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?

She’s not having time off. She’s working, just from home.

OP, we’re not opening the office and asking people to come in until people are vaccinated. The great return will start mid September I think.
I think you’re not being totally fair to your employer, you ask to wfh they said yes, and then they called you to discuss returning abs you didn’t raise concerns. I think you need to realise that risk is personal and you need to articulate where you’re at. Engage with them and chat.
The second point is that you’re more productive at home. Thing is, you’re part of a team and a company, and this year has really been an issue for juniors to learn and rise up the ranks. It’s about overhearing conversations and asking questions and being collaborative which is incredibly hard to do from home.
I won’t ever ask everyone to come to the office every day, but I will ask people to come in 2/3 days a week. We’ll change the way we work and make a clear distinction about the value we get out of days in the office and wfh.
Finally, eating at your desk, working longer hours and not getting the water cooler chat all day every day isn’t good for your mental health. If you are going to wfh going forward you need to set some boundaries, or even actively manage expectations with your out of office. Being on call 24 hours isn’t sustainable.

Saying all of that, ultimately if you have an employer who only sees value in you sitting at your desk find a new job. No point working for someone who doesn’t trust you.

@Claudia84 Yes she has been wfh, which her employers have facilitated. Now she has been vaccinated (and is not officially shielding) her company have asked her to return to the office from April.

Do you think that your excessive hours WFH may be a reason why they want you back in the office. Work life balance? Reduction in Potential future claims for bad backs etc where work stations have not been assessed? Everyone says they are more productive but are they? Longer hours, tiredness and lack of monitor breaks tend to lend themselves to unseen errors by the error makers.

You had the vaccine at a younger age than most , for whatever valid reason. Therefore you are really really unlikely to catch covid , even with one dose and if you were to catch it , there is an extremely low chance that your symptoms would be serious . More chance of you getting ill or dying from lots of other things . I don't understand why you can't understand this ...unless you have extreme anxiety which you say you don't .
I am also an accountant and have wfh since the first lockdown .
I am due to get my vaccine very shortly due to being an unpaid carer. I know that I will be less likely to get covid than some of my other colleagues, although most are younger than me and are not likely to get it serious anyway .
I would be happy to return if required. Although I can do my job effectively at home , there are other things that are more difficult . Things like training staff, tackling challenging situations that are time critical that sometimes require a few people to thrash out a solution face to face. I think it's time for you to return or get help with your anxiety issues , which are really not enabling you to see the situation in a pragmatic and realistic manner.

@Teawaster “I think it's time for you to return or get help with your anxiety issues , which are really not enabling you to see the situation in a pragmatic and realistic manner.”

I agree with this. Plus I think it’s going to become apparent over the next few years just how counter productive some of the messaging around covid has been. “Don’t kill Granny!” “Act as though you’ve got it!”. These are really harmful messages for anyone prone to anxiety, agoraphobia, hypochondria etc and the negative mental health impacts on many people will last for years.

Have you asked about wfh a couple days of the week?
A friend of mine has recently gone back but because there are quite a few in one big office space they only have half the amount in everyday and the other half wfh and then swap.

[quote Dishmatic]@Totallyfedup1979

Well, that seems pointless, because how on earth could it prove any such thing anyway?

Because I do more work from home than I did in the office.

I’m an accountant, my month end accounting is dine by working day 5 (very rare this happened in the office)
I talk less at home (no one to talk to) I work more hours and take less of a lunch break.[/quote]
If you are working more hours, of course you will get the job done quicker. It doesn't show that you are being more productive though - as you are doing more hours.

It is entirely possible your employers want you to stop working longer hours and not taking breaks - that is not good for your health.

You need to speak to them. Have an honest conversation around working from home. See what they are thinking and if they are having issues with you being at home that you are unaware of.

Could your whole team work from home?
If yes why are they not?
If no why are you different?

OP - if you’re still reading, fwiw I think the tone of the replies are largely unkind, unnecessary and incorrect. I’ve been wfh for a year. I never asked to wfh, I don’t like wfh, but my (large, city) employer has followed the govt guidance and therefore as someone who can work at home, I do. Other people being in the office, missing the watercooler chat, your firm needing to develop the office culture or improving your work life balance or you working slowly are not in any way reasons that negate this guidance.

