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

[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.

I do honestly find it startling that many people don’t seem to realise the economy is interdependent. If the sandwich shops, Retailers, train companies etc go bust, the jobs go with it. That’s more people on benefits, less people able to buy the thing your company makes putting your job at risk.

Many years ago, before 1997 when John Prescott was actually good at politics, I can recall him going into a rant on Question Time about how the Tories were happy to destroy the huge industrial base of Britain until we were all running around selling each other insurance.

Just popped into my head.

I'm really quite sick of being told that because I don't enjoy staring at the same four walls every day with no real life interaction means I have an attitude problem.

neither do we, but again, that's a lockdown issue, not a WFH issue.

more people will quit if forced to go back to 5 days a week in the office when its totally not necessary

Its not my job to fill Bettys tea rooms much as I love them or fill the trains that go past your windows!

@JackieWeaverHandforthCouncil

I do honestly find it startling that many people don’t seem to realise the economy is interdependent. If the sandwich shops, Retailers, train companies etc go bust, the jobs go with it. That’s more people on benefits, less people able to buy the thing your company makes putting your job at risk.

You may be at home permanently...without a job if all the jobs relying on your office staying open from dry cleaners to the make up counter at Boots closes.

Yes, and the smug, shoulder shrugging "Businesses will just have to adapt. Happens all the time." Well yes, things change, and businesses have to move with the times, but it's pretty rare for whole sectors of the economy to be threatened with closure pretty much overnight. And it's not just about overpriced lattes at Costa.

Maybe not a bad thing. Consider it a humane death

Agreed it was grim pre-plague anyway but I was thinking that the death would be more gradual and allow for lowering rents and more quality independent and specialist businesses in their place. (Possibly wishful thinking)

This is gonna leave us with food courts, lots and lots of food courts, which will still need the footfall

Sometimes I used to bemoan our location and wished we had set up in a higher footfall area. This situation has actually been quite good for our business overall and allowed us to rejig our opening hours to something slightly more sociable and suddenly being in a predominantly residential area has never been better. That section of trade, whilst we weren't reliant on it, was still an important source of cashflow though

There’s a laarge group of MPs who are worried about how much emptier London is. Perhaps some coffee shops or estate agencies might have to close 😱

Wfh has completed revitalised our local high street. Queues outside all takeaways coffee shops etc. Wfh has also done some much needed balancing of house prices, reduced pressure on the transport system and reduced overcrowding the the post polluted part of UK.

Not a genius is he. But then this is the man who gave us ‘eat out to help out’ 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

neither do we, but again, that's a lockdown issue, not a WFH issue.

Not for me, it will still be shite after lockdown if I’m at home all day every day. I haven’t gained any time, but have lost a huge amount of social contact and incidental activity. I’ll still have to work the same hours and do the same childcare after work, but with a lot less human contact during the working day.

I'm recruiting at the moment (normally WFH) and I've been told I might struggle because so many people are looking for office-based jobs because they've realised WFH doesn't suit them.

reduced pressure on the transport system

The entire transport network is being propped up by massive amounts of government subsidy. It’s fucked.

www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/26/teleperformance-call-centre-staff-monitored-via-webcam-home-working-infractions

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/26/shops-stay-open-until-10pm-england-lockdown-eased-jenrick

Another couple of stories possibly relevant to the debate.

On a side note, I thought that unless you have licensing restrictions, a business can decide it's own hours? Except on Sundays of course.

No way do I want to work from home permanently! I couldn't imagine never going into my office where I was quite happy, albeit a day at week at home would have been nice.

Maybe if history were more valued, we'd have some blue sky retro gazing about how to possible redevelop by reversion when it comes to the high street. But I guess you can take things too far, can't you ?

@whetherpigshavewings

I'm really quite sick of being told that because I don't enjoy staring at the same four walls every day with no real life interaction means I have an attitude problem.

neither do we, but again, that's a lockdown issue, not a WFH issue.

No, it's a WFH issue. I still have to do everything I did before, but without any contact with people during my working hours. How is it a lockdown issue? I can't leave the house during the day as I'm working ALL THE TIME to meet my hours, and I can't use any kind of cafe or shared space due to security issues.

How is that going to change after lockdown is over?

The entire transport network is being propped up by massive amounts of government subsidy. It’s fucked

Yep. If people don't start getting on again, it won't exist.

John Lewis is closing down in Tunbridge Wells too. Being a prime commuter town, you really cannot blame WFH for its closure...

wfh longer than needed just proves they you are a lazy slob

John Lewis say they are adapting to new shopping habits. I am not convinced that is the whole story. A new MD came in just before the lockdown so was bound to shake things up.

@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.

Has it not crossed your mind that other people might just feel differently to you?

Personally I'm not productive but only because I'm working longer hours, I'm much more stressed and usually end up in tears about work at least once a day and as I don't have an office I'm working in the living room and it's like living in the fucking office.

I have no work life balance, don't sleep properly and hardly move from my desk. Fuck that long term, it's not a life.

If work say I have to work from home I'll be looking for something else.

Spent 3.5 hrs & absolutely ridiculous amounts on daily commute into London for last role before working from home. I don't fancy returning to a 17hrs + weekly commute. It can be much more than that when the wrong type of leaves/rain/snow/can't find the driver...occurs!

John Lewis closing in Tonbridge? 😮I thought that would be there target market. Please let John Lewis survive it’s my favourite shop😩

As a one woman band niche retailer, I accept I'm obsolete and my business will probably never recover especially in our current location. I wish my LL would release us from our lease which expires at the end of October, which of course should be our busiest month due to the nature of our business. Ah well, he has a yacht to pay mooring fees on bless him......

If I do have to drop my delusions of commercial grandeur and get a job, I would like to WFH tbh. Spent enough time in call centre / offices doing admin to loathe the corporate forced fun culture - where if you don't jump in with all the young 'uns you aren't a team player...... If I make five sales I want my commission, not a six pack of Budweiser TYVM.

But I agree with everyone that all his has to include choice, with no-one being forced one way or the other.

As for the surveillance described above - while I understand that productivity and compliance needs to be monitored somewhat, the idea of being snitched on by an AI chills me!

NothingIsWrong

you might have to stay home and concentrate on work during office hours, but after the lockdown, you will have a life outside.
Currently we are home BEFORE work, AFTER work, all weekends, bank holidays (and have no holiday). We have no social life, no access to sport, to hobbies, to days out.

It only feels claustrophobic at home when you are virtually on house arrest and are only allowed to leave for essential outings.

Most students spend a big chunk of their life in the same tiny room or studio flat studying, eating, sleeping, living.. but pre-lockdown none did mind or even notice because they were also spending a lot of time outside, at uni or anywhere they wanted! It only becomes unbearable when you remove the outside part.

a 4 day week with longer days sounds terrible - i would rather do 7 days a week with less hours a day to make up my hours. Be there to see kids off in morning and here when they get back. they dont need me to do anything but i would be happier working from home those parts of the day which is where is it is flexible its better for everyone. Even jobs with fixed hours could surely do some from home if it suited them.

I would quit if I had to WFH forever for a job!