To say no to going back to office until I've had vaccine & restrictions lifted?

[Willow79]

I live in Scotland and have been wfh for a year. I'm late 20s and asthmatic. Basically I wouldnt feel safe going back to physical work until I've at least had the vaccine. I know I'm young but I have friends with long covid and the prospect really scares me.

Anyway over the last 2 weeks my boss has been asking colleagues to meet our clients in physical meetings again. They travel there together by car and spend time with multiple teams of people.

Today was the first time the boss suggested I do this soon and another client also put pressure on me for the first time saying they want to meet soon as things go back to 'normal'.

AIBU to not want to do this seeing as the rule is a phased return to work in June?

I understand your worries. I’m a teacher and have suffered terrible anxiety. There is social distancing in schools no matter what images the media perpetuate, I have close contact with hundreds of people a day in poorly ventilated rooms (one room I teach in doesn’t even have a window!). All I can say is once you’re back in the thick of it you won’t give Covid a second thought, it just becomes normal again.

Meant no social distancing in schools!

Insisting to your boss that you use your own car (not sharing) and the meeting is socially distanced and masked if indoors is fair enough. Refusing is not

the OP's employer may well be following guidance as thye are WFH 98% of the time, it appears they think this one meeting needs to be in person it is not the the employer is demanding everyone back in office full time from Monday
WFH where possible might mean 100% of time or 0% of time and everything in between; just because 95% of job can be WFH it doesn't necessarily mean that the remaining 5% can just be ignored or that it is not crucial or that it can be done from home ( just because other 95% can be) it might need someone to physically do 5% elsewhere with other people
maybe the client is partially deaf and can't lip read well enough on zoom or is fed up of asking people to speak directly into mic and to speak up or repeat themselves or people don't repeat the soft spoken asides which means they feel left out and when asked to repeat they offhandly say it doesn't matter so they want to met face to face so they can understand better
I don't understand why you have to car share though surely everyone can take their own car though it might be more expensive

This thread has blown my mind with how many ‘well I had to work in public and so YOU should too’ comments there are.
Does it occur to none of you that OP and people like her WFH also reduces risk to you who have to work outside the home?

owl same. The "well I had to..." lot should realise that the more everyone else keeps their head down over the next few weeks the safer their health is. Unnecessary office meetings for the "banter" won't help anyone.

Unnecessary office meetings for the "banter" won't help anyone.

They’ll help the OP’s business. Which needs to, you know, keep clients and make profits.

@OwlBeThere me too.

Re indicative dates in Scotland, the current published timetable for easing coronavirus restrictions states from end June for a 'phased return of some office staff'.

You are being very unreasonable. If you don’t want to do your job then resign.

@Justgorgeous she IS doing her job. At home.

I’ve had to work during the pandemic despite health issues and CEV child. But the fact everyone else is at home means I’ve been able to avoid bringing covid home.

The Scottish Government have a totally unrealistic attitude of what businesses need to do to survive,in fact they really don't seem to care
Of course they can sit back on their safe public service salaries.

In the real world if clients want to have face to face meetings that's what businesses will need to do to survive.
Otherwise everyone will be out of a job

The regulations are wide enough to permit that ,and in any case what merit is there to reporting your employers (apart from risking the survival of the business)

@LunaLula83 Really, you actually know ppl with long covid? Its pretty rare. 1 in 10 people who have tested positive from Covid-19 will have some long term symptoms. That’s not rare.

I think yabu.
I am also asthmatic and not vaccinated but it’s time to just get on with it IMO. If you’ve been wfh for an entire year on full pay you’ve been exceptionally lucky.

I wouldn’t be keen about car sharing though, so I’d keep to separate cars if you can for now.

Yes you should have a vaccine by July but there are no guarantees. The Az controversy could slow things down. At what point do you think going back to normal will be ok?

@motherrunner

I understand your worries. I’m a teacher and have suffered terrible anxiety. There is social distancing in schools no matter what images the media perpetuate, I have close contact with hundreds of people a day in poorly ventilated rooms (one room I teach in doesn’t even have a window!). All I can say is once you’re back in the thick of it you won’t give Covid a second thought, it just becomes normal again.

I do get the anxiety for teachers tbh. Should have been prioritised for vaccines. But a grown up environment is different and I think you’re well within your right to sit at a distance, wear a mask, open a window etc.

she IS doing her job. At home.

Her clients want face to face meetings with her, so no, she’s not doing all aspects of her job.

@OwlBeThere

This thread has blown my mind with how many ‘well I had to work in public and so YOU should too’ comments there are. Does it occur to none of you that OP and people like her WFH also reduces risk to you who have to work outside the home?

I think people do realise this but speaking from a personal perspective, it's hard to read about people worrying about going back to a socially distanced office when you've been working throughout with no social distancing. Especially when you've been told for the past year on Mn that your risk is imagined and you need to suck it up.

@StrawberryLipstickStateOfMind
Lots of us were working from home and are no longer working from home as the situation has changed. We were all lowering the rate of the virus at a time when it needed lowering. It’s no different for office workers and the focus will shortly be to get the economy moving and that might be back in the office if that is what the employer wants. As I keep saying, I really do have sympathy for the anxiety people like the OP are feeling as I felt exactly the same and still do. It would also seem sensible to wait until more adults are vaccinated before insisting office workers return even on a flexible basis. Having said that, things are getting back to normal and that doesn’t seem to be pleasing everyone!

I am very pleased your employers are lovely. So are mine. Just remember that at some point you may have different priorities and they can follow legal guidelines set by the government that you, personally, don’t consider safe. It doesn’t make them any less lovely but you might not agree with them. How you react at that point is up to you.

Some horrible ageism on this thread

I workplace risk assessment isn't sufficient for someone who is clinically vulnerable. All those who are CV should, under the government COVID guidance, have an individual risk assessment which would be good practice to have Occupational Health input to write.

@Justgorgeous what an appalling response. Asthma is a known clinical vulnerability. Everyone has the right to protect themselves, those who are Clinically Vulnerable, need to take extra precautions which MUST be supported by the employer.

IMO all of the pages of discussion are pointless.

The employer decides whether the job can be done effectively from home or not.

They have decided that, after over a year of allowing it, it is now time for a phased return.

It isn't a choice really. Unless the choice is do it or leave.

OP, just focus on doing it as safely as possible - ask to see the risk assessment and talk to your line manager about how the office has been made covid secure.

OP is it worth chasing up a vaccine, if you are CV?

@rawlikesushi It might be yes. I have been using a steroid inhaler for the last few months since my asthma worsened. I saw a PP say people on steroid inhalers have been getting it, so I am a bit surprised it hasn't been offered.