There are many people who can’t work from home. There are many people like me who can. For every person who has turned out to love working from home there is someone like me who hates it - it is hard, lonely and isolating.

The govt guidance to work from home if you can is in place until June. You are not in any way unreasonable to ask why your employer has now deemed you can’t work from home if you’ve been doing so successfully for a year. I’m not sure what pps are getting out of querying yourl mental health, but that says a lot about them and nothing about you.

@Localocal

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.

It really is as simple as that as far as I can tell. How can they possibly tell her it is not possible for her to work from home having allowed it for so long? I'm surprised that her colleagues have not demanded the same. Perhaps they have and that is why they want her back in.

Lots of companies treat their staff like shit and don't trust them. Almost all managers who I've met who are against WFH and flexible working think their staff can't be trusted.

I've worked from home since 23rd March as have all of my team and most of the business (in the UK). Fortunately we work for a great company who are adhering to the government guidelines.

It's been long, gruelling at times, fortunate, lucky, scary, emotional, bloody frustrating and adjustments have been made all around. Some working from kitchens, bedrooms, kids rooms, summer house etc. Yes we missed the office and our colleagues initially but adapted to the new temporary situation......a year down the line now that vaccinations are available and everyone is getting them in the alloted groups we can see a way back to the office.

For some this cannot come quick enough, for others they've adjusted well to working from home and are anxious/ scared about retuning. Everyone is different. My team have worked wonders and managed to keep themselves rocking along nicely.
For those that are struggling with the idea of a return (after all jabbed btw) I've suggested that they come in for part of the week, and phase themselves into their returns. I'll work with them as I know it's worrying times especially those that v are ECV OR CV.

OP maybe ask if you could do a phase retuning just to build back up.

I for one am going to struggle with the noise levels! It's been calm and peaceful I can hear when I'm on calls etc. It will take time to readjust again, but it will be nice to have a bit of what we used to know so well but maybe just a little bit different in thy future and some for the better I imagine.

Good luck OP, you're not being unreasonable at all, you're just airing your worries and that's normal. Hopefully you'll get the support to ease you back in to the office.

[quote VaVaGloom]@Claudia84 Yes she has been wfh, which her employers have facilitated. Now she has been vaccinated (and is not officially shielding) her company have asked her to return to the office from April.[/quote]
Yes I know. I was answering a point from a poster that was comparing it to Furlough which it isn’t.
My original point still stands that you should be able to work from home if you can and as far as I’m concerned if the company you work for has the set up to do so (Ie you don’t have to meet clients, fix things on site, work on confidential documents that can’t be taken off site) then I really dont understand why employers aren’t allowing homeworking, unless it’s just that they don’t trust their employees.
If they don’t trust their employees they shouldn’t have hired them in the first place; that goes for the OP and her colleagues.

@Dishmatic I haven't read all the thread as it's so long.

I would send an email explaining that the vaccine isn't effective until 3 weeks after the 2nd dose which will by on x date so of course you are open to returning then. In the meantime please would they send you details of how the office is Covid secure as the vaccine doesn't actually prevent you from catching Covid only gives you XX% chance of preventing serious complications.

Seems your employers are a bit thick and don't actually understand any of it!!!

[quote RandomMess]@Dishmatic I haven't read all the thread as it's so long.

I would send an email explaining that the vaccine isn't effective until 3 weeks after the 2nd dose which will by on x date so of course you are open to returning then. In the meantime please would they send you details of how the office is Covid secure as the vaccine doesn't actually prevent you from catching Covid only gives you XX% chance of preventing serious complications.

Seems your employers are a bit thick and don't actually understand any of it!!![/quote]
Her employers aren't asking her to return until after that three weeks is over.

They're not being thick at all. They've allowed for that period, but it's not good enough for the OP..

@saraclara the op 2nd post is her saying they want her to return before her 2nd dose???

I posted this morning and have just caught up with op's posts only.

Op - even if you are working very hard indeed, your employer is allowed to review the situation. You were never CEV or shielding, yet they have considerately allowed you to wfh for a year. Now, after a year and in keeping with many other employers, they would like to review it, especially as you are safer after your vaccination.

