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?

I think YABU to just say you’re not going back in, the shielding advice is so wide now that most people at any sort of serious risk have been told the shield, lots of measures are now in place in the workplace to offer protection. You say the rest of the team are in, so it may well be it has been identified that working relationships/team dynamics are impacted by just one person WFH- or it may be because other staff are asking why they cannot WFH and it seems like favouritism. It doesn’t really matter in that lots of companies want people to now be home based, so if you are really unhappy that your employer feels they need you on site, then you have time to start looking at alternatives.

Wfh was only ever going to be a temporary thing whilst covid is around. Once everyone has been vaccinated, there is an expectation to resume office working, if companies choose to recall people back to work. I suspect a lot of people having had a taste of wfh, are very reluctant to return. Once vaccines have all been done, are you going to be happy going back, or do you have another excuse lined up?

I'm shielding and will have to return to a packed classroom of 10 yr olds on 31st March having had one dose.

Crikey there are some real dinosaur views on here about wfh.

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

Your whole office should be working from home if it’s possible.

Excellent, teachers can teach from home now - it's been proven. Let's close schools.

Did you just skip over the words ‘office’ and ‘possible’?

Even shielding ends this month. I don’t see how you can use being vulnerable as a reason, especially if the employer has cev staff returning in a similar time frame.

Your whole office should be working from home if it’s possible.

Excellent, teachers can teach from home now - it's been proven. Let's close schools.

I think you might have missed this topic is about office workers not children.

The government says wfh "if you can" - you clearly can - til 21 June

If you can means if your employer says you can.

YANBU

Your employer has a duty of care for its employees and if you are vulnerable until you have had your second jab then they must listen to your concerns and you should continue to wfh

Were you “working” when you were on this thread? The employer might have a point about wanting you back in the office. Or do you usually have Tuesday afternoons off?

Another fine example of micromanaging. I strongly suggest that managers with this level of need for managing other people's time, look at their own jobs look at upskilling their now defunct roles.

@WhenLifeReturns ....

In what world is (a minimum of) 81% not a high percentage?

You don’t count as vaccinated until 3 weeks past your second dose and they don’t yet know if it works against variants.

Covid secure is bullshit. It’s airborne, so one person I your office has it, unless you’re sitting there in full FFP3 masks, you all can get it. The same as walking down a corridor after someone has walked through.

I think you might have missed this topic is about office workers not children.

I think they were joking.

Why don't you look for a new job which will allow you to work from home. I don't think you can refuse to go into the office if that's where your employer says you must be.

I think we’ve reached the stage where covid needs to be seen as a risk we just accept is out there and get on with our lives, and that includes going to offices. While continuing to vaccinate those people who are the most likely to get seriously ill if they contract it.

As time goes on to say you’re too scared of covid to go back to your office is going to seem increasingly like a poor excuse. A bit like saying you can’t go to work in case you crash your car on the way in. Or you can’t commute into central London in case there’s a terrorist attack on the Tube. Yes these are risks, but we generally accept them and get on with our lives.

@VaVaGloom I misread it thank you for clearing that up.

@HerculesMulligann once you have had the second vaccine or when everyone has been offered one, then I agree.

If you are not prepared to go back after you've had the 2nd dose then what you are saying is that you are not prepared to ever go back - since covid is here to stay

Your employer has every right to demand you return. Your chances of falling seriously ill/dying from covid are ridiculously low and you sound overly hysterical about the whole thing to be honest

Gosh. I think people are being super harsh

My and my 6 yr old are both CEV

I’m with you. I would worry about going to an office type job. I’m group 4 and my consultant had said under no terms that I would most likely die if I got COVID. Due to the conditions I have. Which means my body doesn’t produce the correct hormone you need to survive illness. End of.

I understand the anxiety that comes with this. I haven’t been out of the house much since March. I’ve got the added complication of a child who is also shielded. Not many mumsnetters could tell me that if the chances are their child could die or become hospitalised in ICU. That they’d risk it.

I would write a factual letter. If you can also ask your consultant to add in a letter. This would help I feel

@Lorieandrews

Gosh. I think people are being super harsh

My and my 6 yr old are both CEV

I’m with you. I would worry about going to an office type job. I’m group 4 and my consultant had said under no terms that I would most likely die if I got COVID. Due to the conditions I have. Which means my body doesn’t produce the correct hormone you need to survive illness. End of.

I understand the anxiety that comes with this. I haven’t been out of the house much since March. I’ve got the added complication of a child who is also shielded. Not many mumsnetters could tell me that if the chances are their child could die or become hospitalised in ICU. That they’d risk it.

I would write a factual letter. If you can also ask your consultant to add in a letter. This would help I feel

But the OP isn’t you. She’s not CEV and she’s not shielding or in Group 4

OP is not CEV/ shielding?

If OP was on the shielding list she would absolutely have everyone’s support but as she’s not I think PPs have the opinion that if the government and doctors think she’s not at an increased risk then there’s no reason to not go into work.

@Abracadabra12345

Yep. Totally missed that! Thank you

Government guidance said to work from home if you can until end of June. You obviously can, having done so for the past year. So you should still be working from home until then.

Those on the shielding list are only covered for SSP/Furlough pay until 31st March. After this, if they can't work from home, they must go in unless their company allows them further time off with comoany suck pay. If it's safe for the CEV then it's safe for you. Your company have been very accomodating. You should be thankful.