your office sent out comms related to what extra measures they have put in place into the office to all staff ?
We received comms with photos
Large hand sanitizer stations
One way systems
Staggered start & end times
Screens
Our office is 24x7x365, so there has been talk about X amount of people WFH & Y amount of people in the office on a rota system

If your employer requests you to work in the office
The option you have are
Take more holiday
Formally request to WFH permanently or part time
Look for a new job which is FT WFH

What would happen if everyone said to their employer that they were vulnerable & wished to WFH ? Other people may have worse health issues or live with someone with health issues

Good grief. YABVU.

@Bluesheep8

Particularly in offices where one person has been permitted to work from home and everyone else hasn't

Where in any of my posts have I said I’m the only permitted?! What I said is that everyone is in the office.
I asked to wfh and they approved it.

I don’t know if anyone else has asked or even if anyone else in the business is working from home.
I know that my department are in, but I also know at 32 I’m one of the oldest in my office AND the only one with a health condition.
Which I know as I’ve worked there a long time.

I’m wfh because of my health condition and because it’s what’s the government are advising to do. NOT because I just can’t be arsed going into the office.

My mental health has deteriorated this last year so as a matter of fact, being in the office would more than likely help with that, but then also puts me at greater risk from Covid.

@youvegottenminuteslynn

While I understand your point, perhaps being asked to return indicates OP isn't working from home as effectively as she thinks?

And so my employer only brings this up now, after a year of being at home...?

No... they know I’m vaccinated and that’s why they want me back in.
It has nothing to do with my work.

@emilyfrost

You don’t seem to realise how minimal the risk of covid is to you and how your anxiety here is out of control.

If my risk was minimal, why have I been vaccinated before others my own age....?

No... they know I’m vaccinated and that’s why they want me back in.

And that's their right.

Now you have high levels of protection, you need to get your head around returning to pre-pandemic working patterns. It is that simple.

Wfh in this way was an emergency measure. Most people thought it would be for a few weeks not for a full year.

It has never been the plan for all businesses to keep wfh 100% forever.

While some businesses are being slower to get their people back, most will, over the next few months, bring their people back.

You've now been vaccinated which means you're at less risk than others your age. You are not shielding.

Your employers can start to request people come back to the office.

When they asked you, you absolutely could have asked to wait until your second dose.

You have the right, like everyone else, to formally request flexible working that might include some home working. Your employer does not have to grant this.

With all kindness possible, it is your fear that is out of line, not your employer.

To be honest, as someone who has left the house to continue working throughout, I’d rather those who can continue WFH do continue doing so. The last few weeks traffic has just got busier and busier. I miss the days of a quiet commute! Surely less cars on the road is a good thing? If people have managed to successfully WFH over the last 12 months, why does that need to change? Possibly introduce a rota so that all staff can have a few days at home and the rest in the office.

If people have managed to successfully WFH over the last 12 months, why does that need to change?

It depends what you mean by successfully. My business has people working from home. I'd say they vary between working 60% of their usual capacity to working 90%.

Overall, the business doesn't function as well. Revenues are down by more than 30%. No this set up can't continue if people want to keep their jobs.

[quote Dishmatic]@youvegottenminuteslynn

While I understand your point, perhaps being asked to return indicates OP isn't working from home as effectively as she thinks?

And so my employer only brings this up now, after a year of being at home...?

No... they know I’m vaccinated and that’s why they want me back in.
It has nothing to do with my work.[/quote]
If they see that you're working more hours than you did in the office rather than the same hours, I can see from their POV they may be concerned that you aren't working as efficiently or as productively. You may feel they are wrong but surely you can see the logic in that?

You asked to work from home due to your medical condition. The vaccine mitigates your risk, you are now at lower risk than an unvaccinated person of your age. Things have changed so you no longer need special measures. If you want to apply for wfh you can do through flexible working. If the office looks unsafe then you can tackle that with HR. Stay at home ends on the 29th March, they are asking you to return after that. If you feel like you are still at significant risk I think you would need to speak to your GP, if they agree you can submit evidence to HR

I do more more from home! I don’t commute, rarely take a lunch break.

This doesn't sound like you're using your time more efficiently or productively, I understand that you're working hard but working hard is different to working at maximum efficiency and productivity.

You asked if you were being unreasonable and haven't just accepted people think differently to you on this, you've been snarky with posters including me who have tried to explain why your employer might see this situation differently.

Why ask if you're 100% sure you're not being unreasonable?