SERIOUSLY??? People may quit if forced to work from home, Rishi Sunak warns ?

Original poster

R2221 · 26/03/2021 14:14

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56535575

OP posts:

WishUponAStar88 · 26/03/2021 14:15

You are happier which is great. But can you really not imagine that some people would not be happier going into the office?

minniemoocher · 26/03/2021 14:15

I hated wfh we are all different!

What is important is that there's a choice, if you live in cramped housing with multiple adults, noisy neighbours etc you might feel very different. I work 10 minutes from home

chipsandpeas · 26/03/2021 14:16

i love working from home but theres people in my team who cant wait to get back to the office as they are struggling

Thesearmsofmine · 26/03/2021 14:17

So you speak for everyone?

SixDegrees · 26/03/2021 14:17

Some people may find working from home more stressful and less productive than working in the office.
It’s the sort of thing that depends on the individual’s circumstances.

user1497207191 · 26/03/2021 14:17

What works for you doesn't work for everyone.

Lots of people WANT to return to their normal workplace for a variety of reasons.

Likewise a lot of employers will want their staff to work (at least some of the time) from their normal workplace.

There'll be a lot of people changing jobs over the next few years as a new equilibrium is found. That means some people wanting to work from home may need to change jobs to an employer where that is possible and vice versa.

emsyj37 · 26/03/2021 14:17

Not everyone loves working at home. Not everyone has space, not everyone enjoys being isolated, not everyone likes the intrusion of work into their home, some people enjoy the social contact of the workplace. Not everyone has a long commute that they hate. Young people in house shares don't necessarily want to spend all day in their bedroom at a desk looking at a screen.
If my job became 100% work at home, I would quit and find a different job.

ComtesseDeSpair · 26/03/2021 14:18

Many of my junior colleagues who live in houseshares have been living and working in their bedrooms 24/7 for the past year, and haven’t had the opportunity for what Sunak correctly identified as the spontaneous moments which benefit your career - such as a chance conversation with a senior director at the coffee station or the opportunity to attend a meeting you hadn’t previously been invited to. Not everyone’s priorities are spending as little time at work as possible and not having to pay for childcare; and not everyone has the luxury of a comfortable space to work at home.

coachmylife · 26/03/2021 14:18

Tis stupid.

Some people MAY quit if forced to work from home.
Some people MAY quit if forced to return.
Some people MAY quit for totally unrelated reasons.

Conclusion - some people MAY quit.

No news here...

Levirandal · 26/03/2021 14:19

I WFH and love it to a degree. Previously I was in a small box office on my own and had no contact with anyone. I’d love to see more WFH jobs as I’m a carer for a child with Sen and it would give me more options.

JesusIsAnyNameFree · 26/03/2021 14:19

Some might be happier going to the office and may quit a company that only works from home.

I do however think more people will look for the jobs where you do get to work from home, as it is saving both money and time. Some will want more time away from their family for peace, but many of us love the extra time we have with our families when we don't have to commute 1 hour or more a day.

Rishi is full of shit and I'm still waiting on that resignation we were promised if Boris dared put us in lockdown again and prevent another 100k deaths. What an absolute wanker.

user1497207191 · 26/03/2021 14:19

I'm sure lots of university lecturers would like to carry on working from home, but most students want a return to lecturers and face to face tutorials so don't want their lecturers to WFH.

Same applies with all kinds of employers. For some, WFH has been a sticking plaster to keep the organisation operating at some level, but isn't viable for the long term.

SoWhyNot · 26/03/2021 14:19

I would hope that many of the companies that are looking at doing a combination of wfh and office in the future ask their employees what they prefer rather than making a decision for everyone. Not all employees’ wishes will be granted but it’s likely more will be happier as they can either be in the office or at home most of the time.

BlackberrySky · 26/03/2021 14:20

Eh? Because you like working from home, you can't imagine why some people wouldn't? Those who have noisy houses or small spaces perhaps? Or those who hate the invasion of work into their personal space, or who miss human interaction at work, or who work in jobs where being remote makes the job harder? You can't imagine any of those scenarios?

KittyMcKitty · 26/03/2021 14:20

@R2221

No Mr Sunak. Working from home saves me 2 FUCKING HOURS of daily commute + rush hour stress + travel costs.

I work from home now. I am more productive, less stressed and happier.

You understand that some people may hold different views to you?

DorisLessingsCat · 26/03/2021 14:20

Yes. Working from home benefits people with comfortable, uncrowded homes and reliable broadband. Lots of people find it unmanageable and unpleasant because of their circumstances. It's not that difficult to understand.

mixedfeelsaboutthispl · 26/03/2021 14:20

Lol I laughed so hard at this, Rishi is so deeply out of touch and so nakedly desperate to get us all back spending.

I've personally not enjoyed working from home full time, and look forward to a blend of home and office working. Doing a daily tube commute stuck under someone's armpit and then stuck in the office all day, Monday to Friday? Absolutely fuck that.

Doingitaloneandproud · 26/03/2021 14:21

That's how you feel. I'm not a fan of working from home and much prefer the office environment. Everyone's circumstances are different and what works for one, may not for another.

Ponoka7 · 26/03/2021 14:21

Some people who I know who have been working from home have put on weight and haven't been as productive. A few services I've had to use have been difficult because the home WiFi has been dodgy. Once the children were back in school/childcare there's been no excuse for the poor service from some departments. There must be people picking up the slack for colleagues.

user1497207191 · 26/03/2021 14:21

Probably about the first sensible thing that Rishi has said.

megletthesecond · 26/03/2021 14:22

Sunak has a cushy job with expenses and subsidised restaurant on site. He doesn't have a miserable commute with packed lunch or rushing out at lunch for his own food.

Ponoka7 · 26/03/2021 14:22

I also know people whose mental health has dropped since WFH.

SparklyLeprechaun · 26/03/2021 14:22

I've always had the option to work from home whenever I felt like it, so l thought lockdown wasn't going to be hard. But it was. I miss the office and being there with my colleagues. It's not about productivity, I'm productive enough wfh.

Our office will likely remain closed for the rest of the year and at this point I'm seriously considering changing jobs.

user1497207191 · 26/03/2021 14:24

@mixedfeelsaboutthispl

Lol I laughed so hard at this, Rishi is so deeply out of touch and so nakedly desperate to get us all back spending.

I've personally not enjoyed working from home full time, and look forward to a blend of home and office working. Doing a daily tube commute stuck under someone's armpit and then stuck in the office all day, Monday to Friday? Absolutely fuck that.

Rishi is aware of how much the govt is having to subsidise public transport and that most trains are carry a lot of air but few passengers. He can't go on subsidising that indefinitely before they have the nightmare scenario of having to scrap trains and make public transport staff redundant, which is against their "green" credentials. Hence why they're desperate to get people back to work. The rail industry will have no choice but to massively reduce their scale of operations unless passenger numbers rise again.