YANBU to want to continue wfh but your employer is NBU wanting to review the arrangement.

Perhaps look up stats for how many people in their 30s have died of covid with your health condition? And ask to see your employers risk assessment, or go in for a visit. I think you are more scared than you need to be.

[quote RandomMess]@saraclara the op 2nd post is her saying they want her to return before her 2nd dose???[/quote]
Ah. I must have skimmed the 'second dose' bit of your post.

But it's clear that the vast proportion (more than 80%) of protection happens three weeks after the first dose, so given OP's age and the fact that she's not CEV and has only been WFH at her own request all this time, they are perfectly reasonable to ask he to come in when that first jab is effective.

The op is Clinically Vulnerable, ok so she's not CEV but she is at more risk than most Other 30 year olds???

Not to mention government guidance has been for people to WFH wherever possible?

DH and I are both CV for different conditions. DH would likely have his underlying condition get far worse and take another 5 years plus to get off chemo drugs!

Being CV is shit and even both doses of the vaccine doesn't not mean you won't catch it and doesn't mean that won't kill you.

OP - if you are still reading this far please disregard some of the petty old school trouts that are berrating you for daring to think of yourself before your employer. I shudder to think how many of these people are people managers and how it must feel to be managed by them... I'm your boss, worship me, do exactly as I dictate, and buck up. Oh you have an illnes, you don't look ill to me so pull your socks up and blindly follow my orders. Oh and consider yourself lucky whilst you're at it.

Sorry but no, this is not how any company I have worked for in the last 10 years operates... maybe I just pick forward thinking companies but seriously that old school culture of presenteeism sucks and unless more people are prepared to question it very little will change. If Covid gives us at least one positive it is that working from home does work and, guess what, you don't need to manage people like naughty children.

@RandomMess

The op is Clinically Vulnerable, ok so she's not CEV but she is at more risk than most Other 30 year olds???

Not to mention government guidance has been for people to WFH wherever possible?

DH and I are both CV for different conditions. DH would likely have his underlying condition get far worse and take another 5 years plus to get off chemo drugs!

Being CV is shit and even both doses of the vaccine doesn't not mean you won't catch it and doesn't mean that won't kill you.

But there are loads of CV teachers, nurses, retail workers etc who are going into work.

OP has been shielded for a year and is now vaccinated. She will be in a covid secure environment with, I think, 14 other adults, all socially distanced and wearing masks. Really, it feels like time to start moving back to some sort of normality and it would be irresponsible of her employer to leave her languishing at home indefinitely, overworked, isolated and, by her own admission, suffering poor mental health as a consequence. It's certainly time to review things imo, although I can see why op is scared after all this time.

ok so she's not CEV but she is at more risk than most Other 30 year olds???

Not now she’s had her first shot she isn’t.

She’s at less risk than all the people traipsing into her office everyday.

As it is you can only go back once you have had both vaccinations and at least 2 weeks after the second. They are not being reasonable, do you have a shielding letter? I hope everything works out for you.

She's only had her first dose, even after having both doses if she catches Covid she is more at ask of being seriously than others who aren't CV. The vaccine is not 100% effective for anyone.

The vaccine lowers the risk to the NHS being overwhelmed etc hence the move back to "normal" it isn't going to eradicate people dying or people being seriously ill - the numbers will just be far lower.

Government guidance has been for everyone to WFH where possible, what does it say about the company that they haven't enabled as many employees as possible to do that or continue to do that until the bulk of the population is vaccinated?

Again it's a race to the bottom, if I have to work outside the home so should everyone else.

The employers called OP- she didn’t express her concerns/ anxiety?

She’s not CEV, she’s not shielding, she’s had the vaccine, she’s 32... Physically, she’s in safer position in terms of COVIDthan a lot of shop workers, delivery drivers, factory operatives, teachers etc etc.

OP- speak to your employer about your concerns. If you are genuinely this anxious about returning then telling them is a starting point. They might be able to work something out with you but, not talking to them, makes that impossible for them. They seem to have been very reasonable with you from what you have said.